Opposites do not attract

Mansell and Piquet by Richard Seymour

They say that opposites attract. While this is true for magnets, human relationships are far less straightforward. Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet - conveniently for the purposes of this article - possessed characters which were opposed to such an extreme as to redefine the meaning of the word.

Tabloid newspapers in Britain delighted in naming Mansell the 'Battling Brum.' With his moustache, Union Flag helmet and rugged driving style, it was an image he fitted well and took enormous pleasure in.

Like Mansell, Piquet took equal satisfaction in his own very different image as a playboy. While Mansell lived the life of a family man, Piquet lived on a yacht in Monte Carlo; an all girl crew making sure there was always wind in his sails.

Despite his committed attitude, Mansell found success and the respect that follows very difficult to come by. Four years as a Lotus driver saw him heave uncompetitive cars joylessly round the world's racetracks. Always seeking to prove a point, the sight of his black and gold Lotus with smoke rising from its locked wheels was a common one. The enduring image of Mansell pushing his fuel starved car over the line at Watkins Glen before collapsing to the baking tarmac is indicative of his struggle during those early years.

Paradoxically, at the same time, Piquet drove his Brabham to two world championships with conservative effort. His carefree reputation masked the work behind the scenes: Piquet was often the last to leave a circuit the night before a Grand Prix. Despite his jet set status, few things gave him more pleasure than rolling up to the start of a race while knowing his car was better prepared than those around him. To this end, he worked closely with his engineers and took a keen interest in the technical side of his craft.

Early in their respective careers, the two men had very little to do with each other. All this changed in 1986 when Frank Williams signed the Brazilian to partner Mansell in his Honda powered cars.

Mansell had signed a year earlier. His years of toil culminated with well deserved wins at the European Grand Prix in front of his home fans at Brands Hatch and at the last meeting of the season in South Africa. Despite this success, very few observers considered Mansell's roll at Williams as anything other than subservient to Piquet's. Certainly, the Brazilian was looking forward to an untroubled year in the most competitive car of the day, ably supported by a good number two.

Mansell, quite naturally given his recent wins, was not about to concede to his teammate after so many years struggling to secure a winning car for himself. That year saw Formula One altering its idea of the Briton. It is difficult to imagine any other driver at that time getting to grips with the Williams as he did: sheer strength of will, coupled with considerable ability behind the wheel - which is overlooked to this day - saw him blitz his stunned teammate and collect five race wins.

Piquet looked to Frank Williams for help but received none. The team prepared his car to the very limits of their skills. As far as Williams was concerned, the rest was up to him.

That season saw Mansell beat the Brazilian in the race for supremacy. However, taking advantage of the squabbling teammates, Frenchman Alain Prost collected enough points to win the title at a tumultuous final race at Adelaide, which memorably saw Mansell's Williams sliding to a halt amid a shower of orange sparks when his rear tyre burst at two hundred miles an hour.

Piquet collected his thoughts during the winter that followed and began the 1987 season in a better state of mind. Like the year before, it was Mansell who took charge of the race for the title with his dominating speed. However, the Brazilian, conceding speed to gain for reliable points, drove consistently throughout the year. Heading into the final two races of the season, it was Piquet who topped the table with his teammate playing catch up.

Anti-climactically, a grim faced Piquet accepted the crown at Suzuka in Japan while Mansell was airlifted to hospital with a shattered back, consequence of a chilling high-speed accident during qualifying.

Mansell stayed on for a difficult year without Honda engines in 1988 while Piquet struggled equally at Lotus. In retrospect, Mansell and Piquet were never going to be friends; their backgrounds and approach to life differed too greatly. The Brazilian never got used to being beaten in an equivalent car, and Mansell couldn't have cared less.

As a self confessed fan of the British driver I cannot help but feel robbed on behalf of my hero. But I choose not to dwell on 'what ifs' and instead revel in the memory of Silverstone - 1987. After pitting to change a defective tyre, Mansell hauled back a thirty-second deficit with just twenty-five laps remaining. He over took Piquet three laps from the end of the race with a move that still leaves this writer misty eyed.

The record may show that Nelson Piquet won the championship that year but for the one hundred and fifty thousand fans at Silverstone that day and the millions at home, in 1987 there was only one real world champion.

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