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Familiar scene History seems to repeat itself with disqualifications
Posted: Monday October 18, 1999 11:28 AM
LONDON (Reuters) -- Eddie Irvine's first Formula One race against the late Ayrton Senna ended with a pit lane punch-up in Japan in 1993. They were never the greatest of friends after that but the late Brazilian would surely have sympathized on Sunday after the Briton was disqualified from the Malaysian Grand Prix after winning the race. Almost 10 years ago to the day, Senna's world title hopes also evaporated in disqualification after a victory in the penultimate Formula One race of the season. As on Sunday, when Irvine led a triumphant Ferrari one-two and looked set to take a four point lead to the final race of the season, the stewards dropped a bombshell. Irvine was disqualified when his Ferrari failed a post-race inspection, a decision that handed the title to McLaren's reigning champion Mika Hakkinen of Finland. Senna and his McLaren team mate Alain Prost were both gunning for the title on October 22, 1989, with the Frenchman leading the championship and Senna needing to win. The two collided and went off six laps from the end. Prost retired while Senna continued after a push-start, pitted for a new nose section and won by overtaking Italian Alessandro Nannini with two laps remaining. But after the race, in a distant echo of Sunday's announcement that awarded the title to McLaren's Hakkinen, the Brazilian was disqualified for missing a chicane. McLaren appealed and lost, with Senna getting a huge fine and a six-month suspended ban for dangerous driving. Formula One has rarely been free of drama in the final stages of a championship but such title-deciding disqualifications are unusual. However, the past decade has been marked by acrimonious grand prix finales with Senna, Prost and Michael Schumacher, who was disqualified from second place for Ferrari on Sunday, all involved in controversy. In 1990, Senna and Prost again collided at Suzuka with the Brazilian winning the title this time. The following year, again in Japan, Senna won a third title and admitted he had deliberately driven Prost off the track in 1990 because "in 1989 I was badly robbed by the system." In 1994 Schumacher collided with Briton Damon Hill in the final race of the season, a crash that took both drivers out and clinched the title for the German. He tried a similar move again with Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in the final showdown in Spain in 1997 but failed. The end of season fireworks of the 1990s contrast with the thrilling finales of earlier times. In 1956, Briton Peter Collins, himself a title contender, stopped and handed over his Lancia-Ferrari to team mate Juan Manuel Fangio after the steering on his car went in the final race. The Argentine went on and won a fourth crown. In 1976, Briton James Hunt took the title after Niki Lauda withdrew in the rain at Fuji. Ironically, it was an over-turned disqualification that had allowed Hunt to be back in contention. The Briton had won in Spain earlier in the season but was disqualified because his McLaren was fractionally too wide. He won on appeal and took the title by one point. The season may not be over yet.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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