1986 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Nelson Piquet made a winning start to life at Williams in the 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix, delighting the home crowd at Jacarepaguá. Ayrton Senna completed a Brazilian one-two, while Jacques Laffite brought Ligier onto the podium after a demanding afternoon in the heat.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Ayrton Senna	Lotus
Pole time	1:25.501
Fastest lap	Nelson Piquet	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:33.546 on lap 46
First	Nelson Piquet	Williams
Second	Ayrton Senna	Lotus
Third	Jacques Laffite	Ligier

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
21 March 1986	Practice 1	Morning; start unconfirmed
21 March 1986	Qualifying 1	Start time unconfirmed
22 March 1986	Practice 2	Morning; start unconfirmed
22 March 1986	Qualifying 2	Start time unconfirmed
23 March 1986	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
23 March 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

Turbo engines were compulsory for the 1986 F1 World Championship, with the fuel allowance reduced to 195 litres and no refuelling during races. There was still no mandatory boost limit, so qualifying power and race-distance economy called for very different approaches. Williams began the season without Frank Williams at the circuit following his serious road accident.

Race entries

Nelson Piquet joined Nigel Mansell at Williams, Keke Rosberg moved to McLaren and Elio de Angelis switched to Brabham. Johnny Dumfries made his debut alongside Ayrton Senna at Lotus, while Alessandro Nannini began his Formula 1 career with Minardi. Benetton took over Toleman, and René Rene Arnoux returned to a regular race seat with Ligier.

Friday Free Practice

The heat put the new machinery under immediate pressure. Brabham’s strikingly low BT55 was troubled by cooling, gearbox and electronic problems, making it difficult to exploit its BMW engine. McLaren also had a succession of smaller troubles to resolve, while the new fuel limit meant that useful race preparation involved much more than turning up the boost and chasing a quick lap.

Friday Qualifying

Nelson Piquet headed Friday qualifying with 1:26.266, ahead of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. Williams’s new signing had quickly established himself at the front, but the Lotus was close enough to threaten his provisional pole.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1986 Brazilian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 21 March 1986

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:26.266	—
2	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:26.983	—
3	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:27.046	—
4	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:28.467	—
5	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	1:28.763	—
6	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:30.156	—
7	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:30.175	—
8	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:30.363	—
9	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	1:30.452	—
10	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	1:30.563	—
11	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	1:31.138	—
12	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	1:31.429	—
13	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:31.653	—
14	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	1:31.682	—
15	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:32.911	—
16	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:32.983	—
17	15	Alan Jones	Lola	1:33.664	—
18	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:33.781	—
19	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:35.119	—
20	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:35.669	—
21	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	1:37.835	—
22	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:38.165	—
23	22	Christian Danner	Osella	1:39.389	—
24	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1:40.739	—
25	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:00:25.561	—

Saturday Free Practice

As the weekend developed, Williams had speed to spare but still needed to keep its cars and drivers intact. Nelson Piquet spun at high speed during Saturday running and hurt his wrist, although he was able to continue. Elsewhere, interruptions and mechanical problems left several teams short of running in conditions that were already hard on both cars and drivers.

Saturday Qualifying

Ayrton Senna found the decisive improvement on Saturday, taking pole with 1:25.501. Nelson Piquet retained second on his Friday time, ahead of Nigel Mansell and the two Ligiers. The front of the grid promised a particularly lively start for the home spectators.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1986 Brazilian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 22 March 1986

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:25.501	—
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:26.749	—
3	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:26.755	—
4	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	1:27.133	—
5	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:27.190	—
6	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:27.485	—
7	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	1:27.705	—
8	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:27.711	—
9	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:28.099	—
10	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:29.294	—
11	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	1:29.503	—
12	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	1:29.748	—
13	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	1:30.594	—
14	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	1:31.074	—
15	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:31.244	—
16	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:31.313	—
17	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:32.009	—
18	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:32.388	—
19	15	Alan Jones	Lola	1:33.236	—
20	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:33.784	—
21	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:34.144	—
22	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	1:34.646	—
23	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:35.988	—
24	22	Christian Danner	Osella	1:36.558	—
25	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1:37.466	—

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	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:26.983	1:25.501	1:25.501	—
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:26.266	1:26.755	1:26.266	—
3	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:27.046	1:26.749	1:26.749	—
4	25	René Arnoux	Ligier	1:30.563	1:27.133	1:27.133	—
5	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:30.175	1:27.190	1:27.190	—
6	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:30.156	1:27.485	1:27.485	—
7	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	1:28.763	1:27.705	1:27.705	—
8	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:30.363	1:27.711	1:27.711	—
9	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:28.467	1:28.099	1:28.099	—
10	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:00:25.561	1:29.294	1:29.294	—
11	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	1:30.452	1:29.503	1:29.503	—
12	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	1:31.138	1:29.748	1:29.748	—
13	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	1:31.429	1:30.594	1:30.594	—
14	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	1:31.682	1:31.074	1:31.074	—
15	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:32.911	1:31.244	1:31.244	—
16	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:31.653	1:31.313	1:31.313	—
17	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:32.983	1:32.009	1:32.009	—
18	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:35.669	1:32.388	1:32.388	—
19	15	Alan Jones	Lola	1:33.664	1:33.236	1:33.236	—
20	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:33.781	1:34.144	1:33.781	—
21	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:35.119	1:33.784	1:33.784	—
22	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	1:37.835	1:34.646	1:34.646	—
23	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:38.165	1:35.988	1:35.988	—
24	22	Christian Danner	Osella	1:39.389	1:36.558	1:36.558	—
25	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1:40.739	1:37.466	1:37.466	—

Sunday warm-up

Alain Prost set the warm-up pace, giving McLaren encouragement after a difficult qualifying weekend. Nigel Mansell was second, but his preparations were less comfortable: uncertain fuel readings raised the possibility of using the spare, and a clutch-fluid leak added another concern before the start. Getting to the grid in good order was the immediate priority.

Warm-up Classification

1986 Brazilian Grand Prix Warm-up, 23 March 1986

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:33.230	—
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	+0.776s	—
3	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	+1.500s	—
4	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+1.516s	—
5	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	+1.680s	—
6	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	+1.840s	—
7	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	+2.426s	—
8	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	+2.663s	—
9	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	+2.696s	—
10	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	+3.326s	—
11	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	+3.480s	—
12	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	+3.490s	—
13	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	+3.663s	—
14	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	+4.263s	—
15	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	+4.276s	—
16	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	+5.296s	—
17	15	Alan Jones	Lola	+5.476s	—
18	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	+5.606s	—
19	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	+5.743s	—
20	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	+5.923s	—
21	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	+6.096s	—
22	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	+7.123s	—
23	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	+10.256s	—
24	22	Christian Danner	Osella	+10.786s	—
25	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	+79.693s	—

What happened in the 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Nigel Mansell attacked Ayrton Senna on the opening lap, but contact sent the Williams out of the race. Nelson Piquet took a more measured approach and passed the Lotus early on, while Alain Prost worked his way into contention through a different tyre strategy.

Alain Prost briefly led before engine trouble ended his challenge. Nelson Piquet’s two-stop race proved the winning approach, and he pulled clear as Ayrton Senna concentrated on bringing the Lotus home. The demanding conditions and mechanical failures steadily reduced the field.

Nelson Piquet won by more than half a minute, with Ayrton Senna second and Jacques Laffite third. Rene Arnoux made it an excellent afternoon for Ligier in fourth, Martin Brundle scored for Tyrrell in fifth and Gerhard Berger collected Benetton’s first point in sixth.

After the race, Nelson Piquet headed the drivers’ standings with 9 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 6. Williams – Honda led the constructors’ table on 9, with Ligier – Renault on 7.

1986 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 23 March 1986.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	61	1:39:32.583	9
2	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	61	+ 34.827	6
3	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	61	+ 59.759	4
4	25	René Arnoux	Ligier	61	+ 1:28.429	3
5	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	60	+ 1 lap	2
6	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	59	+ 2 laps	1
7	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	59	+ 2 laps	0
8	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	58	+ 3 laps	0
9	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	58	+ 3 laps	0
10	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	56	+ 5 laps	0
Ret	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	37	Exhaust	0
Ret	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	35	Fuel system	0
Ret	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	30	Engine	0
Ret	22	Christian Danner	Osella	29	Engine	0
Ret	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	26	Brakes	0
Ret	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	24	Battery	0
Ret	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	21	Water leak	0
Ret	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	20	Engine	0
Ret	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	19	Engine	0
Ret	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	18	Clutch	0
Ret	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	16	Turbo	0
Ret	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	16	Engine	0
Ret	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	6	Engine	0
Ret	15	Alan Jones	Lola	5	Injection	0
Ret	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams		Spun off	0

1986 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	46	1:33.546
2	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	49	1:33.998
3	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	46	1:34.785
4	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	50	1:35.033
5	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	22	1:35.121
6	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	12	1:35.381
7	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	23	1:35.532
8	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	39	1:35.767
9	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	39	1:36.414
10	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	12	1:36.475
11	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	30	1:36.958
12	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	21	1:36.983
13	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	17	1:37.869
14	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	5	1:38.027
15	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	7	1:38.409
16	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	23	1:38.591
17	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	9	1:38.674
18	15	Alan Jones	Lola	2	1:38.710
19	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	38	1:39.651
20	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	6	1:39.970
21	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	12	1:40.461
22	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	4	1:41.849
23	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	8	1:43.412
24	22	Christian Danner	Osella	29	1:43.712

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 Brazilian Grand Prix.

1986 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Williams	9
2	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	Lotus	6
3	Jacques Laffite	French	Ligier	4
4	René Arnoux	French	Ligier	3
5	Martin Brundle	British	Tyrrell	2
6	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Benetton	1
–	Philippe Streiff	French	Tyrrell	0
–	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Brabham	0
–	Johnny Dumfries	British	Lotus	0
–	Teo Fabi	Italian	Benetton	0
–	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Arrows	0
–	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Ferrari	0
–	Alain Prost	French	McLaren	0
–	Christian Danner	German	Osella	0
–	Stefan Johansson	Swedish	Ferrari	0
–	Patrick Tambay	French	Lola	0
–	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Brabham	0
–	Jonathan Palmer	British	Zakspeed	0
–	Marc Surer	Swiss	Arrows	0
–	Alessandro Nannini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Italian	Osella	0
–	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	McLaren	0
–	Alan Jones	Australian	Lola	0
–	Nigel Mansell	British	Williams	0

1986 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams – Honda	9
2	Ligier – Renault	7
3	Lotus – Renault	6
4	Tyrrell – Renault	2
5	Benetton – BMW	1
—	Brabham – BMW	0
—	Arrows – BMW	0
—	Ferrari	0
—	McLaren – TAG	0
—	Osella – Alfa Romeo	0
—	Lola – Hart	0
—	Zakspeed	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

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1986 Brazilian Grand Prix	Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro	23 March
2	1986 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera	13 April
3	1986 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola	27 April
4	1986 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	11 May
5	1986 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	25 May
6	1986 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	15 June
7	1986 Detroit Grand Prix	Detroit Street Circuit, Detroit, Michigan	22 June
8	1986 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	6 July
9	1986 British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown	13 July
10	1986 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	27 July
11	1986 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	10 August
12	1986 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	17 August
13	1986 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	7 September
14	1986 Portuguese Grand Prix	Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril	21 September
15	1986 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	12 October
16	1986 Australian Grand Prix	Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide	26 October