Newsgroup: it.sport.formula1
Titolo: Jarama 81

At Jarama, Grand Prix racing proved to be better than ever. Excitement
mounted into superb climax, a breathless finale in which the cars were
closer together at the end than they had been at the beginning. Not
since the famous Villeneuve-Arnoux duel in the closing laps of the 1979
French Grand Prix had there been such a thrilling race.
---
Everyone in GP racing is convinced of GV's talent, and has been for some
time. "They're very lucky to have that little fellow in the Ferrari
team" says Guy Ligier on occasions. Further testament to his talent came
from Brabham designer Gordon Murray after the Spanish GP: "I walked
round the circuit during the race. The Ferrari's handling is awful. I
just wonder how Gilles managed to keep the thing on the road, and to
keep the other behinf him. He drove a fantastic race"
Gilles himself admitted, "that my car was particularly hard to drive>
I've spoken to Jacques Laffite since the race and e compared notes. In
four corners where he ws flat, I had to lift off".
After every practise session, Gilles complained of poor road-handling.
In fact it got worse during the race: "during the last 25 laps, I
couldn't use full revs out of tighter corners because the wheels would
just spin. I had to to feed the power gently. Jacques came up alongside
me on a number of occasions because I couldn't put the power down on the
road. I was sure he'd overtake me on one side or the other. I was very
lsow on corners. Gilles may have been slow round the cornes, but thanks
to the tremendous power from the turbocharged V6 Ferrari, he was very
quick down the staights. It was just enough to make sure that no one
could outbrake him. Thanks to some wise positioning of the car in the
corners, the Ferrari driver managed to hold on to first place through
the twistier part of the circuit, in spite of his car sliding badly. But
even though he resisted the efforts of his pursuers wit strenght and
determination bordering on despair, Gilles thought that his efforts had
been vain."I thought that I 'd lost the race, he said in his inimitable
French-Canadian accent. "During the last three laps, the engine would
cut out under braking at the end of the straight, and then it would pick
up out of the corner. I was on what I thought wad my last lap when the
engine cut out altogether before the final corner and Ifreewheled into
the pits, out of petrol. For a moment I was very upset. When I saw that
Jacques was also heading for the pits, I realised that I'd won".
So this time Gilles Villeneuve made two in a row by taking his second
win after Monaco. This time, he was a front runner throught, but it was
a very special victory.
He made a perfect start from the fourth row and found himself in
third place. "Yes, it was a very good start. The car's grip was
excellent. Then fortunately I was able to pass Carlos at the end of the
first lap. If I hadn't got by him then, he would have pulled away. On
real terms, I should have finished sixth or seventh in this race".
It's one thing making a good start, but quite another completing the
rest of the race. "But there were still 80 laps to go. And I was always
under pressure with someone behind me throughout. It wasn't easy". He
fought fiercely for his place, trying not to let anyone past. "You could
say that I was lucky to win, and it was mainly due to the start. I've
now had two unexpected strokes of luck. But I'm not going to have more.
If we're going to win some more races, we have to be more competitive".
What worries Gilles currently is the car's poor road-holding. "The
engine is fantastic, a real gem, but the chassis is about as good as an
Ensign or ATS!"
The first three in the race were sittin on the podium waiting for the
King of Spain. All three were too exhausted to stand. Gilles and Jacques
were going over the race togheter: If you'd been in front of me, you
would have pulled away at the rate of two second a lap", admitted
Gilles. Jacques knew that perfecly well. That's why he felt bitter,
despite his climb back to second place, and dispite his efforts at the
end of the race. If only he had had a decent start. "You don't find
yourself in a winning car every day" he said before slipping back into
thught.
---
One of the great mysteries in this F1 season is just how have Ferrari
managed to make the turbo 126C into a winner? Turbo lag is meant to be a
hindrance out of slow corners: Villeneuve won at Monaco, the slowest
circuit in the world. He won again in Spain, keeping four others hungry
for victory behind him for 15 laps. The French-Canadian's incredibly
competitive spirit plus the turbo's power is the answer to why Ferrari
ha succeded. It had been a tremendous race to the flag, and one that
will be remembered for years
(Grand Prix International, July 1981)
-- 
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 unexpected strokes of luck. But I'm not going to have more.
Mai parole furono più profetiche :-(((
MaxArt

 At Jarama, Grand Prix racing proved to be better than ever. Excitement
sigh...
Ricordo tutto come se fosse ieri, e avevo solo 8 anni.....
saluti
Roberto