In The Season That Power Could Not Control, Part One traces how the 1986 Formula One season was shaped long before its dramatic conclusion.

This episode explores the conditions that made the year so unstable: turbo power pushed beyond restraint, fuel limits that distorted racing rather than containing it, and a championship environment where speed routinely outpaced control. At the centre sat Williams — owners of the fastest car and the strongest package, but without the internal discipline required to manage success.

As contrasting driving styles emerged within the same team, momentum began to distort judgement. Victories created expectation rather than security, while equality without authority left key decisions unresolved. Outside that internal struggle, restraint proved more effective than aggression, and disruption proved as influential as dominance.

Part One is not about how the championship was lost — it is about how it was quietly put at risk. By mid-season, the table still looked open, but the foundations were already unstable.

Join us again tomorrow for pressure, reaction and consequence from racing’s rich and chequered past.

Cover image: By Morio - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

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Music by #Mubert Music Rendering