Alesi and Warwick swap seats

Confirmed just days after a dramatic Italian Grand Prix, there was added drama off-track. The two Somerset-based teams have confirmed a driver swap for the final three races of the 1992 season. Under-fire from both their respective starting teams, both Tornado Motorsports and Mitchell have managed to agree a deal that’ll hopefully for both teams and drivers sakes, improve each others own prospects.

Frenchman Jean Alesi, the driver who single-handedly managed to wipe out not only his team-mate last time out at Monza but also both FJR’s, will be welcomed at Tornado by fellow Frenchman and championship contender, Alain Prost.

Within the vicinity of the Mitchell garage on the evening of the grand prix, an angry exchange of words between team boss Joey Mitchell and Alesi could be heard from afar. This was all but confirmed when Mr Mitchell today stated in a press conference on the eve of the Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril the following. “Basically, myself and Jean fell out and he refused to drive for me any more. So we offered him to our Somerset neighbours in exchange for Derek Warwick as he is a reliable hand unlike Jean and his unpredictable French ways.”

When questioned on his controversial manoeuvre at the Ascari chicane on lap 2, Alesi replied. “I had my reasons.” Quite likely, when Jean was called Italian by his then team boss post-race, it would not have had a positive effect on already tense intra-team relations. Mitchell has also gotten in hot water with French engine supplier Renault. Both sides blaming each other for poor performances in 1992. Team boss Joey even labelled the Renault a ‘go-kart engine.’ What won’t have saved face at Mitchell would have been the incredible pace shown in race trim by their Renault customer counterparts who went onto win the race at the venue known as ‘the temple of speed.’ Certainly, a few more red faces will have developed inside the Mitchell team after that weekend.

As it happens, whilst this particular drama was unfolding, Tornado had grown tired of their number two driver Derek Warwick ‘not living up to pre-season expectations.’ Despite team boss Tobias Wolff allegedly muttering the words to Warwick’s race engineer during the race, ‘he did a great job on Schumi’ by some distant lip reader on the pit wall. Warwick has had an incident-filled season. A general lack of pace compared to teammate Prost, a crash at Montreal, various spins at Magny Cours and Spa-Francorchamps and ultimately, throwing away a golden chance at victory in Monza. The most latter of which came shortly after controversially swiping across teammate Prost’s championship rival Michael Schumacher under braking for Parabolica which subsequently ended the German’s race.

The British driver will now head in the opposite direction to Mitchell, the works Renault team. Both of whom will be aiming to lift Mitchell out of the point-less championship after what has been a dire season for the team.