Gerhard Berger Wins First Yugoslavian Grand Prix

Qualifying:

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Report:

A new Grand Prix is always a huge challenge for all drivers: nobody really knows what to expect. This track is even more ruthless in that regard, since only motorcycle races were held on it. Johnny Cecotto and Valentino Nicchi have driven in motorcycles when it came onto their calendar, but one of them is not active today and the other one did not take part in the race at Rijeka.

However, a new track does not mean a complete random grid: Williams-Honda are still the most superior cars in qualifying: Ayrton Senna managed to barely beat his American teammate, something he must make a habit out of in both qualifying and the race if he wants to keep his championship hopes alive. In the race, he had the edge before blowing it again, this time whilst trying to lap one of the Minardis.

This was just one of the many incidents in this thriller: Derek Warwick demonstrated ruthless defending against his own teammate, Ivan Capelli ran into Jonathan Palmer, removing one of the Tyrrells from contention, Alliot also retired as consequence of a contact with a leader. All around, the usual driving standards expected in F1 were somewhat lacking into today’s event.

In the end, the race boiled down to an all-out battle between the one-stopping Derek Warwick and the two-stopping Gauthier and Berger. Gerhard was able to take advantage of a backmarker to force himself into P1, scoring a major win for himself and McLaren-Honda despite spinning multiple times in the race. Gauthier failed to pass his teammate and drops behind Derek, two points seperating the Lotus drivers.

Race:

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Fastest Lap:

Brendon Cassidy – 1:22.698

Infinite Improbability Drive Of The Race:

Martin Brundle – Drove so much better than his car should allow him to, his late retirement was a disappointment.

Reject Of The Race:

Guillaume Gauthier – Despite having fresher tyres, he simply could not conquer his teammate, a driver many fans consider inferior.