McLaren emerged from a chaotic start to claim a one-two finish at the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix. Ayrton Senna made it three victories from three, Gerhard Berger followed him home, and JJ Lehto celebrated a remarkable first podium for Dallara.
Race Guide
Season: 1991 F1 World Championship
Race date: 28 April 1991
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Laps: 61 laps
Circuit length: 5.040 km
1990 winner: Riccardo Patrese
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:21.877 | |
| Fastest lap | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:26.531 on lap 55 | |
| First | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Second | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
| Third | JJ Lehto | Dallara |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 26 April 1991 | Pre-qualifying | 08:00–09:00 |
| 26 April 1991 | Practice 1 | 10:00 |
| 26 April 1991 | Qualifying 1 | 13:00 |
| 27 April 1991 | Practice 2 | 10:00 |
| 27 April 1991 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00 |
| 28 April 1991 | Warm-up | 09:30 |
| 28 April 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 3 leading the 1991 F1 World Championship on 20 points, with Alain Prost on 9. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 24 points.
Race entries
Fabrizio Barbazza replaced Stefan Johansson at AGS. Benetton introduced the B191, while Brabham brought its new Yamaha-powered car. Footwork‘s new FA12 was available for Alex Caffi, but Michele Alboreto continued with the older chassis after a testing accident. Fondmetal also arrived with its new Fomet design.
Pre-qualifying
De Andrea de Cesaris, Lehto, Bertrand Gachot and van de Eric van de Poele reached the main sessions. Emanuele Pirro‘s hopes were disrupted by a fire, and Fondmetal‘s new car suffered teething problems. Nicola Larini and Chaves also missed out after gearbox difficulties, leaving van de Eric van de Poele to carry Stefano Modena‘s hopes into qualifying.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 1:25.535 | — |
| 2 | 22 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:25.923 | +0.388 |
| 3 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | 1:25.980 | +0.445 |
| 4 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | 1:26.117 | +0.582 |
| 5 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1:26.305 | +0.770 |
| 6 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Fondmetal | 1:26.789 | +1.254 |
| 7 | 34 | Nicola Larini | Lamborghini | 1:26.886 | +1.351 |
| 8 | 31 | Pedro Chaves | Coloni | 1:31.239 | +5.704 |
Friday Free Practice
Ayrton Senna led Friday practice as the European season brought a wave of new machinery into action. Benetton and Brabham were learning fresh cars, while Footwork continued to wrestle with its Porsche installation. Williams still had transmission concerns despite its speed. The opening session therefore involved much more than chasing a lap time: several teams needed their new packages to work reliably before they could attack qualifying.
Friday Practice Classification
1991 San Marino Grand Prix Practice, 26 April 1991
Friday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna took provisional pole on Friday with a 1:21.877, only 0.080 seconds faster than Riccardo Patrese. Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell formed the second row, giving both Ferrari and Williams a strong starting position behind the championship leader.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1991 San Marino Grand Prix first qualifying session, 26 April 1991
Saturday Free Practice
Rain transformed Saturday morning. Gerhard Berger was quickest, ahead of Alain Prost and Häkkinen, but the gaps reflected a very different challenge from Friday’s dry running. Drivers had to judge grip and standing water rather than simply refine their qualifying lines. The conditions also meant that the previous afternoon’s times were likely to remain decisive for the starting grid.
Saturday Practice Classification
1991 San Marino Grand Prix Practice, 27 April 1991
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:44.797 | — |
| 2 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | +1.537s | — |
| 3 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +4.081s | — |
| 4 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | +4.377s | — |
| 5 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | +4.588s | — |
| 6 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +5.249s | — |
| 7 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | +5.529s | — |
| 8 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +5.535s | — |
| 9 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | +5.705s | — |
| 10 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +5.820s | — |
| 11 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +6.074s | — |
| 12 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +6.652s | — |
| 13 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +6.877s | — |
| 14 | 12 | Julian Bailey | Lotus | +7.995s | — |
| 15 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | +8.848s | — |
| 16 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | +8.869s | — |
| 17 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | +10.980s | — |
| 18 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | +11.635s | — |
| 19 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | +12.230s | — |
| 20 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | +12.360s | — |
| 21 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | +12.510s | — |
| 22 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +13.789s | — |
| 23 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | +16.040s | — |
| 24 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | +16.282s | — |
| 25 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | +16.926s | — |
| 26 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | +19.095s | — |
| 27 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | +33.277s | — |
| 28 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +51.813s | — |
Saturday Qualifying
Saturday’s wet session offered no realistic opportunity to improve the dry times. Gerhard Berger was fastest on the day, followed by Jean Alesi and Nigel Mansell, but Ayrton Senna retained pole. Gerhard Berger consequently started eighth, while the Friday order determined the grid for a race whose weather was becoming increasingly unpredictable.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1991 San Marino Grand Prix second qualifying session, 27 April 1991
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:40.322 | — |
| 2 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:41.149 | — |
| 3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:41.878 | — |
| 4 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 1:42.063 | — |
| 5 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:42.429 | — |
| 6 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:42.455 | — |
| 7 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1:42.911 | — |
| 8 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 1:43.397 | — |
| 9 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:43.633 | — |
| 10 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 1:44.118 | — |
| 11 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:44.125 | — |
| 12 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 1:44.613 | — |
| 13 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | 1:44.897 | — |
| 14 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | 1:45.216 | — |
| 15 | 12 | Julian Bailey | Lotus | 1:45.931 | — |
| 16 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 1:46.667 | — |
| 17 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | 1:47.444 | — |
| 18 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | 1:47.619 | — |
| 19 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 1:49.539 | — |
| 20 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 1:52.949 | — |
| 21 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | 2:06.589 | — |
| 22 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 9:39.741 | — |
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 | 1:21.877 | 1:43.633 | 1:21.877 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:21.957 | 1:42.455 | 1:21.957 | — |
| 3 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:22.195 | 1:42.429 | 1:22.195 | — |
| 4 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:22.366 | 1:41.878 | 1:22.366 | — |
| 5 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:22.567 | 1:40.322 | 1:22.567 | — |
| 6 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 1:23.511 | 1:44.613 | 1:23.511 | — |
| 7 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:23.945 | 1:41.149 | 1:23.945 | — |
| 8 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:24.762 | no time | 1:24.762 | — |
| 9 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:24.807 | no time | 1:24.807 | — |
| 10 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 1:25.345 | 1:42.063 | 1:25.345 | — |
| 11 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 1:25.491 | 1:44.118 | 1:25.535 | — |
| 12 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | 1:25.531 | 1:44.897 | 1:25.980 | — |
| 13 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | 1:25.655 | 1:45.216 | 1:25.655 | — |
| 14 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1:25.809 | 1:42.911 | 1:25.809 | — |
| 15 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | Leyton House | 1:25.841 | no time | 1:25.841 | — |
| 16 | 22 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:25.974 | 1:43.397 | 1:25.923 | — |
| 17 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | 1:25.983 | no time | 1:25.983 | — |
| 18 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 1:26.055 | no time | 1:26.055 | — |
| 19 | 26 | Érik Comas | Ligier | 1:26.207 | 1:46.667 | 1:26.207 | — |
| 20 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:26.356 | no time | 1:26.356 | — |
| 21 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | 1:26.550 | 1:47.619 | 1:26.117 | — |
| 22 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 1:26.602 | 1:52.949 | 1:26.602 | — |
| 23 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 1:26.778 | 1:49.539 | 1:26.778 | — |
| 24 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:26.998 | 1:44.125 | 1:26.998 | — |
| 25 | 11 | Mika Häkkinen | Lotus | 1:27.324 | 1:47.444 | 1:27.324 | — |
| 26 | 12 | Julian Bailey | Lotus | 1:27.976 | 1:45.931 | 1:27.976 | — |
| 27 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:28.175 | no time | 1:28.175 | — |
| 28 | 18 | Fabrizio Barbazza | AGS | 1:29.665 | no time | 1:29.665 | — |
| 29 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Footwork | 1:30.280 | 2:06.589 | 1:30.280 | — |
| 30 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:30.762 | 9:39.741 | 1:30.762 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Gerhard Berger headed a dry warm-up, with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost next, as McLaren prepared to convert its speed into another victory. The reassuring conditions did not last. Heavy rain arrived shortly before the start, forcing a hurried change to wet-weather tyres and leaving the teams facing a race very different from the one they had prepared for in the morning.
Warm-up Classification
1991 San Marino Grand Prix Warm-up, 28 April 1991
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:25.791 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +1.324s | — |
| 3 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | +1.635s | — |
| 4 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | +2.066s | — |
| 5 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +2.125s | — |
| 6 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +2.765s | — |
| 7 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | +3.059s | — |
| 8 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | +3.482s | — |
| 9 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | +3.663s | — |
| 10 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | +3.700s | — |
| 11 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | +3.836s | — |
| 12 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +3.840s | — |
| 13 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +4.069s | — |
| 14 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | +4.183s | — |
| 15 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +4.467s | — |
| 16 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +4.487s | — |
| 17 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | +4.589s | — |
| 18 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | +4.774s | — |
| 19 | 12 | Julian Bailey | Lotus | +5.002s | — |
| 20 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | +5.271s | — |
| 21 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | +5.572s | — |
| 22 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +5.908s | — |
| 23 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +6.351s | — |
| 24 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | +6.356s | — |
| 25 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | +6.772s | — |
| 26 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | +7.919s | — |
What happened in the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix?
The drama began on the formation lap. Alain Prost slid off on standing water and could not start, while Gerhard Berger survived an excursion and regained his place. Riccardo Patrese took the early lead, but a misfire forced him into the pits and eventually out of the race. Nigel Mansell was also an early casualty after contact with Martin Brundle.
Ayrton Senna took control as the field thinned. Jean Alesi and Nelson Piquet spun out, while Gerhard Berger recovered to second. Behind the McLarens, Lehto put together an assured drive and benefited as rivals encountered trouble. Van de Eric van de Poele was heading towards a remarkable points finish before fuel-pump problems stopped him near the end.
Ayrton Senna won ahead of Gerhard Berger and Lehto, extending his perfect start to the championship. Pierluigi Martini finished fourth for Minardi, with Häkkinen and Julian Bailey delivering a valuable double points finish for Lotus. On an afternoon of mistakes and mechanical failures, reaching the flag brought substantial rewards.
After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 30 points, followed by Gerhard Berger on 10. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 40, with Ferrari on 10.
1991 San Marino Grand Prix race results
The 1991 San Marino Grand Prix was held on 28 April 1991, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.
1991 San Marino Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 55 | 1:26.531 |
| 2 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 47 | 1:27.168 |
| 3 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | 44 | 1:28.423 |
| 4 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 16 | 1:28.776 |
| 5 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell | 40 | 1:28.906 |
| 6 | 22 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 40 | 1:29.091 |
| 7 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 48 | 1:29.368 |
| 8 | 12 | Julian Bailey | Lotus | 58 | 1:29.968 |
| 9 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 50 | 1:30.115 |
| 10 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | 46 | 1:30.422 |
| 11 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan | 28 | 1:30.471 |
| 12 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 33 | 1:30.476 |
| 13 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | 56 | 1:30.481 |
| 14 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lamborghini | 50 | 1:30.528 |
| 15 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 24 | 1:31.257 |
| 16 | 8 | Mark Blundell | Brabham | 53 | 1:31.442 |
| 17 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 42 | 1:31.860 |
| 18 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan | 28 | 1:33.534 |
| 19 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | 17 | 1:33.555 |
| 20 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 15 | 1:44.827 |
| 21 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 10 | 1:50.522 |
| 22 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 2 | 1:55.709 |
| 23 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 2 | 2:01.658 |
| 24 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1 | 2:21.555 |
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 San Marino Grand Prix.
1991 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | McLaren | 30 |
| 2 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | McLaren | 10 |
| 3 | Alain Prost | French | Ferrari | 9 |
| 4 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Williams | 6 |
| 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Benetton | 6 |
| 6 | JJ Lehto | Finnish | Dallara | 4 |
| 7 | Pierluigi Martini | Italian | Minardi | 3 |
| 8 | Stefano Modena | Italian | Tyrrell | 3 |
| 9 | Mika Häkkinen | Finnish | Lotus | 2 |
| 10 | Satoru Nakajima | Japanese | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 11 | Jean Alesi | French | Ferrari | 1 |
| 12 | Aguri Suzuki | Japanese | Lola / Lola | 1 |
| 13 | Julian Bailey | British | Lotus | 1 |
| – | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Roberto Moreno | Brazilian | Benetton | 0 |
| – | Nicola Larini | Italian | Lamborghini | 0 |
| – | Mark Blundell | British | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Gianni Morbidelli | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | AGS | 0 |
| – | Eric van de Poele | Belgian | Lamborghini | 0 |
| – | Bertrand Gachot | Belgian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Érik Comas | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Martin Brundle | British | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Emanuele Pirro | Italian | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Maurício Gugelmin | Brazilian | Leyton House | 0 |
| – | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Footwork | 0 |
| – | Ivan Capelli | Italian | Leyton House | 0 |
| – | Éric Bernard | French | Lola / Lola | 0 |
1991 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 40 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 10 |
| 3 | Williams | 6 |
| 4 | Benetton | 6 |
| 5 | Tyrrell | 5 |
| 6 | Dallara | 4 |
| 7 | Minardi | 3 |
| 8 | Lotus | 3 |
| 9 | Lola | 1 |
| 10 | Lamborghini | 0 |
| 11 | Ligier | 0 |
| 12 | Brabham | 0 |
| 13 | AGS | 0 |
| 14 | Jordan | 0 |
| 15 | Leyton House | 0 |
| 16 | Footwork | 0 |
1991 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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