Mansell renews deal

Press, 28 August 1986, Page 32

Mansell renews deal

By

PETER GREENSLADE

Nigel Mansell, the current points leader in this year’s Formula One racing drivers’ world championship series, has renewed his contract with Williams Grand Prix Engineering to race Hondapowered Williams cars for a further two years. The number two driver to the Brazilian Nelson Piquet, Mansell has been quoted as saying that he rejected more attractive offers from other teams — apparently Ferrari among them — to stick with Williams and the people he knows. He also said that he was uncertain whether he has made the right decision. Right or wrong, Mansell is at least assured of two years well-paid and steady, if hazardous, employment, whereas McLaren International’s defending world champion, Alain Prost, who is within striking distance of Mansell in the championship standings at present, now faces a murky motorracing future for the next year or so, at least. Before winning the Austrian Grand Prix, Prost

professed to be disappointed with his Porscheengined McLaren. Although he is contracted to McLaren International until the end of 1987 at least, he was thinking about taking a year off from Formula One racing.

In the meantime, the McLaren designer, John Barnard, who reportedly sold his interest in McLaren International earlier this year, has been offered a job with Ferrari who, it is rumoured may

move its racing business to England.

When Barnard travelled to the Italian team’s Maranello headquarters recently, toe was accompanied by Prost. Barnard said that he would like to continue to be associated with Prost. The Maranello trip and Barnard’s declaration immediately started a rumour that Prost was also contemplating a switch to Ferrari.

However, the McLaren boss, Ron Dennis, lost no time in throwing water on the newly-kindled fire by saying that Prost would be held to his contract in 1987 or would not race at all.

Dennis, who runs what is unquestionably one of the most professional, disciplined and influential Formula One teams, is a hard business man. Thus, it seems likely that his number one driver has little chance of getting out of his contract without a bitter legal battle. On the face of it, there is a distinct possibility that Mansell will be racing next year while his biggest adversary watches from the sideline.