Nigel Mansell maintained his perfect start to the season at the 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix, turning a close fight with Riccardo Patrese into another Williams victory. Michael Schumacher completed the podium as McLaren‘s new car endured a difficult home weekend for Ayrton Senna.
Race Guide
Season: 1992 F1 World Championship
Race date: 5 April 1992
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-03:00)
Circuit: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
Laps: 71 laps
Circuit length: 4.325 km
1991 winner: Ayrton Senna
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Pole time | 1:15.703 | |
| Fastest lap | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:19.490 on lap 34 | |
| First | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Second | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| Third | Michael Schumacher | Benetton |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 3 April 1992 | Pre-qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 3 April 1992 | Practice 1 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 3 April 1992 | Qualifying 1 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 4 April 1992 | Practice 2 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 4 April 1992 | Qualifying 2 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 5 April 1992 | Warm-up | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 5 April 1992 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Nigel Mansell arrived at round 3 leading the 1992 F1 World Championship on 20 points, with Riccardo Patrese on 12. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 32 points.
Race entries
McLaren introduced the MP4/7, bringing older cars as insurance while it worked through the new model’s problems. Andrea Moda returned with Roberto Moreno and Perry McCarthy replacing Alex Caffi and Enrico Bertaggia. McCarthy could not take part after his superlicence was withdrawn.
Pre-qualifying
Bertrand Gachot headed the first pre-qualifying session held that season, with Michele Alboreto, Andrea Chiesa and Ukyo Katayama also advancing. Roberto Moreno was the sole driver eliminated after a brief, troubled run in the Andrea Moda. McCarthy’s licence difficulty kept the second car out of the session.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 1:22.161 | — |
| 2 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:22.346 | +0.185 |
| 3 | 14 | Andrea Chiesa | Fondmetal | 1:22.860 | +0.699 |
| 4 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 1:23.272 | +1.111 |
| 5 | 34 | Roberto Moreno | Andrea Moda | 1:38.569 | +16.408 |
Friday Free Practice
Nigel Mansell led Friday practice, but much of the attention was on McLaren‘s hurried introduction of the MP4/7. The team had both new and old cars available while it tried to resolve handling and engine problems. Tyrrell had mixed fortunes: de Andrea de Cesaris was third-fastest, whereas a fire severely disrupted Olivier Grouillard‘s Friday running. The new challengers had plenty of work to do before they could threaten Williams.
Friday Practice Classification
1992 Brazilian Grand Prix Practice, 3 April 1992
Friday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell‘s Friday lap of 1:15.703 established a commanding provisional pole. Riccardo Patrese was second and Michael Schumacher third, ahead of Pierluigi Martini and Gerhard Berger. Ayrton Senna still had significant work to do as McLaren tried to improve the new car’s balance.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1992 Brazilian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 3 April 1992
Saturday Free Practice
Nigel Mansell remained comfortably fastest on Saturday morning. Riccardo Patrese was unhappy enough with his car to seek use of the spare, while Ferrari changed back to its older engine specification after continuing difficulties with the new units. At McLaren, the comparison between generations remained unresolved: Gerhard Berger would ultimately qualify the older car before choosing the new one for the race.
Saturday Practice Classification
1992 Brazilian Grand Prix Practice, 4 April 1992
Saturday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell retained pole despite crashing while trying to pass Ayrton Senna late in Saturday’s session. Riccardo Patrese improved to secure second, with Ayrton Senna moving up to third and Gerhard Berger fourth. Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi shared row three. Andrea Chiesa, Paul Belmondo and both Brabham drivers missed the grid.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1992 Brazilian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 4 April 1992
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 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:15.703 | 1:16.091 | 1:15.703 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:17.591 | 1:16.894 | 1:16.894 | — |
| 3 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:19.358 | 1:17.902 | 1:17.902 | — |
| 4 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:19.277 | 1:18.416 | 1:18.416 | — |
| 5 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 1:18.541 | 1:18.582 | 1:18.541 | — |
| 6 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:19.340 | 1:18.647 | 1:18.647 | — |
| 7 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | 1:19.488 | 1:18.711 | 1:18.711 | — |
| 8 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | 1:18.953 | 1:20.018 | 1:18.953 | — |
| 9 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | 1:19.897 | 1:19.007 | 1:19.007 | — |
| 10 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:20.823 | 1:19.038 | 1:19.038 | — |
| 11 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 1:19.895 | 1:19.300 | 1:19.300 | — |
| 12 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | 1:19.344 | 1:19.314 | 1:19.314 | — |
| 13 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | 1:19.343 | 1:19.497 | 1:19.343 | — |
| 14 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:19.533 | 1:20.159 | 1:22.346 | — |
| 15 | 26 | Érik Comas | Ligier | 1:19.541 | 1:19.537 | 1:19.537 | — |
| 16 | 21 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:20.502 | 1:19.834 | 1:19.834 | — |
| 17 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | 1:21.930 | 1:19.849 | 1:19.849 | — |
| 18 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 1:20.413 | 1:19.927 | 1:22.161 | — |
| 19 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 1:20.533 | 1:19.993 | 1:19.993 | — |
| 20 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | 1:21.019 | 1:20.133 | 1:20.133 | — |
| 21 | 33 | Maurício Gugelmin | Jordan | 1:20.817 | 1:20.266 | 1:20.266 | — |
| 22 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | 1:20.891 | 1:20.435 | 1:20.435 | — |
| 23 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:20.445 | 1:20.862 | 1:20.445 | — |
| 24 | 11 | Mika Häkkinen | Lotus | 1:20.577 | 1:20.734 | 1:20.577 | — |
| 25 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 1:21.568 | 1:20.648 | 1:23.272 | — |
| 26 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 1:21.161 | 1:20.650 | 1:20.650 | — |
| 27 | 14 | Andrea Chiesa | Fondmetal | no time | 1:20.809 | 1:22.860 | — |
| 28 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | 1:20.886 | 1:22.875 | 1:20.886 | — |
| 29 | 7 | Eric van de Poele | Brabham | 1:22.742 | 1:21.770 | 1:21.770 | — |
| 30 | 8 | Giovanna Amati | Brabham | 1:30.420 | 1:26.645 | 1:26.645 | — |
Sunday warm-up
The Williams pair again headed the Sunday warm-up, reinforcing the impression that the race would be theirs to lose. Their active cars were particularly effective over Interlagos‘ bumps, an advantage that also helped tyre management. McLaren faced a much less reassuring build-up: getting the new package through the distance remained a major concern as well as finding a way to match the leaders.
Warm-up Classification
1992 Brazilian Grand Prix Warm-up, 5 April 1992
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:18.551 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +0.650s | — |
| 3 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | +1.653s | — |
| 4 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +2.212s | — |
| 5 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +2.257s | — |
| 6 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | +2.429s | — |
| 7 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | +2.455s | — |
| 8 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | +2.482s | — |
| 9 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +2.595s | — |
| 10 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +2.628s | — |
| 11 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | +2.735s | — |
| 12 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | +2.755s | — |
| 13 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +2.765s | — |
| 14 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | +2.882s | — |
| 15 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | +2.887s | — |
| 16 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +2.888s | — |
| 17 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | +2.926s | — |
| 18 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | +3.171s | — |
| 19 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +3.352s | — |
| 20 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | +3.435s | — |
| 21 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | +3.473s | — |
| 22 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | +3.511s | — |
| 23 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | +3.653s | — |
| 24 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +3.891s | — |
| 25 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | +4.029s | — |
| 26 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | +4.202s | — |
What happened in the 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix?
Riccardo Patrese beat Nigel Mansell away and led the first stint, with the two Williams cars rapidly pulling clear. Ayrton Senna held third initially but struggled with a misfiring engine before retiring. Gerhard Berger had already lost ground with a gearbox problem before the start and soon retired too.
Nigel Mansell stopped before Riccardo Patrese and used the pit-stop sequence to take the lead. Once ahead, he gradually opened a gap. Martin Brundle‘s challenge ended after contact with Jean Alesi, while a clash involving the Ligier drivers also eliminated Johnny Herbert from the midfield contest.
Nigel Mansell completed his third consecutive victory, with Riccardo Patrese second and Michael Schumacher third. Jean Alesi and Ivan Capelli finally brought Ferrari a double points finish, and Michele Alboreto earned sixth for Footwork. Williams had lapped everyone except its own second car.
After the race, Nigel Mansell headed the drivers’ standings with 30 points, followed by Riccardo Patrese on 18. Williams led the constructors’ table on 48, with Benetton on 11.
1992 Brazilian Grand Prix race results
The 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 5 April 1992, with a scheduled start of Start time unconfirmed local time.
1992 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 34 | 1:19.490 |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 48 | 1:19.682 |
| 3 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 56 | 1:21.028 |
| 4 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 46 | 1:21.625 |
| 5 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | 45 | 1:21.851 |
| 6 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | 28 | 1:22.019 |
| 7 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 52 | 1:22.048 |
| 8 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | 46 | 1:22.091 |
| 9 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 40 | 1:22.116 |
| 10 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 38 | 1:22.129 |
| 11 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 42 | 1:22.160 |
| 12 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 35 | 1:22.180 |
| 13 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 40 | 1:22.217 |
| 14 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 46 | 1:22.445 |
| 15 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | 45 | 1:22.593 |
| 16 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | 41 | 1:22.597 |
| 17 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 51 | 1:22.712 |
| 18 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | 35 | 1:22.722 |
| 19 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 27 | 1:22.771 |
| 20 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | 21 | 1:23.047 |
| 21 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 16 | 1:23.101 |
| 22 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | 19 | 1:23.241 |
| 23 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 17 | 1:23.524 |
| 24 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 3 | 1:23.601 |
| 25 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | 1 | 1:39.300 |
| 26 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | 1 | 2:08.611 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1992 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix.
1992 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 30 |
| 2 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Williams | 18 |
| 3 | Michael Schumacher | German | Benetton | 11 |
| 4 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | McLaren | 5 |
| 5 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | McLaren | 4 |
| 6 | Jean Alesi | French | Ferrari | 3 |
| 7 | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 8 | Ivan Capelli | Italian | Ferrari | 2 |
| 9 | Johnny Herbert | British | Lotus | 1 |
| 10 | Mika Häkkinen | Finnish | Lotus | 1 |
| 11 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Footwork | 1 |
| – | Érik Comas | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Gianni Morbidelli | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | JJ Lehto | Finnish | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Aguri Suzuki | Japanese | Footwork | 0 |
| – | Ukyo Katayama | Japanese | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Maurício Gugelmin | Brazilian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Bertrand Gachot | Belgian | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Eric van de Poele | Belgian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | Fondmetal | 0 |
| – | Karl Wendlinger | Austrian | March | 0 |
| – | Christian Fittipaldi | Brazilian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Olivier Grouillard | French | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Martin Brundle | British | Benetton | 0 |
| – | Pierluigi Martini | Italian | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Andrea Chiesa | Swiss | Fondmetal | 0 |
| – | Stefano Modena | Italian | Jordan | 0 |
1992 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams | 48 |
| 2 | Benetton | 11 |
| 3 | McLaren | 9 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 5 |
| 5 | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 6 | Lotus | 2 |
| 7 | Footwork | 1 |
| – | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Fondmetal | 0 |
| – | March | 0 |
1992 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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