Through the first seven races of the Formula One season, fluctuating from extremes of heat and cold, confusion and muddle, good circuits and bad, there were those among us who were really looking forward to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. One of the greatest topics of discussion was what the outcome would be of a straight fight between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, armed with the invincible McLaren MP4/4 cars powered by Honda’s powerful turbocharged V6 engine. As we went from race to race in the early part of the season, we never saw a straight fight – there was always some unforeseen variable spoiling the scene.
Silverstone had to be the scene of a clear-cut decision between the two McLaren drivers, not that it was necessary, or that it was important, but curiosity had to be satisfied. At previous races one or other of them got “boxed in” at the start, had some mechanical ailment or was hamstrung by a niggling little circuit. Silverstone, with its wide and spacious bends, very fast corners and 150 mph race average, was going to show us which of the McLaren drivers was the greatest. With the two red-and-white cars at the front of the grid, we were going to see a good clean battle between the most successful driver of today and the fastest driver of today.
But it didn’t turn out like that at all, and for many reasons.
