Nigel Mansell put Williams back on top at the 1987 San Marino Grand Prix, beating Ayrton Senna and Michele Alboreto at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari. The result came at the end of a troubling weekend for the team, with Nelson Piquet ruled out after a heavy qualifying accident.
Race Guide
Season: 1987 F1 World Championship
Race date: 3 May 1987
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Dino Ferrari
Laps: 59 laps
Circuit length: 5.040 km
1986 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ayrton Senna | Lotus |
| Pole time | 1:25.826 | |
| Fastest lap | Teo Fabi | Benetton |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:29.246 on lap 51 | |
| First | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Second | Ayrton Senna | Lotus |
| Third | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1987 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 1 May 1987 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 2 May 1987 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 2 May 1987 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 3 May 1987 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 3 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 2 leading the 1987 F1 World Championship on 9 points, with Nelson Piquet on 6. McLaren – TAG headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 13 points.
Race entries
Ligier returned with Megatron engines for René Rene Arnoux and Piercarlo Ghinzani. Larrousse made its debut with a Lola for Philippe Alliot, March brought its new 871 for Ivan Capelli and Gabriele Tarquini made his first Formula 1 appearance in a second Osella. The entry grew to 27 cars, although Nelson Piquet’s withdrawal removed the need to eliminate a driver on pace.
Friday Free Practice
The European season opened with several teams working through new machinery. March finally had its purpose-built car, Zakspeed introduced a new chassis for Martin Brundle and Ligier was learning about its hurriedly converted Megatron-powered cars. The difference in speed between the turbo cars and naturally aspirated newcomers demanded care as drivers shared Imola’s fast sections.
Friday Qualifying
Nelson Piquet set Friday’s fastest time before crashing violently at Tamburello. The impact destroyed much of the Williams, and he was taken to hospital. Concerns about the tyres prompted Goodyear’s overnight response; the cause could not be established conclusively from the badly damaged car and tyre.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1987 San Marino Grand Prix first qualifying session, 1 May 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:25.997 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:26.204 | — |
| 3 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:27.543 | — |
| 4 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:27.801 | — |
| 5 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:28.229 | — |
| 6 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:28.447 | — |
| 7 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:28.887 | — |
| 8 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:28.929 | — |
| 9 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:29.317 | — |
| 10 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:29.579 | — |
| 11 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:29.653 | — |
| 12 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:30.379 | — |
| 13 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:30.416 | — |
| 14 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:30.627 | — |
| 15 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 1:31.078 | — |
| 16 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:31.789 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:31.931 | — |
| 18 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:32.308 | — |
| 19 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:32.873 | — |
| 20 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 1:32.977 | — |
| 21 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:34.458 | — |
| 22 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:34.632 | — |
| 23 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:35.001 | — |
| 24 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:37.463 | — |
| 25 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:39.747 | — |
| 26 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 1:41.520 | — |
| 27 | 22 | Gabriele Tarquini | Osella | 1:43.446 | — |
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday morning brought a wholesale change of rear tyres after Nelson Piquet’s accident the previous afternoon. Goodyear delivered replacement supplies overnight, leaving the teams to adapt their set-ups before the decisive qualifying session. Nelson Piquet returned to the circuit, but the medical decision prevented him from driving again that weekend.
Saturday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna beat Nigel Mansell by 0.120 seconds on Saturday to take pole, the first for a car with active suspension and the last for the original Lotus team. Alain Prost and Teo Fabi shared the second row once Nelson Piquet was removed from the grid, with the Ferraris behind them.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1987 San Marino Grand Prix second qualifying session, 2 May 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 1:25.826 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:25.946 | — |
| 3 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:26.135 | — |
| 4 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:27.270 | — |
| 5 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:27.280 | — |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:28.074 | — |
| 7 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:28.421 | — |
| 8 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:28.708 | — |
| 9 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:28.848 | — |
| 10 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:28.908 | — |
| 11 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:29.236 | — |
| 12 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 1:29.861 | — |
| 13 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:30.382 | — |
| 14 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:30.545 | — |
| 15 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:31.094 | — |
| 16 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 1:31.818 | — |
| 17 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 1:31.903 | — |
| 18 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:32.248 | — |
| 19 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:33.155 | — |
| 20 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:33.298 | — |
| 21 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:33.846 | — |
| 22 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:33.872 | — |
| 23 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:36.127 | — |
| 24 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:36.159 | — |
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 | 1:27.543 | 1:25.826 | 1:25.826 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:26.204 | 1:25.946 | 1:25.946 | — |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams | 1:25.997 | — | 1:25.997 | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:29.317 | 1:26.135 | 1:26.135 | — |
| 5 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 1:27.801 | 1:27.270 | 1:27.270 | — |
| 6 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:28.229 | 1:27.280 | 1:27.280 | — |
| 7 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:29.653 | 1:28.074 | 1:28.074 | — |
| 8 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:28.447 | 1:28.421 | 1:28.421 | — |
| 9 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 1:30.416 | 1:28.708 | 1:28.708 | — |
| 10 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:30.379 | 1:28.848 | 1:28.848 | — |
| 11 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:28.887 | 1:29.236 | 1:28.887 | — |
| 12 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:28.929 | 1:28.908 | 1:28.908 | — |
| 13 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:29.579 | 1:30.545 | 1:29.579 | — |
| 14 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 1:31.078 | 1:29.861 | 1:29.861 | — |
| 15 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 1:30.627 | 1:30.382 | 1:30.382 | — |
| 16 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 1:31.931 | 1:31.094 | 1:31.094 | — |
| 17 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 1:31.789 | — | 1:31.789 | — |
| 18 | 23 | Adrián Campos | Minardi | 1:41.520 | 1:31.818 | 1:31.818 | — |
| 19 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 1:32.977 | 1:31.903 | 1:31.903 | — |
| 20 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 1:32.873 | 1:32.248 | 1:32.248 | — |
| 21 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 1:32.308 | 1:33.298 | 1:32.308 | — |
| 22 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 1:35.001 | 1:33.155 | 1:33.155 | — |
| 23 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:34.458 | 1:33.846 | 1:33.846 | — |
| 24 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:37.463 | 1:33.872 | 1:33.872 | — |
| 25 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:34.632 | 1:36.127 | 1:34.632 | — |
| 26 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 1:39.747 | 1:36.159 | 1:36.159 | — |
| 27 | 22 | Gabriele Tarquini | Osella | 1:43.446 | — | 1:43.446 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell set the warm-up pace, narrowly ahead of Teo Fabi, as the remaining Williams prepared to take on Ayrton Senna’s Lotus. René Rene Arnoux suffered a suspension failure in the Ligier and was unable to race. It was a worrying second suspension problem for the returning team, and Piercarlo Ghinzani would have to remain alert to any sign of trouble in the other car.
Warm-up Classification
1987 San Marino Grand Prix Warm-up, 3 May 1987
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:30.605 | — |
| 2 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | +0.026s | — |
| 3 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | +0.246s | — |
| 4 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | +0.930s | — |
| 5 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | +0.943s | — |
| 6 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | +1.376s | — |
| 7 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | +1.810s | — |
| 8 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | +1.870s | — |
| 9 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | +2.843s | — |
| 10 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | +2.960s | — |
| 11 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | +3.056s | — |
| 12 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | +3.250s | — |
| 13 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | +3.813s | — |
| 14 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | +3.936s | — |
| 15 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | +4.670s | — |
| 16 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | +5.180s | — |
| 17 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | +5.760s | — |
| 18 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | +5.816s | — |
| 19 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | +5.876s | — |
| 20 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | +5.883s | — |
| 21 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | +6.713s | — |
| 22 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | +7.910s | — |
| 23 | 22 | Gabriele Tarquini | Osella | +10.810s | — |
| 24 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | +411.910s | — |
| 25 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | +448.903s | — |
| 26 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | +1150.606s | — |
What happened in the 1987 San Marino Grand Prix?
An aborted start reduced the race to 59 laps. Ayrton Senna led when the field finally got away, but Nigel Mansell passed him at Tosa on lap two. Alain Prost also moved ahead of the Lotus before an alternator failure ended his race, leaving Nigel Mansell in an increasingly strong position.
Tyre stops briefly put Michele Alboreto and Ayrton Senna at the front, but Nigel Mansell regained control. Riccardo Patrese’s promising run was spoiled by electrical trouble, while both Benettons retired. Teo Fabi nevertheless recorded the fastest lap during his recovery from early front-wing damage.
Nigel Mansell won comfortably, with Ayrton Senna second and Michele Alboreto third despite turbo trouble. Stefan Johansson finished fourth, Martin Brundle earned Zakspeed’s only championship points in fifth and Satoru Nakajima became the first Japanese driver to score a World Championship point in sixth.
After the race, Nigel Mansell headed the drivers’ standings with 10 points, followed by Alain Prost on 9. Williams – Honda led the constructors’ table on 16, with McLaren – TAG on 16.
1987 San Marino Grand Prix race results
The 1987 San Marino Grand Prix was held on 3 May 1987.
1987 San Marino Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton | 51 | 1:29.246 |
| 2 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren | 54 | 1:29.543 |
| 3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 56 | 1:30.711 |
| 4 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus | 53 | 1:30.851 |
| 5 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 32 | 1:31.054 |
| 6 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham | 37 | 1:31.160 |
| 7 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 11 | 1:31.409 |
| 8 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 46 | 1:31.564 |
| 9 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 22 | 1:31.582 |
| 10 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 35 | 1:31.586 |
| 11 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 57 | 1:31.891 |
| 12 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 21 | 1:32.262 |
| 13 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 4 | 1:32.929 |
| 14 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 53 | 1:33.668 |
| 15 | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi | 14 | 1:34.036 |
| 16 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella | 31 | 1:34.506 |
| 17 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 44 | 1:34.573 |
| 18 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 20 | 1:34.709 |
| 19 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier | 4 | 1:34.817 |
| 20 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 31 | 1:34.996 |
| 21 | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell | 49 | 1:35.406 |
| 22 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 17 | 1:36.182 |
| 23 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 14 | 1:37.839 |
| 24 | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS | 6 | 1:38.543 |
| 25 | 22 | Gabriele Tarquini | Osella | 5 | 1:40.126 |
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 San Marino Grand Prix.
1987 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 10 |
| 2 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 9 |
| 3 | Stefan Johansson | Swedish | McLaren | 7 |
| 4 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | Lotus | 6 |
| 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Williams | 6 |
| 6 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Ferrari | 4 |
| 7 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | Ferrari | 3 |
| 8 | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Benetton | 2 |
| 9 | Martin Brundle | British | Zakspeed | 2 |
| 10 | Satoru Nakajima | Japanese | Lotus | 1 |
| – | Christian Danner | German | Zakspeed | 0 |
| – | Philippe Streiff | French | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Jonathan Palmer | British | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Philippe Alliot | French | Lola | 0 |
| – | Derek Warwick | British | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Pascal Fabre | French | AGS | 0 |
| – | Alex Caffi | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Eddie Cheever | American | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Teo Fabi | Italian | Benetton | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Alessandro Nannini | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Adrián Campos | Spanish | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Ivan Capelli | Italian | March | 0 |
| – | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Italian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | René Arnoux | French | Ligier | 0 |
1987 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Honda | 16 |
| 2 | McLaren – TAG | 16 |
| 3 | Lotus – Honda | 7 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 7 |
| 5 | Zakspeed | 2 |
| 6 | Benetton – Ford | 2 |
| — | Brabham – BMW | 0 |
| — | Arrows – Megatron | 0 |
| — | Osella – Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| — | Tyrrell – Ford | 0 |
| — | AGS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Minardi – Motori Moderni | 0 |
| — | March – Ford | 0 |
| — | Lola – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ligier – Megatron | 0 |
Jim Clark Trophy standings
| Pos. | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philippe Streiff | 15 |
| 2 | Jonathan Palmer | 9 |
| 3 | Pascal Fabre | 8 |
| 4 | Philippe Alliot | 6 |
| 5 | Ivan Capelli | 0 |
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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