‘Rainy Day
Winners Nos 5 & 22’
William’s
blunders cost championship lead... and tears for
Stewart as tartan team take 2nd.
As Bob Dylan, purveyor of a
different kind of climate in the ‘60’s once
sang, "You don’t need a weatherman to know
which way the wind blows". It’s a pity that
Frank Williams didn’t pay heed to that
portentous phrase, for had he done so, his two
drivers may have been languishing in the winners
circle and enjoying the accolades that, even as the
team were packing up their equipment, their rivals Ferrari,
were now enjoying.
The unpredictability
of the weather in Monte Carlo once again played
it’s part in the outcome of the Monaco
Grand Prix and in what may turn out to be the
single most ill-judged decision of the season,
Williams threw away a race that they had every chance
of winning and for the time being at least, handed
the lead for both Constructors and Drivers
Championship to the riders of the Prancing Horse.
With 19 of the 22 cars on the grid sporting full or
intermediate wet weather tyres and the rain pelting
down, it was unbelievable to see the two Williams
FW19’s shod with dry slicks. David
Coulthard’s McLaren Mercedes too had
them, which led one to wonder what mis-informed
meteorological secret the two teams were privy too,
for, to send your driver out in such conditions was
either stupendously foolhardy or fabulously hopeful.
Heinz Harald
Frentzen’s hard work obtaining pole the day
before, came to nothing as the Ferrari of Michael
Schumacher on intermediate wet tyres and in the
spare car, set up wisely for a ‘damp’ race,
rocketed away from the line leaving his fellow
countryman desperately trying to keep the car under
control, his slicks providing zero adhesion on the
soaking track. Jacques Villeneuve immediately
behind was in the same boat and could do nothing but
watch as the Jordan of Giancarlo Fisichella
swanned by, leaving him in fourth with a gaggle of
sure footed machinery behind and all of them about to
pounce.
By the start of lap 3
Schumacher had pulled out a lead of over 12 seconds
and the slithering Williams of Frentzen had been
passed by Ralf Schumacher Johnny Herbert,
and Bridgestone Runners, Rubens Barichello
and Olivier Panis, while Villeneuve had
dropped to a miserable 8th. It took both Williams
drivers the best part of 5 laps to realise that if
they wanted any chance of a race finish they would
have to pit for treaded tyres by which time really,
the damage had been done. Villeneuve fell off the
track 12 laps later after being ignominiously lapped
by Schumacher, hitting the Armco and damaging the
rear suspension. This was his third retirement in
five races and to lose almost two minute to the
Ferrari in just a dozen laps, must have been a
humbling experience. "We had data telling us
it wasn’t going to be wet after half an hour but
it turned out it actually rained more!" he
said seemingly non-plussed," So our dry set
up with slicks was useless. Even with intermediate
tyres (wets) the car was not set up for these
conditions and it was very difficult to drive.
Eventually, I hit the guard rail and the car was too
damaged to continue."
Maybe on reflection,
Jacques will recall a similar situation at Barcelona
last year when the ‘SS Schumacher’
steamed through the field leaving main protagonist
Hill, spinning out of contention in front of the
pits, the victim of an imperfect meteorological
judgement. Despite a dark sky, pregnant with rain and
following a wet warm up session, a gamble was taken
on a dry race. One would have thought that Williams
would have taken heed of past experiences.
As early as lap 2,
carnage at the Nouvelle chicane put paid to
both McLaren drivers. Coulthard, suffering bad
oversteer, crashed into the rails after exiting the
tunnel and ended up facing the way he had come,
making an unwelcome surprise for team mate Mika
Hakkinen who followed a second or so later.
Trying to avoid his team mate he found himself wedged
between Jean Alesi’s Benetton and the
barriers, and removed himself from the race with only
three wheels on his wagon. As the third string of
cars threaded their way through, The Ferrari of Eddie
Irvine came accross the freshly thumped Benetton
at the chicane’s exit. Braking heavily to avoid
a collision, he was railroaded from behind by the
close following Arrows of Damon Hill. "I
was right behind Irvine and there were a lot of cars
that fell off, coming out of the tunnel," he
said later, "Coulthard spun and there was a
Benetton that had spun also and as we went round the
chicane we made our way through all these crashed
cars. A Benetton came over the curb and stopped right
in the middle of the track. So Irvine had to stop and
I was right behind him and I just went up the back of
him." Irvine was quite unconcerned by it
all. Having gained the middle ground during the early
part of the race after such a disastrous qualifying
position, the ongoing attrition was doing him nothing
but good. "The first few laps were
crazy," He grinned, "I was hitting
people, they were hitting me up the back and on the
side. God knows how many times I was hit, The Ferrari
must be a very strong car."
By lap 4 the
Schumacher’s Ferrari had a 16 second lead over
the extraordinary Giancarlo Fisichella, continuing to
put his stamp on the Jordan team and dominating for
the third race in a row, team mate Ralf Schumacher.
Spinning at Loew’s hairpin, the young
German was caught and passed by a storming Rubens
Barichello having the drive of his life in the Stewart
Ford, who now, had his teeth bared for
Fisichella’s Jordan. The impetuous Schumacher
junior was to lose a wheel on lap 11 at Saint
Devote, a corner that trapped several drivers,
including on lap 36, Michael Schumacher who’s
diligent and quick thinking action saved him from
disaster.
Meanwhile 4th placed
man and winner of Last years race, Olivier Panis
was rapidly approaching the remaining Jordan of
Fisichella, who was driving with all the smoothness
and confidence of a champion. Panis by contrast was
evidently anxious to pass and at stages he was lucky
to keep the car under control losing it on several
occasions in his desperation to pass.
Fisichella’s calmness under such pressure was
indeed commendable, but eventually Panis harried his
way through to take third place on lap 31. "This
was a difficult race," said Fisichella
afterwards, "We started on intermediate tyres
hoping the circuit would dry, but it began to rain
very hard and our tyres were not providing
good grip, especially under braking. This made the
car very difficult to drive and I was never able to
apply full power otherwise I would have slid off the
course. I feel it was a miracle to have finished the
race! It was a complete 'Casino' which is appropriate
for Monaco."
Fisichella also
succumbed to Irvine at the exit from the tunnel a lap
later. The Irishman having already made his pit stop,
then stole the march on Panis’ Prost to
cement third spot for the remainder of the race.
Mika Salo in
the Tyrrell Ford, running an incredible non
stop race, overtook the Jordan during their fuel
stop, to take fifth slot, the Italian regaining the
track in 7th position behind Jan Magnussen. "We
reduced the fuel mix and the revs and I started
coasting through the comers to stay off the power and
changing gear earlier." Said Salo, "It
was great thinking, but I wasn't sure I would make
it. My tyres were completely shot."
By lap 40 the race was
all but over. Johnny Herbert had spun into a
barrier at Saint Devote on lap 8. Alesi spun
and stalled his engine at Portiers on lap 16, Larini
retired after hitting a barrier on lap 24 as did Nakarno
on lap 36 and, to top it all Frentzen’s
nightmare came to an end with a front end nudge at Louis
Chiron by the swimming pool complex on lap 39.
Williams, ‘zero points.’
Schumacher took the
flag with ten cars out of twenty two remaining, a
massive 53 seconds ahead of a delighted Barichello. "It’s
just great to be here, on the podium at Monaco."
beamed the Brazilian, "It’s not so long
ago that I used to get up at eight in Brazil, to
watch Ayrton Senna at Monaco. For me to be on the
podium here is something else." It was also
something else for team owner and three times
Champion, Jackie Stewart who, emotional and hardly
able to speak, managed to say, "I have never
been happier in my whole career. Not from a victory
not from a championship, NEVER. When Rubens crossed
the line Paul (Stewart) and I burst out crying."
The tears didn’t mask a gleam in his eyes
when he added, "I have never been second
before and but for a certain Mr. Schumacher, Ferrari
would have been second today."
After giving Ferrari
team boss Jean Todt a joyous chair lift the two
Ferrari drivers abandoned Barichello on the podium to
give their pit crew a liberal dowsing of Moet.
It seems extraordinary
that two of the most experienced teams in Formula 1
were caught out on such a simple call. There was no
sympathy for Frank Williams who remarked at the end
of the day, "If it had worked out, it would
have made us heroes." Well, so what? If this
writer had won the lottery he would be rich. A high
tech sport such as this should not be subject to such
long odds and the Williams strategists must have
noted that, had it stopped raining, it would have
still taken 15 minutes for a dry line to emerge to
warrant the use of slicks. The time gained by the
slick shod drivers, whilst the rest of the grid dived
in for dry tyres would certainly not have been
anywhere near enough to warrant the decision to run a
dry set-up at the outset.
Again Jordan Peugeot
put in a satisfying show despite Eddie Jordan’s
disappointment. "It is frustrating to come
away with only one point but Giancarlo did a
fantastic job under very difficult race
conditions." He said.
Apart from Ferrari the
race belonged to the second string teams all of which
had a fair bite of the apple and it is to Jackie
Stewart’s credit that his faith in Barichello
has reaped its just reward.
There will be a new
pecking order in 1997. Whilst Williams may just be
hanging on to the top spot by a thread from Big Red,
The Jordans and Stewarts and Prosts are already
reserving their places and, if Benetton and McLaren
don’t watch out, there will be no tickets left.
Chris Richardson
May 11th 1997
Top Ten Finishers
Monaco Grand Prix
1997
1 M Schumacher 2.00.05
2 R Barichello 2.00.58
3 E Irvine 2.01.27
4 O Panis 2.10.50
5 M Salo 2.00.18 (1 lap down)
6 G Fisichella 2.00.25 (1 lap down)
7 J Magnussen 2.01.52 (1 lap down)
8 J Verstappen 2.00.20 (2 laps down)
9 G Berger 2.00.44 (2 laps down)
10 U Katayama 2.01.49 (2 laps down)
