From: apayton@acorn.co.uk (Andrew W Payton)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport
Subject: John Watson on the Belgian GP
Date: 27 Aug 92 10:36:28 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England


 Extract from BBC CEEFAX

 John Watson
 ON THE BELGIAN GRAND PRIX              
                                        
 Nigel Mansell's confirmation as the new
 World Champion was a great achievement 
 for him, as well as for Williams       
 Renault, Canon, Elf and Camel.         
                                        
 Now it is back to the bump and grind of
 the '92 season. Mansell's success      
 removes any pressure on him but,       
 believe me, it will not prevent him    
 trying to win the remaining five races.
                                        
 Ayrton Senna drove superbly in Hungary 
 and has won the last four GPs at Spa-  
 Francorchamps but this circuit, like   
 every other this season, will favour   
 the dominating Williams Renault team.  

 Williams Renault are well clear in the 
 constructors' table but there is still 
 a lot to fight for in this Championship
                                        
 The title is unlikely to go anywhere   
 else but points are still vitally      
 important to all teams.                
                                        
 The more points won, the greater the   
 financial rewards. They are a help in  
 sponsorship deals. Jordan certainly    
 benefitted when they finished fifth    
 after an outstanding debut year.       
                                        
 The top ten in the Championship plus   
 the next three escape the dreaded      
 pre-qualifying so for some teams even a
 few points can be crucial.             
                                        
 A very exciting battle looks set to    
 develop for second and third place in  
 the drivers' F1 world championship.    
                                        
 Riccardo Patrese currently leads the   
 race but Ayrton Senna and Michael      
 Schumacher are hot on his heels.       
                                        
 A great deal of speculation also       
 surrounds these three drivers, all of  
 whom I believe will be switching teams 
 next season.                           
                                        
 The confirmation that Gerhard Berger   
 has signed for Ferrari is just the     
 start of the biggest change-around in  
 driver line-ups we have witnessed for  
 a very long time.                      
                                        
 Right now Michael Schumacher is the    
 most desirable long term property in   
 Formula One.                           
                                        
 He may be under contract to Benetton   
 but, as we saw with Jean Alesi's early 
 move to Ferrari, no contract is sacred.
                                        
 Riccardo Patrese has no home to go to  
 in 1993 but his name is being openly   
 linked with Benetton although, so far, 
 I understand there have only been talks
                                        
 F1 is delicately poised at present as  
 far as the driver market is concerned. 
 It is even possible that Ayrton Senna  
 will take a year off which would be a  
 great loss to GP racing.               
                                        
 It now looks certain that Alain Prost  
 has a two-year contract with the       
 Williams team starting in 1993 and it  
 seems to include a 'non-Senna' clause. 
                                        
 Prost's insistence that he will not    
 have Ayrton as a driving partner partly
 explains the delay in Nigel Mansell's  
 announcement of his plans for next year
                                        
 Mansell will be determined to build in 
 similar clauses within his own contract
 to protect him from any manoeuvrings   
 by Prost.                              
                                        
 Some people have been critical of      
 Mansell but he is right to be cautious 
 as Prost is the expert at these games. 
                                        
 Christian Fittipaldi makes his return  
 to GP racing after recovering from the 
 neck injury he suffered at Magny Cours.
                                        
 But, with the Minardi team struggling  
 to qualify, it will be a tough comeback
                                        
 There should be some extra interest for
 British fans this weekend with Perry   
 McCarthy likely to get a reasonable    
 amount of track time in pre-qualifying.
                                        
 FISA have been unimpressed by the      
 efforts of the Andrea Moda team who    
 have allowed McCarthy no more than the 
 minimum number of laps required by the 
 regulations. The team are on notice to 
 make a realistic bid with both cars.   
                                        
 Spa will see the Formula One debut of  
 Emanuele Naspetti driving for March.   
                                        
 Can this Italian impress the F1 world  
 in the way that Michael Schumacher did 
 in his first GP exactly a year ago?    
                                        
 Spa remains one of the most daunting   
 circuits in GP racing yet it is one of 
 the most popular among competitors.    
 Sunday's race is over 44 laps and, as  
 ever, it will be very demanding.       
                                        
 Every year in my Ceefax preview I have 
 mentioned that the weather could have  
 a major role to play in the race. This 
 year will no be exception.             
 



---Andrew

   Information Systems Group    EMail:     apayton@acorn.co.uk
   Acorn Computers Ltd          Telephone: +44 223 245200
   

   "We're going to have to get pretty low to land this one!"

    --Ted Striker Airplane II
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport