2023-06-18 10:15:38
This Sunday, the traditional Canadian Grand Prix; a Gilles Villeneuve circuit that has seen how the German Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) and the British Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) have become the drivers who have won the competition the most times (7). Precisely, the latter will seek to enter the history of the contest by raising the sparkling wine for the eighth time, although on the front path, the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) appears as the main favorite.
The inspiring race in the rain of the local Gilles Villeneuve in 1981, the christening of the ‘Wall of Champions’ in 1999 following the clash of Schumacher, Villeneuve and Hill, and the consecration of ‘Hammer’ in the 2007 edition, achieving its first ‘pole position’ and staying with the Grand Prix, nothing more and nothing less, than once morest the Spanish Fernando Alonso, have been some of the milestones that the Canadian contest has left, but none like the one led by the Englishman Nigel Mansell.
Losing is always hard and suffering it in the last lap is even more. And what happens if the reason for the defeat is to celebrate ahead of time? That happened to Mansell in 1991, leaving the victory to his ‘rival’ of the time; Brazilian Nelson Piquet.
Party ahead of time or power failure?
with his Williams FW14the British driver arrived at the Canadian GP wanting to stay with the F1 World Cup that year, although with the Brazilian Ayrton Senna as the undisputed leader by winning the first four races of the season.
From ‘pole’, the Canadian championship seemed to smile on Williams, who had obtained first place on the grid thanks to Mansell’s teammate; Richard Patresewho seconds following the start, was overtaken by the Englishman.
The subsequent withdrawals of Alain Prost and Jean Alesi (Ferrari), including that of Senna himself along with his partner Gerhard Berger (McLaren), left the UK team with a 99% chance of starring in the party in Canada. Only Piquet might dampen the celebration of Mansell and his team, being in second place at the last lap, but with very little chance of achieving a comeback…However, what happened that day was historic.
Knowing that he was close to victory, the English pilot was brimming with confidence and began the last lap greeting the public present in the stands. An ‘excessive’ gesture that he would repeat less than two kilometers from the finish line, but from one second to the next, the smile would be erased from his face.
In one of the last corners of the race, Mansell’s car would start to slow to a stop without any explanation. Stopped at the edge of the track, he saw how Piquet (his nemesis) and the other competitors overtook him, letting the victory slip right under their noses and giving him the last joy in the Brazilian’s sports career, who was in charge of opening the champagne in said edition.
After the award ceremony and with the fans most interested in knowing why the English driver’s vehicle stopped, costing him the victory and causing his abandonment in the last meters, Williams officially reported that everything it was an electrical fault.
Mansell himself was in charge of confirming the reason for his strange arrest, although following the statement from the British team, various versions pointed to the excessive confidence of the pilot that prevented him from passing the changes well because he was worried regarding greeting the attendees. dropping the revs irretrievably or even causing the engine to shut down.
In sport it is known that you should never celebrate before your time and their example is Mansell’s ‘chascarro’, who for whatever reason, became the first competitor not to win a Grand Prix in the last lap following leading the entire race.
Nelson Piquet’s last victory and its controversies
Like a drop from heaven, first place in Canada meant, unknowingly, Piquet’s last victory in Formula 1 and following his championships in 1981, 1983 and 1987, the same year he announced his retirement from activity to dedicate himself to his business and become a successful businessman, eventually having a net worth of $200 million and owning the yacht Pilar Rossi, one of the most expensive sailboats in the world.
With three F1 crowns to his credit and a legacy in Brazilian sports, Pique’s life has not been without controversy. In addition to the fight with the Chilean Eliseo Salazar -a well-remembered anecdote in the country-, in his retirement, the native of Rio de Janeiro continues to give people talk even until recently.
“We strongly condemn any racist or discriminatory language and behaviour, which has no place in sport or in society in general. We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motor sport ”, was the FIA statement once morest Piquet, following he called the Mercedes driver “black” in a television interview.
After his controversial statements, the expilot was sentenced by the 20th Civil Court of Brasilia with the payment of five million reais (one million dollars) due to the “collective moral damages” caused by the offenses committed once morest the seven-time F1 world champion.
Nigel Mansell: a true example of overcoming
Despite the paper (or misfortune) in Canada, Mansell’s sports career is far from being an ordinary story. From almost becoming a quadriplegic to passing out in the middle of the United States Grand Prix following dragging his car to the finish linethe Briton had it uphill until he achieved his first Formula 1 championship in 1992, following 12 years fighting for it.
He was born on August 8, 1953 in Worcestershire, but grew up in Birmingham, where he began with his love of go-karting nuts, mixing this passion with menial jobs to pay for what was his hobby.
Despite the lack of support from his family, Mansell went from karting to Formula Ford in the mid-1970s, winning six of the nine races in his debut to become champion of his category the following year. with a record of 32 of 42 race wins. It was at that moment that he decided to leave everything (he sold his house) to dedicate himself to the nut sport.
In 1977, a milestone would mark his life forever. And it is that in the middle of the qualifying session, the pilot had an accident with his vehicle, being transferred unconscious to the nearest medical center, where the doctors recognized that he was regarding to become a quadriplegic. Once he was discharged, the Englishman made the decision of his life; buy a Lola T570 to compete in Formula 3 at Silverstone.
However, following finishing fourth at said circuit and winning his first race months later, Mansell suffered an accident once more, this time in the heat of competition, overturning his car and being hospitalized with several broken vertebrae. The pilot’s resilience surfaced once more and, in his recovery, he decided to accept the invitation of Colin Chapman (owner and founder of Lotus) to test himself in the F1 team. Obviously, he stayed.
He remained a test driver until 1980 – enduring the pain of his injuries with endless painkillers -, replacing Mario Andretti. He made his debut in the Austrian Grand Prixachieving his first podium the following year and being one of the promises of this sport in subsequent World Cups, until reaching 1984, where a new milestone would make him go around the world.
In 1984, Mansell would remain in the memory of F1 fans when trying to cross the finish line pushing his vehicle, although due to weather conditions, the feat would not be completed and he would end up passed out on the asphalt of the Dallas circuitbeing the first and only time that the United States Grand Prix would be held in that city.
Years later, in conversation with the Formula One press team, the Briton would admit that it was “the most difficult place I was in, without a doubt. For the first time in my career as an F1 driver I had blisters on my hands. It was a very uncomfortable circuit due to its potholes”.
With his move from Lotus to Williams, fans began to call him ‘León’, for his brave way of approaching each of the circuits and for winning his first race the same year he debuted with the British team.
At Williams he became a driver for the title and rubbed shoulders with the greats of the time, arriving with chances of lifting the trophy for the next six years, being a tough obstacle for champions Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet himself and Ayrton Senna. .
Mansell’s strength and self-improvement would make everything the pilot suffered worthwhile in 1992, when he was crowned Formula 1 World Champion for the first time, following twelve years of trying. A legend of the nut sport who will be remembered forever as a born fighter, both on and off the slopes.
1687085714
#day #Mansell #fool #lost #Canadian #greeting #public #lap