Missed opportunity
In 1991, Andrea de Cesaris was signed by Eddie Jordan for his team’s first season in Formula One. Jordan had already run de Cesaris in Formula 3. A string of points finishes in Canada, France and Germany showed great promise for the team and its Gary Anderson’s designed 191 (picture below).
At the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, and despite the pressure of being outqualified by debutant team mate Michael Schumacher, de Cesaris moved through the field to take second position, and was closing on the leader Senna, until his car’s Ford HB V8 blew.
A communication problem between Ford and the Jordan team meant the oil tank in the car was too small to service a new piston ring, which used more lubricant. A possible victory vanished. Andrea de Cesaris finished the season 9th in the standings, his best result since 1983, when he drove for Alfa Romeo.
je me souviens j avais 14ans a l’époque et j ai écouté le grand prix a la radio sur Europe 1 et Dominique presso commentait ce gp de Belgique un souvenir formidable pour moi !!!