Grand Prix Rejects

What I really like about 1989 is that one race you could get someone DNQing and the next be up there challenging the Ferraris/Williams/Benettons (though maybe not the McLarens).

James1978 wrote:What I really like about 1989 is that one race you could get someone DNQing and the next be up there challenging the Ferraris/Williams/Benettons (though maybe not the McLarens).

Probably the most unpredictable season ever.

Pierluigi Martini was qualifying Minardi in the top 5 on a regular basis towards the end of the season.
Stefan Johansson DNPQd his Onyx in 4 of the last 5 races of the season, the one race in which he did make it past pre-qualifying, he scored a podium.
Johnny Herbert DNQd at Canada whilst driving a Benetton.
Gabriele Tarquini was qualifying his AGS on a regular basis early on in the season, and even finished in the top 8 on 3 occassions.
Neither Lotus qualified at Spa Francorchamps.

What a year.

James1978 wrote:What I really like about 1989 is that one race you could get someone DNQing and the next be up there challenging the Ferraris/Williams/Benettons (though maybe not the McLarens).

I watched the 1989 Portuguese GP a few days ago, and Johansson scored the podium in the Onyx, and I looked up how he did in the other races that season, which brought me to what FullMetalJack said. I was rather stunned.

Wasn't a lot of the unpredictable stuff due to the Pirelli qualifying tyres and if they worked at the right track?

gnrpoison wrote:Wasn't a lot of the unpredictable stuff due to the Pirelli qualifying tyres and if they worked at the right track?

Teams had a choice which tyre to use. Some teams, Minardi and Osella amongst others (I don't know who else did) used them, and Minardi were probably the most competitive they ever were.

Wasn't this the same year where a Minardi qualified in 2nd place at the first race because of those Pirelli qualifiers?

AdrianSutil wrote:Wasn't this the same year where a Minardi qualified in 2nd place at the first race because of those Pirelli qualifiers?

I think that was 1990, which was sadly the only highlight of the year for them.

While the pre-qualifying that year was very tough (13 drivers competing for 4 places), they usually managed to make it to the race. I believe only three times driver went on from pre-qualifying and then failed to get into the race itself:
Foitek @ Rio
Gachot @ Hockenheim
Alboreto @ Suzuka

Especially when you look some drivers:
Schneider through twice, 25th and 21st on the grid
Moreno through once (latter half), 15th on the grid
Larini through eight times and with one exception was always in the top 20 of the grid, including 10th in Suzuka
Lehto through twice and both times 17th on the grid.
Alliot in top 10 of the grid three times in the latter half of the season

Aguri Suzuki failed to Pre-Qualify at all 16 races in 1989. What was his closest attempt at making the Grid?

At Suzuka he was a bit more than 0,7 seconds off. However there was three drivers between him and last qualifier.

East Londoner wrote:

AdrianSutil wrote:Wasn't this the same year where a Minardi qualified in 2nd place at the first race because of those Pirelli qualifiers?

I think that was 1990, which was sadly the only highlight of the year for them.

Martini was 3rd on the grid in Adelaide in 1989 and finished 6th.

Bleu wrote:At Suzuka he was a bit more than 0,7 seconds off. However there was three drivers between him and last qualifier.

And he was still beaten by Schneider who was 3rd fastest. The only time that season that a Zakspeed made the top 4 in pre-qualifying.

FullMetalJack wrote:And he was still beaten by Schneider who was 3rd fastest. The only time that season that a Zakspeed made the top 4 in pre-qualifying.

Bernie did manage to get into the race in Brazil, though, even if he was 5th in pre-qualifying - presumably that was because of Philippe Streiff's enforced withdrawal after that horrific career-ending injury.

And in looking that up, I found the 1989 season has another strange statistic. 29 drivers scored points that year under the 9-6-4-3-2-1 system. Had the 2010-13 points applied that year, the number of drivers who would have scored is... 29. The highest placed driver not to score, Ivan Capelli, had a highest finish of 11th.

Has this ever happened any other year, at least up to and including 2002 before the points were awarded down to 8th?

dinizintheoven wrote:

FullMetalJack wrote:And he was still beaten by Schneider who was 3rd fastest. The only time that season that a Zakspeed made the top 4 in pre-qualifying.

Bernie did manage to get into the race in Brazil, though, even if he was 5th in pre-qualifying - presumably that was because of Philippe Streiff's enforced withdrawal after that horrific career-ending injury.

Looking back, they should have done the same for Monaco and Spain, where a Ferrari was absent on both occasions.

If they had, Ghinzani would have pre-qualified in Monaco, whilst Tarquini would have made the cut in Spain.

Minardi was Pirelli's 'works' team in 1989.According to the 'Forza Minardi' book, they say they would have had a great chance to win in Adelaide, considering he qualified 3rd and was fastest in warm up if it didnt rain.

David AGS wrote:Minardi was Pirelli's 'works' team in 1989.According to the 'Forza Minardi' book, they say they would have had a great chance to win in Adelaide, considering he qualified 3rd and was fastest in warm up if it didnt rain.

Awesome

I´m glad they didn´t win, otherwise there wouldn´t be an article about them in F1 Rejects!

Wait, there isn´t one... My bad

MrMasaTasa wrote:

David AGS wrote:Minardi was Pirelli's 'works' team in 1989.According to the 'Forza Minardi' book, they say they would have had a great chance to win in Adelaide, considering he qualified 3rd and was fastest in warm up if it didnt rain.

Awesome

I´m glad they didn´t win, otherwise there wouldn´t be an article about them in F1 Rejects!

Wait, there isn´t one... My bad

Sadly, they are not rejects... But they are honourary rejects!

And if you know where to look, you can find a Minardi article.

David AGS wrote:Minardi was Pirelli's 'works' team in 1989.According to the 'Forza Minardi' book, they say they would have had a great chance to win in Adelaide, considering he qualified 3rd and was fastest in warm up if it didnt rain.

I doubt it. Although it's now 24 years ago and I was 8 at the time I remember 1989 fondly because it was my first season of watching F1. The Pirellis on the Minardis were great in qualifying but not so good in race trim. If it hadn't rained, Senna wouldn't have slammed into the back of Brundle's Brabham unsighted in the rain, and Prost wouldn't have pulled out after one lap. Hard to see Martini beating either McLaren in a straight fight.

eytl wrote:

David AGS wrote:Minardi was Pirelli's 'works' team in 1989.According to the 'Forza Minardi' book, they say they would have had a great chance to win in Adelaide, considering he qualified 3rd and was fastest in warm up if it didnt rain.

I doubt it. Although it's now 24 years ago and I was 8 at the time I remember 1989 fondly because it was my first season of watching F1. The Pirellis on the Minardis were great in qualifying but not so good in race trim. If it hadn't rained, Senna wouldn't have slammed into the back of Brundle's Brabham unsighted in the rain, and Prost wouldn't have pulled out after one lap. Hard to see Martini beating either McLaren in a straight fight.

Who's to say Prost and Senna wouldn't have collided again.

Anyway, more importantly than Senna's retirement, had it not rained, Piquet wouldn't have hit Ghinzani's Osella.