Lotus could pay for bowing to driver’s ultimatum

Press, 26 February 1986, Page 38

Lotus could pay for bowing to driver’s ultimatum

By

GEORGE TANNER

“Super-brat,” the sporting tag normally associated with the American

tennis star, John McEnroe, may now, with some justification, be given to the young Brazilian Formula One driver, Ayrton Senna.

The 25-year-old number one driver in the John Player Lotus team has deservedly received harsh criticism from fellow competitors as well as the news media over bis conduct during the off-season period when his team was negotiating for a number two driver to support him in this season’s world drivers’ championship campaign. When the Italian, Elio de Angelis, decided last year to quit the Norfolkbased team to join his compatriot, Riccardo Patrese at Brabham, it seemed certain that Senna would be partnered by Derek Warwick (Britain) who found himself unemployed with the demise of the Renault team.

The Lotus team manager, Mr Peter Warr, was hastily told by Senna that he did not want Warwick in the team, and instead they, shouldemploy fellow Brazilian,.

Gugelmin, the winner of the British Formula Three championship. Lotus management could well have benefited with Warwick’s presence in the team bearing in mind that Lotus use the Renault turbo engines that Warwick had been using in his two season stint with the French State-owned team.

Senna remained adamant that Warwick was not going to be his teammate and it became obvious to many observers that Senna did not want anyone with previous

Formula One experience getting in the way of his quest to be his country’s third world champion. Amazingly, Lotus conceded, albeit in part, to Senna’s demands. Plans for Warwick were dropped, but Gugelmin has missed out too. Whether Senna likes it or not, his partner will be Johnny Dumfries, a 25-year-old Scotsman who tested for Lotus a couple of seasons ago and more recently was a test driver for Ferrari.

Followers of the sport must indeed be wondering just in what direction the sport is heading. It is ludicrous that a driver who has only been in Formula One racing for two seasons can dictate to one of the sport’s longest running teams who they employ to drive their cars. The founder of the Lotus racing team, the late Mr Colin Chapman, made it a point to have the best possible driver pairings available in an effort to ensure that, if bis cars were in a position to win races, he had the. (fcivers who could do whatywas required of

them. This policy paid dividends for Chapman. Two examples that come to mind are the pairing of the late Jim Clark (Scotland), and the late Graham Hill (Britain). In 1968, Clark was leading the world drivers’‘championship when he was killed in a minor Formula Two race in West Germany. Along with the rest of the world, the Lotus team were stunned, but Hill rose to the occasion and won the world title for the team. Again, tragedy struck the team when in 1970, the cham-pion-elect, Jochen Rindt (Austria) was killed during practice for the Italian G.P.

After missing the next grand prix, Lotus bounced back to win the United States G.P., thus ensuring that Rindt’s championship rival, Jacky Ickx (Belgium) did not take the title. The driver who won that day was, ironically, a Brazilian, Emerson Fittipaldi, who later went on to win two world drivers’ titles.

Another Lotus' partnership that was successful was that of Mario Andretti (United StatesVand the late Ronnie

(Sweden). Between them, these equally talented drivers dominated the 1978 season, culminating with Andretti winning the drivers’ championship.

To a racing team that also builds road cars, the winning of the constructors’ championship is added prestige that improves road car sales, a fact that Ferrari are quick to point out every time they win the constructors’ title.

Having only one top ranking driver in a team considerably lessens the chances of winning the constructors’ title and Lotus could well find this to its disadvantage at the end of this season. If Senna wants the respect that was accorded to the Clarks, Hills, Andrettis . and Petersons of the racing world, then he has to earn it by showing the world that he can win with sheer skill against someone in an equal car, and not by the use of the tactics he is currently using.

Senna’s behaviour could work against him in future years. It is by no means certain he will always be a Lotus driver and team managers have long memories.