This instalment in Evro's decade-by-decade series covering all Formula 1
cars and teams is devoted to a period when some normality seemed to
return after the ground-effect and turbo excesses of the 1980s, except
for one terrible weekend in the spring of 1994. The tragic deaths of
Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna led to immense change with new
emphasis on safety, including measures to slow down the cars and improve
their structural strength, and numerous changes to circuits. In many
ways Formula 1 became more as we recognise it today, especially as the
decade's dominant teams, McLaren and Williams, remain familiar.
- Year-by-year treatment explores each season in fascinating depth,
running through the teams -- and their various cars -- in order of
importance.
- McLaren: success for this team bookended the decade, delivering
back-to-back titles for both Ayrton Senna (1990-91 with Honda engines)
and Mika Häkkinen (1998-99 with Mercedes engines).
- Williams: as with McLaren, Renault-powered Williams cars brought four
World Championship driver titles, for Nigel Mansell (1992), Alain
Prost (1993), Damon Hill (1996) and Jacques Villeneuve (1997).
- Benetton: mid-decade, this British-based team won two titles for a
sensational new talent, Michael Schumacher, powered by Ford in 1994
and by Renault in 1995.
- Ferrari: the longest-established marque, a participant in the World
Championship ever since its inception in 1950, concluded a lean decade
on an upbeat -- and prescient -- note by becoming 1999 Constructors'
Champions, with six Grand Prix wins that year.
- Other winning marques were few and far between, just Ligier (1996),
Jordan (1998-99) and Stewart (1999).
- Besides the winning cars, there is always much fascination for fans in
unsuccessful and obscure efforts, such as Andrea Moda and Venturi.
This authoritative and comprehensively illustrated book, which contains
475 color photos from the incredible archives of US-owned Motorsport
Images, shows every type of car that raced or attempted to qualify for a
race, presenting a comprehensive survey.
