Past F1 controversy

[patnicholls]

An interesting read here from 1999:

http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00336.html

which makes some of the recent goings-on seem like small potatoes by comparison.

I was particularly shocked to read that former BTCC team boss Vic Lee has received two lengthy prison sentences for cocaine trafficking (a second in 2005 after the article above was published).

[D-Type]

Jo Saward writes very succinctly doesn't he?

[52Paddy]

Jo Saward writes very succinctly doesn't he?

Indeed. Must look up some more of his work.

Interesting article there. To add to what Saward has written, there was also a case in the early 1990s (1991?) when Bertrand Gachot was given a jail sentence for assaulting a London taxi driver with tear gas! My source for this is a quiz book, sponsored by Mobil 1 and forwarded by David Coulthard (released around 1997/8). But here is a small article which mentions it: http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-gacber.html

Its kind of funny (or disappointing for him) that this jail sentence paved the way for Schumacher's entry into F1. And Gachot's ultimate demise thereafter.

"Renault did not win a title with their own car over the years. They tried numerous times and in 1983 Prost was two points away from their first world title. During the race prost retired leaving Nelson Piquet to cruise home in second place therefore winning him the world title by two points (Piquet - 59, Prost – 57). But after the race Renault had found out that the Brabham-BMW had been using illegal fuel during the race therefore disqualifying them. But Renault did not want to make a formal allegation as winning the title by default would falter the public’s opinion towards them"

http://renault.official-merchandise....tail/renaultf1

To confirm this...

From "Motor Sport" magazine, January 2001 - "Generating the Power" pp 36-38

"... Paul Rosche (BMW engine team leader) telephoned a contact at chemical giant BASF and asked if a different fuel formulation might do the trick (more boost before detonation set in). After a little research, a fuel mix was unearthed that had been developed for Luftwaffe fighters during WW2, when Germany had been short of lead. Rosche asked for a 200-litre drum..."

Rosche: "Suddenly the detonation was gone. We could increase the boost pressure, and the power, without problems. The maximum boost pressure we saw on the dyno was 5.6 bar absolute, at which the engine was developing more than 1400 horsepower."

"This fuel formulation was used from 1983."

The biggest disgrace in F1 history.

[D-Type]

Ah, but was the fuel actually illegal? As I understand it, the FIA fuel specification was not as restrictive as it could have been and the various fuel company engineers developed some very potent, but nevertheless compliant, brews.

[tinchote]

An interesting read here from 1999:

http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00336.html

which makes some of the recent goings-on seem like small potatoes by comparison.

I was particularly shocked to read that former BTCC team boss Vic Lee has received two lengthy prison sentences for cocaine trafficking (a second in 2005 after the article above was published).

Some of the info in the article is shocking. But in some cases, the legal problems were of the employees and had nothing to do with F1. It is unavoidable that in a business that implies thousands of persons some things will happen.

[patnicholls]

Indeed. Must look up some more of his work.

Interesting article there. To add to what Saward has written, there was also a case in the early 1990s (1991?) when Bertrand Gachot was given a jail sentence for assaulting a London taxi driver with tear gas! My source for this is a quiz book, sponsored by Mobil 1 and forwarded by David Coulthard (released around 1997/8). But here is a small article which mentions it: http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-gacber.html

Its kind of funny (or disappointing for him) that this jail sentence paved the way for Schumacher's entry into F1. And Gachot's ultimate demise thereafter.

Yep, the Bertrand Gachot story is fairly well-known, it was 1991 and indeed the incident led to one M. Schumacher taking his seat for an F1 debut after Bertrand was in prison for two months. He had, ironically, won the Le Mans 24hr earlier that year with Johnny Herbert and Volker Weidler so things were looking pretty good for him prior to his indiscretion although made a comeback with Larrousse in 1992 and then Pacific (ahem) in 1994/5 with less success.

[ArrowsFA1]

Ah, but was the fuel actually illegal? As I understand it, the FIA fuel specification was not as restrictive as it could have been and the various fuel company engineers developed some very potent, but nevertheless compliant, brews.

I seem to recall reading that the fuel was tested and found to be perfectly legal. Not sure of the source for that though

Perhaps Renault needed to find a reason to explain losing the championship to the journalists they had flown to South Africa in the confident expectation that Prost would become champion.

Other tales include team owners/sponsors such as Franco Ambrosio at Shadow/Arrows in 1977/8 and David Thieme, owner of Essex Petroleum and sponsor of Lotus between 1979-81. Both disappeared from the F1 scene without trace.

[wedge]

I seem to recall reading that the fuel was tested and found to be perfectly legal. Not sure of the source for that though

Perhaps Renault needed to find a reason to explain losing the championship to the journalists they had flown to South Africa in the confident expectation that Prost would become champion.

Read last November's Motorsport over the weekend on the BMW/Brabhams.

There was no reference to Rosche's admittance except that he was miffed when he found out fuel samples found there way to Elf/Renault.

FISA gave BMW the all clear which was somewhat surprising given that Ballestre favoured the French.

[ArrowsFA1]

A past, and yet unresolved, F1 controversy is Nigel Stepney and the white powder. Whatever happened to that story?