The entry of Erik Zakowski’s Zakspeed team into Formula 1 in 1984 with the 841 prototype was due to the experience gained by his partner Norbert Kreyer in preparing Ford turbo engines for sports-prototype cars. Thanks to Kreyer, Zakspeed was able to enter Formula 1 with a car equipped with its own turbocharged engine. However, the regulation change banning turbocharging from 1989 put the German constructor in serious difficulty, as it could not afford to start from scratch with the development of its own naturally aspirated engine. Zakowski therefore decided to "betray" his philosophy of being a complete constructor, relying on an external partner to supply the engine for the new car of the 1990 season, the Zakspeed 891.
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| ZAKSPEED 891, Bernd Schneider Suzuka, Japanese GP 1989 |
Zakowski found an exclusive engine supplier in Yamaha, which, on paper, seemed to promise good results given the success of its OX77 V8 engine in the Japanese Formula 3000. In truth, Yamaha didn’t start from an original design, but used the historic 2994 cc Ford-Cosworth DFV as the basis for its OX77, equipping it with a new Yamaha-developed cylinder head featuring five valves per cylinder. The transition to a new Formula 1 engine was quick: after reworking bore and stroke to increase displacement to 3498 cc and solving issues with internal thermodynamics, a new five-valve head was built. The final result was the new OX88 V8 engine, given exclusively to Zakspeed for the 1989 season.
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| ZAKSPEED 891, Aguri Suzuki Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1989 |
However, the Japanese power unit turned out to be the main cause of the disastrous season that awaited the German team, which remained permanently bogged down in the pre-qualifying sessions it had to face from the beginning of the season due to the poor results of the 1988 championship. The new Yamaha unit proved reliable but completely inadequate for Formula 1, with just 560 hp, comparable to the final versions of the three-liter DFV it was derived from, but significantly less powerful than any other engine on the grid in 1989. In fact, the lack of power from the Yamaha unit made it impossible to even assess whether the new 891, designed by a new team of engineers led by Gustav Brunner and Nino Frisson, was a good car or not.
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| ZAKSPEED 891, Bernd Schneider Estoril, Portuguese GP 1989 |
The chassis was a classic carbon fiber and Kevlar monocoque, with push-rod suspension, a wheelbase of 2820 mm, and a weight just over 500 kg. The aerodynamic design at the front was fairly refined, with a classic pointed nose and very low sidepods reminiscent of the 1988 Dallara design. The engine cover followed the lines of the Japanese engine, while the tapered rear left the exhausts and gearbox area exposed. However, in Formula 1, results are what matter most: the two drivers, returning Bernd Schneider and newcomer Aguri Suzuki, achieved very poor results. Schneider managed to qualify for the race only in Brazil and Japan, retiring after a few laps in both cases due to mechanical issues, while Suzuki never got past Friday morning’s pre-qualifying sessions.
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| ZAKSPEED 891, Aguri Suzuki Suzuka, Japanese GP 1989 |
At the end of the season, long-time tobacco sponsor West, disappointed by the poor results, announced its intention to withdraw support from the team, leaving Zakspeed without the financial backing to continue in Formula 1. Erik Zakowski had to abandon his dream and, despite a tentative effort to field a "B" version of the 891 for the 1990 season, was forced to shut down the Formula 1 team and return to touring car and prototype racing. In its five years in the top tier of motorsport, the German team’s only significant result was a fifth-place finish by Martin Brundle at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1987, a season in which the German car came close to scoring points on three other occasions.
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