A remarkable charge from Nigel Mansell, during which he repeatedly smashed the lap record, came just too late to prevent Williams team-mate Riccardo Patrese winning the Mexican Grand Prix by 1.3 seconds.
For once even Senna could not live with Mansell, forced to give up the pursuit when his McLaren's engine started overheating. The start had been almost farcical after it was twice abandoned with stalled cars on the grid, and then after two painfully slow parade laps it was again delayed when there were problems with the pre-booked TV satellite links. It finally got underway almost half-an-hour late.
1996
Damon Hill took the win at the Canadian Grand Prix on a very bad day for Ferrari. Michael Schumacher stalled on the parade lap, had to start from the back of the grid, and then retired on the 43rd lap with a broken drive-shaft, while Eddie Irvine's suspension gave out on the second lap. Hill's Williams-Renault team-mate Jacques Villeneuve took what was an emotional second on the circuit named in memory of his father.
1985
Michele Alboreto led home Stefan Johansson for a Ferrari 1-2 at the Canadian Grand Prix, Alain Prost in a McLaren failing by two seconds to split the pair. "It was an easy race," Alboreto said afterwards, and once he was past championship leader Elio de Angelis in a Lotus he was not in any danger.
1930
Innes Ireland was one of the real characters of the sport in the eight seasons he competed. In his first two outings for Lotus in 1959 he finished fourth and fifth, and the following year he came fourth in the drivers' championship thanks to a second at the Dutch Grand Prix and a third at Silverstone. In 1961 he was badly injured during practice for the opening race of the year in Monaco, breaking his collarbone, wrist and leg, and almost suffering a worse fate as doctors tried to give him morphine, to which he was allergic. Only the intervention of Moss, who had gone to his aid, prevented a more serious outcome. He recovered in time to record his only F1 win in the USA GP at Watkins Glen but despite it being Lotus' first win, he was sacked. His later years were uneventful and after retiring he dabbled in a number of ventures, eventually settling back to writing, and at the time of his death in 1993 was president of the British Racing Drivers Club.
1923
Ron Flockhart, born on this day in Edinburgh, made 14 F1 championship appearances between 1954 and 1960, with his best result coming in his second outing of 1956 when he finished third at Monza in a Connaught. That same year he won the Le Mans 24-Hour, following it up with another victory in 1957. In 1961 he failed in an attempt to break the record for flying from Sydney to London - flying was always his main hobby - and it was while testing for his second crack at the record in April 1962 that he was killed when his Mustang fighter crashed.
