Boutsen’s hilarious throwback to Imola glory

In a hilarious throwback at the Emilia Romagna GP, Thierry Boutsen relived his legendary 1985 San Marino GP finish, pushing his Arrows A8 past the chequered flag after Saturday’s historic F1 demo run, with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali waving it like a gleeful maestro.

Back in ’85, Boutsen heroically shoved his fuel-starved car to third after a chaotic final lap saw top runners Ayrton Senna and Stefan Johansson run dry under strict fuel rules.

While the Belgian’s determination landed him in third place behind winner Alain Prost and runner-up Elio de Angelis, he was eventually elevated to second after the former was disqualified when his McLaren came in underweight.

However, Boutsen took advantage of a clever ploy to ensure he reaped the benefits of his efforts.

“Back then, we only had one button in the cockpit for the boost pressure, and a tachometer,” he recalled. That’s it,” he recalled.

“We had no idea how much fuel we were consuming. I remember driving as slowly as possible throughout the entire race to save fuel, knowing that fuel consumption in Imola is always very high.

“That approach worked perfectly. Until fifty meters before the finish line…”

At the time, it wasn’t lost on the now sprightly 67-year-old that drivers were not allowed to push their car on the track. Unless…

“It was all intentional,” he added. “I knew the rules and understood that the driver was not allowed to push the car, except if the car was in a dangerous position.

“When the car stalled, I deliberately left it on the track instead of parking it on the grass, so I could push it. I had this scenario in my mind during the final lap. And the trick worked, call it a spontaneous strategic decision.”