Nigel Mansell made Formula 1 history at the 1992 San Marino Grand Prix, becoming the first driver to win the opening five races of a season. Riccardo Patrese completed another Williams one-two at Imola, while Ayrton Senna took third on a demanding afternoon.
Race Guide
Season: 1992 F1 World Championship
Race date: 17 May 1992
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Laps: 60 laps
Circuit length: 5.040 km
1991 winner: Ayrton Senna
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Pole time | 1:21.842 | |
| Fastest lap | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:26.100 on lap 60 | |
| First | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Second | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| Third | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 15 May 1992 | Pre-qualifying | 08:00–09:00 |
| 15 May 1992 | Practice 1 | 10:00–11:45 |
| 15 May 1992 | Qualifying 1 | 13:00–14:00 |
| 16 May 1992 | Practice 2 | 10:00–11:45 |
| 16 May 1992 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00–14:00 |
| 17 May 1992 | Warm-up | 09:30–10:00 |
| 17 May 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 5 leading the 1992 F1 World Championship on 40 points, with Riccardo Patrese on 18. Williams headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 58 points.
Race entries
The driver line-ups were unchanged. Lotus introduced the 107 for Johnny Herbert, while Häkkinen continued with the older car. Michael Schumacher received Ford’s latest engine specification for qualifying, and Minardi brought its new cars alongside older machinery as a precaution.
Pre-qualifying
Michele Alboreto led Bertrand Gachot, Ukyo Katayama and Andrea Chiesa through to the main sessions. Roberto Moreno came much closer to escaping pre-qualifying than at the preceding races, falling short by less than half a second. McCarthy completed his first meaningful laps in the Andrea Moda before a differential problem stopped him.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:26.865 | — |
| 2 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 1:27.407 | +0.542 |
| 3 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 1:27.601 | +0.736 |
| 4 | 14 | Andrea Chiesa | Fondmetal | 1:28.480 | +1.615 |
| 5 | 34 | Roberto Moreno | Andrea Moda | 1:28.943 | +2.078 |
| 6 | 35 | Perry McCarthy | Andrea Moda | 1:37.537 | +10.672 |
Friday Free Practice
Friday practice briefly suggested McLaren might be closing in, with Ayrton Senna only 0.154 seconds behind Nigel Mansell. The Williams driver was not satisfied with his set-up, however, and there was more speed to come. Riccardo Patrese‘s day was disrupted by electrical and engine trouble, while the team faced the time-consuming task of preparing a replacement car around him.
Friday Practice Classification
1992 San Marino Grand Prix Practice, 15 May 1992
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:22.714 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +0.154s | — |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +0.800s | — |
| 4 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +1.033s | — |
| 5 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +1.389s | — |
| 6 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | +1.667s | — |
| 7 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | +2.315s | — |
| 8 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | +2.775s | — |
| 9 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | +2.869s | — |
| 10 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | +2.911s | — |
| 11 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +3.084s | — |
| 12 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +3.512s | — |
| 13 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | +3.553s | — |
| 14 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +3.564s | — |
| 15 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | +3.728s | — |
| 16 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +3.770s | — |
| 17 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | +3.775s | — |
| 18 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | +3.873s | — |
| 19 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | +4.153s | — |
| 20 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | +4.311s | — |
| 21 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +5.075s | — |
| 22 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | +5.133s | — |
| 23 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | +5.139s | — |
| 24 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | +5.193s | — |
| 25 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | +5.664s | — |
| 26 | 14 | Andrea Chiesa | Fondmetal | +5.760s | — |
| 27 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | +6.610s | — |
Friday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell‘s Friday lap of 1:21.842 proved untouchable. Ayrton Senna was second in the opening session, ahead of Gerhard Berger and Riccardo Patrese, but could not reproduce the stronger challenge McLaren had hoped for after testing.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1992 San Marino Grand Prix first qualifying session, 15 May 1992
Saturday Free Practice
Nigel Mansell stretched his advantage on Saturday morning, with Riccardo Patrese now second. Elsewhere, new machinery brought fresh problems: Lotus struggled with fuel pressure on the 107, while Jordan suffered repeated Yamaha engine failures during the weekend. The midfield battle was being shaped as much by lost track time and repairs as by outright speed, particularly for teams trying to avoid elimination.
Saturday Practice Classification
1992 San Marino Grand Prix Practice, 16 May 1992
Saturday Qualifying
Riccardo Patrese improved on Saturday to secure second, ahead of Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger. Michael Schumacher and Martin Brundle shared the third row, followed by Jean Alesi and Ivan Capelli. Häkkinen, Andrea Chiesa and both Brabham drivers failed to qualify. Nigel Mansell ended Ayrton Senna‘s run of seven consecutive Imola poles.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1992 San Marino Grand Prix second qualifying session, 16 May 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 | 1:21.842 | 1:22.440 | 1:21.842 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:23.876 | 1:22.895 | 1:22.895 | — |
| 3 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:23.086 | 1:23.151 | 1:23.086 | — |
| 4 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:23.418 | 1:24.393 | 1:23.418 | — |
| 5 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 1:23.701 | 1:24.177 | 1:23.701 | — |
| 6 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | 1:25.239 | 1:23.904 | 1:23.904 | — |
| 7 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:23.970 | 1:24.103 | 1:23.970 | — |
| 8 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 1:24.274 | 1:24.192 | 1:24.192 | — |
| 9 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:24.706 | 1:26.519 | 1:26.865 | — |
| 10 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:25.043 | 1:25.276 | 1:25.043 | — |
| 11 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | 1:25.134 | 1:25.909 | 1:25.134 | — |
| 12 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | 1:27.019 | 1:25.483 | 1:25.483 | — |
| 13 | 26 | Érik Comas | Ligier | 1:25.739 | 1:25.543 | 1:25.543 | — |
| 14 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | 1:25.637 | 1:26.337 | 1:25.637 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | 1:25.838 | 1:26.331 | 1:25.838 | — |
| 16 | 21 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:25.865 | 1:26.215 | 1:25.865 | — |
| 17 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 1:26.900 | 1:25.982 | 1:27.601 | — |
| 18 | 33 | Maurício Gugelmin | Jordan | 1:26.056 | 1:26.659 | 1:26.056 | — |
| 19 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 1:26.403 | 1:26.182 | 1:27.407 | — |
| 20 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | 1:26.953 | 1:26.404 | 1:26.404 | — |
| 21 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:26.681 | 1:27.051 | 1:26.681 | — |
| 22 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 1:26.959 | 1:26.765 | 1:26.765 | — |
| 23 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | 1:26.939 | 1:26.774 | 1:26.774 | — |
| 24 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | 1:28.515 | 1:27.194 | 1:27.194 | — |
| 25 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | 1:27.229 | 1:27.282 | 1:27.229 | — |
| 26 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 1:27.270 | 1:27.357 | 1:27.270 | — |
| 27 | 11 | Mika Häkkinen | Lotus | 1:27.437 | 1:27.912 | 1:27.437 | — |
| 28 | 14 | Andrea Chiesa | Fondmetal | 1:27.756 | 1:29.297 | 1:28.480 | — |
| 29 | 8 | Damon Hill | Brabham | no time | 1:28.423 | 1:28.423 | — |
| 30 | 7 | Eric van de Poele | Brabham | 1:29.347 | 1:28.832 | 1:28.832 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell led the warm-up, but Johnny Herbert‘s tenth place was a more revealing sign of progress further back. After the frustrations of practice and qualifying, the new Lotus finally offered encouragement before the start. Williams reverted to its established Renault engine for the race, keeping the newer version in reserve. Imola‘s heat promised a demanding afternoon for the drivers and tyres alike.
Warm-up Classification
1992 San Marino Grand Prix Warm-up, 17 May 1992
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:25.490 | — |
| 2 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | +0.805s | — |
| 3 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | +1.065s | — |
| 4 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +1.175s | — |
| 5 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +1.232s | — |
| 6 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +1.775s | — |
| 7 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | +1.782s | — |
| 8 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +2.123s | — |
| 9 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | +2.509s | — |
| 10 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | +3.264s | — |
| 11 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | +3.307s | — |
| 12 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | +3.533s | — |
| 13 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +3.542s | — |
| 14 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +3.544s | — |
| 15 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | +3.636s | — |
| 16 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | +3.652s | — |
| 17 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | +3.820s | — |
| 18 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | +3.906s | — |
| 19 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | +4.002s | — |
| 20 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +4.114s | — |
| 21 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +4.755s | — |
| 22 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | +5.115s | — |
| 23 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | +5.341s | — |
| 24 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | +5.750s | — |
| 25 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | +7.440s | — |
| 26 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | +10.590s | — |
What happened in the 1992 San Marino Grand Prix?
Karl Wendlinger‘s stalled March forced an aborted start, reducing the race from 61 laps to 60. When the field finally got away, Nigel Mansell took command and Riccardo Patrese followed. The Williams pair quickly established a margin over Ayrton Senna and the cars behind him.
Michael Schumacher spun out of contention, while Ivan Capelli also retired after an excursion. Jean Alesi briefly ran third by delaying his tyre stop, but contact with Gerhard Berger at Tosa eliminated both cars. Martin Brundle survived his own difficulties to reach the finish for the first time that season.
Nigel Mansell won ahead of Riccardo Patrese, extending his unbeaten start to five races. Ayrton Senna finished third despite severe discomfort, with Martin Brundle fourth. Michele Alboreto and Pierluigi Martini completed the points. Williams‘ dominance was intact, while its pursuers were still struggling to put together a complete weekend.
After the race, Nigel Mansell headed the drivers’ standings with 50 points, followed by Riccardo Patrese on 24. Williams led the constructors’ table on 74, with Benetton on 20.
1992 San Marino Grand Prix race results
The 1992 San Marino Grand Prix was held on 17 May 1992, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.
1992 San Marino Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 60 | 1:26.100 |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 36 | 1:26.588 |
| 3 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 31 | 1:27.250 |
| 4 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | 27 | 1:27.410 |
| 5 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 28 | 1:27.615 |
| 6 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 38 | 1:28.071 |
| 7 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | 55 | 1:28.802 |
| 8 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 38 | 1:29.078 |
| 9 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 58 | 1:29.095 |
| 10 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 7 | 1:29.183 |
| 11 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 30 | 1:29.187 |
| 12 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | 39 | 1:29.282 |
| 13 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | 38 | 1:29.612 |
| 14 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 28 | 1:29.659 |
| 15 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 24 | 1:29.699 |
| 16 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | 38 | 1:29.739 |
| 17 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 10 | 1:29.832 |
| 18 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | 36 | 1:30.024 |
| 19 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | 19 | 1:30.369 |
| 20 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 25 | 1:30.458 |
| 21 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | 38 | 1:30.560 |
| 22 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 24 | 1:30.671 |
| 23 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 4 | 1:30.976 |
| 24 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 24 | 1:31.064 |
| 25 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | 6 | 1:31.944 |
| 26 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | 20 | 1:31.953 |
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 San Marino Grand Prix.
1992 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 50 |
| 2 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Williams | 24 |
| 3 | Michael Schumacher | German | Benetton | 17 |
| 4 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | McLaren | 8 |
| 5 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | McLaren | 8 |
| 6 | Jean Alesi | French | Ferrari | 7 |
| 7 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Footwork | 5 |
| 8 | Martin Brundle | British | Benetton | 3 |
| 9 | Ivan Capelli | Italian | Ferrari | 2 |
| 10 | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 11 | Pierluigi Martini | Italian | Dallara | 2 |
| 12 | Johnny Herbert | British | Lotus | 1 |
| 13 | Mika Häkkinen | Finnish | Lotus | 1 |
| – | Aguri Suzuki | Japanese | Footwork | 0 |
| – | Érik Comas | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Maurício Gugelmin | Brazilian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Gianni Morbidelli | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | JJ Lehto | Finnish | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Karl Wendlinger | Austrian | March | 0 |
| – | Olivier Grouillard | French | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Ukyo Katayama | Japanese | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Christian Fittipaldi | Brazilian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Bertrand Gachot | Belgian | Venturi | 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 |
1992 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams | 74 |
| 2 | Benetton | 20 |
| 3 | McLaren | 16 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 9 |
| 5 | Footwork | 5 |
| 6 | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 7 | Lotus | 2 |
| 8 | Dallara | 2 |
| – | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Jordan | 0 |
| – | March | 0 |
| – | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Fondmetal | 0 |
1992 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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