Among all the silly proposals that have been going around in the last couple of weeks, the one that I thought would bring some fun as well as spectacle and more often than not would also alter the results. I don't remember where I read it or whose idea it was, but basically, once the qualifying is over (which of course will provide the basis for records accounting, prize money and team prestige), each driver will then take his starting position out of a hat containing all the car numbers! Sometimes you will be at the front, and sometimes you will be at the back! Knowing Michael's luck, he will probably be on pole every time! But can you imagine the fireworks on those opening laps... great!

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There have been lots of memorable Japanese Grand Prix to remember, but two particular years, 1988 and 1989, come to mind when we had those two giants of the sport fighting for the world championship at this event. In 1988 Ayrton Senna completely screwed up the start by stalling the engine from pole, but he was lucky! As he let the car roll on the slight downhill of the start and finish straight, he dropped the clutch and to his immense relief the Honda engine restarted and he was off. I believe he lost 14 places, but completed the first lap in eighth place.

From then on the world witnessed the fiery determination and will to win of this man possessed then by the possibility of grabbing the world championship, as he drove lap after lap like a man inspired, until he caught and passed his teammate and was not challenged again. Towards the end of the race a short shower made the track very slippery, and although Alain was very close behind, both of them slowed right down and the championship was won. On the last lap Ayrton went completely berserk over the car intercom, as he was so happy at having achieved his life's ambition he was practically delirious. We exchanged a few impolite words in Portuguese by way of celebration!

Just as happy as Ayrton was, Alain was inconsolable. On the day, Ayrton was unbeatable, and although Alain had the majority of points to claim the championship, 1988 was the first of the three years when the FIA decided (god knows why) that only the best 11 results would count towards the world championship. Therefore, ironically, Alain was betrayed unwittingly by his own French compatriots of the FIA. For this reason, no-one seem to be very excited after the race about who was champion, and some people though it was unfair.

Unlike 1984, when Alain won seven Grands Prix and Niki Lauda won five and the championship went to Lauda by ½ point, and I really thought then that it was a great injustice. However, this time at least the championship had gone to the man who had won more races, albeit only one more.

The way in which Senna had just won on the day would undoubtedly tip the balance, up to then the relation between them was great, and after the race they happily posed with Mr. Honda for a celebration photo. Ayrton took the whole team to the steak house at the Suzuka circuit hotel for a relaxing dinner - it had been an unbelievably successful year but also a hard one.

After a few whiskies, saki and wine, Ayrton still could not believe that finally his lifelong dream had been achieved and he repeatedly asked me to pinch him to assure himself that he wasn't dreaming, and he really was Champion of the World!! I said to him, 'Tomorrow morning when you are sober, and the room maid brings you the papers, you will be able to read it for yourself and you will then believe it! Yes, Brazil has another champion.'

The 1989 Japanese Grand Prix was completely the opposite, as the relationship between the two titans had been deteriorating race by race and with two races to go and Alain leading by 16 points, the atmosphere was very tense, especially on Ayrton's side, but if there was one driver who could stand the pressure, that driver was Ayrton. In qualifying he put out one of the best laps of his racing career to establish his 41st pole, a lap that completely mesmerized Alain who was under no illusion that he could contest such an almost incredible lap time, but would be happy to start side by side to his teammate if he was to have a chance at winning the championship back.

Alain did manage to put his car on the front row, even though a clear 1.7 seconds from Ayrton's time. That difference in time, probably the biggest one during their time together at McLaren, shows the determination which Ayrton had to win the race and keep his Championship.

On race day, as you can imagine, the pressure on the team and Honda were greater than ever before. We had to deliver two perfect cars which would be able to complete the race in the same shape and form as they started. In the race Prost made a better start and showed that he was ready for the battle by taking a lead of almost 4 seconds in the first five laps, the gap between them more or less stayed until the pit stops.

After the stops Ayrton seemed to have found more speed with new rubber, and started cutting the gap from 5 seconds to 0.5 seconds in the next ten laps, breaking the lap record in the process. He was using every kerb in all the corners, and as they got to the chicane on lap 47 Ayrton saw his chance by getting on the inside. Alain, not being exactly an amateur, had covered well, and now of all times he was not prepared to give way to Ayrton's aggression any more.

However by this time Ayrton was committed to the manoeuver, and rather than giving up, he put his two right hand wheels off the circuit by the entrance of the pit road, and then in the grass. Alain could not believe the determination of Ayrton and instinctively turned right earlier into the chicane, shutting the door and colliding with his teammate. Both cars came to a pathetic stop in the middle of the track, and Alain undid his belts and jumped out, thinking it was all over.

Senna, being Senna, stayed in the car and demanded that the marshals push him back and then forward to restart. They did that and he was able to get back on to the circuit, but his mistake was that he completely overshot the chicane. If he had gone backwards and re-entered the circuit without cutting the chicane, perhaps he would not have been penalized!!! Anyway, he was able to get back to the pits and change his nose, and carried on for the remaining few laps, long enough to catch and overtake Alessandro Nannini who had taken the lead in the meantime. Ayrton won on the track but the win was disallowed which caused one of the biggest controversies of the sport in that decade.

I, together with the rest of the team, felt totally gutted and cheated as we had dominated the entire weekend yet we were going home emptyhanded!

Next day, as I sat with Alain at the airport having a post-mortem, I pointed out that he had probably made two of the biggest mistakes of his racing life. Firstly, having seen Ayrton coming in like a missile on his inside before the chicane, he should have just moved out of the way, as there was no way that Ayrton would have been able to negotiate the corner. He would not have had the grip to slow down in time and would have gone straight on.

Secondly, I asked him, 'Why did you get out of the car? If the marshals had pushed both of you, maybe the authorities would not had penalized either of you!! Your car was completely alright and in one piece including the nose!' Alain turned to me and laughed, 'It was a mighty old bang, my right wheel was full lock on to the right!! I should have looked at the left one, that was probably full lock on to the right as well !!!'

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Oh well, another year has gone, and at times I feel that I left the sport at the right time. This without a doubt has been the most unexciting racing season I have ever seen. We can but hope that things improve next year, and that those with the powers do not spoil what has always been a great sport.

In the meantime winter well! Sayonara,

Jo X