David Sedgwick - The Power and the Glory

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2018

Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk

David Sedgwick, 2018

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Print ISBN 978-1-78531-365-3

eBook ISBN 978-1-78531-412-4

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I AM indebted to numerous sources including magazines such as Autosport, Motorsport, Motoring News, Prix Editions, Auto Hebdo, Sport Auto, Karting Magazine, Car and Driver, LEquipe and Paris Match, which provided a plethora of ideas not to mention timely reminders of long forgotten incidents. In particular, the work of Nigel Roebuck has always proved both enjoyable and illuminating to at least one aspiring Formula 1 writer: Grand Prix Greats (1986) is just one of his titles that proved invaluable in the writing of this book. His celebrated Fifth Column articles are required reading for all F1 writers. Indeed, episodes such as the meeting at Frankfurt Airport and the Senna/Warwick Christmas card incident were originally brought to the attention through Mr Roebucks endeavours. Likewise, the work of the late Christopher Hilton proved to be essential reading in relation to both Senna and Prost, especially his superb biography, Alain Prost (1992). Tom Rubythons Senna (2004) was an ever-present rock as were the FIA Formula 1 world championship annuals. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank a group of writers whom I have grown up with over the years and whose wisdom I have invariably absorbed: Denis Jenkinson, Jabby Crombac, Jean Louis Moncet, Bob Constanduros, Jeff Hutchinson, Keith Botsford and Maurice Hamilton to name but a few.

Special thanks for their time and for consent to use their memories of this great epoch go to Osamu Goto, Enrique Mansilla, Ingo Hoffman, Beppe Gabbiani, Jacques Laffite, Mario Hytten, Andrea de Adamich, Mario Hytten, Simon de Lautour and others.

Alien they seemed to be;
No mortal eye could see

The intimate welding of their later history,

Or sign that they were bent
By paths coincident

On being anon twin halves of one august event,

Till the Spinner of the Years
Said Now! And each one hears,

And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.

The Convergence of the Twain (Thomas Hardy)

T HE history of sport is replete with great rivalries. Ali and Frazier (boxing), Roberts and Spencer (500cc motorcycling), Borg and McEnroe (tennis), Coe and Ovett (athletics) and many others besides. Rivalries such as these have an uncanny power to transcend the normal parameters of track and field, tennis court or boxing ring. What is it that makes these rivalries so compelling? A great part of the attraction must surely lie in the necessity at such times to raise ones own game, the need to reach and even surpass ones own performance capacity. When faced with a competitor of equal power or ability new reserves must be found, new levels of grit and determination tapped into.

Motor racing has also had its fair share of rivalries. One thinks of Fangio, Ascari and Moss in the 50s; Clark, Stewart and Graham Hill in the 60s or Hunt and Lauda in the 1970s great drivers who took part in some memorable duels. After a thrilling race around, say, Monza or Spa where no quarter would be asked for nor given, once the chequered flag had fallen, this breed of racer would like nothing more than to meet up in the bar for a drink and a laugh. In between Grands Prix, Clark, Stewart and Hill together with girlfriends and wives would happily lark around together on the beaches of the Mediterranean. Times change. The 1980s heralded the arrival of a new era of professionalism in the sport. In the 80s the stakes got higher. Formula 1 found its commercial legs. The very thought of Messrs Prost, Senna and Mansell sharing the same comb let alone a beach would have seemed preposterous. In Formula 1, what had once been friendly rivalries forgotten the moment the chequered flag fell now became deadly.

The years 198093 turned out to be arguably one of F1s most exhilarating eras. The Power and The Glory is thus not just the story of an epic struggle between two colossuses who bestrode their chosen sport during a unique era, it is also the story of an era unprecedented in the sheer scale of intrigue. Fights and spats were common on and off the track. It may have been the era of tantrums, tribulations and tears, but it was also an era when Grand Prix racing soared to new heights (and audiences) due to a cast of characters that any dramatist worth their salt would have been proud to create. If the global phenomenon that is modern F1 owes thanks to anyone, it is to the artistes and actors of this era. F1s cast has never been brighter. This was a time of heroes and villains. It was not always easy to tell the difference! As well as Senna and Prost, the pages of this book will also be devoted in some small measure to the supporting cast Mansell, Piquet, Rosberg, Jean-Marie Balestre, Ron Dennis fascinating individuals all of whom made their own not insubstantial contribution to the drama. Whether as hero or villain, the reader must decide.

So intricately are their careers intertwined, Prost without Senna and Senna without Prost now seems unthinkable. It can only be speculated how F1 would have taken shape had either one of these two drivers never emerged, but it seems safe enough to assume that the trophy cabinet of either man would have been even more stuffed with silverware had they never shared the same track. To suggest their era was some kind of golden period for the sport will inevitably invite accusations of sentimentality, bias even. It is certainly true that the sights and sounds that accompany the maturation of each generation are always cherished, and rightly so. Not that the Senna and Prost era was any better or any worse than preceding (or succeeding) eras. For those who witness them, every F1 epoch is special. My hope is that this book can communicate just some of the excitement that helped make this particular era so special.

When writing a story such as this, there are inevitably choices to make; where does the story begin? Where does it end? Originally conceived as a history of the McLaren duel between 1988 and 1989, the book evolved to include Sennas years at Lotus, and Prosts years at Ferrari and Williams; it was but a short step thereafter to their formative racing years. Their professional rivalry, however, reached new levels of intensity and bitterness during their tenure as McLaren team-mates. Readers will thus notice several chapters devoted to single, significant races from those McLaren years. In its original conception, the book contained write-ups of all 32 races from the 1988 and 1989 seasons. After much deliberation the decision was taken to focus on a handful of significant races, while summarising the remaining Grands Prix from these astonishing years.