Estoril 1989 full onboard with race winner Gerhard Berger

[Hun200kmh]

I just had to share this, if someone posted before I am sorry and ask for it to be deleted.

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It is a mesmerizing experience. Pure sound+image, no comments, music or distractions. Berger starts 2nd to pole-sitter Ayrton Senna. He gets away with what I think today woould be deemed a jump start, but not sure on regs at the time (car started to move before the green light, but didn't go past the white line when it was still a red light).


I still haven't watched it all. But Just by watching the warm-up lap .... and understanding who is driving the car in front ... it's just epic. Here you guys have what wikipedia says about this race

Berger had a great start and managed to overtake Senna. Mansell was in third followed by Prost, Martini and Patrese. Berger quickly opened a lead while Senna was trying to keep Mansell behind. Then Mansell finally managed to overtake Senna and started to catch Berger. As the two Ferraris caught up with the slower cars and were starting to lap them, Mansell managed to overtake Berger. Positions at lap 24 were: Mansell, Berger, Senna and Prost. Prost was the first of the leaders to pit for new tyres from fourth position. He was quickly followed by Berger on lap 35 and then by Senna. Then came the crucial moment of the race. Mansell came into the pits slightly too fast, locked his tyres and missed his pit box by a few metres. Although his pit crew moved down the pit lane to try to change his tyres where he had stopped, Mansell engaged reverse gear and drove backwards the short distance into the correct spot. After the leaders went to pit for tyres, Pierluigi Martini led a lap in the Minardi, the only time in the F1 history that a Minardi car was at the front leading. Mansell was down in fourth. Berger, Senna and Mansell quickly overtook Martini and Mansell closed on Senna. However as reversing in the pit lane was expressly forbidden, Mansell was black flagged. At the start of lap 48 Mansell tried to overtake Senna, the cars collided and both drivers were out. This damaged Senna's title chances, especially since rival Alain Prost came in second place. The race was won by Berger ahead of Prost and Johansson a surprising third in the Onyx.

So, he (Berger) won it. A Minardi led for one valiant lap. And an Onyx got a podium finish. Those were the days

 

[Mac K]

If F1 was like that today, I'd watch it all the time, epic video 👍

 

[nostuner03]

Oh, thats a good video. Thanks.

 

[Hun200kmh]

You're welcome!

After careful viewing of portions of Berger's race, I found the part of it when he loses 1st place for Nigel Mansell. The way I saw it from Berger's camera, it looked like Mansell had done a 3-car pass in the main straight up to turn 1 braking point and this was so awesome I hed to get an outside look of it.

So I got this other "highlights" video. Murray Walker and James Hunt commenting, great fun to watch.

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In the onboard video, Mansell's move on Berger shows up at 35:45. You better see that one first, because seeing it from the outside it only gets better! Check the highlights video posted now. Traffic shows up around 2:50, pass is made at 4:20.

Another point of interest, the pitstops. First watch from the outside as Berger pits (5:24 in the highlights video). Then watch from the onboard cam (50:37 from the full race video). No speed limit in the pits!

The highlights video is worth a watch from that point on. Mansell does his mistake, gets black flagged, not sure if he noticed but he got Senna out of the race before heading for the pits. I do remember the controversy and outrage from all parts surrounding all this, either from Senna or from Mansell side (Prost having a laugh, of course) and I wonder what would happen in internet forums if they existed back then, I bet many fans around the world would get banned from their favorite sites


EDIT - Just to say that the racing in F1 was indeed different:

1 - F1 cars could overtake each other, and this is the original Estoril layout, no Tilke-like Turn 1 and generally no hard-braking-to-tight-corners-layout-nonsense: Just a wonderful flowing circuit, like they used to be.

2 - No blue flag nonsense. lapped cars didn't make it hard for race leaders but no question about pulling over or else ... like we have nowadays 👎


EDIT2 - Oh and Mansell's move on Berger is worthy of a place in the all time best overtaking moves in the History of F1!

 

[mr_geez]

Very nice find. One of my favorite drivers back in the day and greatest day of Onyx Racing ever (Stefan Johansson finishing 3rd without tires or fuel while his teammate didn't even qualify to the race).

I'm not a big fan of Estoril track. Funny that Catalunya is so similar (at least to me). But those cars had some serious power and so many great names behind the wheel.

 

[Hun200kmh]

I'm not a big fan of Estoril track. Funny that Catalunya is so similar (at least to me). But those cars had some serious power and so many great names behind the wheel.

Estoril now is a joke. Engine power and braking power is all you need with this layout, but with the old you needed a big heart (for turns 1 and 2) and an overall well balanced car. Check the lap I did with my old bike (in my sig) and compare nowadays turn 1 with the old one.

Catalunya, compared to the old Estoril ... granted, the overall layouts are similar if you look at the map (catalans copied us, some 20 years after Estoril was built ), but the ups and downs and the overall flow of the corners is quite different. I will forgive you this one!

 

[Tired Tyres]

I remember that! Lots of controversy in Autosport over it.

I was happy to see Berger win that race.

It was the same year he became close personal friends with the Tamborelo turn at Imola.

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[Danny]

That's awesome footage! 👍

 

[Ardius]

Yeah I watched this a few weeks ago, its always nice to watch raw footage without edits or "enhancements". If only FOM would at least release a raw footage race every once in a while (imagine Monaco!).