On Thursday, Senna was approached by a group of Italian reporters. Used to the usual questions from the press, he was surprised to be asked if he believed in he supernatural.
Always careful in his responses, the driver was evasive until one reporter informed him that a gypsy had foreseen that Riccardo Patrese would be the winner of the race. Senna laughed and responded that you didn’t have to be a fortune teller to know that Williams would win. Then he mocked:
“I want to know if the Patrese’s gypsy consulted Mansell and forsaw prophesized me coming in second.”
Patrese started in pole position. With Mansell by his side, the twosome seemed perfectly at ease.
But on lap 51, Mansell wound up being disqualified for stopping outside the box area for servicing.
It was then that Ayrton Senna took second place, which he maintained until crossing the finish line in Estoril. He completed the podium with Jean Alesi (Ferrari).
And the French driver asked the first question at the press conference after the race, which was directed at the winner, Patrese:
“Who should I consult in order to find out what my position in the next race with be: the Italian gypsy or the Brazilian wizard?”
PORTUGUESE GP
1º
R. Patrese
2º
G. Berger
3º
Ayrton Senna
4º
N. Mansell
5º
A. Prost
6º
J. Alesi
7º
M. Gugelmin
8º
P. Martini
9º
I. Capelli
10º
M. Schumacher
11º
N. Piquet
12º
S. Modena
13º
G. Morbidelli
14º
A. de Cesaris
15º
M. Blundell
16º
R. Moreno
17º
E. Pirro
18º
J. Lehto
19º
M. Brundle
20º
T. Boutsen
21º
S. Nakajima
22º
J. Herbert
23º
E. Comas
24º
M. Alboreto
25º
A. Suzuki
26º
M. Hakkinen
71
laps
26
cars
9
Retirements
1’18”179
fastest lap
1º
sunny weather
podium
1º
R. Patrese
2º
Ayrton Senna
3º
J. Alesi
2º
final position
1º
position in championship following the race
3º
starting place
6
championship points accumulated
1’18’929
best lap
