Video: Patrese Flips – Estoril 1992

The 1992 Portuguese Grand Prix at Autodromo do Estoril offered up a wealth of entertainment for fans, both on and off the circuit.

Nigel Mansell won the race in his Williams-Renault, giving him his ninth victory from the fourteen rounds of the championship up to that point and a new record for wins in a single season. That’s not what the race is remembered for, however.

Riccardo Patrese, Mansell’s Williams teammate, pulled into the pits from a comfortable second, only to be held up by an agonizingly slow pit stop and return to race pace in fourth. His speed in the pits did not reflect his speed out on the track, and he quickly caught Gerhard Berger. The two became locked in an epic battle, with Patrese unable to turn his raw pace into a pass.

A few laps count down, and Patrese is right on the back of Berger as they take Estoril’s final corner and head down the straight. Berger positions himself in the middle of the road with Patrese pulling a tow behind him. As Berger peels off and lifts to slow into the pits, Patrese clips his rear left tyre and launches into a flight that surely served as great inspiration for Mark Webber. Thankfully, he hits the deck on what’s left of his four wheels, grinding to a halt against the pit wall, shaken, but not hurt.