Driver Barred From Spanish Grand Prix

Nigel Mansell of Britain, the third-ranked race driver in this year’s Formula One point standings, was suspended today from the Spanish Grand Prix by the sport’s governing body. Ferrari team officials said they will appeal the decision, but will not replace Mansell in Sunday’s race.

Mansell was disqualified during last Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix after driving backwards in the pit lane.

He then failed to pay attention to the black flag waved at him for three laps, leaving the race only after crashing into the McLaren-Honda of defending world champion Ayrton Senna of Brazil.

The International Federation of Automobile Sports (FISA) said the federation’s World Motorsport Council had decided to suspend Mansell from the Spanish Grand Prix.

Franco Liistro, chief spokesman for Ferrari, defended Mansell and said the FISA decision will be appealed. He said the federation had violated Mansell’s right to defend himself because it did not take testimony from him.

The French sports daily L’Equipe quoted Ferrari team sporting director Cesare Fiorio as saying, “Nigel explained to me that in the right lane he had the sun in his eyes and that he never saw the flag.”

Mansell made no comment after the race and was not immediately available for comment following the suspension.

Could Replace Mansell

FISA said that Ferrari could replace Mansell with another driver in Sunday’s race. But Liistro said that is out of the question, meaning that only Austrian Gerhard Berger will be driving for Ferrari.

“We will not substitute Mansell in the Spanish Grand Prix,” he said. “In fact, we believe what Mansell has told both us and the (racing) judges. We hold him to be a serious professional and in good faith.”

In an interview published today in the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Senna was quoted as saying that Mansell’s driving tactics endangered his life and the British driver was getting off lightly.

“What happened could have finished badly, very badly,” Senna was quoted as saying. “Mansell endangered the life of another person. . . . For this reason I’m saying it’s very serious. The exclusion of Mansell from a Grand Prix, from this point of view, is very far from the most deserved punishment.”

Alain Prost of France leads the driver’s standings with 75 points, Senna is second with 51 and Mansell is third with 38. There are three races left on the schedule.