"To finish fourth behind a BMW shaped like a brick is not motorsport; it is a Shakespearean tragedy played out on Flemish soil. My father's name was dragged through the gravel today."
— Gilles Villeneuve (#27), weeping softly into his Nomex balaclava.
Belgium offered no comfort for USSR Lotus at the Circuit Zolder sprint, where Fabio Babini put on a clinic in his Ferrari 575 GTC, securing victory in a brief three-lap dash with a time of 4:31.581. Bobby Labonte took a distant second in the Lamborghini Murcielago, while Nick Rossberg completed the podium for BMW. Behind them, Gilles Villeneuve fought to fourth, but the real tragedy unfolded further down. Fernando Horta's race ended in total desolation, retiring his Saleen S7-R on lap two with a painful DNF after circulating nearly ten seconds off the pace.
The Sorrow of the Airwaves: Radio Transcript
Horta (#01): Gex, the car is weeping. I can feel the tyres mourning their lost tread. Every corner feels like an eternity of sadness. Is there no mercy in Flanders?
Gex (#01 crew): This is like amateur hour at the Apollo, Fernando. Press the pedal on the right, not the one that makes you look like a Sunday driver in a '72 Brasília. Seriously, this is worse than a tax audit at Austin Powers' house.
Horta (#01): I am entering the Terlamenbocht chicane, but my soul remains in the paddock! The Saleen is steering with the weight of a thousand regrets! My best lap is a 1:38.627... I am but a ghost on the asphalt!
Gex (#01 crew): Your soul isn't the only thing missing; we've got a DNF incoming because you're driving like you're trying to collect royalties on every curb strike. Pull it in before the engine detonates. I haven't seen a performance this painful since the launch of the Virtual Boy.
Horta (#01): *sob* The engine has expired! The Saleen has given up its spirit! The tragedy is complete!
Gex (#01 crew): Fantastic. Now I have to walk back to the garage. Note to self: don't get team strategy tips from a Brazilian friend. Back to the media room for some cheap TV.
Post-Race Press Gaggle
Jacques Strap (La Libre Belgique): Fernando, you managed only two laps before the Saleen died of apparent grief. Was this a terminal mechanical issue, or was the car simply rejected by the track?
Horta: It was a spiritual collapse of the machinery. Also, the team was harmed by some highly suspect muamba spark plugs we bought near the border. The car simply lacked the will to live.
Anita Brake (The Flemish Herald): With Fabio Babini winning so comfortably, and your own teammate nowhere to be seen, are you concerned that USSR Lotus is becoming a travelling circus rather than a racing team?
Horta: Circus implies we have a tent. Right now, we only have tears, and a very angry gecko on the pit wall.
Ps. Liz, we found your lost screwdriver wedged inside the airbox. This explains several strange whistling noises, though unfortunately not the DNF.
