Ayrton Senna finally won his home Grand Prix in 1991, but Interlagos made him work for every moment of it. The McLaren driver nursed an increasingly crippled gearbox to the finish, holding off Riccardo Patrese and Gerhard Berger in an emotional Brazilian victory.
Race Guide
Season: 1991 F1 World Championship
Race date: 24 March 1991
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-03:00)
Circuit: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
Laps: 71 laps
Circuit length: 4.325 km
1990 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:16.392 | |
| Fastest lap | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:20.436 on lap 35 | |
| First | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Second | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| Third | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 22 March 1991 | Pre-qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 22 March 1991 | Practice 1 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 22 March 1991 | Qualifying 1 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 23 March 1991 | Practice 2 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 23 March 1991 | Qualifying 2 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 24 March 1991 | Warm-up | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 24 March 1991 | 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 2 leading the 1991 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Alain Prost on 6. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 10 points.
Race entries
The teams retained their opening-round line-ups. Fondmetal‘s preparations were less settled: difficulties with its interim car left Olivier Grouillard relying on the older machine as he attempted to reach the main sessions.
Pre-qualifying
Lehto, de Andrea de Cesaris, Bertrand Gachot and Emanuele Pirro advanced, giving Dallara and Jordan both places in the main field. Nicola Larini and van de Eric van de Poele missed out for Stefano Modena, while Chaves and Olivier Grouillard also failed to progress. The new teams were again finding that their first challenge came long before the race itself.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:19.540 | — |
| 2 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 1:20.150 | +0.610 |
| 3 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | 1:20.184 | +0.644 |
| 4 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1:20.567 | +1.027 |
| 5 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | 1:21.919 | +2.379 |
| 6 | 34 | Nicola Larini | Lamborghini | 1:22.944 | +3.404 |
| 7 | 31 | Pedro Chaves | Coloni | 1:23.231 | +3.691 |
| 8 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Fondmetal | 1:23.951 | +4.411 |
Friday Free Practice
Wet conditions shaped Friday morning, with Ayrton Senna setting the pace ahead of Stefano Modena and Gerhard Berger. Tyrrell looked particularly effective on the damp circuit, although that promise would prove harder to sustain in the dry. Ferrari was still searching for a satisfactory balance, while Lotus had mechanical problems that left its drivers sharing the available running rather than pursuing an uninterrupted programme.
Friday Practice Classification
1991 Brazilian Grand Prix Practice, 22 March 1991
Friday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna headed the rain-affected Friday session with a 1:18.711, ahead of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger. With better conditions still to come, the opening times left plenty of room for the grid to change.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1991 Brazilian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 22 March 1991
Saturday Free Practice
The dry Saturday practice brought Williams to the fore. Nigel Mansell edged Riccardo Patrese, with Ayrton Senna third, as the surface allowed a much clearer comparison of outright pace. The change in conditions also exposed the limitations of Tyrrell‘s earlier performance. Further down the field, Lotus still had to turn its restricted preparation into qualifying speed; Häkkinen would make the grid, but Julian Bailey would miss out.
Saturday Practice Classification
1991 Brazilian Grand Prix Practice, 23 March 1991
Saturday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna improved to 1:16.392 on Saturday and secured pole, but Williams emerged as the closest threat. Riccardo Patrese took second and Nigel Mansell third, ahead of Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and Alain Prost. The home favourite had track position; the Williams pair had shown enough speed to make the race anything but straightforward.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1991 Brazilian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 23 March 1991
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 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:18.711 | 1:16.392 | 1:16.392 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:22.069 | 1:16.775 | 1:16.775 | — |
| 3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:20.056 | 1:16.843 | 1:16.843 | — |
| 4 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:19.557 | 1:17.471 | 1:17.471 | — |
| 5 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:19.350 | 1:17.601 | 1:17.601 | — |
| 6 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:20.079 | 1:17.739 | 1:17.739 | — |
| 7 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1:20.105 | 1:18.577 | 1:18.577 | — |
| 8 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | Leyton House | 1:22.196 | 1:18.664 | 1:18.664 | — |
| 9 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 1:21.709 | 1:18.847 | 1:18.847 | — |
| 10 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | 1:21.493 | 1:18.882 | 1:20.184 | — |
| 11 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | 1:22.127 | 1:19.291 | 1:19.291 | — |
| 12 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1:21.286 | 1:19.305 | 1:20.567 | — |
| 13 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 1:21.710 | 1:19.339 | 1:20.150 | — |
| 14 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | 1:21.266 | 1:19.360 | 1:19.360 | — |
| 15 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 1:21.171 | 1:19.517 | 1:19.517 | — |
| 16 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 1:21.825 | 1:19.546 | 1:19.546 | — |
| 17 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:22.281 | 1:19.832 | 1:19.832 | — |
| 18 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:23.197 | 1:19.868 | 1:19.868 | — |
| 19 | 22 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:22.243 | 1:19.954 | 1:19.540 | — |
| 20 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:22.852 | 1:20.175 | 1:20.175 | — |
| 21 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:26.147 | 1:20.502 | 1:20.502 | — |
| 22 | 11 | Mika Häkkinen | Lotus | 1:25.587 | 1:20.611 | 1:20.611 | — |
| 23 | 26 | Érik Comas | Ligier | 1:22.682 | 1:21.168 | 1:21.168 | — |
| 24 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:23.618 | 1:21.219 | 1:21.219 | — |
| 25 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 1:23.547 | 1:21.230 | 1:21.230 | — |
| 26 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 1:23.271 | 1:21.280 | 1:21.280 | — |
| 27 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | 1:25.555 | 1:22.190 | 1:22.190 | — |
| 28 | 18 | Stefan Johansson | AGS | 1:24.698 | 1:22.432 | 1:22.432 | — |
| 29 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:25.795 | 1:22.739 | 1:22.739 | — |
| 30 | 12 | Julian Bailey | Lotus | 1:24.947 | 1:23.590 | 1:23.590 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell was fastest in the warm-up, with Alain Prost second and Riccardo Patrese third. For Mauricio Gugelmin, the session was painful: his onboard fire extinguisher discharged into the cockpit, causing chemical burns that would force him to abandon the race. Alain Prost‘s pace offered Ferrari some encouragement, although the team would struggle to reproduce that competitiveness once the Grand Prix began.
Warm-up Classification
1991 Brazilian Grand Prix Warm-up, 24 March 1991
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:20.248 | — |
| 2 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | +0.309s | — |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +0.563s | — |
| 4 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +0.752s | — |
| 5 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +1.044s | — |
| 6 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +1.342s | — |
| 7 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +1.642s | — |
| 8 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | +1.856s | — |
| 9 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | +1.871s | — |
| 10 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | +2.119s | — |
| 11 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | +2.185s | — |
| 12 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +2.205s | — |
| 13 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | +2.316s | — |
| 14 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | +2.444s | — |
| 15 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +2.934s | — |
| 16 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +3.170s | — |
| 17 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | +3.225s | — |
| 18 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | +3.335s | — |
| 19 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +3.426s | — |
| 20 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | +3.684s | — |
| 21 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +3.824s | — |
| 22 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | +4.285s | — |
| 23 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | +5.294s | — |
| 24 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | +5.326s | — |
| 25 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | +5.809s | — |
| 26 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | +30.052s | — |
What happened in the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix?
Ayrton Senna led from the start, with Nigel Mansell establishing himself as the principal challenger. A slow tyre stop cost the Williams driver valuable time, and a subsequent puncture forced another visit to the pits. His pursuit finally ended with transmission trouble.
Ayrton Senna then developed gearbox problems of his own, progressively losing gears until he was left struggling to keep the car moving at a competitive pace. Riccardo Patrese closed in, but he too had transmission difficulties. Light rain added another complication as the exhausted leader approached the finish.
Ayrton Senna held on for his first Brazilian Grand Prix victory, ahead of Riccardo Patrese and Gerhard Berger. Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet and Jean Alesi completed the points. The physical effort left Ayrton Senna suffering severe muscle cramps after the finish, but the long-awaited home triumph made this one of the most memorable wins of his career.
After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 20 points, followed by Alain Prost on 9. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 24, with Ferrari on 10.
1991 Brazilian Grand Prix race results
The 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 24 March 1991, with a scheduled start of Start time unconfirmed local time.
1991 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 35 | 1:20.436 |
| 2 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 64 | 1:20.635 |
| 3 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 36 | 1:20.841 |
| 4 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 66 | 1:20.991 |
| 5 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 66 | 1:21.125 |
| 6 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 66 | 1:21.280 |
| 7 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 45 | 1:21.330 |
| 8 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | 63 | 1:22.473 |
| 9 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | 33 | 1:22.613 |
| 10 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 37 | 1:22.887 |
| 11 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | 11 | 1:23.051 |
| 12 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 17 | 1:23.144 |
| 13 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 44 | 1:23.161 |
| 14 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | 32 | 1:23.270 |
| 15 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 11 | 1:23.424 |
| 16 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 6 | 1:23.580 |
| 17 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 33 | 1:23.587 |
| 18 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | 4 | 1:23.669 |
| 19 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 62 | 1:23.808 |
| 20 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 32 | 1:23.873 |
| 21 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 14 | 1:24.420 |
| 22 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 6 | 1:25.053 |
| 23 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 44 | 1:25.319 |
| 24 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 7 | 1:26.224 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1991 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix.
1991 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | McLaren | 20 |
| 2 | Alain Prost | French | Ferrari | 9 |
| 3 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Williams | 6 |
| 4 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Benetton | 6 |
| 5 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | McLaren | 4 |
| 6 | Stefano Modena | Italian | Tyrrell | 3 |
| 7 | Satoru Nakajima | Japanese | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 8 | Jean Alesi | French | Ferrari | 1 |
| 9 | Aguri Suzuki | Japanese | Lola | 1 |
| – | Roberto Moreno | Brazilian | Benetton | 0 |
| – | Nicola Larini | Italian | Lamborghini | 0 |
| – | Gianni Morbidelli | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | AGS | 0 |
| – | Mika Häkkinen | Finnish | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Pierluigi Martini | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Bertrand Gachot | Belgian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Martin Brundle | British | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Emanuele Pirro | Italian | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 0 |
| – | Érik Comas | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Footwork | 0 |
| – | Ivan Capelli | Italian | Leyton House | 0 |
| – | Mark Blundell | British | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Éric Bernard | French | Lola | 0 |
| – | JJ Lehto | Finnish | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Maurício Gugelmin | Brazilian | Leyton House | 0 |
1991 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 24 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 10 |
| 3 | Williams | 6 |
| 4 | Benetton | 6 |
| 5 | Tyrrell | 5 |
| 6 | Lola | 1 |
| 7 | Lamborghini | 0 |
| 8 | Minardi | 0 |
| 9 | AGS | 0 |
| 10 | Lotus | 0 |
| 11 | Jordan | 0 |
| 12 | Ligier | 0 |
| 13 | Brabham | 0 |
| 14 | Dallara | 0 |
| 15 | Footwork | 0 |
| 16 | Leyton House | 0 |
1991 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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