ITC

Estoril, Portugal

May 26, 1996

Nannini In First Double Win Of Season

Weather: 20 C, Sunny.

Qualifying (Race 1):

Pos
No
Driver CarTime
1
6
NanniniAlfa Romeo 1:40.686
2
5
LariniAlfa Romeo 1:41.164
3
14
FisichellaAlfa Romeo 1:41.347
4
17
LudwigOpel Calibra 1:41.615
5
7
ReuterOpel Calibra 1:41.652
6
10
BartelsAlfa Romeo 1:41.666
7
15
DannerAlfa Romeo 1:42.004
8
43
LehtoOpel Calibra 1:42.116
9
44
StuckOpel Calibra 1:42.560
10
16
AlzenOpel Calibra -:--.---
11
8
GavinOpel Calibra 1:41.336
12
12
ThiimMercedes 1:41.501
13
2
FranchittiMercedes 1:41.665
14
3
MagnussenMercedes 1:41.753
15
11
Van OmmenMercedes 1:41.795
16
9
ModenaAlfa Romeo 1:42.084
17
24
DalmasOpel Calibra 1:42.108
18
18
TarquiniAlfa Romeo 1:42.175
19
1
SchneiderMercedes 1:42.556
20
25
WurzOpel Calibra 1:43.418
21
4
GrauMercedes 1:43.635
22
22
MaylaenderMercedes 1:43.751
23
21
LohrMercedes 1:44.468
24
13
GiudiciAlfa Romeo 1:48.282
25
19
WattAlfa Romeo

Note: The Top 10 take part in a separate 'Top Qualifying' for their positions. Times in the previous sessions determines who takes part in this. As the top qualifying and bottom qualifying take part at different times, the different conditions can cause the fastest in the bottom qualifying group to be faster than some of those in top qualifying. Uwe Alzen did not record a time due to a fire in his car. Ludwig's car also caught fire (both Opel's are run by Zakspeed). It is thought that the aerodynamics were causing overheating in the engine.

Race 1 - 23 laps

Nannini outdragged Larini on the long run up to the first corner after a slow rolling start, and soon pulled out a small gap as everyone made it safely around the first corner. People appeared to be taking it easy, and no-one was attempting a proper passing manouevre. Until the rediculously slow chicane.

Magnussen was tapped under braking by Modena, causing the Mercedes to slew to the right. As it spun, it hit the Mercedes of Thiim. Magnussen's car came to rest against the barrier, while someone in the stream of cars which piled through removed the front end of Thiim's Mercedes, causing it to discharge its radiator contents on the track. The marshals hurriedly applied the cement dust, and the race was stopped, to be re-run over a new distance of twenty laps.

At the second start, Nannini was again first into the first corner, and again pulled out a gap from Larini, Ludwig and Fisichella. The rest of the cars filed along, and this time successfully negotiated the chicane.

The length of the main straight meant that the cars were slip-streaming down the straights, enabling out braking manouevres at the first corner. Lehto was the first victim of this. Going into the first corner for the second time, Alzen tried taking the inside line as Lehto moved over to take the racing line around it. Lehto only got a gentle tap, but it was enough to send him off into the gravel. He managed to escape, but rejoined last.

The Alfa Romeos looked to be the fastest cars out there, the front pairing of Nannini and Larini pulling out a gap to the rest, and Fisichella hassling Ludwig for third. Coming out of the final corner, Fisichella pulled out from Ludwig and they tried to outdrag each other down the main straight. The Alfa's superior speed told as he managed to inch by, Danner looking to do likewise. By lap 5, the positions were Nannini, Larini (@2.5s), Fisichella (@5.1), Ludwig (@6.2), Danner (@6.9), Bartels (@7.4) and Reuter.

The Alfas in the field were being trapped by slower trains of cars, and Tarquini tried a remedy. Coming into the chicane, Tarquini gently nudged Stuck, causing him to spin. Stuck eventually got going again, but was later black flagged. Everyone moved up a position on lap 8, when Larini came into the pits with an apparant engine problem.

Things were quiet for a few laps, but it looked like the scrapping Alfas in the pack were using up their tyres quickly, as the Opels started to catch and then pass, Reuter passing Danner when he ran wide, Alzen doing the same a lap later. The Alfa of Bartels also looked to be in trouble, as it was spraying liquid out of the back end, and it was gradually losing places. Lap 18, he went out.

Ellen Lohr came into the pits on lap 12, dropping gravel as she went. Her brakes appeared to fail at the end of the main straight, and she flew off into the gravel. She got out, and made her way back to the pits.

Christian Danner was still having problems, again sliding wide on lap 14, this time allowing Alzen, Gavin and Van Ommen through, the gaps/positions on lap 16 being Nannini, Fisichella (@4.9), Ludwig (@12.3), Reuter (@14.8), Alzen (@15.3), Gavin (@18.3) and Van Ommen. The Opels of Ludwig, Reuter and Alzen were all fighting each other, and Van Ommen was pressuring Gavin, but no-one looked like passing, and indeed no-one did by flag fall.

Result - also Qualifying order for Race 2

Pos
Driver Time
1
Nannini 34:57.869
2
Fisichella + 3.456
3
Ludwig +10.906
4
Reuter +11.974
5
Alzen +14.791
6
Gavin +17.421
7
VanOmmen +17.606
8
Dalmas +18.697
9
Franchitti +19.016
10
Wurz +25.735



Lap Chart - Top 7 Positions
Lap/Pos
1

2

3

4

5

6

7
0
6
5
14
17
7
10
15
1
6
5
17
14
15
10
7
2
6
5
17
14
15
10
7
3
6
5
14
17
15
10
7
4
6
5
14
17
15
10
7
5
6
5
14
17
15
10
7
6
6
5
14
17
15
7
16
7
6
5
14
17
15
7
16
8
6
14
17
15
7
16
8
9
6
14
17
15
7
16
8
10
6
14
17
15
7
16
8
11
6
14
17
7
15
16
8
12
6
14
17
7
16
15
8
13
6
14
17
7
16
15
8
14
6
14
17
7
16
8
11
15
6
14
17
7
16
8
11
16
6
14
17
7
16
8
11
17
6
14
17
7
16
8
11
18
6
14
17
7
16
8
11
19
6
14
17
7
16
8
11
20
6
14
17
7
16
8
11




Race 2 - 23 laps

Modena, Tarquini and Thiim attempting to start from the pits. Wurz came in at the end of the warm-up lap and got out of the car.

Again it was a slow rolling start, and again Nannini led into the first corner, this time from Fisichella. But the race only lasted a corner more before there was a pile-up and the red flags were brought out.

The silver Mercedes of Schneider pushed the Opel of Dalmas as it was turning into the corner, causing it to spin right as the Mercedes of Franchitti spun left. As the Opel rebounded off the barrier and spun around, it was collected head on by the Opel of Lehto ("It was like a car accident in Italy during the winter time when its foggy - it happened all very quickly, and it's a blind corner"). The resulting debris blocked the track, and numerous cars were stacked up behind the wreckage. The track was gradually cleared and the restart scheduled for 20 laps. On the surviving cars, tank-tape was seen in abundance, Reuter using it to keep his front splitter together. The restart was also a reprieve to Wurz, who was able to get back out on the grid.

The restart was clean, everyone making it through, and the racing was close, but there was little passing. The qualifying system for the second race means that the fastest cars are at the front and the slowest at the back in race trim. Thus the cars circulated extremely closely, but there was little passing. Although the front five cars were covered by less than four seconds, it took until lap five to see the first overtaking manouevre, when Franchitti was passed by Wurz.

Again the positions stabilised, Nannini around 0.5s ahead of Fisichella, who was about 1s ahead of Ludwig, who was in turn about 0.7s ahead of Alzen. followed by Reuter, Van Ommen and Gavin. Lap 10 and out went Ellen Lohr again, a problem with the ABS system this time. The closeness of the lead battle meant that the gaps didn't really matter. The clocks said the gaps were about 0.5s or so, but it was more a case of car lengths. It was frustrating the drivers, and on lap 17 Ludwig misjudged his braking slightly at the chicane, tapping the back of Fisichella, breaking part of his bodywork. This slowed Ludwig slightly, allowing Alzen to get a look at the Parabolica. Lap 18 and Ludwig did it properly. Going into the sequence of corners before the chicane, Ludwig moved over to the right very early, and as Fisichella moved over on the line he normally took, contact was made. Fisichella span off into the gravel, but rejoined in sixth. It was then a steady run to the flag, although on the last lap Stuck dived inside and past Wurz at the chicane.

Results
Pos
Driver Time
1
Nannini34:46.099
2
Ludwig+2.251
3
Alzen+3.302
4
Reuter+4.293
5
VanOmmen+4.696
6
Fisichella+11.954
7
Gavin+19.591
8
Stuck+20.235
9
Wurz+20.734
10
Modena+21.310
11
Franchitti+21.854
12
Schneider+26.515
13
Danner+46.263
14
Tarquini+1:28.914
15
Giudici+1 lap
16
Lohr+11 laps
17
Magnussen+18 laps
18
Larini+19 laps




Championship:
Pos
Driver Pts
1
Reuter84 pts
2
Magnussen51
3
Franchitti42
4
Nannini41
=
Schneider41
6
Alzen39
7
Van Ommen34
8
Ludwig27
9
Fisichella26
10
Lehto23




Lap Chart - Top 7 Positions
Lap/Pos
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0
614 177 178 11
1
614 1716 711 8
2
614 1716 711 8
3
614 1716 711 8
4
614 1716 711 8
5
614 1716 711 8
6
614 1716 711 8
7
614 1716 711 8
8
614 1716 711 8
9
614 1716 711 8
10
614 1716 711 8
11
614 1716 711 8
12
614 1716 711 8
13
614 1716 711 8
14
614 1716 711 8
15
614 1716 711 8
16
614 1716 711 8
17
614 1716 711 8
18
617 167 1114 8
19
617 167 1114 8
20
617 167 1115 8

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