Riccardo Patrese won the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix, but Williams left Estoril with mixed emotions after a pit-stop error wrecked Nigel Mansell‘s race. Ayrton Senna‘s second place moved him closer to the title, with Jean Alesi completing the podium.
Race Guide
Season: 1991 F1 World Championship
Race date: 22 September 1991
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC+01:00)
Circuit: Autódromo do Estoril
Laps: 71 laps
Circuit length: 4.350 km
1990 winner: Nigel Mansell
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| Pole time | 1:13.001 | |
| Fastest lap | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:18.179 on lap 36 | |
| First | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| Second | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Third | Jean Alesi | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 20 September 1991 | Pre-qualifying | 08:00–09:00 |
| 20 September 1991 | Practice 1 | 10:00 |
| 20 September 1991 | Qualifying 1 | 13:00 |
| 21 September 1991 | Practice 2 | 10:00 |
| 21 September 1991 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00 |
| 22 September 1991 | Warm-up | 09:30 |
| 22 September 1991 | Race | 14:00 |
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 13 leading the 1991 F1 World Championship on 77 points, with Nigel Mansell on 59. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 108 points.
Race entries
Johnny Herbert returned to Lotus in place of Bartels. AGS now had its new JH27 available for both drivers, while Williams introduced its revised Renault engine into the race programme and Honda continued its own development effort with a lighter V12.
Pre-qualifying
Martin Brundle narrowly beat Mark Blundell as Brabham secured another one-two. Gabriele Tarquini took the new AGS through in third, with Michele Alboreto claiming the final place. Barbazza, Olivier Grouillard, Alex Caffi and home driver Chaves missed out; Chaves’ new engine failed during another frustrating attempt.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 1:17.739 | — |
| 2 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 1:17.788 | +0.049 |
| 3 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:18.020 | +0.281 |
| 4 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:18.371 | +0.583 |
| 5 | 18 | Fabrizio Barbazza | AGS | 1:19.292 | +1.553 |
| 6 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Fondmetal | 1:19.500 | +1.761 |
| 7 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | 1:19.521 | +1.782 |
| 8 | 31 | Pedro Chaves | Coloni | 1:23.858 | +6.119 |
Friday Free Practice
Riccardo Patrese led Friday practice ahead of the McLarens as Williams explored the performance of its revised Renault engine. Several smaller teams also brought changes, including revised bodywork at Leyton House and Footwork. Ferrari remained uncomfortable over the bumps, while the Leyton Houses showed improved grip and the prospect of challenging for points.
Friday Practice Classification
1991 Portuguese Grand Prix Practice, 20 September 1991
Friday Qualifying
Gerhard Berger headed Friday qualifying ahead of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell before rain curtailed the opportunity to improve. Riccardo Patrese had shown strong practice pace but was held back by engine trouble.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1991 Portuguese Grand Prix first qualifying session, 20 September 1991
Saturday Free Practice
Riccardo Patrese again set the pace on Saturday morning, but his weekend was far from trouble-free: engine interruptions would culminate in a failure during qualifying and force a hurried car change. Jordan‘s preparation also deteriorated through the day, with de Andrea de Cesaris suffering engine failures and Roberto Moreno struggling to find the right settings. Pace and reliability were telling rather different stories in several garages.
Saturday Practice Classification
1991 Portuguese Grand Prix Practice, 21 September 1991
Saturday Qualifying
Riccardo Patrese overcame an engine failure on Saturday by switching to the spare Williams and producing a 1:13.001 for pole. Gerhard Berger joined him on the front row, ahead of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. Alain Prost and Jean Alesi followed, with Mauricio Gugelmin an impressive seventh for Leyton House.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1991 Portuguese Grand Prix second qualifying session, 21 September 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 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:14.041 | 1:13.001 | 1:13.001 | — |
| 2 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:13.221 | 1:13.430 | 1:13.221 | — |
| 3 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:13.752 | 1:13.444 | 1:13.444 | — |
| 4 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:13.944 | 1:13.667 | 1:13.667 | — |
| 5 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:15.018 | 1:14.352 | 1:14.352 | — |
| 6 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:15.572 | 1:14.852 | 1:14.852 | — |
| 7 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | Leyton House | 1:17.214 | 1:15.266 | 1:15.266 | — |
| 8 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:15.394 | 1:16.982 | 1:15.394 | — |
| 9 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 1:15.481 | 1:15.827 | 1:15.481 | — |
| 10 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 1:16.477 | 1:15.578 | 1:15.578 | — |
| 11 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1:16.241 | 1:15.666 | 1:15.666 | — |
| 12 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 1:16.018 | 1:15.707 | 1:15.707 | — |
| 13 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:16.540 | 1:15.749 | 1:15.749 | — |
| 14 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 1:15.972 | 1:15.936 | 1:15.936 | — |
| 15 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 1:16.567 | 1:16.038 | 1:17.788 | — |
| 16 | 32 | Roberto Moreno | Jordan | 1:16.956 | 1:16.080 | 1:16.080 | — |
| 17 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1:16.725 | 1:16.135 | 1:16.135 | — |
| 18 | 22 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:16.724 | 1:16.532 | 1:16.532 | — |
| 19 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 1:17.298 | 1:16.536 | 1:17.739 | — |
| 20 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:18.005 | 1:16.757 | 1:16.757 | — |
| 21 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 1:16.926 | 1:17.035 | 1:16.926 | — |
| 22 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 1:17.713 | 1:17.015 | 1:17.015 | — |
| 23 | 26 | Érik Comas | Ligier | 1:18.192 | 1:17.226 | 1:17.226 | — |
| 24 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:18.389 | 1:17.330 | 1:18.371 | — |
| 25 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:17.434 | 1:17.537 | 1:17.434 | — |
| 26 | 11 | Mika Häkkinen | Lotus | 1:18.947 | 1:17.714 | 1:17.714 | — |
| 27 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | 1:18.186 | 1:17.825 | 1:17.825 | — |
| 28 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:18.295 | 1:18.022 | 1:18.020 | — |
| 29 | 34 | Nicola Larini | Lamborghini | 1:21.612 | 1:18.139 | 1:18.139 | — |
| 30 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | 1:20.411 | 1:18.266 | 1:18.266 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell found a more satisfying balance in the warm-up and narrowly led Riccardo Patrese, giving Williams an encouraging final rehearsal. Alain Prost had a much worse morning when his Ferrari caught fire, requiring him to switch to the spare car. The hot conditions also sharpened the teams’ focus on tyre life and the timing of their planned stops.
Warm-up Classification
1991 Portuguese Grand Prix Warm-up, 22 September 1991
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:18.769 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +0.023s | — |
| 3 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +0.157s | — |
| 4 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | +0.696s | — |
| 5 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +0.966s | — |
| 6 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +1.029s | — |
| 7 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | +1.071s | — |
| 8 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +1.167s | — |
| 9 | 32 | Roberto Moreno | Jordan | +1.186s | — |
| 10 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | +1.280s | — |
| 11 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | +1.533s | — |
| 12 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | +1.570s | — |
| 13 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | +1.671s | — |
| 14 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | +1.685s | — |
| 15 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | +1.708s | — |
| 16 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +1.715s | — |
| 17 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +1.737s | — |
| 18 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | +1.978s | — |
| 19 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +2.010s | — |
| 20 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | +2.066s | — |
| 21 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +2.093s | — |
| 22 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +2.174s | — |
| 23 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | +2.276s | — |
| 24 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | +2.510s | — |
| 25 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | +2.575s | — |
| 26 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | +2.749s | — |
What happened in the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix?
Riccardo Patrese led at the start, while Nigel Mansell aggressively moved into second. Nigel Mansell later passed his team-mate and opened an advantage, putting Williams in a strong position to score heavily against Ayrton Senna.
The race unravelled for Nigel Mansell at his tyre stop when he was released with a rear wheel unsecured. It came off in the pit lane, and the mechanics fitted another wheel away from the designated working area. Nigel Mansell rejoined and charged back through the field, but that assistance led to his disqualification.
Riccardo Patrese completed his second victory of the season. Gerhard Berger‘s retirement promoted Ayrton Senna to second, with Jean Alesi resisting Pierluigi Martini for third. Nelson Piquet and Michael Schumacher completed the points. Nigel Mansell retained fastest lap but scored nothing, leaving Ayrton Senna 24 points ahead with three rounds remaining.
After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 83 points, followed by Nigel Mansell on 59. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 114, with Williams on 103.
1991 Portuguese Grand Prix race results
The 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix was held on 22 September 1991, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.
1991 Portuguese Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 36 | 1:18.179 |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 38 | 1:18.350 |
| 3 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 36 | 1:18.856 |
| 4 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 50 | 1:18.929 |
| 5 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 45 | 1:19.073 |
| 6 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 68 | 1:19.206 |
| 7 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 48 | 1:19.210 |
| 8 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 55 | 1:19.418 |
| 9 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 45 | 1:19.519 |
| 10 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 33 | 1:19.531 |
| 11 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 57 | 1:19.581 |
| 12 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | 65 | 1:19.757 |
| 13 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 60 | 1:20.082 |
| 14 | 32 | Roberto Moreno | Jordan | 57 | 1:20.096 |
| 15 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 30 | 1:20.342 |
| 16 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 56 | 1:20.357 |
| 17 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | 35 | 1:20.445 |
| 18 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 27 | 1:20.480 |
| 19 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 38 | 1:20.700 |
| 20 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 43 | 1:20.781 |
| 21 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 33 | 1:21.586 |
| 22 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 41 | 1:21.966 |
| 23 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 13 | 1:22.165 |
| 24 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 11 | 1:22.592 |
| 25 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 12 | 1:22.801 |
| 26 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 1 | 1:39.804 |
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 Portuguese Grand Prix.
1991 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1991 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 114 |
| 2 | Williams | 103 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 43 |
| 4 | Benetton | 36 |
| 5 | Jordan | 13 |
| 6 | Tyrrell | 11 |
| 7 | Minardi | 6 |
| 8 | Dallara | 5 |
| 9 | Lotus | 3 |
| 10 | Lola | 2 |
| 11 | Leyton House | 1 |
| 12 | Brabham | 1 |
| 13 | Ligier | 0 |
| 14 | Lamborghini | 0 |
| 15 | AGS | 0 |
| 16 | Fondmetal | 0 |
| 17 | Footwork | 0 |
1991 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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