Here are two of the most infamous penalties of the 1980s and 1990s, ranging from unlawful ‘water lead’ refuelling to Michael Schumacher’s disqualification from the 1997 standings.
The 1980s and 1990s brought great rivalries to the sport. From Hunt vs Lauda to Prost vs Senna and the emerging Michael Schumacher, the four-wheeled motorsport was reaching its peak. Some controversial moments headlined the front pages of the newspapers.
With the change in regulations and acceptance from countries around the globe, F1 became the pinnacle of motorsports. Let us look at two of the biggest punishments in the 1980s and 1990s:
Tyrrell’s fight against turbo engines
During the 1984 season, Formula One was amidst its turbo era. The top teams invested heavily in the turbo engines, while the lower finishing teams did not have the funds to initiate development. Tyrrell is one of them who used their method. They used a water tank that sprayed water on the engine inlets to try and improve power.
Tyrrell refilled the water tank during the race with a bit of lead shot to increase the car’s weight. Eventually, other teams would notice the spill of lead in the pitlane, and the FIA interfered.
After the Detroit Grand Prix, Tyrrell was investigated, shocking the results. The use of lead to increase the car’s weight was legal. However, during the first testing of the water sample, it was found that the team had 27 percent of illegal elements in it.
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Tyrell contested the verdict. Another test on the water found the amount of fuel in the water to be 1 percent. It meant that the only charge that could realistically stick was the use of unsecured ballast.
The FIA believed that the fuel in water was offering an advantage and two small holes on the car’s floor were against the aerodynamic regulations.
The team was eventually banned from taking part in the last three races and was disqualified. They had to pay $500,000 in damages and lost $1 million in travel allowance.
Villeneuve wins the world championship
During the last race of 1997, Michael Schumacher was up against Jacques Villeneuve for the world championship. 1 point separated both the drivers. Any DNF meant Schumacher would be crowned as the champion.
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Schumacher took a comfortable lead throughout the race. However, in the last 23 laps, the German turned into the Williams driver at Jerez’s Dry sack corner. Villeneuve’s car bounced after the impact, and Schumacher went straight to the gravel, giving away the World Championship to the Canadian.
FIA could not have let history repeat itself like Prost vs Senna in 1989 or 1990 and Schumacher vs Hill in 1994. Two weeks after the race, They disqualified Schumacher from the driver’s championship. Alongside, he was made to participate in the FIA road safety campaign in 1995.
