Ayrton Senna began his remarkable run of Monaco victories in 1987, taking Lotus’s active-suspension car to its first win. Nigel Mansell had dominated qualifying and led the early stages, but turbo trouble opened the door for Ayrton Senna, with Nelson Piquet and Michele Alboreto completing the podium.
Race Guide
Season: 1987 F1 World Championship
Race date: 31 May 1987
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit de Monaco
Laps: 78 laps
Circuit length: 3.328 km
1986 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Pole time | 1:23.039 | |
| Fastest lap | Ayrton Senna | Lotus |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:27.685 on lap 72 | |
| First | Ayrton Senna | Lotus |
| Second | Nelson Piquet | Williams |
| Third | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 28 May 1987 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 28 May 1987 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 30 May 1987 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 30 May 1987 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 31 May 1987 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 31 May 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
Alain Prost arrived at round 4 leading the 1987 F1 World Championship on 18 points, with Stefan Johansson on 13. McLaren – TAG headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 31 points.
Race entries
The permitted Monaco grid increased from 20 cars to 26, raising concerns about traffic and speed differences on the narrow circuit. Christian Danner was excluded after his Thursday collision with Michele Alboreto, while Adrián Adrian Campos withdrew following a Saturday practice accident. Those departures left 24 starters.
Thursday Free Practice
Thursday morning gave the teams their first running on the street circuit, where there was no opportunity for normal pre-race testing. Nigel Mansell quickly looked at home in the Williams, while everyone had to judge the bumps, barriers and traffic. Lotus’s active suspension offered a promising way to keep the car settled on a circuit that rarely allowed the drivers a moment’s rest.
Thursday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell set the fastest time on Thursday, but the session’s most alarming moment was Michele Alboreto’s collision with Christian Danner on the climb towards Casino Square. The Ferrari became airborne and caught fire; Michele Alboreto escaped and continued in the spare. Christian Danner’s exclusion was controversial, with Michele Alboreto among those who did not blame him.
Thursday Qualifying Classification
1987 Monaco Grand Prix first qualifying session, 28 May 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:24.514 | — |
| 2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:25.255 | — |
| 3 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:25.574 | — |
| 4 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:25.917 | — |
| 5 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:26.957 | — |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:27.017 | — |
| 7 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:27.082 | — |
| 8 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:27.685 | — |
| 9 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:27.701 | — |
| 10 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:27.716 | — |
| 11 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:28.517 | — |
| 12 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:29.114 | — |
| 13 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:29.264 | — |
| 14 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:29.281 | — |
| 15 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:29.801 | — |
| 16 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:30.307 | — |
| 17 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:30.606 | — |
| 18 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:30.765 | — |
| 19 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 1:30.805 | — |
| 20 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:31.098 | — |
| 21 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 1:31.270 | — |
| 22 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:31.589 | — |
| 23 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:32.643 | — |
| 24 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:35.179 | — |
| 25 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:36.267 | — |
Saturday Free Practice
Adrian Campos crashed at Casino Square during Saturday morning practice. Although he walked back to the pits, he was subsequently kept in hospital for observation and withdrawn from the meeting. His absence followed Christian Danner’s exclusion and further reduced the enlarged entry before the final qualifying session.
Saturday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell remained quickest on Saturday and secured pole by a substantial margin over Ayrton Senna. Nelson Piquet qualified third ahead of Alain Prost, while Michele Alboreto recovered to fifth. The front of the grid promised a contest between Williams’s outright speed and Lotus’s ability to handle the street circuit.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1987 Monaco Grand Prix second qualifying session, 30 May 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:23.039 | — |
| 2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:23.711 | — |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:24.755 | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:25.083 | — |
| 5 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:26.102 | — |
| 6 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:26.175 | — |
| 7 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:26.317 | — |
| 8 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:26.323 | — |
| 9 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:26.630 | — |
| 10 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:26.763 | — |
| 11 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:27.294 | — |
| 12 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:27.622 | — |
| 13 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:27.731 | — |
| 14 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:27.894 | — |
| 15 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:28.088 | — |
| 16 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:28.233 | — |
| 17 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:28.890 | — |
| 18 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:29.147 | — |
| 19 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:29.258 | — |
| 20 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:29.459 | — |
| 21 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:29.827 | — |
| 22 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 1:30.000 | — |
| 23 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:30.143 | — |
| 24 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:31.667 | — |
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Thursday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:24.514 | 1:23.039 | 1:23.039 | — |
| 2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:25.255 | 1:23.711 | 1:23.711 | — |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:25.917 | 1:24.755 | 1:24.755 | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:25.574 | 1:25.083 | 1:25.083 | — |
| 5 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:27.017 | 1:26.102 | 1:26.102 | — |
| 6 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:27.716 | 1:26.175 | 1:26.175 | — |
| 7 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:27.701 | 1:26.317 | 1:26.317 | — |
| 8 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:29.281 | 1:26.323 | 1:26.323 | — |
| 9 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:27.082 | 1:26.630 | 1:26.630 | — |
| 10 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:26.957 | 1:26.763 | 1:26.763 | — |
| 11 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:27.685 | 1:27.294 | 1:27.294 | — |
| 12 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:29.264 | 1:27.622 | 1:27.622 | — |
| 13 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:28.517 | 1:27.731 | 1:27.731 | — |
| 14 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:29.801 | 1:27.894 | 1:27.894 | — |
| 15 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:30.307 | 1:28.088 | 1:28.088 | — |
| 16 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:36.267 | 1:28.233 | 1:28.233 | — |
| 17 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:30.606 | 1:28.890 | 1:28.890 | — |
| 18 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:29.114 | 1:29.459 | 1:29.114 | — |
| 19 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:31.589 | 1:29.147 | 1:29.147 | — |
| 20 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:31.098 | 1:29.258 | 1:29.258 | — |
| 21 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:32.643 | 1:29.827 | 1:29.827 | — |
| 22 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 1:31.270 | 1:30.000 | 1:30.000 | — |
| 23 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:30.765 | 1:30.143 | 1:30.143 | — |
| 24 | 23 | Adrián Campos | Minardi | 1:30.805 | — | 1:30.805 | — |
| 25 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:35.179 | 1:31.667 | 1:31.667 | — |
| EX | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | — | — | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Ayrton Senna topped the warm-up by more than eight-tenths of a second from Nigel Mansell, offering Lotus real encouragement before the race. Williams had owned qualifying, but the yellow car’s race-day pace suggested the pole-sitter might face a proper challenge. Keeping the car composed over the bumps would matter throughout a long afternoon in traffic.
Warm-up Classification
1987 Monaco Grand Prix Warm-up, 31 May 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:26.796 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | +0.820s | — |
| 3 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | +2.326s | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | +2.373s | — |
| 5 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | +2.690s | — |
| 6 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | +2.820s | — |
| 7 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | +2.880s | — |
| 8 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | +3.260s | — |
| 9 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | +3.636s | — |
| 10 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | +3.703s | — |
| 11 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | +3.976s | — |
| 12 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | +4.193s | — |
| 13 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | +4.213s | — |
| 14 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | +5.080s | — |
| 15 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | +5.380s | — |
| 16 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | +5.510s | — |
| 17 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | +5.970s | — |
| 18 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | +6.080s | — |
| 19 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | +6.236s | — |
| 20 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | +7.206s | — |
| 21 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | +7.880s | — |
| 22 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | +8.190s | — |
| 23 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | +11.226s | — |
| 24 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | +38.680s | — |
What happened in the 1987 Monaco Grand Prix?
Nigel Mansell led Ayrton Senna away and established control at the front, with Nelson Piquet, Michele Alboreto and Alain Prost behind. His race ended on lap 30 when turbo boost disappeared, handing Ayrton Senna the lead. The Lotus driver then had the pace to make a tyre stop and remain in command.
Ayrton Senna drove cleanly through the remaining laps while Nelson Piquet held second. Alain Prost was on course for third until his engine failed close to the finish, promoting Michele Alboreto to the podium and leaving the championship leader with no points from the race.
Ayrton Senna won by more than half a minute, his first success at Monaco and the first Grand Prix victory for active suspension. Gerhard Berger finished fourth behind his Ferrari team-mate, with Jonathan Palmer fifth and Ivan Capelli sixth. Both naturally aspirated cars collected valuable championship points as well as success within their own category.
After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 18 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 15. McLaren – TAG led the constructors’ table on 31, with Williams – Honda on 22.
1987 Monaco Grand Prix race results
The 1987 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 31 May 1987.
1987 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 72 | 1:27.685 |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 26 | 1:28.049 |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 49 | 1:28.642 |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 39 | 1:28.891 |
| 5 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 58 | 1:28.914 |
| 6 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 57 | 1:29.048 |
| 7 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 51 | 1:29.220 |
| 8 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 38 | 1:29.758 |
| 9 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 21 | 1:29.905 |
| 10 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 39 | 1:30.077 |
| 11 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 48 | 1:30.502 |
| 12 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 20 | 1:30.817 |
| 13 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 22 | 1:31.207 |
| 14 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 19 | 1:31.271 |
| 15 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 4 | 1:31.300 |
| 16 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 10 | 1:31.393 |
| 17 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 16 | 1:31.474 |
| 18 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 16 | 1:31.511 |
| 19 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 44 | 1:31.619 |
| 20 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 61 | 1:32.265 |
| 21 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 47 | 1:32.389 |
| 22 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 47 | 1:32.417 |
| 23 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 8 | 1:32.715 |
| 24 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 8 | 1:35.699 |
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 Monaco Grand Prix.
1987 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 18 |
| 2 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | Lotus | 15 |
| 3 | Stefan Johansson | Swedish | McLaren | 13 |
| 4 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Williams | 12 |
| 5 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 10 |
| 6 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Ferrari | 8 |
| 7 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | Ferrari | 6 |
| 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Brabham | 4 |
| 9 | Eddie Cheever | American | Arrows | 3 |
| 10 | Satoru Nakajima | Japanese | Lotus | 3 |
| 11 | Martin Brundle | British | Zakspeed | 2 |
| 12 | Jonathan Palmer | British | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 13 | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Benetton | 2 |
| 14 | René Arnoux | French | Ligier | 1 |
| 15 | Ivan Capelli | Italian | March | 1 |
| – | Christian Danner | German | Zakspeed | 0 |
| – | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Italian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Philippe Streiff | French | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Philippe Alliot | French | Lola | 0 |
| – | Teo Fabi | Italian | Benetton | 0 |
| – | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Pascal Fabre | French | AGS | 0 |
| – | Derek Warwick | British | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Alex Caffi | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Alessandro Nannini | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Adrián Campos | Spanish | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | Osella | 0 |
1987 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren – TAG | 31 |
| 2 | Williams – Honda | 22 |
| 3 | Lotus – Honda | 18 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 14 |
| 5 | Brabham – BMW | 4 |
| 6 | Arrows – Megatron | 3 |
| 7 | Zakspeed | 2 |
| 8 | Benetton – Ford | 2 |
| 9 | Tyrrell – Ford | 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 | Philippe Streiff | 21 |
| 2 | Jonathan Palmer | 18 |
| 3 | Pascal Fabre | 16 |
| 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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