Nigel Mansell delivered another forceful Williams victory at the 1987 French Grand Prix. Nelson Piquet made it a one-two at Circuit Paul Ricard, while Alain Prost gave the home crowd a podium finish after challenging the Honda-powered cars in the early stages.
Race Guide
Season: 1987 F1 World Championship
Race date: 5 July 1987
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit Paul Ricard
Laps: 80 laps
Circuit length: 3.813 km
1986 winner: Nigel Mansell
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Pole time | 1:06.454 | |
| Fastest lap | Nelson Piquet | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:09.548 on lap 68 | |
| First | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Second | Nelson Piquet | Williams |
| Third | Alain Prost | McLaren |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 3 July 1987 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 3 July 1987 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 4 July 1987 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 4 July 1987 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 5 July 1987 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 5 July 1987 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Ayrton Senna arrived at round 6 leading the 1987 F1 World Championship on 24 points, with Alain Prost on 22. McLaren – TAG headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 35 points.
Race entries
The field retained its established drivers. Ligier arrived with a lighter revised car for its home race, while several teams introduced aerodynamic and mechanical changes for the fast circuit. Philippe Streiff had revised Tyrrell bodywork and Alessandro Nannini’s Minardi used carbon brakes.
Friday Free Practice
Friday morning brought a frightening moment for Alex Caffi when a rear-suspension failure sent his Osella off at high speed. He escaped injury. Elsewhere, the heat and abrasive surface made tyre management a major concern, with Goodyear supplying an extra set for the weekend and a revised rear-tyre profile. The fast Williams cars immediately looked like the opposition’s main target.
Friday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell set 1:06.454 on Friday, with Alain Prost second and Nelson Piquet third. The McLaren driver’s lap was a welcome reminder that Honda did not have the front of the grid entirely to itself.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1987 French Grand Prix first qualifying session, 3 July 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:06.454 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:06.877 | — |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:07.270 | — |
| 4 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:07.303 | — |
| 5 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:08.077 | — |
| 6 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:08.198 | — |
| 7 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:08.293 | — |
| 8 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:08.390 | — |
| 9 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:08.577 | — |
| 10 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:09.256 | — |
| 11 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 1:09.430 | — |
| 12 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:09.458 | — |
| 13 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:09.499 | — |
| 14 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:09.828 | — |
| 15 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:10.388 | — |
| 16 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:10.798 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:11.451 | — |
| 18 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 1:11.456 | — |
| 19 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:12.167 | — |
| 20 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:12.268 | — |
| 21 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:13.026 | — |
| 22 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 1:13.145 | — |
| 23 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:13.204 | — |
| 24 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:13.443 | — |
| 25 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:13.553 | — |
| 26 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:14.699 | — |
Saturday Free Practice
The heat intensified the challenge on Saturday, making the surface slippery and limiting the chance of a clean improvement later in qualifying. Lotus was working with revised aerodynamics to reduce its disadvantage to Williams on fast circuits, while Ferrari’s drivers struggled with understeer and traction. The weekend demanded a compromise between straight-line speed and keeping the tyres alive.
Saturday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell was fastest again on Saturday, although his Friday lap remained his best. Ayrton Senna improved to third overall despite an engine failure, pushing Nelson Piquet to fourth. Thierry Boutsen qualified fifth, ahead of Michele Alboreto, as the turbo cars dominated the faster layout.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1987 French Grand Prix second qualifying session, 4 July 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:06.705 | — |
| 2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:07.024 | — |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:07.140 | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:07.843 | — |
| 5 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:08.176 | — |
| 6 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:08.335 | — |
| 7 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:08.800 | — |
| 8 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:08.916 | — |
| 9 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:08.949 | — |
| 10 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:08.993 | — |
| 11 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:09.095 | — |
| 12 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:09.868 | — |
| 13 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:09.869 | — |
| 14 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 1:09.970 | — |
| 15 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:10.652 | — |
| 16 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:10.900 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:11.170 | — |
| 18 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 1:11.389 | — |
| 19 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:11.815 | — |
| 20 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 1:12.551 | — |
| 21 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:12.555 | — |
| 22 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:12.654 | — |
| 23 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:13.474 | — |
| 24 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:13.525 | — |
| 25 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:14.422 | — |
| 26 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:14.787 | — |
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 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:06.454 | 1:06.705 | 1:06.454 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:06.877 | 1:07.843 | 1:06.877 | — |
| 3 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:07.303 | 1:07.024 | 1:07.024 | — |
| 4 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:07.270 | 1:07.140 | 1:07.140 | — |
| 5 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:08.077 | 1:08.176 | 1:08.077 | — |
| 6 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:08.198 | 1:08.335 | 1:08.198 | — |
| 7 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:08.293 | 1:11.815 | 1:08.293 | — |
| 8 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:08.390 | 1:08.916 | 1:08.390 | — |
| 9 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:08.577 | 1:09.095 | 1:08.577 | — |
| 10 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:09.256 | 1:08.800 | 1:08.800 | — |
| 11 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:09.499 | 1:08.949 | 1:08.949 | — |
| 12 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:09.458 | 1:08.993 | 1:08.993 | — |
| 13 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 1:09.430 | 1:09.970 | 1:09.430 | — |
| 14 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:09.828 | 1:09.869 | 1:09.828 | — |
| 15 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:10.388 | 1:09.868 | 1:09.868 | — |
| 16 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:12.268 | 1:10.652 | 1:10.652 | — |
| 17 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:10.798 | 1:10.900 | 1:10.798 | — |
| 18 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:11.451 | 1:11.170 | 1:11.170 | — |
| 19 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 1:11.456 | 1:11.389 | 1:11.389 | — |
| 20 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:12.167 | 1:12.555 | 1:12.167 | — |
| 21 | 23 | Adrián Campos | Minardi | 1:13.145 | 1:12.551 | 1:12.551 | — |
| 22 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:13.204 | 1:12.654 | 1:12.654 | — |
| 23 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:13.026 | 1:14.422 | 1:13.026 | — |
| 24 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:13.443 | 1:13.474 | 1:13.443 | — |
| 25 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:13.553 | 1:13.525 | 1:13.525 | — |
| 26 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:14.699 | 1:14.787 | 1:14.699 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell headed the Sunday warm-up ahead of Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna, reinforcing Williams’s strong position. The hot weather made cooling, fuel use and tyre wear central to the afternoon ahead. Alain Prost remained the most plausible challenger from outside the Honda-powered teams, having put his McLaren on the front row.
Warm-up Classification
1987 French Grand Prix Warm-up, 5 July 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:10.224 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | +0.466s | — |
| 3 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | +0.573s | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | +0.853s | — |
| 5 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | +1.103s | — |
| 6 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | +1.146s | — |
| 7 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | +1.493s | — |
| 8 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | +1.740s | — |
| 9 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | +1.770s | — |
| 10 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | +2.003s | — |
| 11 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | +2.253s | — |
| 12 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | +2.380s | — |
| 13 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | +2.456s | — |
| 14 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | +3.053s | — |
| 15 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | +3.093s | — |
| 16 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | +3.130s | — |
| 17 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | +3.963s | — |
| 18 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | +4.293s | — |
| 19 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | +4.546s | — |
| 20 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | +4.853s | — |
| 21 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | +5.160s | — |
| 22 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | +6.170s | — |
| 23 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | +6.203s | — |
| 24 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | +6.416s | — |
| 25 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | +6.810s | — |
| 26 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | +45.863s | — |
What happened in the 1987 French Grand Prix?
Nigel Mansell led away, and Nelson Piquet passed Alain Prost to put Williams first and second. The three remained close until Nelson Piquet spun and lost second place. Ferrari’s race began badly: Michele Alboreto jumped the start and Gerhard Berger was slow away, leaving both outside the leading battle.
The tyre stops put Nelson Piquet in front, but Nigel Mansell closed rapidly and passed him at Le Beausset. Nelson Piquet’s later stop was delayed by a stall, after which he caught and passed Alain Prost. The McLaren driver was dealing with an electrical problem and could no longer hold the Williams challenge.
Nigel Mansell controlled the closing laps to win by 7.7 seconds from Nelson Piquet. Alain Prost finished third, with Ayrton Senna fourth and Teo Fabi fifth. Philippe Streiff earned sixth for Tyrrell and won the naturally aspirated category, a rewarding home result after a difficult start to his season.
After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 27 points, followed by Alain Prost on 26. Williams – Honda led the constructors’ table on 45, with McLaren – TAG on 39.
1987 French Grand Prix race results
The 1987 French Grand Prix was held on 5 July 1987.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 80 | 1:37:03.839 | 9 |
| 2 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 80 | + 7.711 | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 80 | + 55.255 | 4 |
| 4 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 79 | + 1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 77 | + 3 laps | 2 |
| 6 (1) | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 76 | + 4 laps | 1 |
| 7 (2) | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 76 | + 4 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 74 | + 6 laps | 0 |
| 9 (3) | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 74 | + 6 laps | 0 |
| Ret | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 71 | Suspension | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 71 | + 9 laps | 0 |
| Ret | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 64 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 62 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 57 | Gearbox | 0 |
| Ret | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 52 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 23 | Adrián Campos | Minardi | 52 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 33 | Exhaust | 0 |
| Ret | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 31 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 26 | Overheating | 0 |
| Ret | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 24 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 23 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 19 | Differential | 0 |
| Ret | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 18 | Wheel | 0 |
| Ret | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 11 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 2 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 0 | Electrical | 0 |
1987 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 68 | 1:09.548 |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 42 | 1:10.405 |
| 3 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 44 | 1:11.324 |
| 4 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 42 | 1:11.675 |
| 5 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 39 | 1:11.874 |
| 6 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 57 | 1:12.101 |
| 7 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 47 | 1:12.231 |
| 8 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 57 | 1:12.457 |
| 9 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 5 | 1:12.567 |
| 10 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 45 | 1:13.245 |
| 11 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 5 | 1:13.845 |
| 12 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 5 | 1:13.984 |
| 13 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 2 | 1:14.098 |
| 14 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 7 | 1:14.248 |
| 15 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 36 | 1:14.524 |
| 16 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 6 | 1:15.367 |
| 17 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 7 | 1:15.549 |
| 18 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 41 | 1:15.984 |
| 19 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 3 | 1:16.133 |
| 20 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 47 | 1:16.256 |
| 21 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 5 | 1:16.290 |
| 22 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 56 | 1:16.433 |
| 23 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 3 | 1:17.499 |
| 24 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 22 | 1:17.836 |
| 25 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 3 | 1:19.147 |
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 French Grand Prix.
1987 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | Lotus | 27 |
| 2 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 26 |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Williams | 24 |
| 4 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 21 |
| 5 | Stefan Johansson | Swedish | McLaren | 13 |
| 6 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | Ferrari | 9 |
| 7 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Ferrari | 8 |
| 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Brabham | 4 |
| 9 | Eddie Cheever | American | Arrows | 4 |
| 10 | Satoru Nakajima | Japanese | Lotus | 3 |
| 11 | Jonathan Palmer | British | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 12 | Martin Brundle | British | Zakspeed | 2 |
| 13 | Teo Fabi | Italian | Benetton | 2 |
| 14 | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Benetton | 2 |
| 15 | Philippe Streiff | French | Tyrrell | 1 |
| 16 | René Arnoux | French | Ligier | 1 |
| 17 | Ivan Capelli | Italian | March | 1 |
| – | Christian Danner | German | Zakspeed | 0 |
| – | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Italian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Philippe Alliot | French | Lola | 0 |
| – | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Pascal Fabre | French | AGS | 0 |
| – | Derek Warwick | British | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Alex Caffi | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Adrián Campos | Spanish | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Alessandro Nannini | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | Osella | 0 |
1987 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Honda | 45 |
| 2 | McLaren – TAG | 39 |
| 3 | Lotus – Honda | 30 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 17 |
| 5 | Brabham – BMW | 4 |
| 6 | Arrows – Megatron | 4 |
| 7 | Benetton – Ford | 4 |
| 8 | Tyrrell – Ford | 3 |
| 9 | Zakspeed | 2 |
| 10 | Ligier – Megatron | 1 |
| 11 | March – Ford | 1 |
| — | Osella – Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| — | AGS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Minardi – Motori Moderni | 0 |
| — | Lola – Ford | 0 |
Jim Clark Trophy standings
| Pos. | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Palmer | 33 |
| 2 | Philippe Streiff | 30 |
| 3 | Pascal Fabre | 26 |
| 4 | Philippe Alliot | 15 |
| 5 | Ivan Capelli | 6 |
Colin Chapman Trophy standings
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
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