After doing another pole position – the tenth in Formula 1 – Ayrton Senna took a deep breath before answering to the first question at the post qualifying press conference:
“Favorite? I don’t think there’s such a thing in a grid like this.”
He was referring to his adversaries like Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, Michele Alboreto and Keke Rosberg, all in extremely fast cars and ready and waiting in the first rows of the starting grid in Ímola.
And, from the start of the race on Sunday, he had to really battle to keep his car in the front positions on the track, until his left front wheel bearing broke, taking him out of the race in the 11th lap.
Up to then, a variety of battles involving Piquet (Williams), Gerhard Berger (Benetton), Stefan Johansson (Ferrari) and Alain Prost (McLaren) had ensured a great show.
Luck, in the end, was on the side of the French driver, who was the winner of the San Marino Grand Prix. Ayrton Senna had an entire season in front of him to think about.
SAN MARINO GP
1º
Ayrton Senna
2º
N. Piquet
3º
N. Mansell
4º
A. Prost
5º
M. Alboreto
6º
K. Rosberg
7º
S. Johansson
8º
R. Arnoux
9º
G. Berger
10º
T. Fabi
11º
P. Tambay
12º
T. Boutsen
13º
M. Brundle
14º
J. Laffite
15º
M. Surer
16º
R. Patrese
17º
J. Drumfries
18º
A. Nannini
19º
E. de Angelis
20º
J. Palmer
21º
A. Jones
22º
P. Streiff
23º
A. de Cesaris
24º
H. Rothengatte
25º
C. Danner
26º
P. Ghinzani
70
laps
26
cars
16
Retirements
1’28”667
Fastest lap
1º
Cloudy Weather
Podium
1º
A. Prost
2º
N. Pique
3º
G. Berger
_
final position (retired on lap 11)
1º
position in championship following the race
1º
starting place
–
championship points accumulated
1’31”999
best lap
I noticed that there was something off right at the beginning of the race. I had to stop.
