Keke's diary

Qualified: 7th Result: 8th

After the high of Dijon, it was back down to was earth for Keke at power-hungry Monza: 3.5sec off pole, and without a prayer of keeping up with a healthy turbo car. But he wasn’t too concerned.

“We had a different mission at Monza to finish fifth and get two points to seal the championship. And we were fairly well on course for the right result. I was just about to take sixth place from one of the Alfas when my bloody rear wing came off! In those days, we just had a little flap for tracks like Monza, and most of the down-force was provided by the ground effects. So when the car became very tail-happy, I just thought I had a rear puncture. Back at the pits, they told me the problem; it seemed to take forever to fit the new wing.”

Predictably he charged, climbing from 15th to finish eighth. Watson however, had taken fourth.

“So now, it was all or nothing in Las Vegas, a situation we hadn’t wanted.”

Championship positions:

1 Rosberg 42;

2 Pironi 39;

3 Watson 33;

4 Prost 31;

5 Lauda 30;

6 Arnoux 28;