Classic Reports: Ayrton Senna Wins Shortest-ever Formula One Gp

Nigel Mansell escaped with a badly bruised ankle after a high-speed crash in yesterday's Australian Grand Prix, a race washed out by torrential rain after only 14 of its scheduled 81 laps.

'The event should never have been allowed to start,' said Ayrton Senna, whose McLaren-Honda was leading the field when the race was red-flagged to a halt. 'I only elected to take the start because of the loyalty of my team which has done so much for me over the past three seasons - and because of our interest in the constructors' championship.

The Brazilian, already confirmed as world champion, added: 'It was understood that I would use my judgment to stop any time that I felt the conditions were impossible. But it was not a race, just a procession of people attempting to keep their cars on the roads.'

By the time the embarrassing fiasco was halted the circuit was littered with badly damaged cars. Mansell was involved in one of several accidents caused by lack of grip and visibility in the appalling conditions.

The English driver, whose Williams had been challenging Senna for the lead in the opening stages, lost control of his car when traversing a particularly deep pool of rain and slammed sideways into a concrete retaining wall at the side of the track. He was helped from the car and taken to the circuit medical centre where his leg injury was diagnosed as no more than a badly bruised ankle.

Others in trouble included Michael Schumacher, who spun his Benetton-Ford, and Satoru Nakajima. In his last Formula One race the Japanese driver's Tyrrell-Honda savaged Thierry Boutsen's Ligier early in the race, forcing the Belgian to retire with a puncture and deranged rear suspension.

In another incident a couple of track marshals were slightly injured when Mauricio Gugelmin's Leyton House crashed into the pit barrier.

In cases where the red flag is displayed the race result is determined by the leading order on the previous lap, so Mansell was credited with second place. Yet because only half-points are awarded in races which are stopped prematurely, the Williams team had no chance of overhauling McLaren's lead in the constructors' world championship. Third place for Gerhard Berger, who also spun on the treacherous surface, clinched the team title for McLaren by 14 points from Williams, with Ferrari third.

Nelson Piquet's Benetton took fourth place ahead of Riccardo Patrese's Williams. Gianni Morbidelli, in his first drive since replacing the dismissed Alain Prost in the Ferrari cockpit, earned half a point for sixth place.

It was a disappointing note on which to end a close-fought battle for the world championship and one which focused attention on the dangers of staging a grand prix on a poorly drained road circuit. Two years ago the race was run over its full distance in similarly treacherous conditions, but on this occasion visibility was becoming impossible too.

Australian spectators were taken aback when the race was not restarted after a break of more than an hour and a half. But, as the retired triple world champion Niki Lauda pointed out, it would not have been right if commercial expediency had been allowed to overrule common-sense driver security.