S3 E5: Mansell's heartbreak - Canada 1991

The 1991 Canadian Grand Prix is well remembered for Nigel Mansell stopping on the final lap after waving to the crowd. But what actually happened? We look back at the theories around his car grinding to a halt - with a little help from legendary Williams technical director Patrick Head - and reflect on the explanations Mansell and Adrian Newey have given over the years as well. Through the rest of the episode, we look at why Williams's cars kept breaking down in early-1991, the moment McLaren realised its car and engine was no match for the the Newey-Head-designed Williams-Renault FW14, how Mansell upset Renault when he rejoined the team, and why he thought his title chances were over so early in the year. We also look at the fortunes of the race-winning Benetton team, from its ambitious plans to run a V12 Ford engine in 1992, to the political wrangling behind the scenes that led to the acrimonious departure of design icon John Barnard - and why Barnard had told Ayrton Senna not to join the team! We also revisit the Ferrari upheaval of 1991 from a different perspective to the Alain Prost side of the story we've previously covered, and look at how Johnny Herbert's long awaited full-time return to F1 reduced him to tears on his first weekend back with Lotus. Plus there's talk on a significant weekend in Jordan's F1 history, why Riccardo Patrese looked so good against Mansell at this stage of the year, and how F1 driving standards and reliability have changed from 30 years ago to today. ASK US ANYTHING: Get your questions in about anything to do with F1 from 1989-2005 by using #BringBackV10s on Twitter - or leave us a 5-star review if you think we deserve it and ask a question there! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.