Ayrton Senna secured his third world championship at the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix as Nigel Mansell‘s challenge ended in the gravel. Gerhard Berger took his first victory for McLaren after Ayrton Senna let him through at the finish, with Riccardo Patrese third.
Race Guide
Season: 1991 F1 World Championship
Race date: 20 October 1991
Race start time: 13:00 local time (UTC+09:00)
Circuit: Suzuka International Racing Course
Laps: 53 laps
Circuit length: 5.860 km
1990 winner: Nelson Piquet
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:34.700 | |
| Fastest lap | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:41.532 on lap 39 | |
| First | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
| Second | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Third | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18 October 1991 | Pre-qualifying | 08:00–09:00 |
| 18 October 1991 | Practice 1 | 10:00 |
| 18 October 1991 | Qualifying 1 | 13:00 |
| 19 October 1991 | Practice 2 | 10:00 |
| 19 October 1991 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00 |
| 20 October 1991 | Warm-up | 08:30 |
| 20 October 1991 | Race | 13:00 |
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 15 leading the 1991 F1 World Championship on 85 points, with Nigel Mansell on 69. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 117 points.
Race entries
Karl Wendlinger replaced Ivan Capelli at Leyton House, and Naoki Hattori joined Coloni for his first Formula 1 attempt. Johnny Herbert returned to Lotus. AGS withdrew from the championship, reducing the pre-qualifying field, while Eric Bernard‘s practice accident would leave Larrousse with only Aguri Suzuki for the race.
Pre-qualifying
Martin Brundle led Alex Caffi, Michele Alboreto and Gabriele Tarquini through to the main sessions. Mark Blundell failed to progress after an oil leak, the first time a Brabham had missed the cut that season. Hattori’s debut attempt also ended without a competitive time in the Coloni.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 1:41.289 | — |
| 2 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | 1:42.382 | +1.093 |
| 3 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:42.479 | +1.190 |
| 4 | 14 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 1:43.025 | +1.736 |
| 5 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 1:44.025 | +2.736 |
| 6 | 31 | Naoki Hattori | Coloni | 2:00.035 | +18.746 |
Friday Free Practice
Ayrton Senna led Friday practice as McLaren brought further aerodynamic, fuel and engine improvements to Honda‘s home race. The session was overshadowed by Eric Bernard‘s heavy accident, which left him with a broken leg and ended his season. Gabriele Tarquini also crashed hard and injured his knee. Benetton‘s trial of a new Ford engine specification was brief, and the team reverted to its established equipment.
Friday Practice Classification
1991 Japanese Grand Prix Practice, 18 October 1991
Friday Qualifying
Gerhard Berger narrowly headed Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell on Friday, with the three covered by just 0.071 seconds. The contest remained close enough to suggest that starting position could make a major difference to the championship battle.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1991 Japanese Grand Prix first qualifying session, 18 October 1991
Saturday Free Practice
Gerhard Berger and Ayrton Senna were separated by only 0.009 seconds at the top of Saturday practice. Williams was struggling to match their traction and worked to reduce drag, while Ferrari also faced a difficult day with Jean Alesi‘s engine and rear-wing problems. McLaren‘s development programme appeared to have restored an advantage at precisely the moment Ayrton Senna needed it most.
Saturday Practice Classification
1991 Japanese Grand Prix Practice, 19 October 1991
Saturday Qualifying
Gerhard Berger improved to 1:34.700 on Saturday to secure pole. Ayrton Senna joined him on the front row, with Nigel Mansell only 0.024 seconds behind Ayrton Senna in third. Alain Prost was fourth and Riccardo Patrese fifth. Michael Schumacher suffered a major accident but qualified ninth, behind both Minardis.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1991 Japanese Grand Prix second qualifying session, 19 October 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 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:36.458 | 1:34.700 | 1:34.700 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:36.490 | 1:34.898 | 1:34.898 | — |
| 3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:36.529 | 1:34.922 | 1:34.922 | — |
| 4 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:37.565 | 1:36.670 | 1:36.670 | — |
| 5 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:37.874 | 1:36.882 | 1:36.882 | — |
| 6 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:37.718 | 1:37.140 | 1:37.140 | — |
| 7 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:40.176 | 1:38.154 | 1:38.154 | — |
| 8 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:41.088 | 1:38.248 | 1:38.248 | — |
| 9 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 1:39.742 | 1:38.363 | 1:38.363 | — |
| 10 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1:40.557 | 1:38.614 | 1:38.614 | — |
| 11 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 1:40.407 | 1:38.842 | 1:38.842 | — |
| 12 | 22 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:40.191 | 1:38.911 | 1:38.911 | — |
| 13 | 32 | Alessandro Zanardi | Jordan | 1:39.051 | 1:38.923 | 1:38.923 | — |
| 14 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 1:39.245 | 1:38.926 | 1:38.926 | — |
| 15 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 1:40.100 | 1:39.118 | 1:39.118 | — |
| 16 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1:41.246 | 1:39.238 | 1:39.238 | — |
| 17 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:39.946 | 1:39.499 | 1:39.499 | — |
| 18 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | Leyton House | 1:40.714 | 1:39.518 | 1:39.518 | — |
| 19 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 1:40.867 | 1:39.697 | 1:41.289 | — |
| 20 | 26 | Érik Comas | Ligier | 1:41.251 | 1:39.820 | 1:39.820 | — |
| 21 | 11 | Mika Häkkinen | Lotus | 1:41.485 | 1:40.024 | 1:40.024 | — |
| 22 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | Leyton House | 1:41.639 | 1:40.092 | 1:40.092 | — |
| 23 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 1:40.512 | 1:40.170 | 1:40.170 | — |
| 24 | 14 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 1:42.835 | 1:40.184 | 1:43.025 | — |
| 25 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:41.528 | 1:40.255 | 1:40.255 | — |
| 26 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | 1:40.517 | 1:40.402 | 1:42.382 | — |
| 27 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:41.536 | 1:40.844 | 1:42.479 | — |
| 28 | 34 | Nicola Larini | Lamborghini | 1:43.057 | 1:42.492 | 1:42.492 | — |
| 29 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | 1:46.641 | 1:42.724 | 1:42.724 | — |
| 30 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | no time | no time | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Ayrton Senna set the warm-up pace in the spare McLaren, nearly half a second ahead of Nigel Mansell. That mattered beyond the lap time: McLaren had often qualified well only to face stronger Williams race pace, but now looked competitive with race fuel too. Nigel Mansell also experienced brake concerns, adding another complication to an afternoon in which only a very strong result could sustain his title hopes.
Warm-up Classification
1991 Japanese Grand Prix Warm-up, 20 October 1991
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:41.442 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | +0.490s | — |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +0.787s | — |
| 4 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +1.189s | — |
| 5 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +1.209s | — |
| 6 | 32 | Alessandro Zanardi | Jordan | +1.845s | — |
| 7 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | +1.960s | — |
| 8 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | +2.797s | — |
| 9 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | +2.877s | — |
| 10 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +3.111s | — |
| 11 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | +3.198s | — |
| 12 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | Leyton House | +3.531s | — |
| 13 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | +3.589s | — |
| 14 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +3.631s | — |
| 15 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | +3.666s | — |
| 16 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +3.907s | — |
| 17 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | +3.952s | — |
| 18 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | +4.132s | — |
| 19 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | +4.350s | — |
| 20 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +4.626s | — |
| 21 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | +4.896s | — |
| 22 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | +5.095s | — |
| 23 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +5.695s | — |
| 24 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +6.009s | — |
| 25 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | +6.608s | — |
| 26 | 14 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | +7.597s | — |
What happened in the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix?
Gerhard Berger led away while Ayrton Senna held Nigel Mansell behind him. Jean Alesi retired almost immediately, and an early multi-car accident eliminated de Andrea de Cesaris, Karl Wendlinger and both Dallaras. Nigel Mansell continued to press Ayrton Senna until he ran off at the first corner and became stranded in the gravel.
Nigel Mansell‘s retirement settled the drivers’ championship in Ayrton Senna‘s favour. Ayrton Senna then increased his pace, caught Gerhard Berger and moved into the lead. With the title secure, he slowed at the end and allowed his team-mate through to take the victory.
Gerhard Berger won ahead of the newly crowned champion and Riccardo Patrese. Alain Prost finished fourth, Martin Brundle fifth and Stefano Modena sixth. Martin Brundle‘s result would prove to be Brabham‘s final points finish, while Ayrton Senna celebrated the third and final world title of his career.
After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 91 points, followed by Nigel Mansell on 69. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 132, with Williams on 121.
1991 Japanese Grand Prix race results
The 1991 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 20 October 1991, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.
1991 Japanese Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 39 | 1:41.532 |
| 2 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 40 | 1:41.572 |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 27 | 1:41.804 |
| 4 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 29 | 1:43.530 |
| 5 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 46 | 1:43.596 |
| 6 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 36 | 1:43.712 |
| 7 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 32 | 1:43.959 |
| 8 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 39 | 1:43.997 |
| 9 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 34 | 1:44.204 |
| 10 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | 29 | 1:44.344 |
| 11 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 30 | 1:44.718 |
| 12 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 21 | 1:45.107 |
| 13 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 4 | 1:45.642 |
| 14 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 25 | 1:45.723 |
| 15 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 30 | 1:45.853 |
| 16 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | 28 | 1:45.999 |
| 17 | 32 | Alessandro Zanardi | Jordan | 3 | 1:46.184 |
| 18 | 14 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 50 | 1:46.210 |
| 19 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 18 | 1:46.351 |
| 20 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 11 | 1:47.108 |
| 21 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | 4 | 1:48.864 |
| 22 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 1 | 1:57.393 |
| 23 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 1 | 1:58.100 |
| 24 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1 | 1:58.757 |
| 25 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | Leyton House | 1 | 2:02.942 |
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 Japanese Grand Prix.
1991 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1991 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 132 |
| 2 | Williams | 121 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 55 |
| 4 | Benetton | 37 |
| 5 | Jordan | 13 |
| 6 | Tyrrell | 12 |
| 7 | Minardi | 6 |
| 8 | Dallara | 5 |
| 9 | Lotus | 3 |
| 10 | Brabham | 3 |
| 11 | Lola | 2 |
| 12 | Leyton House | 1 |
| 13 | Ligier | 0 |
| 14 | Lamborghini | 0 |
| 15 | AGS | 0 |
| 16 | Fondmetal | 0 |
| 17 | Footwork | 0 |
1991 Formula 1 Race Calendar
Seen in:
