Title beckons Mansell

Press, 22 October 1986, Page 44

Title beckons Mansell

By PETER GREENSLADE The Mexican Grand Prix on October 12 most have been bitterly disappointing for the fifth-placed Nigel Mansell in his WilliamsHonda, but the Englishman must remain a strong favourite to become Formula One’s world champion driver at Adelaide, where the Australian grand Prix will be decided on Sunday afternoon. Whatever happens to the defending champion, Alain Prost, and Mansell’s teammate, Nelson Piquet, a third place for the Englishman will be sufficient to give him the world title. If Mansell does win the title he will be the first Englishman to do so in a decade. The last Englishman to win it was James Hunt in a McLaren-Ford in 1976. By the time the Australian Grand Prix has been decided, there will have been 16 races in this year’s world series but, under rules relating to the championship, drivers count only their eleven best scores, Mansell and Prost had already scored points on eleven occasions before the Mexican Grand Prix, so each dropped points in Mexico, Mansell two for his fifth place in the Detroit

Grand Prix and Prost one for his sixth place in the Belgian Grand Prix. Should these contenders score well on the Adelaide street circuit, Mansell will shed the two points he gained in Mexico and Prost will be able to rid himself of the single point he gained in the German Grand Prix. Piquet has scored in ten races only in this year’s series, so he will be able to keep all he scores in Adelaide. Prost and Piquet have a straightforward objective in Australia. Only winning will take them beyond Mansell’s present score' of 79 points. Prost at present has 64 points and Piquet 63. - Victory would give either driver 72 points, two more than Mansell has already. To equal that, the Englishman must finish third at Adelaide, thereby scoring four points, but dropping two. However, if Mansell and Prost should end up with 72 points each, Mansell will take the title because he has had more victories than Prost in this year’s series. If, on the other hand, Mansell and Piquet should finish on 72 points, Mansell would win the title on the strength of his two fifth

places, Piquet having none. Coincidentally Mansell and Piquet would have finished the season each having scored five wins, two second places, three thirds and a fourth apiece. So, on paper at least, the outcome of this year’s Formula One world championship will be determined by a numbers game. Put simply, if anyone other than Piquet or Prost wins on Sunday, Mansell automatically becomes the world champion. The Englishman goes into the race in the knowledge that he has a second string to his bow. If he manages to finish third his score will put him beyond anyone's reach. Williams-Honda appears in Adelaide almost on the peak of Formula One racing this year. The team has scored 135 points already to convincingly win the world Formula One constructors’ championship and has two very good chances in Mansell and Piquet of taking the drivers’ title. That situation must give the team’s owner, Frank Williams, who has been confined to a wheelchair since a car accident early this year, more than a measure of consolation.