Race at all costs

The 1991 Belgian Grand Prix was held at Spa-Francorchamps on 25 August 1991. The Jordan team dominated the headlines leading up to this race. Driver Bertrand Gachot was serving a two month prison sentence in an English jail as a result of an altercation with a London taxi driver, so Eddie Jordan had decided to replace him with young (22) German driver Michael Schumacher (picture above).

Eddie Jordan recalls: “When in August 1991 I asked Michael if he had ever practiced or raced at Spa, he said… yes. Years later I found out that he had never tried the track! He wanted to run at all costs, he knew that was his chance and his moment, even at the expense of taking a risk.”

Ayrton Senna took pole position in his McLaren-Honda, while the sensation of qualifying, Michael Schumacher, was an amazing seventh (picture below) for his first Grand Prix, out-qualifying his team mate, Andrea de Cesaris. On the first lap however, after a good start, Schumacher’s clutch failed after Eau Rouge, and he was forced to retire. Senna won the race, ahead of team mate Berger, in a beautiful 1-2 for McLaren-Honda.