70 GP RACING JULY 2020
the back of the championship bywinn ing the first
four races. He was too far out of Mansell’s reach.
The McLaren ace hit back at the Hungaroring
and Spa, Mansell defeated the Brazilian with
some style at Monza, but then cameEstoril and
the ignominy of a Williams pitstop catastrophe
when an untightened wheel nut ruined his day.
Patrese won, but for Mansell his title long-shot
had just stretched further away. He would
famously go wheel to wheel with Senna to win
in Spain, but at Suzuka a lame moment of
understeer left him picking gravel. Senna was
champion for a third time.
But once again goodwork away from the races
boded well. Now with Damon Hill on testing
duties – Blundell had chosen to ‘race’ a hopeless
Brabham – the active programme was building a
head of steam. Over the winter the team worked
on bullet-proofing reliability, shelving the FW15
to focus instead on perfection in a B-spec FW14 –THE HISTORYOF WILLIAMSPART 3
Although he had a huge car advantage in 1992,
Mansell made the most of it and put in some
stunning drives. By Hungary the title was hisFor 1993 the new line-up ofveteran (Prost) and
rookie but respectedtester (Hill) proved perfect
and theteam claimed another title doubleand the ultimate Williams was born.
No one, not even Senna, McLaren and Honda,
could live withMansell and Williams in 1992.
Five of his nine winswere a chieved straight off
the bat, and he onlylost Monaco to a suspected
puncture and slowpitstop. Still, his frantic chase
of Senna provided the year’s standout highlight.
‘Nige’ swept to another home win at Silverstone,
circulating almost 1-2secs a lap faster than
anyone for most of the weekend, to Head’s
lasting satisfaction – and in Hungary, in his
176th race and 13th F1 campaign, Mansell was
crowned champion. It was churlish tobegrudge
him. Yes, he’d enjoyed a monumental car
advantage (even if hewouldn’t admit it), but he’d
also driven brilliantly to make the most of it.
The car itselfwas hailed a modern wonder,
loaded withtech: four-channel anti-lock brakes,
traction control, a perfectedsix-speed transverse
semi-automatic gearbox and thatlong-gestation
active-ride suspension system. But it wasthe
traction control that was most contentious,
being described as the easiest 0.5-0.75sec gain
in lap time any team could hope to find. In 1991
Patrese’s edge over Mansell had been found in
the slow corners. Now hislight-t ouch advantage
was wiped as the drivers plantedtheir right
feet and allowed the electronics to find the grip.
Additionally, Mansell now revelled in the active70 GP RACING JULY 2020
the back of the championship bywinn ing the first
four races. He was too far out of Mansell’s reach.
The McLaren ace hit back at the Hungaroring
and Spa, Mansell defeated the Brazilian with
some style at Monza, but then cameEstoril and
the ignominy of a Williams pitstop catastrophe
when an untightened wheel nut ruined his day.
Patrese won, but for Mansell his title long-shot
had just stretched further away. He would
famously go wheel to wheel with Senna to win
in Spain, but at Suzuka a lame moment of
understeer left him picking gravel. Senna was
champion for a third time.
But once again goodwork away from the races
boded well. Now with Damon Hill on testing
duties – Blundell had chosen to ‘race’ a hopeless
Brabham – the active programme was building a
head of steam. Over the winter the team worked
on bullet-proofing reliability, shelving the FW15
to focus instead on perfection in a B-spec FW14 –
THE HISTORYOF WILLIAMSPART 3
Although he had a huge car advantage in 1992,
Mansell made the most of it and put in some
stunning drives. By Hungary the title was his
For 1993 the new line-up ofveteran (Prost) and
rookie but respectedtester (Hill) proved perfect
and theteam claimed another title doubleand the ultimate Williams was born.
No one, not even Senna, McLaren and Honda,
could live withMansell and Williams in 1992.
Five of his nine winswere a chieved straight off
the bat, and he onlylost Monaco to a suspected
puncture and slowpitstop. Still, his frantic chase
of Senna provided the year’s standout highlight.
‘Nige’ swept to another home win at Silverstone,
circulating almost 1-2secs a lap faster than
anyone for most of the weekend, to Head’s
lasting satisfaction – and in Hungary, in his
176th race and 13th F1 campaign, Mansell was
crowned champion. It was churlish tobegrudge
him. Yes, he’d enjoyed a monumental car
advantage (even if hewouldn’t admit it), but he’d
also driven brilliantly to make the most of it.
The car itselfwas hailed a modern wonder,
loaded withtech: four-channel anti-lock brakes,
traction control, a perfectedsix-speed transverse
semi-automatic gearbox and thatlong-gestation
active-ride suspension system. But it wasthe
traction control that was most contentious,
being described as the easiest 0.5-0.75sec gain
in lap time any team could hope to find. In 1991
Patrese’s edge over Mansell had been found in
the slow corners. Now hislight-t ouch advantage
was wiped as the drivers plantedtheir right
feet and allowed the electronics to find the grip.
Additionally, Mansell now revelled in the active