IN A new series, I will be looking back at six classic races every weekend from the country about to stage an event in the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship. This is my selection, of races in Hungary between 1991 and 2010. Enjoy the archive!
1992
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| FINALLY: Mansell achieves his goal, although Senna won the race |
WINNER: Ayrton Senna (McLaren Honda), 2nd: Nigel Mansell (Williams Renault), 3rd: Gerhard Berger (McLaren Honda)
ONE man dominated the 1992 world championship, but it was a charging drive that earnt Nigel Mansell his coveted crown. Starting second behind team-mate Riccardo Patrese, Mansell made a bad start, dropping behind both McLaren’s of Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger. He fought back past Berger and when Patrese spun off, the championship looked secure. However, a puncture forced Nigel into the pits and back down to sixth spot. Catching Senna was a forlorn task, but ‘Our Nige’ ensured he fought for his title. First, Michael Schumacher was catapulted off the road when his rear wing flew off in the direction of Budapest airport! The Lotus of Mika Hakkinen and Martin Brundle were easily dispensed with and finally, a bullish pass on Berger got Mansell back into second spot, even when third was enough for the title. After many near-misses, Nigel had done it at last!
1997
WINNER: Jacques Villeneuve (Williams Renault), 2nd: Damon Hill (Arrows Yamaha), 3rd: Johnny Herbert (Sauber Petronas)
THE Damon Hill/Arrows combination always looked like it would fail and so it did; but for one magical weekend in Hungary. The world champion recaptured his 1996 form to qualify his underpowered chassis in third spot. Hill jumped past Jacques Villeneuve into the first corner and then sensationally overtook Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari on lap 11 into the first corner. Blistered tyres and a spare chassis finished Schumacher’s podium chances and he wasn’t the only one suffering. Giancarlo Fisichella spun off trying to pass the Ferrari; Mika Hakkinen lost engine power on his McLaren and Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s bad luck continued when the fuel filler cap refused to open at his pitstop. After seeing off the threat of David Coulthard, Villeneuve pursued in vain, but cruel luck was about to strike. Hill’s throttle started cutting out with three laps to go, leaving him a sitting target. On the last lap, Villeneuve used the grass on the exit of turn three to steal victory from Damon’s deserved grasp. Johnny Herbert came home in an excellent third for Sauber.
1998
WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2nd: David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes), 3rd: Jacques Villeneuve (Williams Mecachrome)
HALFWAY through the 1998 race and Michael Schumacher’s world championship hopes looked to be in tatters. The McLaren’s were walking away into the distance and Schumacher was struggling to pass Jacques Villeneuve’s Williams Mecachrome. Ross Brawn came up with an absolute masterstroke and brought Schumacher in for an early second stop, turning his race into a three-stopper. His searing pace was unleashed and when the McLaren team tried to respond, they crucially lost track position. Even a brief excursion onto the grass on lap 52 couldn’t halt Schumacher’s charge and he started lapping three seconds quicker than anyone else. By lap 60, his advantage was sufficient enough to pit for the third time and retain his lead. Mika Hakkinen’s challenge faded thanks to a faulty shock absorber, which relegated the Finn to a lapped sixth, behind David Coulthard, Villeneuve, Damon Hill’s Jordan and a flu-ridden Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Even today, this remains one of Michael Schumacher’s greatest ever victories.
2001
WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2nd: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), 3rd: David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes)
THIS was nowhere near a classic, but it was a title clincher. David Coulthard had to beat Michael Schumacher to stand any hope of launching a title fightback. It became ever more unlikely when Schumacher lapped 0.7secs quicker than anyone else in qualifying. He took off at the start and wasn’t seen for the remainder of the afternoon. The main scrap was between Coulthard and the second Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello. DC lost out at the start to the Brazilian, but slick McLaren pit work got the Scot out ahead in the first round of pitstops. However, Ferrari turned the tables at the second stops and Barrichello leapfrogged ahead again. The path was clear for Schumacher to take his seventh win of the season, his fourth world drivers’ championship and to equal Alain Prost’s record of 51 GP victories. With Barrichello second, the constructor’s championship was also sealed in Ferrari’s favour, having scored nearly double the points of nearest rivals McLaren. For Ferrari, it was the perfect day and years of Maranello domination were well and truly underway.
2003
WINNER: Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2nd: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes), 3rd: Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams BMW)
THE remarkable Fernando Alonso had gone off the boil in mid-season and Jarno Trulli had outpaced him in the last three events. When Trulli went quickest in Friday’s qualifying session, with Alonso down in sixth, it looked like we were in for more of the same. However, Alonso stormed to pole position on Saturday and never looked back. He was massively helped by Mark Webber’s much slower Jaguar getting into second position in a chaotic start. Webber held up the rest of the opposition, allowing Alonso to build up a 30 second cushion in the first 15 laps. Rubens Barrichello’s championship challenge ended when he suffered a calamitous rear suspension failure. After spinning at the second corner, Ralf Schumacher produced a stirring fightback to fourth position, but his title chances also looked dead and buried. This was because his team-mate, Juan Pablo Montoya survived a scrappy spin in the closing stages to finish third. Kimi Raikkonen was an excellent second and it set the championship up for a grand finale, especially as Michael Schumacher qualified and finished a very distant and lapped eighth. At least he started; Ralph Firman fractured his heel and missed the race after a terrible crash in practice, but this was Alonso’s weekend, as he stole Bruce McLaren’s record to become the youngest ever Formula One winner. That was until a young German called S. Vettel came on the horizon of course!
2006
WINNER: Jenson Button (Honda), 2nd: Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren Mercedes), 3rd: Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
BOTH Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher entered the race with grid penalties. Alonso had been penalised for brake-testing Robert Doornbos in Friday practice, whilst Schumacher overtook Alonso and new BMW driver Robert Kubica under red flags on Saturday morning. On a wet day, the unpredictable took place. Alonso produced a great drive and looked set to win from 15th on the grid. However, a wheel nut came loose after his second pitstop, which left him spinning helplessly into the barriers. Schumacher couldn’t take advantage though; retiring with suspension damage after minor contact with Nick Heidfeld with just three laps remaining. Kubica’s later disqualification still earnt the German a fortunate point. All this opened the door for Jenson Button to storm through from 14th on the grid to claim his first Grand Prix victory. Pedro de la Rosa was a notable second for McLaren, recording his first podium finish.
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