Berger win marred by controversy

Press, 26 September 1989, Page 28

Berger win marred by controversy

NZPA-Reuter Estoril, Portugal Ayrton Senna’s hopes of retaining his world drivers’ championship virtually disappeared yesterday when he crashed out of the Portuguese Grand Prix after a collision with Briton Nigel Mansell. Senna, lying second after 47 laps of an incident-packed race, was only 4s behind Austrian Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari when the incident occurred.

Mansell, already disqualified for a pit-stop infringement which later cost him a SUSSO,OOO ($NZ80,000) fine and a one-race ban, charged past and attempted to take the racing line for the next corner.

The Brazilian responded by steering his McLaren across Mansell’s Ferrari with the result that the cars collided and spun off. Mansell, who had ignored three black flags waved after his pit-stop, was hauled before the race stewards and his punishment was later announced by the international Motor Sports Federation (F.1.5.A.) president, JeanMarie Balestre.

Berger, who had led for the first 24 laps before being passed by his Ferrari team-

mate Mansell, went on to win comfortably ahead of Frenchman Alain Prost in the second McLaren.

Prost’s second-place finish boosted his lead over Senna in the drivers’ championship to 24 points — a nearimpossible figure for the Brazilian to beat with only three races remaining. Sweden’s Stefan Johansson finished third for Onyx ahead of Italians Alessandro Nannini, in a Benetton, and Pierluigi Martini, in a Minardi. Briton Jonathan Palmer was sixth in a Tyrell. Prost leads the drivers’ championship with 75 points. Senna is second with 51 and Mansell third with 38. It was Berger’S first win of a season marred for him personally by his flame-engulfed crash at the San Marino Grand Prix in April and his first since he triumphed at last year’s Italian Grand Prix.

"I am delighted to win especially after my secondplace finish at the Italian Grand Prix. Perhaps my luck has turned," said Berger, who had not finished in any of the 11 races prior to the Italian Grand Prix.

Berger refused to comment on the incident involving Mansell and Senna, but several members of both the Ferrari and McLaren man-

agement teams were furious at the outcome.

The Ferrari team manager, Cesare Fiorio, defended both his team and Mansell by saying that Mansell had not seen the black flags and that the car-to-pit radio used by the team was not working well.

He said the team had held out a board to signal to Mansell that he should come in but he appeared not to see it from his driving position behind Senna’s car. He said the accident involving Senna was the Brazilian’s fault. “Ayrton cut right across Nigel. It was as simple as that.”

Senna said he could not believe what had happened.

“Why did Nigel stay out after he was disqualified?” he asked. “Everyone could see from the television transmission what happened. I really don’t want to comment.”

The McLaren managing director, Ron Dennis, accused Ferrari of poor management and a lack of sportsmanship after the incident which has exacerbated the already strained relations between the two leading teams. Mr Dennis said: “I’m almost lost for words ... if that is the Ferrari management’s idea of sportsmanship, then I think they need new management.”