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Damien Smith
The history of F1: the 1980s
rCLI will never drive a McLaren again.rCY Imagine had Alain Prost stuck to those words. After a maiden Formula 1 season punctuated by one too many accidents caused by car failures, the little Frenchman with the massive talent was done with McLaren rCo or so he thought.

Instead, destiny had other, unexpected plans for the best, most complete
F1 driver of the decade (well, for most of it). Prost would return in MarlbororCOs Dayglo and white rCo but only after its boss Teddy Mayer had made way for a single-minded, deeply ambitious visionary, who in harness
with an equally focused and hard-edged designer, would raise the F1 game during the 1980s. Prost, Ron Dennis, John Barnard and TAG-badged Porsche
turbo engines was the axis of a dream team for the decade of Cold War super-power.

But McLaren would evolve again into something even greater after Barnard
left for Ferrari, when HondarCOs V6 replaced TAG, and a young, mercurial Brazilian was teamed with (and ultimately against) Prost. Ayrton Senna
and his colossal rivalry with the only man he truly respected and feared
would really define this decade rCo for better and for worse.

Today, F1 in the 1980s is considered a halcyon time, recalled for
brutal, untamed horsepower, a new breed of swashbuckling heroes and an increasing commercialisation of a global sport moving closer to the mainstream. But itrCOs on this final point that F1 was almost brought to
its knees, by a drawn out (and terminally boring) civil war between
governing body FISA, led by pompous, blazered president Jean-Marie
Balestre, and the British-based FOCA teams, led by sharp-as-a-tack
Brabham owner Bernie Ecclestone. Guess who won?

Through 1980 and rCO81, a fundamental battle played out over who would
control grand prix racing. Yes, FISA (the sporting arm of the FIA),
would retain control of the technical regulations, but crucially it was Ecclestone who grabbed what really counted: the commercial power that
would make not only himself but also his rival team owners fabulously
wealthy in the era of rampant capitalism. The seed was sown in the
1970s, but it was during the rCO80s that F1 as we know it today really
took root.

History-of-F1-1981-Zandvoort-Nelson-Piquet-Brabham-BT49C-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg

On track, the emerging Williams team and Brabham held power at first, propelled by the now-venerable Cosworth DFV and gripped by monumental ground-effects suction. Alan Jones edged Nelson Piquet in rCO80, the
Brazilian then claiming the first of his three titles the following
season, before FISA, in an act conceived to undermine and weaken the
FOCA DFV teams, banned ground effects at the end of rCO82 on the grounds
of safety.

History-of-F1-1982-Dijon-Keke-Rosberg-First-Win-Murray-Walker-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg

It certainly had been a torrid time. Gilles Villeneuve tripped over
Jochen MassrCOs March in qualifying at Zolder and died in a horrible crash
(if only herCOd survived and raced on, to mix it with Prost and Senna),
and Riccardo Paletti lost his life in Canada when his Osella slammed
into Didier PironirCOs stalled Ferrari at the start. Then Pironi suffered career-ending leg injuries when he was launched over ProstrCOs Renault in
the rain at Hockenheim. To cap the black mood, F1 lost one of its
greatest agitators when Lotus founder Colin Chapman succumbed to a heart attack in December. Through it all, a record 11 drivers won races as
Keke Rosberg rCo only once a winner that season rCo edged an unlikely title for Williams, the last for a DFV.

History-of-F1-1983-Monza-Nelson-Piquet-Renex-Arnoux-Eddie-Cheever-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg

As the teams scrabbled to prepare new, non-ground-effect, flat-bottomed machines for 1983, manufacturer-backed turbo power was now essential if
the FOCA teams wanted to maintain their competitive edge. Ecclestone had already moved fast to partner up with BMW, and Gordon MurrayrCOs stunning delta-shaped BT52 would carry Piquet to another title; Williams plugged
away with Cosworth until joining forces with far from proven Honda for
rCO84; but it was Dennis and Barnard who would really grab the initiative.

History-of-F1-1984-Austria-Niki-Lauda-McLaren-MP4-2-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg

McLarenrCOs bounce-back had begun in rCO81, once Dennis (with MarlbororCOs help) had prised MayerrCOs grip from the team. BarnardrCOs landmark carbon-fibre-monocoque MP4/1 pointed the way on future chassis design,
John Watson scoring a memorable home victory at Silverstone. Then Dennis scored a coup by luring Niki Lauda out of retirement for rCO82, the
Austrian discovering to his surprise that his thirst for F1 had yet to
be fully quenched. He won at Long Beach, just his third race back.

But the key that unlocked the rest of the decade was the moment Dennis persuaded Porsche to supply a turbo engine, paid for and badged by TAG,
owned by RonrCOs friend Mansour Ojjeh. Porsche was fully committed to its Group C sports car programme, but as it dominated Le Mans the companyrCOs sound engineering would in parallel power McLaren to a string of F1
world titles rCo even if it was by stealth.

Prost could see what was happening at the team with which herCOd started,
now transformed in DennisrCOs image. HerCOd become a race winner and title contender at Renault, but a dreadful lack of reliability, in-fighting
with team-mate Rene Arnoux and further tensions with management left him frustrated rCo and crownless. To anyone who cared to look, his potential
was clear, and it would be fully realised on his return to McLaren in rCO84.

A shaken Lauda knew what he was in for straight away. The driver some
had compared to a computer during his Ferrari days in the 1970s was now
being outfoxed and plain outpaced by the rCyThe ProfessorrCO, with his mop
of curly hair and crooked nose. Niki couldnrCOt beat Prost on pure speed,
so he drew on all that vast experience to maximise his scores rCo and
nabbed a third and final title by just half a point. Prost was
disheartened, but this vastly intelligent man had watched and learned.
His time would come, as his friend Lauda said to him on the podium at
Estoril.

History-of-F1-1985-Brands-Hatch-Alain-Prost-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg
ProstrCOs deserved first world title follow emphatically (and to no onerCOs surprise) in rCO85, and another would come the season after rCo but by now
the ever-shifting F1 sands had changed the landscape. McLaren-TAG was plateauing, restless Barnard was tempted by the lure of rejuvenating a misfiring Ferrari, and the Williams-Honda partnership was coming on song.

History-of-F1-1986-Estoril-Senna-Prost-Mansell-Piquet-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg

As Brabham began its slow decline, Piquet joined Frank Williams for rCO86, beside a driver who was finally unleashing his own potency after five
years of frustration at a Lotus team that never really believed in him.
To PiquetrCOs annoyance, moustachioed Nigel Mansell became a thorn he
could not ignore. In Patrick HeadrCOs masterful FW11, the pair would go
toe to toe, trading blows through the summer rCo until a dramatic decider
in Adelaide, when a flailing Goodyear tyre would shred MansellrCOs dreams.
As Piquet pitted for new rubber in caution, Prost quietly stepped
through to steal the crown. No longer blessed with the fastest car, this season was the confirmation of his understated genius.

History-of-F1-1987-Silverstone-Nelson-Piquet-Nigel-Mansell-Williams-FW11B-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg

But the following year he had no chance as the Williams-Honda combo
stepped up again, Piquet rCydoing a LaudarCO by scoring his way to the title against a faster team-mate. Mansell had more wins and pole positions,
but then blew it with a practice crash at Suzuka.

History-of-F1-1988-Jerez-Ayrton-Senna-McLaren-MP4-4-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg

And now Dennis grabbed back the initiative, by luring Honda to McLaren.
As Williams fell away (for now), the Marlboro cars ascended thanks to a collaborative effort between Gordon Murray, who had arrived from
Brabham, and the well-honed team led by American Steve Nichols. The
MP4-4 would set new benchmarks for excellence and domination.

Prost could have had an easier life by welcoming Piquet as his new
team-mate (Lauda was long gone, having retired for good at the end of
rCO85), but instead he made the case for Senna. McLaren deserved the best,
he said, it was clear which Brazilian was faster rCo and to his eternal credit, he welcomed the significant challenge he knew was about to land
in a team that had revolved around him for four years.

SennarCOs precocious ability was obvious in karts, Formula Ford and
Formula 3 and only confirmed by a line-in-sand performance at Monaco for
lowly Toleman in rCO84. In the wet, the rookie had almost embarrassed
Prost until the race was stopped early. The momentum had built during
his subsequent years at Lotus, Senna proving a master over one lap and
winning when he could, in a team that was already a shadow of its former
self. Now he finally had his chance for a shot in the premier league.

Fifteen out of 16 wins, eight for Senna, seven for Prost, was the story
of 1988. Only a clumsy slip from Senna as he tried to lap a backmarker
at Monza prevented a Dayglo-and-white wash. Overall, there was little
between them, although SennarCOs astonishing 13 poles to ProstrCOs two gives an indication of who was out-and-out faster. But Prost actually
outscored Senna over the season, even if the best-11-scores rule made
the Brazilian champion, after a wonderful virtuoso drive at Suzuka.

There had been moments of tension rCo when Senna swerved towards a passing Prost at Estoril, almost putting the Frenchman into the pitwall. That overstepped a line still rarely only approached back then. But overall,
the team-mates had remained exactly that through the season. That would
change in rCO89, devastatingly so.

History-of-F1-1989-Imola-Alain-Prost-Ayrton-Senna-McLaren-MP4-5-MI-Goodwood-19112020.jpg

Like Villeneuve and Pironi before them, Prost and Senna fell out at
Imola as the latter broke a pre-race agreement on terms of engagement in battle. Turbos had now been outlawed, but if anything the new normally aspirated rules only enhanced the Honda advantage as its new V10 powered McLaren to greater heights. Sure, there were sideshow stories such as MansellrCOs dramatic win on his debut in BarnardrCOs fabulous Ferrari 640 in Rio. But the main event through rCO89 was always the second instalment of Prost vs. Senna. The bitterness intensified through the summer, to the
point where Prost concluded with sorrow that rCyhisrCO team now belonged to another rCo and the only option was to head for the door, towards Barnard
and Ferrari. But still there was a title to be won, and he did so in a
most unedifying (and uncharacteristic) way. Alain knew what he was doing
at SuzukarCOs chicane when he turned in on his team-mate at low speed, and indeed had forewarned that Senna wouldnrCOt be coming past. As one walked
away in frustration, the other charged back to win on the road rCo only to
be disqualified for rCycutting the chicanerCO in his recovery, a lame technicality.

But really, who cared which of them prevailed? The loser, in an unseemly
and petty climax at the end of a decade packed with drama and
high-powered action, had been F1 itself.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.

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TAGS
FORMULA 1

F1 1980

F1 1981

F1 1982

F1 1983

F1 1984

F1 1985

F1 1986

F1 1987

F1 1988

F1 1989

ALAIN PROST

AYRTON SENNA

ALAN JONES

KEKE ROSBERG

NELSON PIQUET

NIKI LAUDA
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