article by Andrew La Rovere adapted from Formula 1, the stories
On 6 May 1984 the San Marino Grand Prix took place in Imola. After Friday’s rain, the starting grid is decided on Saturday without major surprises. For the umpteenth time Nelson Piquet is the fastest and wins the Vespa of Piaggio that that year is up for grabs at every race for the poleman. The twist is, so to speak, posthumous: Ayrton Senna does not qualify.
On the track where he will start an infinite number of times on pole and where he will die ten years later, the Brazilian suffers the humiliation of non-qualification for the only time in his career. The facts are complex and tire-related Pirelli it’s at various problems on the Brazilian’s Toleman, but the fact that Cecotto is good nineteenth with the same single-seater exacerbates Ayrton’s frustration.
At the start Prost takes the lead while Rosberg and Lauda remain practically stationary. Tambay, winner the year before with Ferrari, at clipping he’s already out after a contact with Cheever. De Cesaris, forced to leave the pits due to a fuel pressure problem, was already seventeenth after just one lap: it was the beginning of a legendary comeback that nobody noticed.
Prost dominates from start to finish, but his race isn’t without emotion: a problem with the brakes gives him several thrillsincluding a double spin at the Rivazza which Alain recovers with consummate skill. Behind his back the fight for second place is between Lauda, after a great comeback, Piquet and Warwick: a battle between the crippled.
Lauda soon breaks the engine, while Warwick loses fourth gear and slows down more and more. Piquet, after several troubles, breaks the engine with about ten laps to go. The Brabham is as precise as a Swiss watch, in fact, in the same lap as Piquet, Teo Fabi’s turbo also goes up in smoke, good fourth and with the podium already in his sights.
The incredible comeback by De Cesaris, with a Ligier that is certainly not a bolt of war, takes the Roman to third placealmost a miracle. However, the fight with De Angelis was fatal for him: he ran out of petrol and he was only classified seventh. The Lotus also runs dry, but one lap later, allowing Elio to still be third.
Warwick, fearing not to finish the race, gets lapped by Prost to do one lap less and is fourth: if he had remained at full laps he would have been third after the retirement of De Angelis. Arnoux, with a careful race, is in the end second. Fifth is Bellof with Tyrrell and sixth Boutsen with Arrows.
However, San Marino is the race from which the Tyrrell scandal starts and the disqualification of the team will allow De Cesaris to grab a point at least: a poor consolation after a race worthy of Villeneuve. In the championship Prost takes off with Lauda very far away.
The very strong Alain is happy on the podium: he can’t imagine that an the end of the year Lauda will beat him by half a point and that his biggest enemy in the future will be that Brazilian that no one considers and who didn’t even manage to qualify at Imola.
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