1989 F1 World Championship - Round 1 Pre Qualifying (BRAZIL)

hello and welcome everybody back to a brand new season of Formula 1 action and it starts here in Brazil interos returning to the calendar after the uh circuit has been essentially remade or rebuilt and we start here with pre-qualifying 19 drivers which is the eight bottom teams from last season plus the two new teams arriving on the grid this season including the returning brabon team and the brand new Onyx team and they're all tasked with getting inside the top 10 in this session to move through to the main qualifying session which will feature 30 drivers uh but we start here with 29 minutes and 30 seconds left on the clock already and you can see it is Heavy Rain conditions as we have the first car heading out on track now I believe it is Stefan Johansson in the Streamline he moved from lier last year of course Johansson he scored two points last year I believe two sixth place finishes he'll be the first driver exit the pit Lane in these treacherous conditions uh goodye tires on the Streamline there are seven teams running the pelli tires and a lot of those teams are actually in this session right now including the braam team with brundle and Hill uh the Ella team we have the Zach speed running it I think a few ofs like y Bron and menardi streamline running Ford engines once again this season and the the engine s is powerful of course turbo is now banned completely and we should expect the grid to be closer together than they were last season as yanson the first across the line to start their flying lap already locking up into turn one as we're riding on board with the Streamline driver streamline after their first season they only fed one top 10 finish uh with Martin Brun being their sole driver in 1988 he's jumped ship to brabon to partner a a new driver on the grid a debut on of Damon Hill son of the world champion Graham Hill and Damon Hill for the most part in his Motorsport career so far was actually focused on two wheels rather than four it's only in the past couple of years he switched allegiances uh to hopefully um get success in Formula 1 just like his father did before him many many many years ago Johansson though 212 through the first sector these times are not going to be representative completely yet because of course the conditions are quite wet dry conditions will be looking much quicker than Johansson is going right now uh but apparently the rain is going to stay around for this whole session as it's a 443 through the second sector and Manel Piro on the track as well he's gone 310 slower than you answered through that first set sector as Martin brundle is told rain will continue for the next 20 minutes at least so there's probably no chance of it drying up before the end of this session as Johanson across the line to set the Benchmark it's to 26.3 like I said you need a top 10 in this session to make it through to the main qualifying session later on this afternoon Piro down by over a second to the first two sectors so maybe that streamline got a good bit of pace inside which would be nice a good change on their fortunes last season definitely But Here Comes Piro up towards the line to get a Time on the board it's a 1277 our second time we've seen so far for Brito barbat out there as well batsa is uh teammates with pero at scaria Italia running the pelli compound tires Italian team Italian tire manufacturer and up towards the line goes bar Bater is absolutely nowhere near his teammate and that's almost 4 seconds down on the leader Johanson yob Bru strapped for cash they're limited to a one car entry this season and it's at the hands of Stephano Moda who's on a lap right now uh looks pretty tame as he goes up towards the line here it's good enough for third place as Jonathan Palmer now out on track has gone fastest through the first sector 21 two that is one heck of a first sector Martin dony in the second streamline making his debut in Formula 1 this season he was the test dri for the second half of last season at the Streamline team and he's been gifted a great opportunity here but through the first two sectors it's not looking too strong he's 2.5 seconds down on his teammate Stefan Johansson who still sets the pace up towards the line for the Streamline driver it's only fourth place and it is 3 seconds behind his teammate as part has a bit of traffic on his lap towards the end of that lap there's a scaria Italia in his way and up towards the line he's definitely lost time through that final sector and he's just gone a few tenths shy of Johansson's time Gabriel tarini was at colog last season the only car that colog ran in 1988 but he's now at AGS in that number 40 the AGS based on preseason testing doesn't look too strong and based on that lap by tarini preseason testing was telling the truth sixth place 3.2 seconds down but right now it's enough like I said the top 10 get through to the main quality session enrio bagia up towards the line here slot his osella into the top five aguri Suzuki driving for Zack speed his teammate burn Schneider going very well through the first sector aguri Suzuki though not going too great this might be another time that threatens the top five of the current standings not going to blow anybody away and it's not even that it's Ninth Place for Suzuki but burn Schneider going pretty quick at 213 through the first sector that's only a 10th down on what joh Hansen managed through that first sector peris Salah on the track as well a few further T down Schneider through the second timing line he only 610 down this might be a lap that puts him in to third place between Jonathan Palmer and Emmanuel Piro as up the hill and towards the start finish line goes the German driver driving for of course a German manufacturer across the line he goes that is good enough for third place less than a second behind your Hanson peris Salah no longer driving for minardi he's moved to colog with a striking Livery I've got to say that is one of the nicest looking liveries in the 1989 field in my opinion Perez salad though up towards the line he goes and goes up to fifth place parisella good turn of pace in that car as well it is over two seconds down on Johansson but it's a good lap the debut on Damon Hill in the Bram out on track right now and it's a 20.8 through the first sector absolutely smashing the fastest first sector time he's off the track there but apparently that doesn't matter that doesn't slow him down maybe that is the dry not the dry line maybe that is the correct line to drive through the corner as through the second time in line he goes he's up by 1.8 seconds this braam we've heard in preseason testing this Bram has a serious turn of pace and might be troubling the points on not just an occasion on regular basis and Damon Hill on the hands of Damon Hill a driver who's not had too much experience in Open Wheel cars he goes fastest by 1.6 seconds maybe the conditions on track improving slightly or maybe that is just the sheer pace of the him for Brito barbat are on another lap he's a 212 through that first sector which is actually really competitive a 212 is what Johansson managed on his fastest we know Hill went much quicker and maybe that is a sign that the conditions are improving and the times are about to Tumble and it might be the case that whoever's last on track with a few minutes to go gets the best track conditions it's looking half decent for barbat who goes up to fourth place so the times are starting to Tumble dast yet to set a lap in the uh second AGS or the first AGS I think no he is the second AGS and number 41 and he's strong through the first sector not so strong through that second sector the windy twisty section in the middle of the track and across the line he goes to third place Jean L schleser is Racing for Onyx this season I think he is over 40 years old he had that one fill in race replacing Nigel Manel last year at Williams where he finished seventh place at a crazy Detroit Grand Prix uh but I don't think he has much in terms of pace and I would be very surprised if he makes it through to the main qualifying session uh but I don't want to jinx anything maybe he does have the pace in that car and maybe he still has the reactions required to compete at the top level of Motorsport Scher though across the line it's 14th Place it is slowest of the current dri setting lap time Hill fastness through sector one Johansson fastness through sector 3 apparently still so streamline have a good turn of pace in a straight line which would uh match with their actual name or team name Johanson on an improved lap and he goes back to second place his teammate Martin Donnelly we must have missed that lap actually jumped up ahead of Johansson momentarily but yanes D just gone over a second clear of his teammate Arma in the tral going for another lap Jonathan Palmer who was very close to points last season he goes up to second place here just a few tenth shy of Hills time so now things are starting to work out the Brams and the Tios looking quite strong we can see how the drivers have performed through the speed traps bar Bater Palmer all pushing 294 km an hour we got some slower drivers like Schneider not even reaching 290s teammate Suzuki even slower than that so Zack speed is going to be a tough year for them even even if they want to just survive this season is going to be a tough ask for the team but we'll see how they go proo up towards the line it was a strong first sector it's gone up to fourth place within 410 of Damon Hill Roberto Moreno's first lap on the board isn't anything special only puts him in ninth place right now strong lap there from moda in the soul cology to put himself in fifth place 1.1 seconds down on the fastest time so far in this session M Alberto aled from Ferrari some thought maybe unfairly driving for a sell here that's sixth place for Alberto he can go faster than that I'm sure he can Andrea dearis onyx's hopes really lie on dearis his teammate John L Scher of course is uh not the quickest driver out there we know that and Onyx with that backing from money Tron will be hoping that the chesus can actually deliver the goods he missed out in 1988 not actually racing and his first lap on the board here puts him in seventh place which will be enough a reminder top 10 Gets You Through to the main qualifying session as burn Schneider goes fifth place 610 down on the leader Schneider is really performing quite well here uh I did say the hopes of Zack speed is just to make the end of the season really really but with burn Schneider behind the wheel maybe they could be looking at something better than that as Andy Wallace across the line to go 12th Place and finally we've got Martin brundle out on track he's the last driver to enter The Fray here with only 9 minutes left of the session Martin Brunell needs to get a hurry up he had a poor season for streamline last year uh the relationship seemed good at the start of the Season between team and driver but it fell apart through no fault from either side it was more brindle's inconsistency streamlines lack of reliability and lack of pace overall and that sort of split them up brundle moving to Bram to hopefully lead that team back to its former Glory Days and right now he's on an out laap dmas looking pretty good through that first two sectors he's just got to climb up the hill no slipstream to help him out here he's on his own the number 41 AGS Yanik dalas up towards the line he goes can he jump up inside the top 10 that's what he needs easily inside the top 10 that's second place for dalas Rundle going really quick on this lap he's up in that first sector by a 10th and he's through that middle sector now the twisty section the low speed cornering the car just on the edge of grip through that second sector it's looking pretty good in the second sector as well as up the hill goes brundle his teammate d Hill in first place right now can brundle dislodge his British teammate of that first place brundle fastest lap by 8/10 of a second that's what we expect from that sort of caliber driver Martin brundle 23897 That's the fastest lap so far Martin Donnelly in the drop zone right now is not good streamline we're hoping for two drives inside the top 10 at the very least they want your Hansen to get through Donell Le is going to try and make it two streamlines inside the top 10 and he's gone up to eighth place only eighth place though as Martin brundle and Damon Hills share the sector times fastest through first and third sector first second and third sector now is Martin brundle he's just gone even quicker through that second sector agui Suzuki jumping up to 13th Place that won't be good enough for Zack speed his teammate miles clear of him 1.3 seconds up the road burn Schneider comfortably inside the top 10 right now as we're currently looking at Stefan Johansson who's inside the 20s in the first sector 43 flat for the second sector it's looking pretty good here for Johansson meanwhile a Manuel Piro also going very quick through the first sector up the hill for Johansson the Swedish driver former Ferrari race winner across the line he will go to hopefully move his car up a few places that second place he split the two Brams and now it's a man well piro's turn to hopefully jump his car up a few places as well his delara up into the top five that pushes Jonathan Palmer down a single position what can pau's teammate bar Bater muster up here on his latest lap oh it's not even an improvement 3.3 seconds down and that's 14th Place currently Roberto Moreno on a much improved lap his first lap was no good at all he's down in 16th place right now Moreno who's definitely got the speed we saw his Fillin drives to replace Mich Alberto at Ferrari last year where he scored points and Marena up to eighth place so that's good enough for now that pushes Donal down yet another position getting very close in the cut off Zone Gabriel tarini all the way down in 18th Place after a poor first run his second run puts him up in 13th it's still not enough 3 minutes left in the session Alberto looking very quick here we know what he can deliver he won a race in 1988 he's now battling and pre-qualifying in the Ella and he's put that Ella in second place what a brilliant lap there from the veteran Italian Jonathan Palmer with traffic on his current lap is this going to hurt his chances of staying inside that top 10 we'll have to wait and see the traffic is now peeled off into the pits Palmer cross the line he jumps up to Fourth that might be enough it'll be hard not to compare Damon Hill to his father Gran with the performance he is put putting in in this lap in particular we just over a minute to go in the session he's 710 up on the fastest lap as the times continue to Tumble I think those conditions are getting slightly better out there the thunderstorm has passed and we still have light rain on the circuit but the times are getting faster I say that there was just thunder and lightning then so uh I'm completely lying to you st a hill across the line though easily quickest 8/10 faster than Martin brundle right now burn Schneider has that 10th Place Roberto Moreno Stephano Moda Martin Donell now coming out on track I don't know if he's got enough time to get round to start a lap and the chesar one of those drivers that can knock Schneider out it'll be between Onyx the brand new team and Zack speed the team just hanging on by a thread who gets through to the main qualifying session we're about to find out dezar up towards the line to go into P3 what a brilliant lap by the number 3 six Andrea dearis third place in Onyx Schneider with a brilliant lap right at the death of the session is up to Seventh Place D dalas across the line to go seventh now Schneider down to eighth as Martin Donnell is out there I think he's on a lap Martin brundle matching his teammate through the first two sectors he can still it's a grab and one two whatever happens really but he could take that first place back which will be making a statement within that int Team Battle across the line Martin brondo does not actually take first place and after that thrilling pre-qualifying session it's two braams first and second dzus in the Onyx and third B Alberto showing what he is made of in fourth place nice to see Stephan joh Hanson the Streamline so high up they're comfortably through as well Jonathan Palmer and Andy ballis the two TS make it through the AGS of dmas Schneider in the Zack speed and the delara of well Piro that means the drivers who did not make it into the main session both colonies peris and Moreno pagia in the second C the soul Euro Brun of Moder Martin donly in the second streamline the AGS of tarini Zack speed at vui Suzuki and we have fito bar bat and Jean L schleser miles off the pace and out in pre-qualifying I'll see you next time for the main qualifying session