Whale, its certainly hard for me to fathom that it was twenty years ago today (8/25/91) that I sat in front of le Telescreen totally engrossed watching the very first Grand Prix start of DER TERMINATOR’s illustrious F1 career in arguably Juan ‘O Formula one’s BEST EVER looking chassis, the Irish Springs, Err Green Jordan 191 with 7up livery on its Airbox...
As a fresh faced 22yr old German by the name of Michael Schumacher set the World Ablaze with massive electrical BUZZ over his qualifying EJ’s mount on the fourth row of the grid in P7! Substituting for the freshly incarcerated French-Belgian Bertrand Gachot who’d assaulted a London Taxi Cab driver with CS Gas...
And although Schuey would only go some scant 100-yards before retiring with a broken clutch; to put things in perspective, ironically Ayrton Senna was on Pole in his McLaren-Honda with Alain Prost’s Ferrari alongside. Row-2 consisted of BLOODY ‘NIGE (Nigel Mansell) in the Williams-Renault and Gerhard Berger in the sister McLaren-Honda. Row-3 saw Jean Alesi in the second Ferrari with Nelson Piquet’s Benetton-Ford alongside - as FOUR World Champions (two 3-times, 1 4-timer and one Solitary plus another driver considered to be a World Champion...) were the only cars faster then the rookie Schumacher that Autumn day in the Arden
And thus, the die had been cast - as Herr Schumacher was immediately snatched from Jordan’s hands by the insistence of Tom Walkinshaw telling Flavour Flav, now going by the moniker of HMS Briatore; CRIKEYS! You’d better sign this Chap PRONTO! And the rest was history as Michael’s very next race was driving for Benetton and leaving Jordan to prattle ‘round Monza
Thus comes word that Michael will invite the entire Formula 1 Paddock over to the Mercedes GP Hospitality Hut for a drink to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of said event; perhaps a nice, fresh Bitburger, Ja-Ja!