What happend in 1981/82

[ozrevhead]

Ive seen on many forums a compararson on this debacle in Indy to 1981/82. I wasnt born until August 1982 & was wondering what exactly happend

thanks in advance

[N I Tram]

FISA and FOCA were fighting for control of F1 - leading to the grandee teams like Renault and Ferrari boycotting one race (which was later made non-championship), and the other teams such as McLaren/Williams/Lotus boycotting the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix (which retained its points status even though only 4 competitive cars ran).

[Mekola]

N I Tram, the FISA teams (Ferrari - Renault - Alfa Romeo), boycotted two races during the Ecclestone/Balestre war. They were the 1980 Spanish GP and the 1981 South African GP. Both races were made non-championship races.
1982 San Marino GP retained its points status because FISA-allied teams agreed to race though, but there were present Tyrrell, Osella, ATS and Toleman too. Very similar to last F1 race.

[312T4]

Yes, the 82 Imola strike was very similar to what has happened in usgp.

[TheNewBob]

The '82 San Marino race was pretty much Renault vs Ferrari, until the Renault's dropped out - then we had that wonderful Villeneuve/Pirroni battle (and, for the record, ozrevhead, I was born in '84 lol), which of course ended in their fall-out, and ultimately in Zolder Gilles' sad demise.

But it does show how F1 has never really been free from politics since - the FISA/FOCA situations, the Senna/Prost championship deciders, the whole 1994 season, the change to groove tyres and the Hakkinen/DC team orders agreement at Melbourne, the Ferrari '02 team orders, the '03 season rules, and of course the rule changes for this year and ultimately the USGP - I've probably missed quite a lot there too!

So give it time and this year's USGP will probably be in detail in a history book just like the '81/82 situations. Of course there were drivers strikes even before that - was it in '78 or '79? something like a season opener I believe...?

Sorry if this, in the end, seems like a load of rubbish to anyone lol - I'm getting near me 500 posts mark and wanted to bump up me numbers by elaborating on a reply lol

[ensign14]

Originally Posted by Mekola

N I Tram, the FISA teams (Ferrari - Renault - Alfa Romeo), boycotted two races during the Ecclestone/Balestre war. They were the 1980 Spanish GP and the 1981 South African GP. Both races were made non-championship races.

Technically the 1981 SA GP always was non-Championship - it was organized by FOCA, the Formula One Constructors' Association, and therefore never part of the FIA WC. However it could have been race 1 of the Grand Prix WC or whatever Ecclestone's was to be called.

Spain 1980 was non-WC because the organizers were caught in a cleft stick. The drivers had all been fined because of non-appearance at a driver briefing - at the FOCA members' insistence - and were told not to pay fines.

There was a shemozzle about this and the Spanish GP was going to have something like 6 cars, including the dreadfully slow Ferraris (8 points all season), so they allowed the FOCA drivers to race - and the FISA "grandees" pulled out.

San Marino 82 was caused by a spat over water bottles, the FOCA teams having giant water tanks on their cars "to cool the brakes" which they were allowed under the regs to top up - effectively meaning they ran underweight...Osella got a 4th place, hurrah, and Tyrrell broke the boycott cos their new sponsors were Imola-based.

[ozrevhead]

thank

it does show that if the right cards are played the F1 can rise above controvies