20 years ago today: Schumacher’s first podium and Mexico’s last race

29 comments on “20 years ago today: Schumacher’s first podium and Mexico’s last race”

1. 

   cmckinleyF1 (@cmckinleyf1)
   22nd March 2012, 17:52

   Great read. Amazing looking back at the spread in qualifying when you consider the short nature of the track and how close things were last weekend in Melbourne
   1. 

      MattB (@mattb)
      22nd March 2012, 17:58

      You say that… all of the runners were within 107%, which they weren’t in Melbourne..
      1. 

         matt90
         22nd March 2012, 19:02

         26 cars were within 107%, but you’re ignoring 4 others who didn’t quailify.
         1. 

            Chris Lloyd (@chrisr1718)
            29th October 2015, 15:03

            The reason they didn’t qualify is because only 26 cars are allowed to race. Actually, 28 cars were within 107%, the only two outside that were the two Brabham-Judd’s of Eric van de Poele(107.66%) and Giovanni Amati (111.4%)
      2. 

         cmckinleyF1 (@cmckinleyf1)
         22nd March 2012, 22:34

         @mattb Good point!
      3. 

         Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
         23rd March 2012, 3:44

         @mattb Fast-forward to that year’s British Grand Prix and only half the qualifiers were within 107% of Mansell’s pole time. Good job they didn’t have that rule then (and a shame we do have it now).
2. 

   Joey-Poey (@joey-poey)
   22nd March 2012, 17:57

   and a Mexican Grand Prix revival could be on the cars

   Is that a terrible pun or a typo? ;)
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      22nd March 2012, 18:18

      Typo – fixed!
3. 

   Tango (@tango)
   22nd March 2012, 18:06

   Gosh, what huge gaps in qualifying.
   1. 

      George (@george)
      22nd March 2012, 18:23

      Not between Brundle and Berger :P
      1. 

         Mike (@mike)
         22nd March 2012, 21:16

         Wow O.o
4. 

   panama/kowalsky
   22nd March 2012, 19:01

   I was there that day. I had a grandstand ticket on top of the pits, and had a good view of the drivers.
   Senna was injured in a jet ski accident, and was not at his best, as you can see in the grid position. Schumacher was an unknown quantity, but you could already feel the guy was special. Giovana amati never had a chance with the brabham, even if she had any talent.
   I was hoping for rain, to see if senna could do something heroic, but it was dry, and was a total williams dominance.
   Not an very special grand prix, except fot schumis first podium.
   1. 

      urizen
      22nd March 2012, 21:36

      Senna wasinjuredinskiaccidentin 1991,I think.
5. 

   Meander (@meander)
   22nd March 2012, 19:05

   Familiar positions for Ferrari, when compared to this year ;) Also, the Dallara-Ferrari actually doing better could be an analogy for Toro Rosso today.
6. 

   AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
   22nd March 2012, 19:10

   Thanks for bringing back those memories, Keith. 1992 Was my first full season of Formula 1. If I remember correctly, Brundle retired as a result of one of Berger’s tear-offs getting trapped in his sidepods, overheating his engine.

   At 12 years of age, I followed the races the races pretty intensely back then (until around the time that Damon Hill faded from competitiveness), and coupled with a young memory, I remember more of those races than I do of the races in for instance the Schumacher-domination era (which is why I frequently put in embarrassing performances in F1Fanatic’s quizzes…).
   1. 

      TimG (@timg)
      23rd March 2012, 9:12

      If I remember correctly, Brundle retired as a result of one of Berger’s tear-offs getting trapped in his sidepods, overheating his engine.

      You’re right, I remember that race too – it was part of a run of bad luck for Brundle at the start of the year, but he soon got almost on terms with Schumacher and even gave him a couple of scares later in the season.
7. 

   red
   22nd March 2012, 19:51

   20 years after schumacher’s first race he puts a bad car in 5th from 24th on the grid
   20 year from his first podium…
8. 

   infy (@infy)
   22nd March 2012, 20:20

   Lol Brundle is so baaad XD
   1. 

      Sandhurst5 (@sandhurst5)
      22nd March 2012, 22:56

      Haha. According to ‘Brundlefly’ himself, quote: ‘I was never a good qualifier but I always made great starts!’.

      Yeah right Brundle, you sucked and you know it and then he had the nerve to criticize Schuey’s starts in his Ferrari days but look who’s proving him wrong then and now with his record for greatest starter of 2011. He’s continued the form through to this year and hopefully this weekend too.
      1. 

         Aussie Fan
         23rd March 2012, 2:06

         It does put some of the snippy comments from the commentary box over the last few years re: Michael Schumacher into perspective a bit more, doesn’t it….
         1. 

            TimG (@timg)
            23rd March 2012, 9:19

            Not really. Brundle had a run of bad luck at the start of ’92 but he quickly got back on terms with Schumacher, giving him a good run for his money a few times. Not least at the San Marino GP, where Schumacher went off trying to stay with Brundle. Schumacher was clearly the quicker of the two, especially in qualifying, but by no means did Brundle disgrace himself.

            In fact, he was probably the team mate who was consistently closest to Schumacher over a season until Barrichello joined Ferrari in 2000.
            1. 

               Sandhurst5 (@sandhurst5)
               24th March 2012, 12:25

               That’s 1 race where Brundle got the better of Schumacher in 16 races. I you have a look at the other performaces throughout the season, he hammered Brundle all year. Let’s not forget this was only in is 2nd season compared to Brundle in his (arguably) peak years.
9. 

   Renner (@renner)
   22nd March 2012, 20:25

   Nigel Mansell had the same hat style as Kimi and Fernando
   1. 

      TimG (@timg)
      23rd March 2012, 9:23

      It was the early 1990s, everyone had the same hat style – not least because in that shot Mansell is wearing one of the standard-issue Goodyear caps that the podium finishers were all required to wear.
10. 

    Hadzhiev (@hadzhiev)
    22nd March 2012, 21:36

    Great Schumi! :)
11. 

    OOliver
    22nd March 2012, 22:54

    20 years is a long time but still feels like yesterday.
    Williams with their active suspension and also semi automatic gearbox. Driving was almost too easy.
    As bad as Ferrari was back then, they were actually on the way up, if you just scratched the Ferrari, it would bleed cash. Berger was earning a ridiculous amount without being all that fast.

    I can’t remember if by this time Mclaren were getting the lower spec ford engines, while Benetton had the higher spec versions.

    Cars were generating sonic booms through the pit lane.
    Cars were shod with all you can eat tyres.
    Engines could make the cars do wheelies.
    And camels could actually go fast.

    That was the life.
    1. 

       TimG (@timg)
       23rd March 2012, 9:21

       I can’t remember if by this time Mclaren were getting the lower spec ford engines, while Benetton had the higher spec versions.

       That was 1993.
12. 

    pSynrg (@psynrg)
    22nd March 2012, 23:08

    Fabulous piece Keith thanks. It was indeed great to see Schuey closer than ever to a chance at being on the podium again. I really hope he gets there on at least one occasion this season. Another win would of course be sensational. Which is kind of mad really considering he already has 91 to his name (which I personally don’t think will ever be beaten, not even by mini-Schumacher Vettel.)
13. 

    AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
    23rd March 2012, 13:31

    It does sound like quite a dull race at the front, no pit-stops for the Williams? Wow.

    That race would be ripped apart these days, and rightfully so.

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