Alain Prost revived his championship challenge with victory in the 1986 Austrian Grand Prix. Benetton had locked out the front row, but reliability transformed the race, leaving Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson to complete the podium for Ferrari.
Race Guide
Season: 1986 F1 World Championship
Race date: 17 August 1986
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Österreichring
Laps: 52 laps
Circuit length: 5.942 km
1985 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Teo Fabi | Benetton |
| Pole time | 1:23.549 | |
| Fastest lap | Gerhard Berger | Benetton |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:29.444 on lap 49 | |
| First | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| Second | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
| Third | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 15 August 1986 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 15 August 1986 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 16 August 1986 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 16 August 1986 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 17 August 1986 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 17 August 1986 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Nigel Mansell arrived at round 12 leading the 1986 F1 World Championship on 55 points, with Ayrton Senna on 48. Williams – Honda headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 102 points.
Race entries
The same drivers continued from Hungary, with Gerhard Berger attracting particular attention at his home race. Arrows kept developing its troublesome new car, while Minardi gave Alessandro Nannini the newer chassis. The fast Österreichring presented a very different test from the tight Hungaroring.
Friday Free Practice
Friday running included a frightening accident for Derek Warwick after a tyre failure sent his Brabham into the barriers. He escaped injury, but Pirelli withdrew the tyre type involved as a precaution. Stefan Johansson also went off during the day, while the circuit’s bumps and speed made a stable car essential.
Friday Qualifying
Keke Rosberg was fastest on Friday, ahead of Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet. McLaren initially appeared capable of repeating its Hockenheim qualifying success, although the powerful BMW-engined cars remained a threat.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1986 Austrian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 15 August 1986
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren | 1:23.956 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:24.346 | — |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:25.090 | — |
| 4 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:25.515 | — |
| 5 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton | 1:25.638 | — |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:26.152 | — |
| 7 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:26.421 | — |
| 8 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:26.648 | — |
| 9 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:26.650 | — |
| 10 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 1:26.797 | — |
| 11 | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham | 1:26.892 | — |
| 12 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 1:26.999 | — |
| 13 | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus | 1:27.212 | — |
| 14 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1:27.263 | — |
| 15 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola | 1:27.420 | — |
| 16 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola | 1:27.628 | — |
| 17 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 1:28.572 | — |
| 18 | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 1:29.073 | — |
| 19 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:29.155 | — |
| 20 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows | 1:29.430 | — |
| 21 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:31.455 | — |
| 22 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:31.974 | — |
| 23 | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi | 1:33.263 | — |
| 24 | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:35.070 | — |
| 25 | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella | 1:38.731 | — |
| 26 | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | 2:21.202 | — |
Saturday Free Practice
Williams encountered mechanical problems as the weekend progressed, while Ayrton Senna struggled to find a satisfactory Lotus set-up. Stefan Johansson had another accident on Saturday and continued despite discomfort. Benetton’s cars looked far happier on the fast layout, giving the team genuine hopes of converting its speed into a strong result.
Saturday Qualifying
Teo Fabi took pole on Saturday with 1:23.549, narrowly beating Gerhard Berger to give Benetton the entire front row. Keke Rosberg was third and Riccardo Patrese fourth. The four principal title contenders lined up behind them, led by Alain Prost in fifth.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1986 Austrian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 16 August 1986
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:23.549 | — |
| 2 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton | 1:23.743 | — |
| 3 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren | 1:23.903 | — |
| 4 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:24.044 | — |
| 5 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:24.635 | — |
| 6 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:24.697 | — |
| 7 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:25.249 | — |
| 8 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:25.285 | — |
| 9 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:25.561 | — |
| 10 | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham | 1:25.726 | — |
| 11 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 1:25.917 | — |
| 12 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 1:26.312 | — |
| 13 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola | 1:26.489 | — |
| 14 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1:26.646 | — |
| 15 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola | 1:27.476 | — |
| 16 | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus | 1:27.833 | — |
| 17 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 1:28.018 | — |
| 18 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:28.598 | — |
| 19 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:28.645 | — |
| 20 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:28.951 | — |
| 21 | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 1:29.583 | — |
| 22 | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi | 1:29.615 | — |
| 23 | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | 1:32.512 | — |
| 24 | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:33.988 | — |
| 25 | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella | 1:36.150 | — |
| 26 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows | 1:40.236 | — |
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Friday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:26.421 | 1:23.549 | 1:23.549 | — |
| 2 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton | 1:25.638 | 1:23.743 | 1:23.743 | — |
| 3 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren | 1:23.956 | 1:23.903 | 1:23.903 | — |
| 4 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:26.648 | 1:24.044 | 1:24.044 | — |
| 5 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:24.346 | 1:25.285 | 1:24.346 | — |
| 6 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:25.515 | 1:24.635 | 1:24.635 | — |
| 7 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:25.090 | 1:24.697 | 1:24.697 | — |
| 8 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:26.650 | 1:25.249 | 1:25.249 | — |
| 9 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:26.152 | 1:25.561 | 1:25.561 | — |
| 10 | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham | 1:26.892 | 1:25.726 | 1:25.726 | — |
| 11 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 1:26.999 | 1:25.917 | 1:25.917 | — |
| 12 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 1:26.797 | 1:26.312 | 1:26.312 | — |
| 13 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola | 1:27.628 | 1:26.489 | 1:26.489 | — |
| 14 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1:27.263 | 1:26.646 | 1:26.646 | — |
| 15 | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus | 1:27.212 | 1:27.833 | 1:27.212 | — |
| 16 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola | 1:27.420 | 1:27.476 | 1:27.420 | — |
| 17 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 1:28.572 | 1:28.018 | 1:28.018 | — |
| 18 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:29.155 | 1:28.598 | 1:28.598 | — |
| 19 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:31.974 | 1:28.645 | 1:28.645 | — |
| 20 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:31.455 | 1:28.951 | 1:28.951 | — |
| 21 | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 1:29.073 | 1:29.583 | 1:29.073 | — |
| 22 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows | 1:29.430 | 1:40.236 | 1:29.430 | — |
| 23 | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi | 1:33.263 | 1:29.615 | 1:29.615 | — |
| 24 | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | 2:21.202 | 1:32.512 | 1:32.512 | — |
| 25 | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:35.070 | 1:33.988 | 1:33.988 | — |
| 26 | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella | 1:38.731 | 1:36.150 | 1:36.150 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell headed the warm-up, but Brabham’s gearbox difficulties were more consequential. Derek Warwick’s car needed repairs, and Riccardo Patrese then encountered trouble before the start. With Riccardo Patrese higher on the grid, the team handed him Derek Warwick’s car, leaving the British driver unable to race.
Warm-up Classification
1986 Austrian Grand Prix Warm-up, 17 August 1986
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:29.372 | — |
| 2 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | +0.306s | — |
| 3 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton | +0.316s | — |
| 4 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren | +0.600s | — |
| 5 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | +0.930s | — |
| 6 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | +0.966s | — |
| 7 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | +1.196s | — |
| 8 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | +1.250s | — |
| 9 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | +1.700s | — |
| 10 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | +2.226s | — |
| 11 | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham | +2.410s | — |
| 12 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | +2.450s | — |
| 13 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | +2.686s | — |
| 14 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | +3.003s | — |
| 15 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola | +3.030s | — |
| 16 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola | +3.706s | — |
| 17 | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus | +4.460s | — |
| 18 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | +4.576s | — |
| 19 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows | +4.600s | — |
| 20 | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | +5.006s | — |
| 21 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | +5.723s | — |
| 22 | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | +5.826s | — |
| 23 | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi | +6.150s | — |
| 24 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | +6.306s | — |
| 25 | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | +7.920s | — |
| 26 | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella | +9.013s | — |
What happened in the 1986 Austrian Grand Prix?
Gerhard Berger led Teo Fabi away, and the Benettons established a clear advantage. Teo Fabi passed his team-mate only for his engine to fail moments later. Gerhard Berger then lost several laps with a battery problem during his stop, handing the initiative to the championship contenders.
Both Williams cars retired, Nelson Piquet with an overheating engine and Nigel Mansell with a driveshaft failure. Ayrton Senna was also out, leaving Alain Prost in command. Keke Rosberg appeared set to complete a McLaren one-two before an electrical failure ended his race near the finish.
Alain Prost won a lap clear of Michele Alboreto, with Stefan Johansson third. Alan Jones and Patrick Tambay gave Haas its first points in fourth and fifth, while Christian Danner scored sixth for Arrows. Gerhard Berger recovered to seventh and set fastest lap, but Alain Prost was the major beneficiary, moving to within two points of Nigel Mansell.
After the race, Nigel Mansell headed the drivers’ standings with 55 points, followed by Alain Prost on 53. Williams – Honda led the constructors’ table on 102, with McLaren – TAG on 72.
1986 Austrian Grand Prix race results
The 1986 Austrian Grand Prix was held on 17 August 1986.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 52 | 1:21:22.531 | 9 |
| 2 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 51 | + 1 Lap | 6 |
| 3 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 50 | + 2 Laps | 4 |
| 4 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola | 50 | + 2 Laps | 3 |
| 5 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola | 50 | + 2 Laps | 2 |
| 6 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows | 49 | + 3 Laps | 1 |
| 7 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton | 49 | + 3 Laps | 0 |
| 8 | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | 48 | + 4 Laps | 0 |
| 9 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren | 47 | Electrical | 0 |
| 10 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 47 | + 5 Laps | 0 |
| 11 | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 46 | + 6 Laps | 0 |
| Ret | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 32 | Halfshaft | 0 |
| Ret | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 29 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 25 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 17 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 16 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 13 | Suspension | 0 |
| Ret | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi | 13 | Clutch | 0 |
| Ret | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 13 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 12 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 10 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus | 9 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 8 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella | 6 | Electrical | 0 |
| Ret | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 2 | Engine | 0 |
| DNS | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham | 0 | Car raced by Patrese | 0 |
1986 Austrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton | 49 | 1:29.444 |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 32 | 1:30.751 |
| 3 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 47 | 1:30.958 |
| 4 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 10 | 1:31.522 |
| 5 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren | 31 | 1:31.704 |
| 6 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 32 | 1:31.831 |
| 7 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 26 | 1:32.633 |
| 8 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 42 | 1:33.400 |
| 9 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 5 | 1:33.437 |
| 10 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 13 | 1:33.845 |
| 11 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 23 | 1:33.915 |
| 12 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola | 49 | 1:34.103 |
| 13 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola | 4 | 1:34.431 |
| 14 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows | 30 | 1:34.844 |
| 15 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 4 | 1:34.997 |
| 16 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 3 | 1:35.459 |
| 17 | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | Lotus | 7 | 1:35.941 |
| 18 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 3 | 1:35.965 |
| 19 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 7 | 1:36.132 |
| 20 | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi | 12 | 1:36.392 |
| 21 | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 3 | 1:36.560 |
| 22 | 29 | Huub Rothengatter | Zakspeed | 6 | 1:36.990 |
| 23 | 22 | Allen Berg | Osella | 4 | 1:39.234 |
| 24 | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 3 | 1:39.607 |
| 25 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1 | 1:46.938 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1986 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1986 Austrian Grand Prix.
1986 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 55 |
| 2 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 53 |
| 3 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | Lotus | 48 |
| 4 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Williams | 47 |
| 5 | Keke Rosberg | Finnish | McLaren | 19 |
| 6 | Jacques Laffite | French | Ligier | 14 |
| 7 | Stefan Johansson | Swedish | Ferrari | 14 |
| 8 | René Arnoux | French | Ligier | 14 |
| 9 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Ferrari | 12 |
| 10 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | Benetton | 6 |
| 11 | Martin Brundle | British | Tyrrell | 5 |
| 12 | Alan Jones | Australian | Lola | 3 |
| 13 | Johnny Dumfries | British | Lotus | 2 |
| 14 | Patrick Tambay | French | Lola | 2 |
| 15 | Teo Fabi | Italian | Benetton | 2 |
| 16 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Brabham | 2 |
| 17 | Philippe Streiff | French | Tyrrell | 1 |
| 18 | Christian Danner | German | Osella / Arrows | 1 |
| – | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Derek Warwick | British | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Jonathan Palmer | British | Zakspeed | 0 |
| – | Huub Rothengatter | Dutch | Zakspeed | 0 |
| – | Elio de Angelis | Italian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Marc Surer | Swiss | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Philippe Alliot | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Allen Berg | Canadian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Alessandro Nannini | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Eddie Cheever | American | Lola | 0 |
1986 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Honda | 102 |
| 2 | McLaren – TAG | 72 |
| 3 | Lotus – Renault | 50 |
| 4 | Ligier – Renault | 28 |
| 5 | Ferrari | 26 |
| 6 | Benetton – BMW | 8 |
| 7 | Tyrrell – Renault | 6 |
| 8 | Lola – Ford | 5 |
| 9 | Brabham – BMW | 2 |
| 10 | Arrows – BMW | 1 |
| — | Zakspeed | 0 |
| — | Lola – Hart | 0 |
| — | Osella – Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| — | Minardi – Motori Moderni | 0 |
Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.
1986 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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