24th, Clash of Titans – Prost, Senna, and Bellof's Legendary Duel
Jacky Ickx, arguably the greatest wet-weather driver, had seen enough. Twelve years on from finishing second after 80 laps in similarly horrendous conditions, the Belgian, as Clerk of the Course, called a halt after 31.
His decision split opinion: McLaren’s Alain Prost wholeheartedly agreed; Toleman’s brilliant newcomer Ayrton Senna was fundamentally opposed. Two very different personalities and styles set on a collision course.
Prost had much to lose and Senna, making only his fifth GP start – and his second on Michelins following his team’s split from Pirelli – everything to gain. The Frenchman was leading the championship thanks to two victories with his new team. The Brazilian had already caught the eye with two sixth places: in South Africa and Belgium. The Frenchman had started from pole but was struggling with his brakes. The Brazilian had started from 13th and tweaked his suspension when he clouted a kerb at the Chicane. The Frenchman, having brushed a marshal attending a spun-and-stalled car at Portier and watched Nigel Mansell’s Lotus spin helplessly from a brief lead on lap 16, had lost his appetite. Senna, blessed (and cursed) with Tunnel vision, was thirsting for success. The gap between them was less than four seconds – the equivalent of one more lap at Senna’s closing speed – when the red flag was brandished and the result backdated.