1987 Austrian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Nigel Mansell won an extraordinary 1987 Austrian Grand Prix that needed three attempts to get under way. Williams eventually finished first and second at Österreichring, while Teo Fabi and Thierry Boutsen gave Benetton a strong result after a weekend of heavy accidents.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Nelson Piquet	Williams
Pole time	1:23.357
Fastest lap	Nigel Mansell	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:28.318 on lap 31
First	Nigel Mansell	Williams
Second	Nelson Piquet	Williams
Third	Teo Fabi	Benetton

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
14 August 1987	Practice 1	Morning; start unconfirmed
14 August 1987	Qualifying 1	Start time unconfirmed
15 August 1987	Practice 2	Morning; start unconfirmed
15 August 1987	Qualifying 2	Start time unconfirmed
16 August 1987	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
16 August 1987	Race	14:30

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 10 leading the 1987 F1 World Championship on 48 points, with Ayrton Senna on 41. Williams – Honda headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 78 points.

Race entries

The regular 26-car field continued in Austria. By race day, however, several teams would be relying on repaired machinery and spare cars after incidents in practice and at the first two starts.

Friday Free Practice

Friday morning was disrupted by two serious accidents. Nelson Piquet collided with Pascal Fabre’s AGS and damaged his Williams against the pit wall. Later, Stefan Johansson struck a deer crossing the circuit, destroying the McLaren in the ensuing crash. He escaped serious injury, but the team faced an enormous repair and replacement effort.

Friday Qualifying

Nelson Piquet and Stefan Johansson used spare cars after their morning accidents. Nelson Piquet beat Nigel Mansell late in Friday qualifying with 1:23.357, while Gerhard Berger qualified third ahead of the two Benettons.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1987 Austrian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 14 August 1987

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:23.357	—
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:23.459	—
3	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:24.213	—
4	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton	1:24.348	—
5	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	1:25.054	—
6	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:25.077	—
7	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:25.492	—
8	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:25.766	—
9	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:26.170	—
10	8	Andrea de Cesaris	Brabham	1:27.672	—
11	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows	1:27.762	—
12	18	Eddie Cheever	Arrows	1:28.370	—
13	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus	1:28.786	—
14	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren	1:29.003	—
15	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1:29.435	—
16	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	1:29.733	—
17	9	Martin Brundle	Zakspeed	1:29.893	—
18	26	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Ligier	1:30.682	—
19	23	Adrian Campos	Minardi	1:30.797	—
20	10	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	1:31.015	—
21	21	Alex Caffi	Osella	1:32.313	—
22	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola	1:33.741	—
23	16	Ivan Capelli	March	1:34.199	—
24	3	Jonathan Palmer	Tyrrell	1:34.619	—
25	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:35.338	—
26	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS	1:40.633	—

Saturday Free Practice

Heavy rain on Saturday morning left the circuit wet and greatly reduced the prospect of changing the grid. McLaren worked to replenish its supply of cars after Stefan Johansson’s accident, while the teams prepared for a final qualifying session on a slowly improving surface. Friday’s dry laps were becoming increasingly valuable.

Saturday Qualifying

Nigel Mansell was fastest on Saturday, but the wet and drying surface left the times far slower than Friday’s. Nelson Piquet therefore retained pole beside his team-mate. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were further back than usual, leaving work to do in the race.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1987 Austrian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 15 August 1987

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:33.779	—
2	18	Eddie Cheever	Arrows	1:37.908	—
3	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:38.388	—
4	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:39.647	—
5	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren	1:41.711	—
6	9	Martin Brundle	Zakspeed	1:42.383	—
7	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus	1:43.002	—
8	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:43.132	—
9	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:45.518	—
10	23	Adrian Campos	Minardi	1:47.128	—
11	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton	1:48.124	—
12	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola	1:48.595	—
13	10	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	1:48.880	—
14	3	Jonathan Palmer	Tyrrell	1:49.308	—
15	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1:49.566	—
16	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:49.991	—
17	21	Alex Caffi	Osella	1:50.273	—
18	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:51.624	—
19	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:53.119	—
20	16	Ivan Capelli	March	1:54.807	—
21	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS	1:57.236	—

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	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	1:23.357	1:49.991	1:23.357	—
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:23.459	1:33.779	1:23.459	—
3	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	1:24.213	1:38.388	1:24.213	—
4	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton	1:24.348	1:48.124	1:24.348	—
5	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	1:25.054	no time	1:25.054	—
6	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:25.077	1:45.518	1:25.077	—
7	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:25.492	1:39.647	1:25.492	—
8	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:25.766	1:53.119	1:25.766	—
9	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:26.170	1:43.132	1:26.170	—
10	8	Andrea de Cesaris	Brabham	1:27.672	no time	1:27.672	—
11	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows	1:27.762	no time	1:27.762	—
12	18	Eddie Cheever	Arrows	1:28.370	1:37.908	1:28.370	—
13	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus	1:28.786	1:43.002	1:28.786	—
14	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren	1:29.003	1:41.711	1:29.003	—
15	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1:29.435	1:49.566	1:29.435	—
16	25	René Arnoux	Ligier	1:29.733	no time	1:29.733	—
17	9	Martin Brundle	Zakspeed	1:29.893	1:42.383	1:29.893	—
18	26	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Ligier	1:30.682	no time	1:30.682	—
19	23	Adrián Campos	Minardi	1:30.797	1:47.128	1:30.797	—
20	10	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	1:31.015	1:48.880	1:31.015	—
21	21	Alex Caffi	Osella	1:32.313	1:50.273	1:32.313	—
22	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola	1:33.741	1:48.595	1:33.741	—
23	16	Ivan Capelli	March	1:34.199	1:54.807	1:34.199	—
24	3	Jonathan Palmer	Tyrrell	1:34.619	1:49.308	1:34.619	—
25	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	1:35.338	1:51.624	1:35.338	—
26	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS	1:40.633	1:57.236	1:40.633	—

Sunday warm-up

Nigel Mansell headed the warm-up, with both Ferraris close behind. The weather had improved, but engine changes kept mechanics occupied before the planned 14:30 start. March also had to deal with a throttle problem after changing Ivan Capelli’s engine. McLaren had assembled a replacement spare car from a chassis brought from England overnight.

Warm-up Classification

1987 Austrian Grand Prix Warm-up, 16 August 1987

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:28.265	—
2	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	+0.153s	—
3	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	+0.480s	—
4	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	+0.646s	—
5	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	+0.740s	—
6	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	+0.886s	—
7	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton	+1.166s	—
8	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	+1.310s	—
9	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows	+2.866s	—
10	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus	+3.400s	—
11	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren	+3.513s	—
12	18	Eddie Cheever	Arrows	+3.713s	—
13	9	Martin Brundle	Zakspeed	+3.770s	—
14	8	Andrea de Cesaris	Brabham	+4.323s	—
15	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	+4.523s	—
16	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	+5.136s	—
17	10	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	+5.806s	—
18	26	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Ligier	+6.883s	—
19	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	+7.186s	—
20	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola	+7.393s	—
21	21	Alex Caffi	Osella	+7.403s	—
22	16	Ivan Capelli	March	+8.316s	—
23	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	+9.036s	—
24	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS	+14.293s	—
25	23	Adrian Campos	Minardi	+61.156s	—
26	3	Jonathan Palmer	Tyrrell	+96.700s	—

What happened in the 1987 Austrian Grand Prix?

Martin Brundle’s crash triggered the first start-line accident and a red flag. At the next attempt, Nigel Mansell was slow away and another collision swept through the pack. The damage exhausted several teams’ spare-car supplies; Philippe Streiff could not take the final restart, and others joined in repaired or replacement machinery.

Nelson Piquet led the successful start, with Thierry Boutsen prominent before a gear-linkage problem forced him into the pits. Nigel Mansell moved ahead of Nelson Piquet in traffic and retained the advantage through the tyre stops. Behind them, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Michele Alboreto fought back from disrupted starts.

Nigel Mansell won comfortably from Nelson Piquet, with Teo Fabi third and Thierry Boutsen fourth. Ayrton Senna finished fifth and Alain Prost salvaged sixth after his engine began to falter. Martin Brundle was later disqualified for a bodywork infringement, adding a regulatory consequence to an already remarkable afternoon.

After the race, Nelson Piquet headed the drivers’ standings with 54 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 43. Williams – Honda led the constructors’ table on 93, with McLaren – TAG on 50.

1987 Austrian Grand Prix race results

The 1987 Austrian Grand Prix was held on 16 August 1987, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	52	1:18:44.898	9
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	52	+ 55.704	6
3	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	51	+ 1 Lap	4
4	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton	51	+ 1 Lap	3
5	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	50	+ 2 Laps	2
6	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	50	+ 2 Laps	1
7	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren	50	+ 2 Laps	0
8	26	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Ligier	50	+ 2 Laps	0
9	10	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	49	+ 3 Laps	0
10	25	René Arnoux	Ligier	49	+ 3 Laps	0
11 (1)	16	Ivan Capelli	March	49	+ 3 Laps	0
12 (2)	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola	49	+ 3 Laps	0
13	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus	49	+ 3 Laps	0
DSQ	9	Martin Brundle	Zakspeed	48	Bodywork infringement	0
14 (3)	3	Jonathan Palmer	Tyrrell	47	+ 5 Laps	0
NC	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS	45	+ 7 Laps	0
Ret	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	43	Engine	0
Ret	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	42	Turbo	0
Ret	8	Andrea de Cesaris	Brabham	35	Engine	0
Ret	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows	35	Engine	0
Ret	18	Eddie Cheever	Arrows	31	Tyre	0
Ret	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	5	Turbo	0
Ret	23	Adrián Campos	Minardi	3	Electrical	0
Ret	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1	Engine	0
Ret	21	Alex Caffi	Osella	0	Electrical	0
Ret	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell	0	Accident	0

1987 Austrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	31	1:28.318
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams	27	1:28.358
3	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	48	1:28.559
4	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton	18	1:29.111
5	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren	50	1:29.238
6	1	Alain Prost	McLaren	32	1:29.291
7	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton	41	1:29.559
8	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	29	1:30.148
9	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	5	1:30.343
10	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	30	1:30.629
11	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus	40	1:31.685
12	17	Derek Warwick	Arrows	31	1:31.783
13	18	Eddie Cheever	Arrows	30	1:31.814
14	8	Andrea de Cesaris	Brabham	31	1:31.960
15	10	Christian Danner	Zakspeed	28	1:32.817
16	26	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Ligier	14	1:34.372
17	25	Rene Arnoux	Ligier	9	1:34.785
18	9	Martin Brundle	Zakspeed	3	1:35.615
19	16	Ivan Capelli	March	42	1:35.616
20	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola	41	1:36.027
21	23	Adrian Campos	Minardi	3	1:37.854
22	3	Jonathan Palmer	Tyrrell	17	1:38.245
23	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS	26	1:42.844
24	24	Alessandro Nannini	Minardi	1	2:06.843

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1987 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1987 Austrian Grand Prix.

1987 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Williams	54
2	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	Lotus	43
3	Nigel Mansell	British	Williams	39
4	Alain Prost	French	McLaren	31
5	Stefan Johansson	Swedish	McLaren	19
6	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Ferrari	9
7	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Ferrari	8
8	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Benetton	8
9	Teo Fabi	Italian	Benetton	7
10	Satoru Nakajima	Japanese	Lotus	6
11	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Brabham	4
12	Philippe Streiff	French	Tyrrell	4
13	Eddie Cheever	American	Arrows	4
14	Jonathan Palmer	British	Tyrrell	4
15	Derek Warwick	British	Arrows	3
16	Martin Brundle	British	Zakspeed	2
17	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Brabham	2
18	Philippe Alliot	French	Lola	1
19	René Arnoux	French	Ligier	1
20	Ivan Capelli	Italian	March	1
–	Christian Danner	German	Zakspeed	0
–	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Italian	Ligier	0
–	Pascal Fabre	French	AGS	0
–	Alessandro Nannini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Alex Caffi	Italian	Osella	0
–	Adrián Campos	Spanish	Minardi	0
–	Gabriele Tarquini	Italian	Osella	0

1987 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Williams – Honda	93
2	McLaren – TAG	50
3	Lotus – Honda	49
4	Ferrari	17
5	Benetton – Ford	15
6	Tyrrell – Ford	8
7	Arrows – Megatron	7
8	Brabham – BMW	6
9	Zakspeed	2
10	Ligier – Megatron	1
11	March – Ford	1
12	Lola – Ford	1
—	Minardi – Motori Moderni	0
—	Osella – Alfa Romeo	0
—	AGS – Ford	0

Jim Clark Trophy standings

Pos.	Driver	Points
1	Jonathan Palmer	61
2	Philippe Streiff	45
3	Pascal Fabre	35
4	Philippe Alliot	25
5	Ivan Capelli	19

Colin Chapman Trophy standings

Pos.	Team	Points
1	Tyrrell	106
2	AGS	35
3	Lola	25
4	March	19

The naturally aspirated cars also competed for the Jim Clark and Colin Chapman trophies. These separate totals count every round; bracketed positions in the race results show the naturally aspirated finishing order.

Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.

1987 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1987 Brazilian Grand Prix	Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro	12 April
2	1987 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola	3 May
3	1987 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	17 May
4	1987 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	31 May
5	1987 Detroit Grand Prix	Detroit Street Circuit, Detroit, Michigan	21 June
6	1987 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	5 July
7	1987 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	12 July
8	1987 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	26 July
9	1987 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	9 August
10	1987 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	16 August
11	1987 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	6 September
12	1987 Portuguese Grand Prix	Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril	20 September
13	1987 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera	27 September
14	1987 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	18 October
15	1987 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	1 November
16	1987 Australian Grand Prix	Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide	15 November