1986 Spanish Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell delivered a finish for the ages at the 1986 Spanish Grand Prix. After 72 laps at the new Jerez circuit, Ayrton Senna held on by just 0.014 seconds, with Alain Prost completing the podium for McLaren.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Ayrton Senna	Lotus
Pole time	1:21.605
Fastest lap	Nigel Mansell	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:27.176 on lap 65
First	Ayrton Senna	Lotus
Second	Nigel Mansell	Williams
Third	Alain Prost	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
10 April 1986	Familiarisation testing	Start time unconfirmed
11 April 1986	Practice 1	Morning; start unconfirmed
11 April 1986	Qualifying 1	Start time unconfirmed
12 April 1986	Practice 2	Morning; start unconfirmed
12 April 1986	Qualifying 2	Start time unconfirmed
13 April 1986	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
13 April 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

Nelson Piquet arrived at round 2 leading the 1986 F1 World Championship on 9 points, with Ayrton Senna on 6. Williams – Honda headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 9 points.

Race entries

The regular field continued from Brazil as the championship returned to Spain for the first time since 1981. With Jerez new to the calendar, every team faced the same task of learning its tight corners, finding traction and understanding how the tyres would last.

Thursday familiarisation

Thursday running gave the teams additional time to learn Jerez before the official practice and qualifying sessions. Its succession of corners offered little respite, and finding a balanced car mattered more than the top-speed priorities of the opening round in Brazil.

Friday Free Practice

Lotus had a disruptive Friday. An oil-filter seal failed on Ayrton Senna’s car, spilling oil and prompting an engine change, while a gearbox problem stranded Johnny Dumfries and restricted his running. Nelson Piquet also damaged his Williams over the kerbs and had to rely on the spare, so several leading teams were already working around compromised preparations.

Friday Qualifying

Ayrton Senna’s Friday lap of 1:21.605 proved unbeatable all weekend. Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet were his nearest challengers, but the Lotus driver had established a substantial advantage in the opening session.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1986 Spanish Grand Prix first qualifying session, 11 April 1986

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:21.605	—
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:23.024	—
3	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:23.097	—
4	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:23.702	—
5	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	1:23.948	—
6	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:24.501	—
7	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	1:24.566	—
8	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:24.817	—
9	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	1:25.052	—
10	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:25.466	—
11	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:25.831	—
12	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:26.231	—
13	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:26.554	—
14	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	1:27.045	—
15	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	1:27.300	—
16	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:27.600	—
17	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:27.637	—
18	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:28.112	—
19	15	Alan Jones	Lola	1:28.645	—
20	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:28.803	—
21	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:28.894	—
22	22	Christian Danner	Osella	1:29.046	—
23	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	1:29.093	—
24	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	1:29.195	—

Saturday Free Practice

Lotus recovered its momentum as the weekend progressed, with Ayrton Senna increasingly comfortable in the car. The team still had a transmission shortage to manage, leaving Johnny Dumfries with a five-speed arrangement for the race while Ayrton Senna used six speeds. Williams remained close, but its drivers needed a car that would preserve its tyres as well as produce a quick qualifying lap.

Saturday Qualifying

Ayrton Senna was fastest again on Saturday without improving his Friday time. Nelson Piquet moved ahead of Nigel Mansell to claim the other front-row place, with Alain Prost and Keke Rosberg following the two Williams drivers. Pole belonged to Ayrton Senna, but the race promised a much closer contest.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1986 Spanish Grand Prix second qualifying session, 12 April 1986

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:21.924	—
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:22.431	—
3	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:22.576	—
4	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:22.886	—
5	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	1:23.004	—
6	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	1:24.274	—
7	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	1:25.107	—
8	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:25.235	—
9	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:25.655	—
10	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:25.863	—
11	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:26.094	—
12	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	1:26.196	—
13	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	1:26.550	—
14	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:26.918	—
15	15	Alan Jones	Lola	1:26.946	—
16	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	1:26.992	—
17	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:27.169	—
18	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:28.086	—
19	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:28.423	—
20	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:28.443	—
21	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:29.911	—
22	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1:30.062	—
23	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:41.631	—
24	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	17:53.811	—

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	1:21.605	1:21.924	1:21.605	—
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:23.097	1:22.431	1:22.431	—
3	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:23.024	1:22.576	1:22.576	—
4	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:23.702	1:22.886	1:22.886	—
5	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	1:23.948	1:23.004	1:23.004	—
6	25	René Arnoux	Ligier	1:24.566	1:24.274	1:24.274	—
7	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	1:24.501	1:25.235	1:24.501	—
8	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:24.817	1:25.863	1:24.817	—
9	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	1:25.052	1:26.196	1:25.052	—
10	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	1:29.093	1:25.107	1:25.107	—
11	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:25.466	1:25.655	1:25.466	—
12	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:25.831	1:41.631	1:25.831	—
13	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:26.554	1:26.094	1:26.094	—
14	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:26.231	1:29.911	1:26.231	—
15	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	1:27.300	1:26.550	1:26.550	—
16	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:27.600	1:26.918	1:26.918	—
17	15	Alan Jones	Lola	1:28.645	1:26.946	1:26.946	—
18	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	1:27.045	1:26.992	1:26.992	—
19	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:28.112	1:27.169	1:27.169	—
20	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:27.637	1:28.086	1:27.637	—
21	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:28.894	1:28.423	1:28.423	—
22	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:28.803	1:28.443	1:28.443	—
23	22	Christian Danner	Osella	1:29.046		1:29.046	—
24	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	1:29.195	17:53.811	1:29.195	—
25	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi		1:30.062	1:30.062	—

Sunday warm-up

Alain Prost headed the Sunday warm-up, with Keke Rosberg second and Ayrton Senna third. McLaren’s race preparation looked stronger than its qualifying positions, setting up a contest in which tyre life and fuel use could change the order. The repeated acceleration out of Jerez’s corners would make restraint as valuable as outright pace.

Warm-up Classification

1986 Spanish Grand Prix Warm-up, 13 April 1986

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:27.390	—
2	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	+0.823s	—
3	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	+1.573s	—
4	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	+1.576s	—
5	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	+1.770s	—
6	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	+1.810s	—
7	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	+1.960s	—
8	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	+2.573s	—
9	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	+3.390s	—
10	15	Alan Jones	Lola	+3.903s	—
11	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	+3.913s	—
12	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	+4.453s	—
13	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	+5.160s	—
14	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	+5.363s	—
15	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	+5.600s	—
16	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	+5.750s	—
17	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	+5.763s	—
18	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	+6.536s	—
19	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	+6.956s	—
20	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	+7.383s	—
21	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	+7.960s	—
22	22	Christian Danner	Osella	+11.336s	—
23	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	+13.000s	—
24	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	+20.336s	—

What happened in the 1986 Spanish Grand Prix?

Ayrton Senna controlled the early running while keeping fuel consumption in mind. Nigel Mansell eventually moved ahead, but the Williams’s tyres deteriorated and Ayrton Senna fought his way back into the lead. Nelson Piquet’s challenge ended with engine trouble.

Nigel Mansell made a late tyre stop and returned to the circuit with fresh rubber and a large gap to recover. He charged through the closing laps, passed Alain Prost and reached Ayrton Senna just in time for one last attack. The Lotus held the inside line through the final corners as Nigel Mansell tried to carry more speed onto the straight.

They crossed the line almost together, Ayrton Senna winning by fourteen thousandths of a second. Alain Prost finished third ahead of Keke Rosberg, while Teo Fabi and Gerhard Berger completed the points for Benetton. Jerez’s first World Championship Grand Prix had produced an unforgettable conclusion.

After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 15 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 9. Lotus – Renault led the constructors’ table on 15, with Williams – Honda on 15.

1986 Spanish Grand Prix race results

The 1986 Spanish Grand Prix was held on 13 April 1986.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	72	1:48:47.735	9
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	72	+ 0.014	6
3	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	72	+ 21.552	4
4	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	71	+ 1 lap	3
5	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	71	+ 1 lap	2
6	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	71	+ 1 lap	1
7	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	68	+ 4 laps	0
8	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	66	+ 6 laps	0
Ret	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	52	Gearbox	0
Ret	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	41	Engine	0
Ret	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	40	Halfshaft	0
Ret	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	39	Fuel system	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	39	Engine	0
Ret	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	29	Gearbox	0
Ret	25	René Arnoux	Ligier	29	Halfshaft	0
Ret	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	22	Wheel bearing	0
Ret	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	22	Engine	0
Ret	22	Christian Danner	Osella	14	Engine	0
Ret	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	11	Brakes	0
Ret	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	10	Engine	0
Ret	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	8	Gearbox	0
Ret	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	1	Differential	0
Ret	14	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed		Collision	0
Ret	15	Alan Jones	Lola		Collision	0
DNS	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi		Differential	0

1986 Spanish Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	65	1:27.176
2	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren	61	1:27.991
3	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	49	1:28.235
4	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	26	1:28.332
5	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	45	1:28.497
6	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	35	1:28.504
7	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	45	1:28.801
8	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	39	1:29.182
9	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton	54	1:29.690
10	8	Elio de Angelis	Brabham	23	1:29.885
11	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	5	1:30.201
12	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	11	1:30.467
13	11	Johnny Dumfries	Lotus	31	1:30.962
14	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	34	1:31.236
15	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	38	1:31.457
16	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola	31	1:31.512
17	17	Marc Surer	Arrows	11	1:32.230
18	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	14	1:32.240
19	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	7	1:33.212
20	21	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	8	1:34.027
21	22	Christian Danner	Osella	4	1:35.273
22	23	Andrea de Cesaris	Minardi	1	1:52.175

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 Spanish Grand Prix.

1986 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	Lotus	15
2	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Williams	9
3	Nigel Mansell	British	Williams	6
4	Jacques Laffite	French	Ligier	4
5	Alain Prost	French	McLaren	4
6	René Arnoux	French	Ligier	3
7	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	McLaren	3
8	Teo Fabi	Italian	Benetton	2
9	Martin Brundle	British	Tyrrell	2
10	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Benetton	2
–	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Arrows	0
–	Philippe Streiff	French	Tyrrell	0
–	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Brabham	0
–	Patrick Tambay	French	Lola	0
–	Johnny Dumfries	British	Lotus	0
–	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Ferrari	0
–	Marc Surer	Swiss	Arrows	0
–	Christian Danner	German	Osella	0
–	Stefan Johansson	Swedish	Ferrari	0
–	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Brabham	0
–	Jonathan Palmer	British	Zakspeed	0
–	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Italian	Osella	0
–	Alessandro Nannini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Alan Jones	Australian	Lola	0

1986 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Lotus – Renault	15
2	Williams – Honda	15
3	Ligier – Renault	7
4	McLaren – TAG	7
5	Benetton – BMW	4
6	Tyrrell – Renault	2
—	Arrows – BMW	0
—	Brabham – BMW	0
—	Lola – Hart	0
—	Ferrari	0
—	Osella – Alfa Romeo	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