8 replies to this topic

[bluevulcansix]

Back in the dark days of pre-qualifying, it is my understanding that the top 13 teams from the previous season would be given automatic entry into real qualifying, with the remaining teams competing for the 4 remaining qualifying slots.
At the start of 1992, according to that logic, Fondmetal, Footwork and the farcial Andrea Moda teams should've been the pre-qualifiers.
However, come the 3rd round of 1992 at Brazil (the first event Moda showed up), the pre-qualifiers were:
Gachot (Larrousse)
Alboreto (Footwork)
Chisea (Fondmetal)
Katayama (Larrousse)
Moreno (Moda)
McCarthy (Moda)
2 Things are confusing me:
1) What are Larrousse doing in pre-qualifying after scoring 2 points in 1991 and thus placing 11 in the constructors?
2) Why do Chisea & Alboreto have to pre-qualify, whilst their teammates Tarquini & Suzuki do not?
Any answers, anyone? Thanks!

[Zeroninety]

Back in the dark days of pre-qualifying, it is my understanding that the top 13 teams from the previous season would be given automatic entry into real qualifying, with the remaining teams competing for the 4 remaining qualifying slots.
At the start of 1992, according to that logic, Fondmetal, Footwork and the farcial Andrea Moda teams should've been the pre-qualifiers.
However, come the 3rd round of 1992 at Brazil (the first event Moda showed up), the pre-qualifiers were:
Gachot (Larrousse)
Alboreto (Footwork)
Chisea (Fondmetal)
Katayama (Larrousse)
Moreno (Moda)
McCarthy (Moda)
2 Things are confusing me:
1) What are Larrousse doing in pre-qualifying after scoring 2 points in 1991 and thus placing 11 in the constructors?
2) Why do Chisea & Alboreto have to pre-qualify, whilst their teammates Tarquini & Suzuki do not?
Any answers, anyone? Thanks!

Did Larrousse's situation have something to do with them switching from Lolas to their own in-house chassis for 1992?

[e34fanatic]

I guess there was a mix-up wit Larousse´s entry in 1991. Correct me, if I´m wrong, but the rules stated back then(and even now) that the chassis must be built by entrant. As it was Larousses entry and the chassis was from Lola, it was breach of rules. I´m not exactly sure about this as it might be as Zeronity said that they changed to own chassis and then it was a New Team. Of course Brixia Motorsport Scuderia Italia used Dallara´s chassis, but for 1993 they changed to Lola.

[Michael Ferner]

1) was a bit ugly, with Guy Ligier apparently pulling strings in high places. The official reason was, iirc, that Larrousse had made a formal mistake in not acknowledging that the chassis wasn't built in-house. Anyway, it was poppycock.

2) Fondmetal had only one car on the grid in '91, so that qualified only one car for official practice, but why Footwork escapes me now!

[rateus]

2) Fondmetal had only one car on the grid in '91, so that qualified only one car for official practice, but why Footwork escapes me now!

Fondmetal's only qualifying one car meant that the last team on the list (Footwork) could also only qualify one car - their entries would have been the 26th and 27th on the rankings. Alboreto got the pre-qualifying gig because a) he was considered more likely to make it / b) Suzuki was paying the bills ;)

[ReWind]

Why open a new thread although there is already this one?

[bluevulcansix]

1) was a bit ugly, with Guy Ligier apparently pulling strings in high places. The official reason was, iirc, that Larrousse had made a formal mistake in not acknowledging that the chassis wasn't built in-house. Anyway, it was poppycock.

So, were Larrousse considered a new entrant for 1992? And if that was the case why were they allowed to continue with Nos. 29 & 30?
More to the point, why should Guy Ligier care when both his cars would've escaped pre-qualifying anyway on countback against Fondmetal & Footwork?

Edited by bluevulcansix, 11 January 2010 - 19:34.

[uechtel]

As I recall the "Ligier"-rule was inventend already at the end of 1988 when otherwise their two cars would have been in the prequalifying group for 1989. So the idea was to take Rial and Dallara one "free" entry away with the argumentation, that they had qualified only one car ahead of Ligier each in 1988. Silly, as I think the second Ligier was even beaten by the Coloni. But obviously in two car teams the best result of one car counted for the other car, too! To me it felt like playing cards with my grandmother, she always invented new rules during the game...

And why not 29 and 30 for Larrousse? Both numbers were free...

I think the number system was only kind of unwritten rule rather than a hard reglementation.

[uechtel]

More to the point, why should Guy Ligier care when both his cars would've escaped pre-qualifying anyway on countback against Fondmetal & Footwork?

Of course each position further up in the team ranking meant also more financial backing from FOCA.