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00:00:00You're looking at the Circuit Paul Ricard, one of the most modern facilities in all of Grand Prix racing.
00:00:06This, the French Grand Prix, however, is the oldest Grand Prix in racing.
00:00:09This will be the 71st Grand Prix of France, an amazing history for motorsports.
00:00:14Hello, I'm Jackie Stewart and this is John Bisignano.
00:00:17We're here at the Paul Ricard circuit for this running of the French Grand Prix.
00:00:21It's very warm. Speed is, of course, at the essence.
00:00:25It's got the longest straight in Grand Prix racing.
00:00:28Speeds of over 209 miles an hour have been reached. Very important.
00:00:32The end of the straight is the most demanding curve, probably, in all of Grand Prix racing.
00:00:38And it was yesterday on that curve that Nigel Mansell had a horrific accident.
00:00:43Here you see the car coming to a stop. Nigel Mansell still in the car, very much stunned.
00:00:49He got a heavy concussion, but nothing more serious was reported. A lucky boy.
00:00:54One of the most important instances here, in fact, is not only speed, but tires, John.
00:00:59It looks like tires are going to play a major part in the outcome of this race.
00:01:03Tire wear, tire temperature, and whether the tires can keep performing.
00:01:07Exactly, Jackie. And the speed is the essence, as you say.
00:01:11Two years ago was the last time the French Grand Prix was run here at Circuit Paul Ricard.
00:01:16Now this year, Keke Rosberg has qualified at 4.2 seconds faster than the pole position two years ago.
00:01:24It's amazing. They keep trying to slow these Grand Prix cars down.
00:01:27They do everything aerodynamically through the rules to try and bring down the lap time.
00:01:32But still, they've gone from 2.36.6 all the way down to 2.32.4.
00:01:38Amazing performance. Turbo power is what's done it.
00:01:41I had an opportunity of speaking to Keke Rosberg about his pole position.
00:01:46The car seems to be the fastest on the approach to the scene turn, the one at the end of the straight.
00:01:52Going into that turn, you seem to be the fastest. I was out there today.
00:01:56Well, as a driver, you know, it's pure driving.
00:01:59Now, the car is good in fast corners.
00:02:02We're using very little wing now, which we've been very confused because we really are too quick on the straight.
00:02:08But I'm still quick in the fast corners.
00:02:11But yes, I do lose out in medium and slow.
00:02:14What about the fact that Honda have suddenly become this competitive?
00:02:19We had the new modified engine first time out in Montreal, where after some teething problems, it then started working.
00:02:27And amazing enough, you know, we've had the reliability since then too.
00:02:32So, let's hope it keeps on going this way.
00:02:34You said to me that they had got the chips right, suggesting that the onboard computer just needed programming to get the ultimate performance.
00:02:42Is it really down to electronics?
00:02:44Well, once your mechanical construction, technical design of the engine is right, which I must assume that is fairly good in this new engine,
00:02:56then it was down, yes, to getting the engine management right, to mix the fuel and air and whatever there is going on in the right proportion.
00:03:04And we got that right, or right, we made a big progress on that Sunday morning in Montreal in the warm-up.
00:03:10And since then, things have been looking much, much better.
00:03:14Do you consider Montreal as one of your best races ever?
00:03:17At least one of the most enjoyable.
00:03:20Didn't really have much to lose, I was so far back, had good company with Senna.
00:03:25And it's always enjoyable, like you know, when you can race.
00:03:31You're not sitting there out thinking tactics and what might break and what might not.
00:03:36When you can really go and race flat out, that's why we're racing drivers, because that's what we like.
00:03:41What about the Grand Prix of France, starting from 4th position?
00:03:45Good position to start, but let's see where it finishes.
00:03:51It's a big problem here, super fast, super slow, what aerodynamics you're going to put on, how your chances are going to be, how your tyres are going to be.
00:04:01And then obviously, the always remaining question, how your engine performs compared with the others on a given field.
00:04:07Are you going to win?
00:04:09I really don't know. It would be too nice if it happened after Detroit.
00:04:12So, let's play it easy.
00:04:14So, Keke Rosberg's on the pole, and we'll be back for more pre-race activity in just a moment.
00:04:23The French Grand Prix is being brought to you by John Bisignano.
00:04:26We're back here at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France,
00:04:29not too far from Marseille, and not too far from the Mediterranean.
00:04:32It's warm, but it's been a very hot season so far for the constructors in Grand Prix racing.
00:04:36Really, Jackie, last year, by this point of the season, after six rounds, McLaren had dominated the entire scene with five victories.
00:04:44And in Rio, when Alain Prost went away by winning the first Grand Prix, we thought it was going to be another McLaren show.
00:04:51But that's not the way it's turned out.
00:04:53After six races, we've had five different winners.
00:04:56Five different drivers, five different constructors, and five different engines.
00:05:00And that's what Formula One's all about.
00:05:02We asked Eddie Cheever, the only American driver in Formula One,
00:05:05about the difficulty of trying to hit that moving target of competitiveness in Formula One.
00:05:11Eddie, on some of these circuits, you've actually been going around as fast as the leaders,
00:05:15but as you say, no points yet.
00:05:17That's got to put extra pressure and a lot of frustration on you.
00:05:20Not really any pressure, because as long as I don't make any mistakes and I don't have any accidents, I'm doing my job.
00:05:26It should put, and it does put, and I make sure it puts, a lot of pressure on the engineers and the team.
00:05:31I mean, all the problems we've had so far have been really silly things, like wires falling off, alternators not working.
00:05:37We were fourth in Montreal.
00:05:39You know, it's so competitive, and you're racing against the best that you're not allowed any mistake anywhere.
00:05:47It makes no difference if you have a $50,000 engine that explodes or if a little wire that costs $3 breaks.
00:05:55And the end result is that you're stopped.
00:05:57Comparing last season to this season, it was a McLaren show last year.
00:06:01Does it make it more interesting to you as a driver when you know that there's been five different winners
00:06:06and five different types of cars this season?
00:06:08If I was one of the five, it would, but I'm not.
00:06:13Last year was the first year that they had the 220 liters of fuel limitation,
00:06:18so Porsche and Bosch, who had lots of experience in endurance racing, had a head start on everybody.
00:06:24This year, everybody's had 12 months of experience with it, and a lot of people, you know, have got it all figured out.
00:06:32As for us, we are better, but we're still not as good as we should be.
00:06:36To be competitive in Formula 1, it seems to be like a moving target.
00:06:39Things constantly get faster. They're trying to slow the cars down, yet the lap times are always faster.
00:06:44The lap times are always faster because, like you said, Formula 1 really is the most competitive car racing in the world,
00:06:52automotive engineering, and you funnel millions and millions of dollars into development, just development, not even running costs.
00:06:59I mean, every time we test, we're always finding some little thing that goes a little bit better.
00:07:03You're always looking for 10 more horsepower or 2% more of fuel consumption. A lot of things you have to do.
00:07:10Well, that's what Eddie has to say, but keep in mind there's a lot of the big manufacturers involved, not only Alfa Romeo with Cheever.
00:07:17Keep in mind there's Honda, hotly competitive, BMW are in there, Renault are in there, the tag engine are in there, Ferrari are in there.
00:07:24It's a very hot season. We'll be back.
00:07:27The French Grand Prix, the umbrellas are up, not because of rain, but because of sunshine and heat.
00:07:37A little shade on the drivers as they are just a few minutes away from what will be, for them, a very hot day indeed.
00:07:45It's around 30 degrees Celsius, which takes the temperature up just above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:07:51On this Paul Ricard circuit, it's a circuit that is 3.61 miles around, and a race that promises to be something special, John.
00:08:01Really, Jackie, qualifying has been so exciting. Everyone's being extremely careful with their tire selection here.
00:08:09Tire wear is very important, and this heat doesn't really help things anymore.
00:08:14Keke Rosberg said yesterday that during his qualifying run, he could not get a set of tires to go the whole distance of one lap.
00:08:22And it was actually that he saved his tires for the second half of the fast lap that gave him his pole position.
00:08:29So again, as fuel was the deciding factor in San Marino, I think tires, Jackie, could be the deciding factor here.
00:08:37They will indeed, whether the guys can keep the tire temperatures down to the correct temperatures and whether they stay there.
00:08:43Let's have a look at the starting grid now as we look down from the Ricard Bridge here to the starting lineup.
00:08:48Keke Rosberg put up a pole position time of 1.32.462, an amazing fastest lap in qualifying yesterday.
00:08:56Just tipped Ayrton Senna from Brazil.
00:08:59There on the second line is Michele Alboreto, the world championship leader in the Ferrari.
00:09:05Along with him is Alain Frost of France.
00:09:08Then on the third row is Nelson Piquet of Brazil with Niki Lauda coming up into that third row.
00:09:15Sixth fastest is Niki Lauda. That's a big improvement on him as we zero in.
00:09:20You can see our picture there showing the mechanics of the Keke Rosberg car standing there.
00:09:25Young Dobyn there, the man kneeling down, you can see talking to Keke Rosberg.
00:09:29He's one of the oldest mechanics in Grand Prix racing, was one of my mechanics way back in BRM.
00:09:35Let's go back through the starting grid again as the camera pans over to Ayrton Senna.
00:09:39Elio de Angelis, the team mate of Ayrton Senna, is seventh fastest.
00:09:44He is on the fourth row.
00:09:48Nigel Mansell should have been alongside him, but he had a horrific accident yesterday that he fortunately got away with.
00:09:56He's flying back from Marseilles Hospital today, back to England.
00:10:00He had a head injury, only knocked himself out.
00:10:03He has a concussion, but he's going to be fit enough hopefully for the British Grand Prix.
00:10:07Berger is alongside him from Austria driving the Barclay Arrows car.
00:10:13And then is Patrick Tambay, the Renault engine car with alongside him on the same line of the grid, the fifth row, being Derek Warwick.
00:10:22They're side by side.
00:10:24Terry Bootson, De Cesare, Schurrer, Lafitte, Johansson, Patrese, Eddie Cheever, the only American back in 18th position.
00:10:31There you see the grid right there.
00:10:33We're looking at that grid and you can see it down to the top ten there in the World Championship placing.
00:10:40Michele Alboreto, 31 points.
00:10:45De Angelis in second point.
00:10:47Second in the championship, Alain Prost, who could be a winner here.
00:10:51And we'll be right back for more racing.
00:11:00Engines have now been started up.
00:11:02The motor plane was shown there and you can see a very clean grid as the car is in staggered position.
00:11:08This is now going to be the parade lap.
00:11:11There are 53 laps in the race plus one parade lap.
00:11:16And there you see the grid as we see it.
00:11:18Keke Rosberg, then Senna, Alboreto, Prost, Piquet, Lauda as they move off.
00:11:24There you see the rest of the grid being filled in there.
00:11:28The sixth row bringing De Cesare to the end of that sixth row there.
00:11:34The drivers already moving in there.
00:11:36Mark Sturer in the second, Brabham, Olivetti, BMW.
00:11:40Jacques Lafitte, Stephan Johansson not having a very good day in qualifying.
00:11:45Way back at the bottom end.
00:11:49And there you see Martini, the bottom end of that on the twelfth grid in the trough position there.
00:11:55Trough line of the grid.
00:11:57As they go around this very picturesque racetrack, John.
00:12:00I've raced here many, many times.
00:12:02But each time I come here, I always think it's a lovely racetrack to come to.
00:12:06Well, this whole part of France is very nice, Jackie.
00:12:08You can see the mountains.
00:12:09It's where the mountains meet the Mediterranean Sea.
00:12:12It's sort of like a New Mexico type climate.
00:12:15Dry, not a great deal of humidity.
00:12:18Fir type trees.
00:12:20And down here, the French are very friendly.
00:12:22The southern French have welcomed this huge international crowd.
00:12:26They're expecting over 150,000 spectators here today.
00:12:29It's a long weekend, just like in the States.
00:12:31Friday was a holiday.
00:12:33So they've well planned this event as far as the date goes.
00:12:37And everywhere we look around this circuit, it's full of motor racing enthusiasts.
00:12:42Well, this is the long straight that exists at the French Grand Prix.
00:12:47It's an amazingly long straight.
00:12:491.2 miles long.
00:12:51It's longer than the Indianapolis 500 straight.
00:12:53The cars weaving up there, getting their tire temperatures up.
00:12:57There's quite a lot of concern on tire temperature.
00:13:00The situation here is it's a very abrasive road surface.
00:13:05And most of the drivers are concerned that the tire performance is going to go slightly off.
00:13:10Not that they're going to wear their tires, but certainly that the performance could go off.
00:13:15And right here is the most important corner of the entire racetrack.
00:13:19It's called the Seine.
00:13:21They enter there at over 200 miles an hour.
00:13:24They stay in top gear most of them, in 6th gear or 5th gear.
00:13:28Some of the 6-speed gearbox cars drop a gear into 5th gear before going through it.
00:13:34But it's amazingly fast.
00:13:36Kierkegaard-Rosberg was absolutely sensational there yesterday.
00:13:40I stood there for the qualifying.
00:13:42But the cleanest driver through the Seine, as they call it, which is the most important corner here,
00:13:47was unquestionably a balance between Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.
00:13:52Quite a performance was put up.
00:13:54And, Jack, it's nice to see Nelson Piquet working his way back up this grid.
00:13:58They've had a little bit of trouble getting the chassis tuned to the Pirelli tires.
00:14:02But everyone here thinks that Nelson is in a position to go racing this weekend.
00:14:07His qualifying position in 5th place is where he can score points from.
00:14:12Well, the BMW engine in the Brabham is certainly extremely powerful.
00:14:16He was the fastest car on the straight, which was a speed of 341 kilometers,
00:14:21which converts to 211 miles an hour.
00:14:24And nobody's going to pass him on the straight.
00:14:26The Honda's fast on the straight, and also the Ferrari.
00:14:29The Renault engine cars are not as fast on the straight line.
00:14:33So that's something that we can look for in these opening laps,
00:14:36to see if Piquet can take up a few positions.
00:14:39Now that I remember, 25 starters in this French Grand Prix,
00:14:43the oldest Grand Prix that takes place in the calendar year.
00:14:4725 instead of 26, because Nigel Mansell had to withdraw because of his accident yesterday.
00:14:52You will see on the top right-hand corner there, the light system.
00:14:56When all of the cars come to a stop, the red light will go on.
00:15:00And within 10 seconds, the green light will come on.
00:15:04The red light is on. They're under starter's orders.
00:15:08And they're off.
00:15:14A very good start indeed.
00:15:16It's neck-and-neck with Keke Rosberg and Erto Senna getting in,
00:15:19with Nelson Piquet picking up a few positions there.
00:15:22It's certainly frosty. A slightly hesitant start going through the fast left and right entry.
00:15:27Very fast indeed. And it's Keke Rosberg, the pole sitter,
00:15:30followed by Erto Senna, followed by Nelson Piquet,
00:15:33then followed by a Ferrari, I'm sure it's Alberetto.
00:15:36Then the Angeles after that.
00:15:38And that's Keke Rosberg from Finland, the pole sitter,
00:15:41with a Honda engine, William.
00:15:43Now heading up to the lead-on to this main straight.
00:15:46And you'll see Nelson Piquet will unquestionably pass Erto Senna
00:15:50as they go along this main straight here.
00:15:53And Palmer actually got off the grid very slowly, Jackie.
00:15:56Poor Dr. Jonathan Palmer was left on the grid and got pushed off
00:15:59and is joining up the field in the rear end there.
00:16:02Now here they come up the straight. Now you'll see,
00:16:05Piquet has not been able to get past them so far.
00:16:08He's getting into a position now, but he won't pass them on this lap.
00:16:11Keke Rosberg, Senna, Piquet, Alberetto, the Angeles.
00:16:15And then it's one of the tank McLaren cars. Is it Loda or is it Cross?
00:16:20And it's one thing to go through that corner at 200 miles an hour
00:16:23by yourself and qualifying, but to do it in a group of cars,
00:16:26a group of five or six other cars, takes an awful lot of bravery
00:16:29and a great deal of talent.
00:16:32Coming back onto the main straight now.
00:16:34Nelson Piquet is really looking like the Nelson Piquet we've seen in years past.
00:16:38He thought his race tires were going to be better than his qualifying tires,
00:16:42so everyone here is hopeful for Nelson's results today.
00:16:46Well, Pirelli have been fighting head-to-head, of course, with good gear.
00:16:50Most of the runners on good gear. It is nice to see Pirelli coming back with a bit of trouble.
00:16:55And in fact, it is Nicky Lowden that's up in 6th position.
00:16:59Alan Frost is in 7th position.
00:17:05You're looking at now a 5th gear corner, a top gear.
00:17:08Sometimes 6th gear, it will be 6th gear.
00:17:10Back into 2nd gear for here, for Pecky.
00:17:142nd gear, up into 3rd gear right now.
00:17:17Now he'll jump it right down into 1st gear, the poorest corner of the racetrack,
00:17:20into 2nd, into 3rd gear.
00:17:23Still racing through this difficult corner, but very important.
00:17:26Now he'll be into 4th gear.
00:17:29Now he'll go through a left-hander which leads onto the straight.
00:17:33He's up into 8th position.
00:17:36And that corner is considered the most important corner on the whole circuit,
00:17:39because if you do not get that corner correctly,
00:17:42it will determine your speed all the way down that straightaway.
00:17:45And when you're talking about a differential of maybe 20, 30 miles an hour down that straight,
00:17:50you must get that corner correctly headed onto that long straightaway.
00:17:55Ailton Sennett, doing what he does best, fast circuits.
00:17:58He likes fast circuits.
00:18:00Even though he's won at Monte Carlo in tight, slow circuits,
00:18:03he always preferred having the fast circuits.
00:18:06Not winning there, but finishing 2nd there last year.
00:18:09Keke Rosberg also prefers fast circuits.
00:18:12So the people who love the fast circuits are the ones out in front at the moment.
00:18:16Ironically, it seems to me that Nelson Piquet is using less road than anybody else right now.
00:18:22He seems to be driving well within his capabilities with regards to the chassis and the tires.
00:18:27The big thing at this average stage in the race is not to get the car sliding.
00:18:31In other words, not to have the back end slide out.
00:18:35Alvarez, De Angelis, Florida, Fraud, De Cesaris.
00:18:40Berger comes up after that.
00:18:42The young Austrian driver was very clean.
00:18:45So he had this very demanding race track.
00:18:48He just ensured himself to be up with the men.
00:18:52Well, Berger, this is his best qualifying, of course.
00:18:55He had a very serious road accident back in January
00:18:58and was actually on the critical list for 6 days in the hospital.
00:19:02But 6 months later, here he is doing a critical job on a Formula 1.
00:19:06His best performance ever.
00:19:08The Austrians are very proud of this young lion.
00:19:10They feel that he certainly has the potential of a Niki Lauda.
00:19:14And he's the man who has to go out and prove it.
00:19:17The cars once again set themselves up for this long 1.2 mile straight.
00:19:21They get a little breathing distance.
00:19:23We'll have a few minutes of breathing and we'll be back for more races.
00:19:27We're back at the French Grand Prix on the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France.
00:19:32Not very far from Marseille.
00:19:34And since we've been away, that driver in the blue uniform there, Jacques Lafitte,
00:19:38has got out of the race track, got out of his car.
00:19:40His turbo went, the engine blew,
00:19:43and it started a small fire in his turbocharged department.
00:19:46He's perfectly alright.
00:19:48The car was extinguished by some very excited marshals.
00:19:52But he's okay and of course he'll be having a restful day in the sun from now on.
00:19:57Ayrton Senna is still in second place.
00:19:59Keggy Rosberg is leading.
00:20:01And behind him, the third car in your picture, is that of Nelson Piquet.
00:20:05Ayrton Senna from Brazil.
00:20:07And the starting grid, the true internationalism of Grand Prix racing once again,
00:20:11demonstrates itself by six different nationalities in the top seven positions.
00:20:16Senna being the first Brazilian and Nelson Piquet,
00:20:20another Brazilian certainly closing in on Senna right now.
00:20:23I can imagine what Brazil is doing right now.
00:20:25We've had several world champions from Brazil, of course.
00:20:28Emerson Fittipaldi with the Lotus team and also with the McLaren team.
00:20:32But right now, the heart of Brazil must be split between the young lion
00:20:38and the old experienced two-time world champion, Nelson Piquet.
00:20:43Well, in fact, we've got the commentator from Brazil just on our right-hand side here.
00:20:47And I can tell you right now, there's a lot of talking going on at a very high level of pitch.
00:20:53There you see Di Cesare, who's been doing very well.
00:20:56Di Cesare also has had a problem.
00:20:58He was up in the inch position.
00:21:00Andrea Di Cesare from Italy, driving the French Gitane Ligier.
00:21:06He's out of the race.
00:21:07Now, Jackie, that's both Ligiers out of the race very early.
00:21:11That's two Renault-powered cars going out of the race, one with a French driver, Jacques Lafitte, which is very sad.
00:21:18The French have great motor racing pride, and Jacques Lafitte is certainly one of their heroes.
00:21:22For him to drop out this early in this contest is certainly a shame.
00:21:25But both Ligiers out of the race very early here in France, and both of them having Renault engines.
00:21:31I wonder if when a driver goes around like Ayrton Senna and sees this, does that worry him at all, Jackie?
00:21:37Well, I don't know.
00:21:38I don't know.
00:21:39I think that the...
00:21:40Oh, and Ferrari's just blown.
00:21:42That's Michele Alvareto's turbo has just gone.
00:21:45In fact, it may not be a turbo in his case.
00:21:47It may be an engine.
00:21:48It is an engine.
00:21:49That is oil smoke coming out from a whole piston.
00:21:52You'll probably find that there's contact being made by the valves to the piston, and he's popped a hole in the piston.
00:21:59And that's the end of him.
00:22:01Now, he did three different engines in practice.
00:22:04Ferrari lost three engines in practice.
00:22:06And that's very unusual for Ferrari, too.
00:22:08Which is extremely unusual, and he's a man I picked to finish third place in this race.
00:22:12So that doesn't look too good for our little lottery.
00:22:15Well, my side of the betting is going quite well right now.
00:22:17But unfortunately, Jackie, he blew that engine right at the braking point down from some 210 miles an hour,
00:22:26where they go down to a mere 80 or 90 miles an hour.
00:22:29That could be a problem throughout the next few laps if he did spill oil on the track right in the braking line.
00:22:35Well, we'll keep an eye on that as the cars get low.
00:22:37That's going to be a key game.
00:22:39And now, it does seem there's one very good race getting on there for 4th, 5th, and 6th position.
00:22:45That's our second-place man here at the center in the bright yellow helmet.
00:22:48Closely followed by Nelson Piquet with the BMW engine.
00:22:52Right now, it's Honda, Renault, BMW, and the power plant business.
00:22:57Then followed by another Renault engine, by DeAngelo.
00:23:01DeAngelo's then by Mickey Lauda with the Chag Torshe engine,
00:23:04followed by Alain Corse with a similar power plant.
00:23:07So there's been very good representation within the motor industry right here.
00:23:12Now, there you see Piquet stalking Senna.
00:23:15And I have to believe he's just about ready to flip out there and overtake him.
00:23:19But he's taking it. There he goes.
00:23:21And he can't make it. He just cannot make it.
00:23:25Closing the door at 200 miles an hour, it must be quite a maneuver.
00:23:29But it's quite interesting that he left it so late on the straight before he made the attempt to pass.
00:23:34It must mean that he hasn't got the boost turned up as much as he might normally have.
00:23:40The BMW engine would normally be expected to run with around 800 horsepower in the race against 1,000 in qualifying,
00:23:48whereas the Renault engine would be running with around about 750 brake horsepower.
00:23:53That leads me to believe that Nelson Piquet is running for a finish here,
00:23:58and has toned down the boost in the interest of fuel consumption and for reliability.
00:24:03Well, like you say, his driving style, Nelson Piquet's driving style,
00:24:07is not as hard as Keke Rosberg's and Ayrton Senna's.
00:24:11It looks to us that he is really trying to save his equipment.
00:24:14Well, the feedback from the pits, the information is that Andrea Liccheri's reason for retirement is his driveshaft was broken.
00:24:22And, of course, the problem that we had with Jacques Lafitte was that it was a turbo that blew.
00:24:27And I'm almost certain it's an engine itself that blew at the Ferrari of Michele Alboreto.
00:24:32So they're all out, but look how close Piquet is.
00:24:35Coming on to the main straight almost now.
00:24:38Nelson Piquet cuts right in behind Ayrton Senna.
00:24:41And I think we're going to see a pass here.
00:24:43I think almost certainly he's also using a lot less road.
00:24:46That was him sticking it into sixth gear there.
00:24:49He's got a six-speed box against Ayrton Senna's five-speed box.
00:24:53And you're going to see a pass.
00:24:54He's passing now.
00:24:55Can he get through?
00:24:56He hasn't got the fast line right there.
00:24:58If they're going neck and neck, but they're not, Ayrton Senna has given way.
00:25:02And is he going to try it?
00:25:04No, he can't try it there.
00:25:05So we have a new man in second place.
00:25:08Nelson Piquet of Brazil takes over second place from Senna of Brazil.
00:25:12But they are still considerably behind Keki Rosberg of Finland.
00:25:17Keki driving the Honda engine car.
00:25:20Might interest our viewers in America to know that Honda flew two fresh engines
00:25:25in from Tokyo especially for this race.
00:25:28They flew them in, drove them down from Frankfurt to Marseille here,
00:25:33and installed them in for the race.
00:25:35They're looking for reliability and fuel consumption.
00:25:37So I think we're looking at something very serious from Honda here,
00:25:41which is very encouraging, I think.
00:25:43This team has done well over the last two Grand Prixs.
00:25:47Well, as you say, it's the effort that makes the result in Formula 1.
00:25:51And with that type of effort, it's really nice for the mechanics
00:25:54to see him actually lead in the event.
00:25:57I think Brabham are really doing well.
00:25:59That's a terrific break for Brabham to be in second place right now.
00:26:03I think that's a great arrival, not only for Pirelli, but for BMW,
00:26:07and more than anything else in the move, the Brabham mechanics.
00:26:10And we'll be right back for more on the French Grand Prix.
00:26:15Jackie Short and John Bisignano back at the French Grand Prix
00:26:19in the south of France.
00:26:20We still have a leader in Keke Rosberg in second position,
00:26:24as Melton Piquet in third position.
00:26:26In fourth position is the man you're looking at, car number 11,
00:26:30with the John Flair Lotus, powered by the Renault engine,
00:26:33closely followed by Niki Lauda and Alan Frost in the McLaren
00:26:38with the very distinctive Marlboro red and white colouring
00:26:43and the tag Porsche engine in the back.
00:26:46This is a very close race indeed.
00:26:48And I rather think that if Niki Lauda gets past Elio de Angelis,
00:26:54you will see him drawing away.
00:26:56And I think you will also see Alan Frost dealing with de Angelis also.
00:27:01Quite an interesting thing coming up here on the main straight.
00:27:04De Angelis has a habit of weaving from one side of the racetrack
00:27:08to another to try and break the draft or the slipstream.
00:27:12This is something that I personally disapprove of very much.
00:27:15And it may not happen in this, but let's have a look.
00:27:18Here are these three cars packaged together.
00:27:20And look how Piquet has closed up on our leader, Keke Rosberg.
00:27:23He's really hunting for him.
00:27:25Rosberg had a useful lead.
00:27:28The oil flag is out.
00:27:29They're showing an oil flag, which is enormously important
00:27:32in such a fast lap on the racetrack.
00:27:34And that oil was dropped by Michele Albaret of Ferrari when the engine blew.
00:27:39When oil goes down on the racetrack, a red and yellow stripe flag goes out
00:27:44to tell the driver the surface is slippery.
00:27:48And right now, it's really a cat-and-mouse job we've got here
00:27:53with Keke Rosberg hanging on to his lead that's becoming more fragile.
00:27:58But, Jackie, you can see the front end of Keke's car breaking away.
00:28:01They've had understeer problems with that car, actually,
00:28:04for the last two years or so.
00:28:06Nelson is not using his equipment nearly as hard as Keke Rosberg is.
00:28:10He's got a passion. There's no doubt about that.
00:28:14We haven't seen Nelson Piquet have any type of mechanical advantage
00:28:18or technical advantage for the first half of this whole season.
00:28:23Now, at this Paul Ricard circuit, that car is a 118-inch wheelbase car.
00:28:28It's the longest wheelbase in Formula 1.
00:28:32And, of course, the longest wheelbase is a great help on the fast circuit.
00:28:37Some cars are actually only 108, 110, average is around 112.
00:28:42There's 118 inches of wheelbase in that Brabham Formula 1 car.
00:28:46And, of course, a flat-out 200-mile-an-hour straight, that is a great advantage.
00:28:52Well, we've just been given information here.
00:28:54It looks like Ayrton Senna may be out of the race.
00:28:56He's having trouble. It looks like he's having gear trouble.
00:28:58He's not in our picture, Jackie. He's not in the picture.
00:29:00He's not in the picture. It looks like he's in trouble.
00:29:04And it does look like Jonathan Palmer's in trouble, too. He's missing.
00:29:08And it could be that Niki Lauda has passed De Angelis, so we're going to have to keep an eye on that.
00:29:13We're getting this coverage, of course, from French television by courtesy of them.
00:29:18So we'll have to have a little look and see what's happening behind there.
00:29:22And you see, really, this is getting very tight here.
00:29:26Look how close Keke is. Very much tucked in behind him.
00:29:30This is in the corners leading up to where the start-finishing line is.
00:29:34And this is a long left-hand bend here. It's a second-gear corner. Now into third gear.
00:29:40And now Keke's really having to start to protect his inside.
00:29:44And that slows down his lap time. He's having to protect the ground to keep that Brabham behind him.
00:29:48But in doing so, he's going to lose his positioning on the track.
00:29:52He cannot do that leading on to that long straight, Jackie.
00:29:56Or it's going to cost him all the way down the length of it.
00:29:59Well, the power output and force under his car is very similar.
00:30:03It could be that we can see a situation here where we've got two very well evenly matched power plants with regards to speed.
00:30:15The one advantage that Keke Rosberg seems to have is that you will see that the rear wing is much narrower on the Honda Williams than it is in the Olivetti-sponsored Brabham.
00:30:27You will see that that wing is much narrower. And because of that, you get better straight-line speed.
00:30:33Not as much wind resistance. But let's see what happens right now.
00:30:37And Lauda, as you can see, has passed the Angeles. So Nicky Lauda's in third.
00:30:41Ayrton Senna's in the pits. Ayrton Senna is in the pits.
00:30:47Having a look at the rear end of the car, there's body work coming off in a sprint race like this.
00:30:52This is really a 100-meter sprint for these race drivers in comparison to an Indianapolis 500 or a Daytona 500.
00:30:58You can't afford to come in for unscheduled pit stops.
00:31:02Especially, Jackie, in this heat. The cockpit temperature is...
00:31:06Oh, there he goes. On the inside. And I think Keke Rosberg almost...
00:31:10No, Keke is fighting right straight back.
00:31:12Keke Rosberg getting taken on the inside by the Brabham of Nelson Piquet.
00:31:16And Nelson is pulling away, Jackie.
00:31:18I don't think there's going to be anyone who can challenge back that type of performance on this particular circuit.
00:31:25And here's the replay.
00:31:26Well, it's under braking after the 200-mile-an-hour corner.
00:31:29He takes the inside line here. It is a line that can be taken.
00:31:33It's just a short burst of power because he then snookers the other driver.
00:31:37He out-brakes him. He gets out on the outside.
00:31:40Rosberg trying to do it on the inside, but not possible.
00:31:43Now, Alan Frost. And he has also passed the engine in.
00:31:49So now we have Nicky Lauda followed by Alan Frost.
00:31:52So the order of the lead should be Nelson Piquet.
00:31:55Then you have Keke Rosberg.
00:31:57Then you have Nicky Lauda.
00:31:59Then you have Alan Frost.
00:32:00And then you're ready at the engine.
00:32:03You were talking about that smaller wing, Jackie.
00:32:05Actually, race car designers try and use the rules to the maximum.
00:32:10If it can be 10 centimeters, they want to make it exactly 10 centimeters wide or high.
00:32:15But in this case, the wing has actually been cut below what the rules will allow.
00:32:21And he is the first team to actually try and do this, but it has been working so far.
00:32:26But at the moment, I think Keke Rosberg wishes that he had a little bit more boost going down that straightaway.
00:32:32Well, right now, Keke Rosberg is going to be in trouble.
00:32:35The McLaren cars are going to catch him.
00:32:37Nicky Lauda is looking in that direction.
00:32:39We'll be covering, of course, live on ESPN this French Grand Prix.
00:32:42And we'll be back.
00:32:50In the French Grand Prix, we've just had a little break for Keke Rosberg.
00:32:54He got past one of the school bandit cars that, frankly, held up Alain Prost quite a lot.
00:32:59I think it was Louis Balliot who moved over.
00:33:01And, unfortunately, for Alain Prost, it's been a considerable disadvantage.
00:33:06Prost has got past him now, getting into the slipstream of Keke Rosberg.
00:33:10And here we have this replay again.
00:33:12Keke Rosberg on the left-hand side of your picture gets past Aliot.
00:33:15Aliot moves over, doesn't let Alain Prost through.
00:33:19Prost himself, I think, realized that before it happened.
00:33:22He tucked back in.
00:33:23Rather than expose himself to a potential incident, he wisely,
00:33:27maturity showing there by Alain Prost,
00:33:30he wisely, at this stage in the race, did not take the chance of trying to slip through.
00:33:34But he hasn't lost much by it.
00:33:36He's got himself back in again, behind him.
00:33:39And look how much of that kerb he's using.
00:33:41And look how close he is.
00:33:43The gearbox, by the way, gave out in Nicky Lauda's car.
00:33:46It was a gearbox failure.
00:33:48And while we were in commercial,
00:33:51Theo Fabi came in, and he had a tire change.
00:33:54But Theo Fabi, by the way, is racing for...
00:33:59Alain Prost certainly has an advantage under braking, Jackie.
00:34:02Oh, there's no question.
00:34:03I think he's getting it better all the way around the racetrack,
00:34:06with the possible exception of the straight line.
00:34:08What I was going to say about Theo Fabi is USA for Africa,
00:34:11with Theo Fabi on the car, as well as Benetton, the main sponsors.
00:34:15They're doing their bit for USA for Africa.
00:34:18And the Williams car carries Save the Child symbols.
00:34:21Save the Children, he does.
00:34:23He's had Princess Anne drive the Williams car.
00:34:26Her Royal Highness, the Princess Anne, went to Donington,
00:34:29a British racetrack, and drove the Williams Grand Prix car.
00:34:33Really remarkable set of circumstances.
00:34:35He's also had His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent and Prince Michael
00:34:38drive the Grand Prix car also.
00:34:41So, the British Royal Family, very fond of Portugal.
00:34:44Frank has always been a master at the PR side of this game, that's for sure.
00:34:48And just a moment out of the Skoll banner incident.
00:34:52You see, those back markers cannot just disappear from the track.
00:34:56Every once in a while, they get themselves in a position
00:34:58where they let one car through, and they have to go back onto the line,
00:35:03because off the line, that's where you find the marbles.
00:35:05And that's virtually like going from a nice sticky surface onto ice.
00:35:10So, with some defense of the Skoll bandit car there,
00:35:13they are not able to just disappear for the maneuvering of the leaders.
00:35:19Well, now we're still at Keke Rosberg and Alan Frost.
00:35:23You know, we've almost forgotten about the man who's really leading this motor race,
00:35:28and nearly a pass.
00:35:31Really?
00:35:32But we're forgetting about Nelson Piquet, who's way out in front.
00:35:35I mean, he has an enormous advantage,
00:35:38and I must say that Nelson Piquet's drive here so far has been truly copybook.
00:35:44You couldn't have asked for a better performance from Piquet.
00:35:49Brundle in the pits with the Tyrrell.
00:35:52Well, Martin Brundle driving the Tyrrell car with the Renault engine for the first time,
00:35:57and Alan Frost is awfully close.
00:35:59He's trying to do it. Can he do it? No.
00:36:01That's a top-gear corner, 180 miles an hour.
00:36:04To the left and then to the right, then heavy braking.
00:36:07Into second gear.
00:36:10Second gear corner here now.
00:36:12Blurred with the accelerator. Up into third gear.
00:36:15Then back into first gear.
00:36:18Into second gear, just at the exit of the corner.
00:36:21Into third.
00:36:22You know, Jackie, their tires still look in pretty good shape.
00:36:24We can see here on our monitor, I really don't see that much wear going on at the moment.
00:36:29There have been several cars stopped for tires,
00:36:32but what do the tires look like to you there?
00:36:34They look good. I don't think we've got a wear problem as much as a temperature problem.
00:36:38Goodyear, of course, came here for tire testing and really did a lot of preparation.
00:36:42And by the way, you're seeing a possibility now of Frost being very close behind Rosberg.
00:36:47He's left it very late. 200 miles an hour.
00:36:50He's very late. He can't do it.
00:36:52The Honda just has that extra breath.
00:36:55The tank Porsche engine just doesn't have it to get it on the straight.
00:37:00He's going to have to be very close to him as they come onto the straight.
00:37:03And that is always a problem for the driver because of the turbulence of the air
00:37:07tucking in behind another car.
00:37:09The front end of the car doesn't get the bite, doesn't get the adhesion.
00:37:13But as you can see, he really does close up very easily here.
00:37:18The McLaren car weighed in yesterday at 555 kilos,
00:37:23which is quite interesting to know.
00:37:25With full tank, full water, full oil,
00:37:27the McLaren car would start the race with around 700 kilos.
00:37:31That's 2.2 pounds to 1 kilo.
00:37:34I'll leave you to do that.
00:37:36Ayrton Senna there being interviewed by the French television.
00:37:41Alain Frost tucked in behind the air.
00:37:43A very slight and powerful man.
00:37:45Only 58 kilos in weight.
00:37:47He's very light.
00:37:49Handling around about 750 to 775 brake horsepower.
00:37:55And our own little pit crew here in the announce booth
00:37:58has informed us that there's a 20-second lead
00:38:01by Nelson Piquet over the second-place and third-place cars
00:38:04that you see on the screen now.
00:38:0620 seconds, that's almost unheard of.
00:38:08And you've got to realize, this guy hasn't had any results all season long.
00:38:12And all of a sudden, he's 20 seconds into the lead.
00:38:15Well, I think it's very good.
00:38:17And there you see the leaderboard.
00:38:19Piquet, Rosberg, Frost, de Angelis,
00:38:21de Angelis sure is up into fifth place right now.
00:38:24And Patrick Tambay, the other French driver in the race,
00:38:27driving the factory Renault, is up there in sixth position.
00:38:31And as you know, there are points for the World Championship.
00:38:34Nine points for first, six points for second,
00:38:37four points for third, three points for fourth,
00:38:40two points for a fifth-place finish,
00:38:42and finally one point for a sixth-place finish.
00:38:45Only six count in the World Championship.
00:38:50We'll be continuing our live coverage on ESPN after these messages.
00:39:01The French Grand Prix in the Vaux-le-Caen Circuit.
00:39:04Jack Nijssen, along with John Viginiano.
00:39:07You're looking at the battle for second and third place
00:39:10between Keki Rosberg of Finland,
00:39:12driving the Honda engine Williams car,
00:39:15and the Marlboro Tag McLaren of Alain Frost of France.
00:39:19It's been a very active race so far.
00:39:22Incident-free with regard to driver injuries.
00:39:25Ayrton Senna's had an accident.
00:39:27He's out. He's OK.
00:39:29We had several engines blow.
00:39:31But generally speaking, it's been a very fair and even race.
00:39:35Nelson Piquet is our leader, and a healthy leader he is.
00:39:38More than 20 seconds in the lead he is,
00:39:41driving his Olivetti-sponsored Brabham
00:39:43with a BMW engine on Pirelli tires.
00:39:46The tire war is on.
00:39:48Gutier is tight-closed behind him.
00:39:50A lot of speculation as to whether the Piquet-Pirelli combination could do it,
00:39:55because they have certainly been out of the picture all of this season so far,
00:39:59and have re-entered the picture.
00:40:01And I think everyone is pleased for Nelson Piquet,
00:40:04who, of course, has been a world champion twice,
00:40:07and has been always competitive,
00:40:09and this year has been a disappointing year so far.
00:40:12Exactly.
00:40:13Very much disappointing for him as a driver,
00:40:16but as you say, disappointing for the crews.
00:40:18These crews work 60 hours a week,
00:40:21sometimes in only four days of preparation for a Grand Prix.
00:40:24Ten days between Grands Prix with four days of traveling in there.
00:40:28When you talk about all-night preparation,
00:40:30they give as much as the drivers do.
00:40:32And there's a great deal of competition between the mechanics themselves.
00:40:35These people are side-by-side in the garages.
00:40:38Here you see Elio de Angelis-Lotus,
00:40:40who we cannot forget is in fourth, a bit of a distance fourth.
00:40:43But these mechanics have a great deal of pride in their work,
00:40:46and a great deal of competitiveness between themselves.
00:40:49So a victory for a driver is just as good a victory for the team.
00:40:53There's one thing I want to point out on this straightaway.
00:40:55Around the turn, you'll see some red and white curve
00:40:59on the outside exit of the turn.
00:41:01Coming up right here on your screen, on the left.
00:41:04Now that curve is actually almost a good foot and a half high.
00:41:09Around that corner, 200 miles an hour,
00:41:11the drivers are actually driving beyond the limit of that corner.
00:41:16If that curve was not there, they would actually go off the circuit.
00:41:20They have to set themselves up tire-wise and mentally
00:41:23to actually drive beyond the limits of themselves.
00:41:26The car hits the curve, that stops them from going off at over 200 miles an hour.
00:41:32Well, you are giving a lot of credit there to the mechanics, and rightly so.
00:41:36Look how Alan Trosch comes in at that point.
00:41:38The mechanics are an integral part of any success of any driver.
00:41:42The driver has to motivate his team of mechanics in a very positive way.
00:41:47Some of those mechanics have been in the business for a long, long time.
00:41:50Chief mechanic of Keggy Rosberg's car, Daubit by name,
00:41:54was a mechanic to Graham Hill, then a mechanic to myself.
00:41:57He's been in racing since 1960.
00:41:59I think he and Bob Dancer are the two oldest crew chiefs in Formula One.
00:42:03Bob Dancer is for, of course, Elio D'Angeli's car and Ayrton Senna's car.
00:42:08He was a mechanic to Jim Clark, to myself, to Graham Hill.
00:42:12Maybe we should say more experienced, not the oldest.
00:42:15Well, certainly experienced is the right word.
00:42:17They're tremendously talented, those men.
00:42:19And, incidentally, in the Lotus pit, as always,
00:42:22Kenny Szymanski is participating.
00:42:24He looks after the tire business with the car that you're looking at right now.
00:42:28Kenny's an airline steward for American Airlines, comes from New York City,
00:42:32born in Wisconsin.
00:42:33Kenny comes to all those races, every one that he can get to,
00:42:37and that's a pretty remarkable performance.
00:42:40He's certainly part of the American group in Grand Prix racing today.
00:42:46Alex Ross, not able to do it.
00:42:51A very small American group, if I may say.
00:42:56Well, this is the French Grand Prix.
00:42:58We're going to take another commercial break, and we'll be right back.
00:43:13We're back live at the French Grand Prix,
00:43:15and since you've been in commercial, we've had a lead change for second and third position.
00:43:20Not the overall leader, but we've had a change for second position.
00:43:24Sam Cross passed Keke Rosberg in one of the fastest parts of the racetrack
00:43:30in a masterful move.
00:43:32The leader is still Nelson Piquet,
00:43:35and we could almost have forgotten about Nelson Piquet,
00:43:38driving such a perfect motor race.
00:43:41Television coverage has not been on him,
00:43:43because there's been a great battle in the back end.
00:43:46So that big Olivetti sign has not been seen very much in the Brabham car,
00:43:51BMW engines firing up every now and again.
00:43:54The Brazilian two-time world champion has driven a copybook race so far.
00:44:00He's 21 seconds in the lead.
00:44:03The difference is 21.717 seconds.
00:44:07And Alan Frost, even though I said he would pass within five laps,
00:44:11did not do what I told him.
00:44:13Nine, Jackie.
00:44:14It took him nine laps.
00:44:15You've always had trouble making the French listen to you.
00:44:18Well, Frost's a next-door neighbor of mine,
00:44:21and I'm going to play him at tennis hall next week,
00:44:23so I'll give him a little stick for that.
00:44:26Him being disqualified in Switzerland also cost you a little money with us here in the booth.
00:44:31The Imola Grand Prix, he did lose.
00:44:33The Imola Grand Prix in San Marino, and he lost that through disqualification.
00:44:38Let me give you a quick rundown of the top six.
00:44:40Nelson Piquet is first.
00:44:42Second is Alan Frost.
00:44:44Then is Rosberg.
00:44:45Then de Angelis.
00:44:46Then Mark Schur is fifth.
00:44:47And up in six positions, collecting one championship point, is Stefan Johansson,
00:44:52the world championship leader right into this race.
00:44:56The Ferrari driver Michele Alboreto is out for the floor engine.
00:45:00De Angelis is very much a collector of points at this stage,
00:45:03as also is Stefan Johansson.
00:45:05And, of course, Alan Frost is in a position right now
00:45:08where he's holding down six points for his world championship.
00:45:11If he's able to hold that second position for the remainder of this race.
00:45:17Jackie, let's make a point here again.
00:45:19We're bringing up Mark Schur, but he started in 14th qualifying position.
00:45:23Now, he's in the same type of car, same chassis, same relative setup as our leader.
00:45:27Our leader is 21 seconds ahead, and Mark has been cutting through this field
00:45:32like he has never been able to do so before.
00:45:34He's passed the Ferrari. He's passed the Renault.
00:45:36He's passed other BMW-powered cars.
00:45:39And he is now actually closing in only three seconds behind Elo De Angelis in third place.
00:45:45It's not inconceivable with as much time as we have left at the 1-2 Brabham finish.
00:45:50Can you imagine that?
00:45:52Well, that would be something impressive. I'm sure of that.
00:45:55Certainly would be impressive.
00:45:57Alan Frost wouldn't like that to happen, however.
00:46:00And he's got a fairly healthy lead.
00:46:02Alan Frost's over his fourth and fifth people.
00:46:05The third man, of course, Keke Rosberg, isn't so far behind him.
00:46:08And Keke Rosberg's in trouble.
00:46:10Keke Rosberg's in the pit.
00:46:11Coming into the pit. Looks like a tire change.
00:46:14We've changed over now to Alan Frost, who you can see is at the far end of the racetrack.
00:46:18Now the Williams team is in fact changing tires.
00:46:21They're not talking about the engine cover coming off.
00:46:24Purely changing tires.
00:46:26Seven, nine, ten. Out of the pit.
00:46:2810.25 seconds it looked like to me.
00:46:31And he accelerates hard away with the Honda engine.
00:46:35You know, Jackie, there was some very good evidence of both Frost and Keke being in a bit of tire trouble
00:46:42because Bobby, in the Toleman, was actually, had changed tires early, was catching both of them.
00:46:48So whenever you see someone who's come into the pits, gone out of the pits with fresh tires,
00:46:53starting to run and even catch and trying to set up an attempt to pass the leaders,
00:46:58you know that those leaders are soon to be in the pits with more tires.
00:47:0317 seconds. He's slowing down a little bit, but he's not using the curbs, Jackie.
00:47:07Everything's cool and smooth.
00:47:09Now, do you really think, we're halfway through this race,
00:47:12do you really think that he is beginning to slow down a bit and conserve himself and the car?
00:47:17Oh yes, I think now to speak he is certainly not driving hard.
00:47:20We've completed in fact 40 laps of a 53 lap race.
00:47:24So we're in real good shape as far as he's concerned and he's got faith in hand.
00:47:29We'll be of course continuing to cover live this French Grand Prix,
00:47:33but right now we have a commercial message and we'll be back.
00:47:40American fans in Formula 1 have long been waiting for the return of an American entry to Formula 1 racing.
00:47:46That'll take place by the Beatrice-sponsored Carl Haas team.
00:47:50With us is the Director of Communications for Beatrice, Dick Stoller.
00:47:55Dick, what's the situation with the development of the new car?
00:47:58Well, the car's on schedule, John. We still expect to be at Monza.
00:48:02The rumors are going around that we're late moving into our plant near Heathrow Airport
00:48:06from the plant we now have in Woking.
00:48:08They're true, but it really hasn't stopped any of the progress.
00:48:11We expect to have a car on the track by mid-August.
00:48:14All the testing will be done prior to Monza and hopefully we'll be there in force.
00:48:19And what about Alan Jones? How's he coming along?
00:48:22He had a bit of a problem with weight earlier in the year.
00:48:25Is he down and ready for Formula 1 competition?
00:48:28You know, I think he's really surprised everybody, John.
00:48:31He fits into the same driver's suit today that he did when he retired in 1980.
00:48:36As a matter of fact, the people at Simpson Safety Equipment called up and were absolutely shocked.
00:48:40But he fits.
00:48:42For Americans to go against the pride of Europe, Ferrari, Renault, BMW, and so forth,
00:48:47next year you'll have the Ford engine to help you out.
00:48:50But still, it's a great challenge for an American entry and an American company
00:48:53to take on this international competition.
00:48:55Well, you say an American entry and American company.
00:48:58We're really an international company and that's the reason we're going racing.
00:49:01We have operations in 102 countries on six continents
00:49:04and people know us as Samsonite, Navis, and other brands worldwide
00:49:08among some of the many national brands we have.
00:49:10So we consider it an American challenge, yes, but an international challenge also.
00:49:14After all, Alan Jones is an Aussie.
00:49:17Well, for us Yanks, it's good to have you boys coming back into the scene.
00:49:20It's going to be terrific.
00:49:25ESPN's live coverage of the Grand Prix of France continues
00:49:29as the Brabham that you see leaving the pits is Mark Schur.
00:49:33But there is another Brabham in the story and it's in first position
00:49:36and that'd be Bob Nelson, P.K.
00:49:38Number 7, Olivetti BMW Brabham, P.K. from Brazil,
00:49:43closing up now on Beloff's Ford engine settle,
00:49:47the only Ford remaining in the Cosworth Ford stand-up for this part of the year,
00:49:52although later in the year there will be another Ford engine
00:49:55which will go into the Beatrice chassis
00:49:58and that, of course, will come in 1986 with the Ford engine.
00:50:03In the meantime, they will run at the end of this season
00:50:06an engine of the heart, construction,
00:50:10but right now the story is an amazingly clean race by Nelson, P.K.
00:50:16The speculation now is, of course, are P.K.'s tires going to be able to last
00:50:22for the entire duration under pressure from Alain Prost?
00:50:26Is he going to break down that lead?
00:50:28The last time we talked about it, it was 17.5 seconds.
00:50:32Now he's down to 14 seconds.
00:50:34And we're having a look at the tire there.
00:50:36French television supplying the coverage of this Grand Prix
00:50:40that we're sending to you by satellite live from the south of France,
00:50:44just above the Mediterranean.
00:50:47But of course, Jackie, speaking about the tire situation,
00:50:50Nelson has been in a much better position to cool his tires
00:50:55when they needed to be cooled down.
00:50:56He's in a much better position to conserve his tires.
00:50:59Here we see Elio de Angelis catching up with K.K. Rosberg.
00:51:04But if anyone's in tire trouble, it must be Prost.
00:51:08Well, in fact, Elio de Angelis has been having a misfire recently,
00:51:12so I suspect that Rosberg, who is just on the fastest lap,
00:51:17you can see there, in a time of 1.40.481 seconds.
00:51:22And that's on new tires, Jackie.
00:51:23Of course, the new tire will always give you a slightly better performance.
00:51:26I think he's got himself up into third position again.
00:51:29That is, of course, Nelson Piquet.
00:51:32Head slightly wandering to the side as if he were tired there.
00:51:36He was looking down.
00:51:38It's not like a driver to do that.
00:51:40Of course, this is the longest and hardest and farthest he's driven all year.
00:51:45He hasn't been having a lot of reliability from his engine,
00:51:49from his tires or his chassis, it would seem.
00:51:51But certainly, they've all got the package together right now.
00:51:55He's being, of course, pounded by Alain Prost,
00:51:59who looks like, at the beginning of this season,
00:52:02being able to repeat an amazing year that he had in 1984.
00:52:06And I have to admit that I chose Alain Prost to win the World Championship
00:52:10when I made my predictions back in December.
00:52:13He, of course, is sponsored not only by Marlboro, but by the TAG company.
00:52:18That's Technica.
00:52:20Manfred Ogier is the president of that.
00:52:22And he, of course, is here with the rest of the Ogier family.
00:52:26And his American wife, Cathy.
00:52:28Cathy is an American wife.
00:52:30And the Johnson family are looking in in America, the parents of Cathy.
00:52:34They have one young son and there's one in the family.
00:52:38And Cathy's expecting a new baby.
00:52:41So everybody in the south of France here for this Grand Prix,
00:52:44it's one of the most colorful Grand Prixs in our calendar year.
00:52:48Very elaborate racetrack.
00:52:50Paul Ricard is a very rich Frenchman.
00:52:53The Ricard drink that he has made his name with
00:52:56and a great fortune with.
00:52:58He's spent a lot of money on a museum here and on a racetrack.
00:53:01He's a great collector of art.
00:53:03One of the biggest Salvador Dali collectors in the world.
00:53:06As Nelson Piquet continues to lead this Grand Prix
00:53:10on Paul Ricard's circuit in the south of France.
00:53:12From Brazil, Nelson Piquet, ESPN coverage.
00:53:15We'll be back.
00:53:22The picture that you're looking at is of Nelson Piquet.
00:53:25It's a live picture from the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France.
00:53:29You can see that Alain Prost has caught up to being within 11 seconds
00:53:33of Nelson Piquet, the leader of this French Grand Prix.
00:53:36Let me run down the first six for you.
00:53:38Nelson Piquet leads.
00:53:40Alain Prost is second.
00:53:41Keke Rosberg's been in the pits but went back out
00:53:43and has regained third position.
00:53:45Elio de Angelis is fourth.
00:53:47Stefan Johansson, the Ferrari driver, up to fifth.
00:53:49Patrick Tambi is in sixth.
00:53:51Seventh is Gerry Quaric, his teammate in the other watch,
00:53:54entered Renault.
00:53:55Mark Suhrer's been in the pits.
00:53:57He's down into eighth position.
00:53:58Theo Fabi is ninth.
00:54:00And Terry Cookson is tenth.
00:54:02Patrese is eleventh.
00:54:03Cheever, the only American driver in the race,
00:54:05is in twelfth position.
00:54:07Winkelhock of Germany is in thirteenth.
00:54:09Klaus from the Tyrrell Ford is fourteenth.
00:54:11Kinzani in the Osello is fifteenth.
00:54:14Martin Brundle in the Renault engine,
00:54:17Tyrrell has been in the pits, is in sixteenth position.
00:54:21Niki Lauda is out.
00:54:23Berger is out.
00:54:24Malfini is out.
00:54:25Lafitte is out.
00:54:26Alvareto is out.
00:54:29And a lot of other people.
00:54:31Well, there certainly have been some retirements.
00:54:33The heat and the difficulties of these long straightaways
00:54:36taking their tolls on both drivers and equipment.
00:54:38It's been a very safe race, Jackie.
00:54:40And this is a very safe racetrack.
00:54:41I think you had something to do with the design of the safety of this track.
00:54:44It's one of the newer tracks to be built in recent years.
00:54:47Good runoff areas.
00:54:49It is a safe circuit, even at over 200 miles an hour.
00:54:52The first race here was held in 1970.
00:54:54I drove in that race.
00:54:55It was a Formula 2 race in 1971.
00:54:58I was lucky enough to win the French Grand Prix on this very circuit.
00:55:01It's a circuit that I like.
00:55:03I saw you win that race, Jackie.
00:55:06I was here.
00:55:07You were there.
00:55:08Well, so was I.
00:55:10It was always a safe racetrack, that's for sure.
00:55:13Also, the French are known worldwide for their national pride.
00:55:17Now, in 1983, Alain Prost won this race driving a Renault.
00:55:23The French Grand Prix last year that was actually held in Dijon,
00:55:26which is not too far.
00:55:27It's probably the closest track for you to drive to, Jackie, from Switzerland.
00:55:31Right on the Swiss border, almost.
00:55:33Patrick Tambay won last year.
00:55:35So, here we have a French Grand Prix being led by a Brazilian,
00:55:39and that's going to disappoint some of these 150,000,
00:55:42not all French fans, but a good percentage of them.
00:55:45Well, this race isn't over yet.
00:55:46As we've known, both of us, a lot of motor races where people at home
00:55:50on the television screens have gone away thinking that Nelson Piquet,
00:55:54because he's got a healthy lead, could certainly win this race hands down.
00:55:58That is not the case at all.
00:55:59We've always got to be very careful because you never quite know who's going to win the race.
00:56:04We're only five laps away from the end here.
00:56:07Nelson Piquet is closing that gap, Alain Prost is, to Nelson Piquet,
00:56:13and that's something we've got to keep our eye on.
00:56:15In the meantime, it is Nelson Piquet with the Olivetti Sports and BMW engine,
00:56:20Brabham, healthily in the reach, live covering from ESPN, and we'll be right back.
00:56:29The Biltmores are on a set for caution.
00:56:34We're playing live in the Rocky of France, the Paul Ricard Circuit.
00:56:38This is Jackie Stewart along with John Vigignano.
00:56:40We're looking at Nelson Piquet, the present leader.
00:56:43He's only nine and a bit seconds ahead of Alain Prost,
00:56:46the young Frenchman who's driving the Marlborough-tagged McLaren.
00:56:50It's going to be a close finish.
00:56:51We only have a few laps to go.
00:56:54We've only got four laps to go in this race.
00:56:58The lead is unchanged.
00:56:59Piquet, Prost, Rosberg, de Angelis, Johansson, and Tambi
00:57:03make the top six up for the World Championship points.
00:57:06You know, just looking there, Jackie, Nelson looks very tired.
00:57:09As you said earlier, his head is, that's the first sign of driver fatigue,
00:57:14is when you see the head started bobbing around.
00:57:17Now look, here's Prost going through the same tight corners,
00:57:21and his head is perfectly straight, where Nelson's flopping back and forth.
00:57:25Now, he's lost ten seconds in about the last seven, eight laps.
00:57:29Now, is this on purpose, or is this a race strategy, do you think?
00:57:33Or, I mean, he still has a seven-second lead, ten-second lead.
00:57:36Well, ten seconds is not a bunch of time.
00:57:38In my opinion, I'd like to keep that gap a little healthier.
00:57:41I do believe he is tired.
00:57:43Nelson Piquet is not the most robust man, and I did, as you noticed,
00:57:47say earlier on, as you correctly observed, that his head was flopping to the side,
00:57:52and that, because of the weight of a crash helmet, can be the first signs of fatigue.
00:57:58Nelson Piquet has twice 10K on the winner's rostrum that I can recall.
00:58:03This is a hot race, and as you again mentioned,
00:58:08he hasn't done a full Grand Prix distance this season,
00:58:12so the body conditioning has a lot to do with it.
00:58:15He's definitely not using all of the road going into this fast right-hand bend
00:58:20at the end of the straight.
00:58:21Drivers get very tired and start to make mistakes.
00:58:24You get mentally exhausted before the physical element actually shows.
00:58:29And you've got to realize that at 200 miles an hour,
00:58:32these people are doing the length of American football field in one second, every second.
00:58:36Bingo, bingo, 100 yards down the road.
00:58:39So, if you lose your concentration for a second, you're 100 yards down that road,
00:58:44and maybe you're shifting a break point as the 100 yards behind you.
00:58:47Nelson Piquet, waiting for this all year long,
00:58:51first victory, Olivetti team,
00:58:54trying very hard to bring this car up to competitive standards,
00:58:58but here he's following the Ocelli,
00:59:01and he's quite comfortable to just follow the Ocelli.
00:59:03Well, the Olivetti company must be very happy,
00:59:07but I can't remember the last time that Pirelli won a Grand Prix either, can you?
00:59:11I cannot.
00:59:14They've been in the sport for years,
00:59:16and in modern Grand Prix racing, I don't believe they have won a Grand Prix.
00:59:21I think it might be right back to maybe the 50s.
00:59:24Exactly.
00:59:25Because they had Tottenham, who were the Ferrari tire suppliers,
00:59:29Pirelli were at one point,
00:59:31but I think it's that long ago, they've been trying hard,
00:59:34and I think it would be a good thing if they were to get a victory.
00:59:36It would certainly cheer them up,
00:59:38and of course it would be a great boost for the Brabham team.
00:59:42Keke Rosberg has driven a very hard race.
00:59:45Keke Rosberg has driven his heart out,
00:59:48as he did in Detroit when he won,
00:59:50as he did in Montreal,
00:59:52where I can tell you, he drove one of his better races.
00:59:55Rosberg this year has certainly brought himself,
00:59:58with that new Honda engine,
01:00:00to prominence in the World Championship table.
01:00:03Well, after Detroit, he said,
01:00:05following Ayrton Senna,
01:00:07to him was amazing,
01:00:08that the gentleman took so many risks.
01:00:11Well, yesterday, he qualified over Ayrton Senna
01:00:14by four-tenths of a second.
01:00:16So Keke Rosberg has no problem dealing with risk.
01:00:19Four-tenths of a second out-qualifying,
01:00:21qualifying someone who he thinks takes a lot of risk.
01:00:26From a very capable group of helpers here in the commentary position,
01:00:31Terry Bootson and Theo Fabi have both stopped,
01:00:34so we can forget about them right now.
01:00:37Terry Bootson, the young Belgian driver,
01:00:39and Theo Fabi from Italy,
01:00:40made, of course, his name in Indianapolis,
01:00:44being a post-Citroën Indian,
01:00:45a great favourite with the Americans.
01:00:49We have now completed 51 laps of this 53-lap race.
01:00:54We've only got two laps to go
01:00:56in this French Grand Prix,
01:00:57the oldest Grand Prix in the calendar year.
01:01:00We at ESPN will continue to give you live coverage
01:01:03throughout the season of Grand Prix racing.
01:01:06The next Grand Prix that will take place
01:01:08is the British Grand Prix,
01:01:10which will be on the 21st of July,
01:01:14and we will be giving you live coverage
01:01:16that Sunday morning,
01:01:17whether you're in the East Coast,
01:01:19in Boston, and Christchurch,
01:01:21whether you're enthusiasts of Corvettes or Mustangs,
01:01:25or whether you're way over in California
01:01:27getting up at 8 or 5.30 in the morning.
01:01:29Exactly.
01:01:30You'll be with us.
01:01:31Those are real race fans.
01:01:32No, it's Mark Sewers blowing my heart away
01:01:35to be there for a moment.
01:01:36I saw the Brabham slowing down,
01:01:38but Nelson Piquet is still well under speed.
01:01:41Mark Sewers driving a fantastic race here,
01:01:44slowing on the straightaway.
01:01:45He may try and keep the car running
01:01:47for these last closing laps
01:01:48so that he at least secures some type of position
01:01:52rather than a DNF.
01:01:53We don't know how serious the problem is.
01:01:55That flame you see shooting out of the back of Piquet's car
01:01:58is actually quite natural.
01:01:59That's the gas of the turbocharger
01:02:02being ignited in between shifts.
01:02:04There you have the difference down to 8.3 seconds,
01:02:07but still, I think Nelson Piquet
01:02:09is in control of the situation.
01:02:10I do believe he is in control.
01:02:12I'm looking down towards the start finishing line here
01:02:16to see if the man with the jacket flag
01:02:18is going to put his one finger in the air
01:02:22to his index finger goes in the air,
01:02:25and he fights one more lap for Nelson Piquet of Brazil.
01:02:29And there, coming around that same corner
01:02:32is Alain Prost.
01:02:33One of the most beautiful signs
01:02:34to every motor racing driver is that finger
01:02:37going one more lap,
01:02:39especially when you're in the lead.
01:02:41Very quickly, Jackie,
01:02:42it was Monza 1957 Moss,
01:02:45one with Pirelli tires.
01:02:47So 1957 near, as you say,
01:02:51a historical car race here
01:02:53was the last time Pirelli won.
01:02:5428 years ago.
01:02:55The executives in Pirelli
01:02:57must be just so happy at this particular moment
01:03:00and sitting on the edge of their seats back in Italy.
01:03:03Well, there is Alain Prost.
01:03:06Oh, wait.
01:03:07Rossberg.
01:03:08Has Rossberg gone around Prost?
01:03:10Well, no.
01:03:11Have you ever?
01:03:12But there is something.
01:03:15What has happened?
01:03:16Rossberg has gone.
01:03:18I believe Jackie Rossberg has gone around Prost.
01:03:20He has.
01:03:21He has.
01:03:22He's had a change.
01:03:23Suddenly, Jackie Rossberg
01:03:24What a drive.
01:03:25What a drive.
01:03:26has come up and taken second position
01:03:28from Alain Prost.
01:03:29He must be nursing his tires home.
01:03:31So here we have the leader
01:03:33on this very last lap
01:03:35around this Pau Ricard racetrack.
01:03:383.610 miles around
01:03:41or 5.810 kilometers.
01:03:46Nelson Piquet from Brazil.
01:03:48He's only got a few corners to go.
01:03:50Look at that car slide.
01:03:51Look at that car slide, Jackie.
01:03:52I tell you.
01:03:53I bet he's very happy
01:03:54he only has a quarter of a mile to go.
01:03:55He's got a right hander.
01:03:56Then he's got a left hander.
01:03:57Here we go.
01:03:58The final right hander
01:03:59and he's going to take the chequered flag.
01:04:01Come on, Nelson.
01:04:02I'm looking down the pit
01:04:04to see his mechanics
01:04:05leading over the wall.
01:04:06They can't jump over the wall anymore.
01:04:08That's a $10,000 fine.
01:04:09And here he goes.
01:04:11The chequered flag.
01:04:12All right.
01:04:13Brazil and the Brabham.
01:04:14He's pulling to a stop.
01:04:15He's coming to a stop
01:04:16right in front of his pit.
01:04:18There's been a lot of this going on recently.
01:04:20The cars have got to be
01:04:21Jackie Rossberg coming to a stop.
01:04:23Prost coming to a stop.
01:04:24Oh, coming to a stop.
01:04:25One, two and three.
01:04:27And what a race for Jackie Rossberg.
01:04:29He gets second position.
01:04:31Alain Prost gets third position.
01:04:33Elio de Angelis takes fourth.
01:04:35Stefan Johansen is fifth and sixth position.
01:04:38Looks like Patrick Tamby.
01:04:40Those finishes, of course,
01:04:42are subject to official confirmation.
01:04:44For sure.
01:04:45And that will not be given
01:04:46until actually later tonight
01:04:49or early tomorrow morning.
01:04:50But quite a remark.
01:04:51There's Stefan Johansen.
01:04:52He's passed Elio de Angelis.
01:04:54Oh, Elio's coming back.
01:04:55Elio's trying to pass him.
01:04:56This, in fact, is right on the final lap.
01:04:58I think he was finishing on...
01:05:00On the outside? No.
01:05:01Elio de Angelis trying to get through.
01:05:03And Stefan Johansen takes fourth position.
01:05:07He does it.
01:05:08Stefan Johansen is in fourth position.
01:05:11Elio de Angelis locks up his brakes.
01:05:14Everybody is stopping.
01:05:15He gets out.
01:05:16He's annoyed.
01:05:17Elio de Angelis is jumping out of his cockpit.
01:05:20He's upset.
01:05:21Remember, he's second in the world championship.
01:05:23These points are more meaningful to him than anyone.
01:05:26His car was not even properly parked,
01:05:28I have to tell you.
01:05:29It was almost in the middle of the racetrack.
01:05:31He may well...
01:05:32There could be a fine on that one, Jackie.
01:05:33Get a fine.
01:05:34And there you see the Renault of Patrick Sambi
01:05:37coming through.
01:05:38He will be taking sixth place.
01:05:41Jackie, what about this situation out here?
01:05:43Here we have six cars stopped
01:05:45on the main straightaway.
01:05:47I can't see the officials
01:05:48letting this go on too much longer.
01:05:50No, I...
01:05:51Explain why that is, Jackie.
01:05:53These cars have got to weigh 540 kilos.
01:05:57And when they are empty of fuel,
01:05:59everybody is very concerned
01:06:01that the cars will go below the limit of weight.
01:06:06And this is what happened to Alain Prost
01:06:08in the Grand Prix of San Marino.
01:06:10There you see the final classifications,
01:06:12of course, subject to confirmation.
01:06:14Alain Prost went round the racetrack,
01:06:16used up more fuel,
01:06:18and when they weighed the car in the end,
01:06:20it was below the limit.
01:06:22It was below 540 kilos,
01:06:24and he therefore lost the race
01:06:26and was penalized by only being 2 kilos underweight.
01:06:29He actually said if he would not have done a warm-up lap,
01:06:31he would have retained the victory.
01:06:33I mean, the cool-off lap.
01:06:35If he would not have done a cool-off lap,
01:06:36he would have retained the victory.
01:06:38But it is a risk,
01:06:39and I don't like to see cars parked on the racing circuit.
01:06:42This has, of course, been an extremely exciting end
01:06:45to this French Grand Prix.
01:06:47We'll be back to give you more information
01:06:49in just a moment.
01:06:53ESPN's live coverage of the French Grand Prix is still on.
01:06:57We're waiting for the drivers to arrive
01:06:59on the winner's podium.
01:07:01You see Alain Prost here,
01:07:02the little Frenchman,
01:07:04who was beaten out of second position there
01:07:06by an amazing Keke Rosberg on the closing lap.
01:07:09Nelson Piquet has been the winner.
01:07:11Keke Rosberg was second,
01:07:13Alain Prost was third.
01:07:15An amazing step in Johansson
01:07:17on the last few corners,
01:07:20got past Elio de Angelis to finish fourth,
01:07:23de Angelis being fifth,
01:07:24and Patrick Tambay being sixth.
01:07:26An amazing race.
01:07:27John, your comments on the race.
01:07:29Well, my first observation,
01:07:30we have had seven races
01:07:32with six different winners
01:07:33at two different tire companies,
01:07:35six different drivers,
01:07:36six different chassis,
01:07:37six different motors.
01:07:38Competition has returned to Formula One, Jackie.
01:07:41Right now, Alboreto with 31 points
01:07:43in the World Championship,
01:07:45followed by Elio de Angelis and Prost
01:07:48tied at 26th,
01:07:49Keke Rosberg, 18th,
01:07:50Stephanie Johansson, 16th,
01:07:52and Patrick Tambay, 11th.
01:07:54This championship is wide open.
01:07:56I'd go along with that.
01:07:57The beautiful Paul Rizal circuit
01:07:59has hosted a safe race and a good race.
01:08:01Nelson Piquet, a brilliant performance,
01:08:04in my opinion, by him.
01:08:06Very well judged.
01:08:07Keke Rosberg, a spirited race,
01:08:10holding down second for most of the race,
01:08:12going into the pits,
01:08:13changing tires, coming up,
01:08:14and then passing Alain Prost.
01:08:16An amazing performance,
01:08:17as far as I'm concerned.
01:08:19It's been a very good race
01:08:20here at the Paul Ricard circuit.
01:08:22I think a well-earned first place
01:08:24for Nelson Piquet.
01:08:25The French Grand Prix
01:08:26has been brought to you by Dodge,
01:08:28a performance revolution,
01:08:29an American revolution,
01:08:31and by BF Goodrich,
01:08:33makers of high-performance TA radios.
01:08:36We make cars perform.
01:08:38It's certainly been an exciting Grand Prix.
01:08:47The national anthem being played there
01:08:49for the winning team.
01:08:50Keep in mind that we'll be live again
01:08:52for the British Grand Prix
01:08:53on Sunday the 21st of July
01:08:56at Silverstone,
01:08:57only two weeks away.
01:08:58And of course, later today,
01:09:00you'll be getting the
01:09:01Cart Cleveland Grand Prix
01:09:02coming to you live
01:09:04at 12.30.
01:09:06We'll see you then.