1991 Belgian Grand Prix

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1991 Belgian Grand Prix
Race 11 of 16 in the 1991 Formula One World Championship
Spa 1996.jpg
Race details
Date25 August 1991
Official name XL Grand Prix de Belgique
Location Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Francorchamps, Wallonia, Belgium
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 6.940 km (4.312 miles)
Distance 44 laps, 305.360 km (189.741 miles)
Weather Sunny and hot
Pole position
Driver
 McLaren-Honda
Time 1:47.811
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Roberto Moreno Benetton-Ford
Time 1:55.161 on lap 40
Podium
First
 McLaren-Honda
Second
 McLaren-Honda
Third
 Benetton-Ford
Lap leaders
  • 1991 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1991 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 25 August 1991. It was the eleventh race of the 1991 Formula One World Championship. The 44-lap race was won by Brazilian Ayrton Senna, driving a McLaren-Honda, after he started from pole position. His Austrian teammate Gerhard Berger finished second, with another Brazilian, Nelson Piquet, third in a Benetton-Ford. Senna's Drivers' Championship rival, Briton Nigel Mansell, retired with an electrical failure, allowing Senna to extend his lead over him to 22 points with five races remaining.

Contents

The race marked the debut of future seven-time World Champion, German Michael Schumacher, driving a Jordan-Ford. Schumacher qualified seventh, which matched the team's season-best grid position, and Schumacher outqualified veteran Andrea de Cesaris. Although he retired on the opening lap with a clutch failure, Schumacher's debut impressed the paddock. His seventh place qualifying was done in a midfield car, the Jordan 191, which he drove half a day of testing and at a track he had never raced at. [1]

Pre-race

The Jordan team dominated the headlines leading up to the Belgian Grand Prix. Driver Bertrand Gachot was serving a two-month prison sentence in an English jail as a result of an altercation with a London taxi driver, so the team had decided to replace him with young German driver Michael Schumacher. Elsewhere, Johnny Herbert had returned to Lotus after having missed the previous two races due to Formula 3000 commitments in Japan.

Qualifying

Pre-qualifying report

As at the previous event in Hungary, the Friday morning pre-qualifying session was dominated by Brabham, who achieved their second 1–2 in succession. On this occasion, Martin Brundle was fastest, 1.5 seconds quicker than his team-mate Mark Blundell. Third, over 3.5 seconds slower than Brundle, was Olivier Grouillard for Fondmetal, the fourth time this season he had pre-qualified. Over a second behind Grouillard was Alex Caffi, pre-qualifying for the first time in three attempts for Footwork.

Missing out by 0.45 of a second in fifth place was Caffi's team-mate Michele Alboreto, the first time he had failed to pre-qualify in his three attempts. A fraction slower in sixth, after suffering a huge accident, was Gabriele Tarquini in the AGS, nearly two seconds ahead of Pedro Chaves in the Coloni. Bottom of the time sheets was the other AGS of Fabrizio Barbazza, who also crashed during the session. [2]

Pre-qualifying classification

PosNoDriverConstructorTimeGap
17 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Martin Brundle Brabham-Yamaha 1:54.929—
28 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mark Blundell Brabham-Yamaha 1:56.446+1.517
314 Flag of France.svg Olivier Grouillard Fondmetal-Ford 1:58.447+3.518
410 Flag of Italy.svg Alex Caffi Footwork-Ford 1:59.460+4.531
59 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Alboreto Footwork-Ford 1:59.910+4.981
617 Flag of Italy.svg Gabriele Tarquini AGS-Ford 1:59.972+5.043
731 Flag of Portugal.svg Pedro Chaves Coloni-Ford 2:01.921+6.992
818 Flag of Italy.svg Fabrizio Barbazza AGS-Ford 2:03.766+8.837

Qualifying report

Ayrton Senna was fastest most of the weekend and duly took pole position, but Ferrari were right on his heels. Alain Prost qualified third on the road while Jean Alesi had set the fastest first and second sectors only to come across traffic at the end of the lap, resulting in a sixth place start, which would be elevated to fifth. Riccardo Patrese had originally qualified second, but after Saturday qualifying his car was found to not have a reverse gear as per the safety regulations and Patrese's Saturday times were wiped out, he had to start a disappointing seventeenth on the grid. Patrese's misfortune promoted Prost to second, with Nigel Mansell third, Gerhard Berger fourth, Alesi fifth, and Nelson Piquet sixth while the sensation of qualifying, Schumacher, was an amazing seventh for his first Grand Prix. The top ten was completed by Roberto Moreno in the second Benetton, Pierluigi Martini in a Minardi and the ever-impressive Stefano Modena in a Tyrrell.

Qualifying classification

PosNoDriverConstructorQ1Q2Gap
11 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda 1:49.1001:47.811—
227 Flag of France.svg Alain Prost Ferrari 1:51.3691:48.821+1.010
35 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault 1:50.6661:48.828+1.017
42 Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger McLaren-Honda 1:49.48512:29.200+1.674
528 Flag of France.svg Jean Alesi Ferrari 1:51.8321:49.974+2.163
620 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Nelson Piquet Benetton-Ford 1:53.3711:50.540+2.729
732 Flag of Germany.svg Michael Schumacher Jordan-Ford 1:53.2901:51.212+3.401
819 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Roberto Moreno Benetton-Ford 1:53.6641:51.283+3.472
923 Flag of Italy.svg Pierluigi Martini Minardi-Ferrari 1:53.4601:51.299+3.488
104 Flag of Italy.svg Stefano Modena Tyrrell-Honda 1:52.8991:51.307+3.496
1133 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea de Cesaris Jordan-Ford 1:54.1861:51.986+4.175
1216 Flag of Italy.svg Ivan Capelli Leyton House-Ilmor 1:53.6031:52.113+4.302
138 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mark Blundell Brabham-Yamaha 1:54.8141:52.377+4.566
1422 Flag of Finland.svg JJ Lehto Dallara-Judd 1:54.2111:52.417+4.606
1515 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Maurício Gugelmin Leyton House-Ilmor 1:56.0271:52.623+4.812
167 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Martin Brundle Brabham-Yamaha 1:54.9211:52.626+4.815
176 Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Williams-Renault 1:52.646no time+4.835
1825 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen Ligier-Lamborghini 1:54.4461:52.709+4.898
1924 Flag of Italy.svg Gianni Morbidelli Minardi-Ferrari 1:57.2321:52.896+5.085
2029 Flag of France.svg Éric Bernard Lola-Ford 1:55.6791:53.309+5.498
2112 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert Lotus-Judd 1:55.5231:53.361+5.550
223 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Satoru Nakajima Tyrrell-Honda 1:55.8741:53.494+5.683
2314 Flag of France.svg Olivier Grouillard Fondmetal-Ford 1:55.9451:53.628+5.817
2411 Flag of Finland.svg Mika Häkkinen Lotus-Judd 1:55.4831:53.799+5.988
2521 Flag of Italy.svg Emanuele Pirro Dallara-Judd 1:56.1311:53.839+6.028
2626 Flag of France.svg Érik Comas Ligier-Lamborghini 1:56.2181:53.847+6.036
2730 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Aguri Suzuki Lola-Ford 1:56.5941:53.869+6.058
2834 Flag of Italy.svg Nicola Larini Lambo-Lamborghini 1:56.5611:54.781+6.970
2910 Flag of Italy.svg Alex Caffi Footwork-Ford 1:57.5561:57.338+9.527
3035 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Eric van de Poele Lambo-Lamborghini 35:03.6241:57.746+9.935

Race

Race report

At the start both Senna and Prost got away well and the Brazilian led into the first corner. Mansell was third followed by Berger, Piquet, and Schumacher. The German's luck however would run dry just after Eau Rouge when his clutch failed. Out at the front Senna continued to lead but Prost's day ended on lap three when his Ferrari caught on fire, leaving Mansell in second. The determined Englishman proceeded to go after Senna and the two battled lap after lap until Senna pitted for new tyres on lap 15. The stop was a bad one and when Mansell pitted two laps later he was able to emerge ahead of Senna, but just behind Berger who had yet to stop. These stops left Piquet in the lead for one lap before he made his stop.

Mansell quickly closed in on Berger and managed to sweep past into Les Fagnes. When Berger stopped a lap later he had problems and then spun on the pit exit and came back right in front of Modena, nearly causing a bad accident. Mansell's big lead would not last, however as on lap 22 his car stopped, having succumbed to electronic problems, his championship hopes taking a major hit.

Ayrton Senna during the race in Spa-Francorchamps on August 25, 1991. Ayrton Senna during the race in Spa-Francorchamps on 25 August 1991.jpg
Ayrton Senna during the race in Spa-Francorchamps on August 25, 1991.

Mansell's misery was Alesi's jubilation as the young Frenchman took the lead with Senna closing. Senna continued to close until he had a small problem and lost ten seconds, putting him into the clutches of Piquet's Benetton. The Piquet-Senna battle was soon joined by Patrese and de Cesaris, who had been battling over fourth. Senna led the quartet, but could not pull away because he was suffering from gearbox problems. Alesi had planned to do the entire race without stopping and his strategy was looking very good until lap 30 when his engine expired. This left Senna ahead of Piquet, de Cesaris, and Patrese, who had gone off the track trying to pass Piquet.

On Lap 31 de Cesaris managed to out brake Piquet into Les Combes and was looking good for Jordan's first podium finish in second place. Meanwhile, Patrese got past Piquet as well and set off after the Jordan. In the late stages Berger got past Piquet and then moved into third when Patrese started to suffer from gearbox problems. De Cesaris's fairy tale run ended just three laps from the end when his engine blew, promoting Berger to second and Piquet to third; it was triple World Champion Piquet's final podium of his career. Up front Senna limped home to his second consecutive win despite serious gearbox issues. Moreno was fourth, followed by Patrese and Mark Blundell, who scored Brabham's first point of the year (also the team's best result since Stefano Modena finished fifth in a Judd powered BT58 in the 1990 United States Grand Prix). The Fondmetal team and its driver Olivier Grouillard scored their first finish of 1991.

Race classification

PosNoDriverConstructorTyreLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
11 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda G 441:27:17.669110
22 Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger McLaren-Honda G 44+ 1.90146
320 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Nelson Piquet Benetton-Ford P 44+ 32.17664
419 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Roberto Moreno Benetton-Ford P 44+ 37.31083
56 Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Williams-Renault G 44+ 57.187172
68 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mark Blundell Brabham-Yamaha P 44+ 1:40.035131
712 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert Lotus-Judd G 44+ 1:44.59921
821 Flag of Italy.svg Emanuele Pirro Dallara-Judd P 43+ 1 lap25
97 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Martin Brundle Brabham-Yamaha P 43+ 1 lap16
1014 Flag of France.svg Olivier Grouillard Fondmetal-Ford G 43+ 1 lap23
1125 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen Ligier-Lamborghini G 43+ 1 lap18
1223 Flag of Italy.svg Pierluigi Martini Minardi-Ferrari G 42Gearbox9
1333 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea de Cesaris Jordan-Ford G 41Engine11
Ret4 Flag of Italy.svg Stefano Modena Tyrrell-Honda P 33Oil leak10
Ret22 Flag of Finland.svg JJ Lehto Dallara-Judd P 33Oil pressure14
Ret28 Flag of France.svg Jean Alesi Ferrari G 30Engine5
Ret24 Flag of Italy.svg Gianni Morbidelli Minardi-Ferrari G 29Gearbox19
Ret11 Flag of Finland.svg Mika Häkkinen Lotus-Judd G 25Engine/Spun off24
Ret26 Flag of France.svg Érik Comas Ligier-Lamborghini G 25Engine26
Ret5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault G 22Electrical3
Ret29 Flag of France.svg Éric Bernard Lola-Ford G 21Gearbox20
Ret16 Flag of Italy.svg Ivan Capelli Leyton House-Ilmor G 13Engine12
Ret3 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Satoru Nakajima Tyrrell-Honda P 7Spun off22
Ret27 Flag of France.svg Alain Prost Ferrari G 2Fuel leak2
Ret15 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Maurício Gugelmin Leyton House-Ilmor G 1Engine15
Ret32 Flag of Germany.svg Michael Schumacher Jordan-Ford G 0Clutch7
DNQ30 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Aguri Suzuki Lola-Ford G
DNQ34 Flag of Italy.svg Nicola Larini Lambo-Lamborghini G
DNQ10 Flag of Italy.svg Alex Caffi Footwork-Ford G
DNQ35 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Eric van de Poele Lambo-Lamborghini G
DNPQ9 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Alboreto Footwork-Ford G
DNPQ17 Flag of Italy.svg Gabriele Tarquini AGS-Ford G
DNPQ31 Flag of Portugal.svg Pedro Chaves Coloni-Ford G
DNPQ18 Flag of Italy.svg Fabrizio Barbazza AGS-Ford G
Source: [3] [4]

Championship standings after the race

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References

  1. ↑ Chandhok, Karun (27 August 2021). "Driving the F1 icon that launched Schumacher's career". Autosport.com. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  2. ↑ Walker, Murray (1991). Murray Walker's Grand Prix Year. Hazleton Publishing. pp. 93–100. ISBN   0-905138-90-2.
  3. ↑ "1991 Belgian Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "1991 Belgian Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive". GPArchive.com. 25 August 1991. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Belgium 1991 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
Previous race:
1991 Hungarian Grand Prix 		FIA Formula One World Championship
1991 season 		Next race:
1991 Italian Grand Prix
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1990 Belgian Grand Prix 		Belgian Grand Prix Next race:
1992 Belgian Grand Prix
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