Formula One news

Mansell faces uphill struggle at Silverstone

A captivating qualifying session at Silverstone on Saturday saw local hero Nigel Mansell come unstuck while only 700ths of a second separated the top three drivers. Ex-Formula One driver and German Touring Car Champion, Christian Danner, took pole position with 1:36.916, followed by Stefan Johansson and Derek Warwick third. 

Nigel Mansell meanwhile had a day he would rather forget. A hydraulic failure caused a pipe to blow on his first lap out of the pits, and the 1992 World Champion spun on his own water at terrifyingly high speed. He will start from the back of the grid tomorrow. Will  he be able to carve his way through the pack? Well, this is 'il Lione' after all. 

"First of all I'd like to congratulate GP Masters on the most fantastic qualifying session yet," said Mansell. "To have nearly four cars separated within a tenth of a second is a tremendous success. For me the session was quite difficult. I didn't get out until half way through and then we had a major problem with the engine and gearbox. Eventually there was a hydraulic lock on the water system which blew one of the pipes off. Then I had a huge spin at about 170mph, which woke me up a bit! Knowing the problems we have, I parked it as soon as I could so we didn't destroy the engine. Success in the race will be tough, coming from the back of the grid. Plus I've had so little running. I'm not holding my breath, but I would love to have a great race."

The 30-lap race starts at 1pm today.

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