Gerhard Berger claimed victory at the 1992 Canadian Grand Prix as a demanding race in Montréal eliminated several leading contenders. Michael Schumacher finished second and Jean Alesi third, while both Williams cars retired for the first time that season.
Race Guide
Season: 1992 F1 World Championship
Race date: 14 June 1992
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC-04:00)
Circuit: Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve
Laps: 69 laps
Circuit length: 4.430 km
1991 winner: Nelson Piquet
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:19.775 | |
| Fastest lap | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:22.325 on lap 61 | |
| First | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
| Second | Michael Schumacher | Benetton |
| Third | Jean Alesi | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 12 June 1992 | Pre-qualifying | 08:00–09:00 |
| 12 June 1992 | Practice 1 | 10:00–11:45 |
| 12 June 1992 | Qualifying 1 | 13:00–14:00 |
| 13 June 1992 | Practice 2 | 10:00–11:45 |
| 13 June 1992 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00–14:00 |
| 14 June 1992 | Warm-up | 09:30–10:00 |
| 14 June 1992 | Race | 14:00 |
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 7 leading the 1992 F1 World Championship on 56 points, with Riccardo Patrese on 28. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 84 points.
Race entries
The regular drivers returned, but Andrea Moda arrived without its engines and could only borrow one for Roberto Moreno. McCarthy did not run. Fondmetal introduced its new car for Gabriele Tarquini, while Lotus continued developing the promising 107.
Pre-qualifying
Michele Alboreto headed Bertrand Gachot, Ukyo Katayama and Andrea Chiesa in Friday’s preliminary session. Roberto Moreno‘s borrowed engine allowed him to take part, but he was far off the required pace. With no engine available for McCarthy, neither Andrea Moda reached the main sessions.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:25.068 | — |
| 2 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 1:25.358 | +0.290 |
| 3 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 1:27.309 | +2.241 |
| 4 | 14 | Andrea Chiesa | Fondmetal | 1:29.562 | +4.494 |
| 5 | 34 | Roberto Moreno | Andrea Moda | 1:43.557 | +18.489 |
Friday Free Practice
Ayrton Senna set the Friday pace in sunshine, offering McLaren encouragement after its Monaco victory. The teams were juggling engine specifications and chassis development: Williams continued to reserve the newer Renault for qualifying, and Tyrrell tried revised front suspension. Lotus‘ improving 107 was beginning to make a more consistent impression, while Ferrari still struggled to find a settled balance.
Friday Practice Classification
1992 Canadian Grand Prix Practice, 12 June 1992
Friday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna set a 1:19.775 on Friday to head Riccardo Patrese, with Gerhard Berger third. Nigel Mansell was fourth, followed by Michael Schumacher and Johnny Herbert. It was the strongest challenge yet to Williams‘ sequence of poles.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1992 Canadian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 12 June 1992
Saturday Free Practice
Cooler, damp conditions replaced Friday’s sunshine. Nigel Mansell led Saturday practice, but finding the right set-up remained difficult and his later qualifying improvement would not be enough for pole. Minardi was also wrestling with its new car: Gianni Morbidelli preferred the older spare. Several teams lost useful running to mechanical problems, making the changing conditions an additional complication rather than a straightforward reset.
Saturday Practice Classification
1992 Canadian Grand Prix Practice, 13 June 1992
Saturday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell was fastest on Saturday, but his improvement left him third overall behind Ayrton Senna and Riccardo Patrese. Gerhard Berger took fourth, Michael Schumacher fifth and Johnny Herbert sixth. Ayrton Senna‘s Friday lap secured the only non-Williams pole of the season. Aguri Suzuki, Andrea Chiesa and both Brabhams failed to qualify.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1992 Canadian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 13 June 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 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:19.775 | 1:20.590 | 1:19.775 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:19.872 | 1:21.075 | 1:19.872 | — |
| 3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:20.157 | 1:19.948 | 1:19.948 | — |
| 4 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:20.145 | 1:21.038 | 1:20.145 | — |
| 5 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 1:20.456 | 1:21.045 | 1:20.456 | — |
| 6 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 1:21.645 | 1:23.043 | 1:21.645 | — |
| 7 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | 1:22.408 | 1:21.738 | 1:21.738 | — |
| 8 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:21.777 | 1:22.033 | 1:21.777 | — |
| 9 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 1:22.297 | 1:26.259 | 1:22.297 | — |
| 10 | 11 | Mika Häkkinen | Lotus | 1:22.360 | 1:22.787 | 1:22.360 | — |
| 11 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 1:22.510 | 1:33.438 | 1:27.309 | — |
| 12 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | 1:22.778 | 1:22.566 | 1:22.566 | — |
| 13 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:22.594 | 1:23.028 | 1:22.594 | — |
| 14 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | 1:22.635 | 1:23.948 | 1:22.635 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | 1:24.144 | 1:22.850 | 1:22.850 | — |
| 16 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:22.878 | 1:23.022 | 1:25.068 | — |
| 17 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | 1:23.023 | 1:23.572 | 1:23.023 | — |
| 18 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 1:24.281 | 1:23.063 | 1:23.063 | — |
| 19 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 1:23.410 | 1:23.138 | 1:25.356 | — |
| 20 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | 1:24.852 | 1:23.189 | 1:23.189 | — |
| 21 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:23.425 | 1:23.203 | 1:23.203 | — |
| 22 | 26 | Érik Comas | Ligier | 1:23.537 | 1:23.212 | 1:23.212 | — |
| 23 | 21 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:23.793 | 1:23.249 | 1:23.249 | — |
| 24 | 33 | Maurício Gugelmin | Jordan | 1:23.431 | 1:24.640 | 1:23.431 | — |
| 25 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | 1:23.759 | 1:23.433 | 1:23.433 | — |
| 26 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | 1:23.469 | 1:24.060 | 1:23.469 | — |
| 27 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | 1:23.958 | 1:23.721 | 1:23.721 | — |
| 28 | 7 | Eric van de Poele | Brabham | 1:24.858 | 1:24.499 | 1:24.499 | — |
| 29 | 14 | Andrea Chiesa | Fondmetal | 1:25.044 | 1:25.612 | 1:29.562 | — |
| 30 | 8 | Damon Hill | Brabham | 1:26.641 | 1:25.812 | 1:25.812 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell headed the warm-up by just one thousandth of a second from Martin Brundle. It was a welcome recovery after qualifying, with low cloud hanging over the circuit and an unsettled-looking afternoon ahead. The close Benetton challenge also suggested Williams would have more than McLaren to consider, particularly if reliability or traffic broke up the expected order.
Warm-up Classification
1992 Canadian Grand Prix Warm-up, 14 June 1992
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:22.466 | — |
| 2 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | +0.001s | — |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +0.903s | — |
| 4 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | +0.994s | — |
| 5 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +1.498s | — |
| 6 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | +1.552s | — |
| 7 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +1.868s | — |
| 8 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | +2.286s | — |
| 9 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +2.310s | — |
| 10 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +2.334s | — |
| 11 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | +2.449s | — |
| 12 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +2.487s | — |
| 13 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | +2.489s | — |
| 14 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +2.608s | — |
| 15 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | +2.707s | — |
| 16 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | +2.756s | — |
| 17 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +3.073s | — |
| 18 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | +3.121s | — |
| 19 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | +3.134s | — |
| 20 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +3.274s | — |
| 21 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | +3.331s | — |
| 22 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | +3.351s | — |
| 23 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | +3.547s | — |
| 24 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | +3.892s | — |
| 25 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | +3.922s | — |
| 26 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | +4.362s | — |
What happened in the 1992 Canadian Grand Prix?
Ayrton Senna led at the start, with Nigel Mansell passing Riccardo Patrese to give chase. Nigel Mansell‘s attempt to challenge at the final chicane ended in a spin and retirement, while Gerhard Berger moved ahead of Riccardo Patrese. Ayrton Senna subsequently retired with electrical trouble, handing the lead to his team-mate.
Riccardo Patrese and then Martin Brundle were also forced out by transmission problems, removing Gerhard Berger‘s principal pursuers. Lotus lost both cars after its encouraging qualifying display, and Ukyo Katayama‘s engine failure ended a strong run that had brought him into the points.
Gerhard Berger brought McLaren home first, ahead of Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi. Karl Wendlinger earned his first points with fourth for March, followed by de Andrea de Cesaris and Erik Comas. The latter’s sixth place gave Ligier its first point since 1989, completing an afternoon of opportunities for the survivors.
After the race, Nigel Mansell headed the drivers’ standings with 56 points, followed by Riccardo Patrese on 28. Williams led the constructors’ table on 84, with McLaren on 36.
1992 Canadian Grand Prix race results
The 1992 Canadian Grand Prix was held on 14 June 1992, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.
1992 Canadian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 61 | 1:22.325 |
| 2 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | 43 | 1:22.328 |
| 3 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 61 | 1:22.352 |
| 4 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 42 | 1:22.871 |
| 5 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 56 | 1:23.695 |
| 6 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 36 | 1:23.728 |
| 7 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 45 | 1:23.774 |
| 8 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 60 | 1:23.853 |
| 9 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | 65 | 1:23.856 |
| 10 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | 64 | 1:23.883 |
| 11 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 66 | 1:23.906 |
| 12 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | 63 | 1:24.206 |
| 13 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 61 | 1:24.258 |
| 14 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | 45 | 1:24.278 |
| 15 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 48 | 1:24.284 |
| 16 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | 61 | 1:24.350 |
| 17 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 53 | 1:24.371 |
| 18 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 29 | 1:24.639 |
| 19 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | 27 | 1:24.659 |
| 20 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 10 | 1:25.408 |
| 21 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 14 | 1:25.500 |
| 22 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | 32 | 1:25.860 |
| 23 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | 36 | 1:26.349 |
| 24 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 5 | 1:26.971 |
| 25 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | 14 | 1:27.223 |
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 Canadian Grand Prix.
1992 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 56 |
| 2 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Williams | 28 |
| 3 | Michael Schumacher | German | Benetton | 26 |
| 4 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | McLaren | 18 |
| 5 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | McLaren | 18 |
| 6 | Jean Alesi | French | Ferrari | 11 |
| 7 | Martin Brundle | British | Benetton | 5 |
| 8 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Footwork | 5 |
| 9 | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Tyrrell | 4 |
| 10 | Karl Wendlinger | Austrian | March | 3 |
| 11 | Ivan Capelli | Italian | Ferrari | 2 |
| 12 | Pierluigi Martini | Italian | Dallara | 2 |
| 13 | Érik Comas | French | Ligier | 1 |
| 14 | Johnny Herbert | British | Lotus | 1 |
| 15 | Mika Häkkinen | Finnish | Lotus | 1 |
| 16 | Bertrand Gachot | Belgian | Venturi | 1 |
| – | Aguri Suzuki | Japanese | Footwork | 0 |
| – | Maurício Gugelmin | Brazilian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Gianni Morbidelli | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | JJ Lehto | Finnish | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Christian Fittipaldi | Brazilian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Olivier Grouillard | French | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Ukyo Katayama | Japanese | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Paul Belmondo | French | March | 0 |
| – | Eric van de Poele | Belgian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | Fondmetal | 0 |
| – | Andrea Chiesa | Swiss | Fondmetal | 0 |
| – | Stefano Modena | Italian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Roberto Moreno | Brazilian | Andrea Moda | 0 |
1992 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams | 84 |
| 2 | McLaren | 36 |
| 3 | Benetton | 31 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 13 |
| 5 | Footwork | 5 |
| 6 | Tyrrell | 4 |
| 7 | March | 3 |
| 8 | Lotus | 2 |
| 9 | Dallara | 2 |
| 10 | Ligier | 1 |
| 11 | Venturi | 1 |
| – | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Fondmetal | 0 |
| – | Andrea Moda | 0 |
1992 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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