Nigel Mansell launched his title challenge in commanding fashion at the 1992 South African Grand Prix. Williams converted its winter promise into a one-two finish at Kyalami, with Riccardo Patrese following Nigel Mansell home and Ayrton Senna taking third for McLaren.
Race Guide
Season: 1992 F1 World Championship
Race date: 1 March 1992
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Kyalami
Laps: 72 laps
Circuit length: 4.261 km
1985 winner: Nigel Mansell
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Pole time | 1:15.486 | |
| Fastest lap | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:17.578 on lap 70 | |
| First | Nigel Mansell | Williams |
| Second | Riccardo Patrese | Williams |
| Third | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 27 February 1992 | Familiarisation 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 27 February 1992 | Familiarisation 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 28 February 1992 | Pre-qualifying | Cancelled |
| 28 February 1992 | Practice 1 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 28 February 1992 | Qualifying 1 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 29 February 1992 | Practice 2 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 29 February 1992 | Qualifying 2 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 1 March 1992 | Warm-up | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 1 March 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
Ayrton Senna began the 1992 F1 World Championship as defending champion, but Williams arrived with the formidable active-suspension FW14B. Goodyear was now the sole tyre supplier, and specialist qualifying tyres had disappeared. South Africa returned to the calendar for the first time since 1985, on a substantially revised Kyalami circuit.
Race entries
Ivan Capelli joined Jean Alesi at Ferrari, while Martin Brundle partnered Michael Schumacher at Benetton. Christian Fittipaldi, Ukyo Katayama, Andrea Chiesa, Paul Belmondo and Giovanna Amati began their Formula 1 careers. Andrea Moda entered Alex Caffi and Enrico Bertaggia, but its exclusion before official practice reduced the field to 30 cars.
Thursday familiarisation
Two Thursday acclimatisation sessions introduced the field to the new Kyalami layout. Nigel Mansell immediately looked comfortable, setting the pace as Williams explored its active car’s potential through the fast corners. Andrea Moda‘s troubled preparations included a battery problem for Caffi before he managed a brief appearance later in the day; Bertaggia did not run.
Pre-qualifying
Pre-qualifying was cancelled after Andrea Moda was excluded over its eligibility and the deposit required of a new entrant. With only 30 cars remaining, the four other drivers who would have faced the preliminary session advanced directly to the main practice and qualifying programme.
Friday Free Practice
Nigel Mansell set the Friday pace as the teams began official running on a circuit that offered little resemblance to the old Kyalami. Williams‘ active suspension was already a major talking point, with Riccardo Patrese close behind in the opening practice. McLaren continued with its interim car, while the newcomers faced the combined challenge of learning a Grand Prix weekend and finding enough speed to qualify.
Friday Practice Classification
1992 South African Grand Prix Practice, 28 February 1992
Friday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell took provisional pole on Friday, with Gerhard Berger and Ayrton Senna closest to him. Riccardo Patrese was fourth, followed by Jean Alesi and Michael Schumacher. The Williams driver’s 1:15.576 left the chasing pack with a sizeable deficit to recover on Saturday.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1992 South African Grand Prix first qualifying session, 28 February 1992
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday morning underlined Nigel Mansell‘s advantage: he was more than a second clear of the field. Riccardo Patrese‘s preparations were less straightforward, with a ride-height calibration problem compromising his active suspension. That was an expensive difficulty on a circuit with several fast corners, where confidence in the car’s platform mattered enormously. Ayrton Senna continued to press hard in pursuit of the Williams pace.
Saturday Practice Classification
1992 South African Grand Prix Practice, 29 February 1992
Saturday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell improved to 1:15.486 and secured pole by 0.741 seconds from Ayrton Senna. Gerhard Berger took third, ahead of Riccardo Patrese, Jean Alesi and Michael Schumacher. Karl Wendlinger impressed in seventh for March. Paul Belmondo, Andrea Chiesa, Amati and Stefano Modena missed the 26-car grid.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1992 South African Grand Prix second qualifying session, 29 February 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 | 1:15.576 | 1:15.486 | 1:15.486 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:16.815 | 1:16.227 | 1:16.227 | — |
| 3 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:16.672 | 1:16.877 | 1:16.672 | — |
| 4 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:17.571 | 1:16.989 | 1:16.989 | — |
| 5 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:18.388 | 1:17.208 | 1:17.208 | — |
| 6 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 1:18.251 | 1:17.635 | 1:17.635 | — |
| 7 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | 1:18.880 | 1:18.115 | 1:18.115 | — |
| 8 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | 1:19.885 | 1:18.327 | 1:18.327 | — |
| 9 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 1:19.039 | 1:18.387 | 1:18.387 | — |
| 10 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | 1:18.544 | 1:18.907 | 1:18.544 | — |
| 11 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 1:19.362 | 1:18.626 | 1:18.626 | — |
| 12 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | 1:19.473 | 1:18.749 | 1:18.749 | — |
| 13 | 26 | Érik Comas | Ligier | 1:19.970 | 1:19.200 | 1:19.200 | — |
| 14 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 1:19.506 | 1:19.296 | 1:19.296 | — |
| 15 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 1:19.577 | 1:19.305 | 1:19.305 | — |
| 16 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | 1:19.532 | 1:20.285 | 1:19.532 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 1:19.571 | 1:19.643 | 1:19.571 | — |
| 18 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 1:22.129 | 1:19.621 | 1:19.621 | — |
| 19 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:21.027 | 1:19.636 | 1:19.636 | — |
| 20 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | 1:20.111 | 1:19.641 | 1:19.641 | — |
| 21 | 11 | Mika Häkkinen | Lotus | 1:19.672 | 1:19.931 | 1:19.672 | — |
| 22 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 1:21.477 | 1:20.039 | 1:20.039 | — |
| 23 | 33 | Maurício Gugelmin | Jordan | 1:20.120 | 1:20.216 | 1:20.120 | — |
| 24 | 21 | JJ Lehto | Dallara | 1:20.571 | 1:20.126 | 1:20.126 | — |
| 25 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | 1:21.134 | 1:20.203 | 1:20.203 | — |
| 26 | 7 | Eric van de Poele | Brabham | 1:21.648 | 1:20.488 | 1:20.488 | — |
| 27 | 17 | Paul Belmondo | March | 1:22.022 | 1:20.580 | 1:20.580 | — |
| 28 | 14 | Andrea Chiesa | Fondmetal | 1:22.170 | 1:21.209 | 1:21.209 | — |
| 29 | 32 | Stefano Modena | Jordan | 1:22.020 | 1:21.494 | 1:21.494 | — |
| 30 | 8 | Giovanna Amati | Brabham | 1:25.942 | 1:24.405 | 1:24.405 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell also led the Sunday warm-up, but Williams had changed his car after an electronic problem on Saturday. The spare therefore carried the team’s hopes for the start of his campaign. Michael Schumacher‘s second-fastest time gave Benetton encouragement, while the warm conditions and the need to complete the distance without refuelling added fuel consumption to the teams’ final calculations.
Warm-up Classification
1992 South African Grand Prix Warm-up, 1 March 1992
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:19.043 | — |
| 2 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | +0.732s | — |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +1.256s | — |
| 4 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +1.304s | — |
| 5 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | +1.987s | — |
| 6 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | +2.029s | — |
| 7 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +2.187s | — |
| 8 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | +2.314s | — |
| 9 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | +2.411s | — |
| 10 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | +2.697s | — |
| 11 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | +2.707s | — |
| 12 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | +2.749s | — |
| 13 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | +2.813s | — |
| 14 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | +2.894s | — |
| 15 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | +3.186s | — |
| 16 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | +3.196s | — |
| 17 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | +3.362s | — |
| 18 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +3.398s | — |
| 19 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | +3.416s | — |
| 20 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | +3.642s | — |
| 21 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | +3.743s | — |
| 22 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | +3.887s | — |
| 23 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | +4.069s | — |
| 24 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | +4.599s | — |
| 25 | 7 | Eric van de Poele | Brabham | +5.628s | — |
| 26 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | +5.885s | — |
What happened in the 1992 South African Grand Prix?
Nigel Mansell retained the lead at the start, while Riccardo Patrese surged from fourth to second. Ayrton Senna followed the Williams pair, but Nigel Mansell soon built a gap that allowed him to control the race. The contest behind him was considerably closer, with Riccardo Patrese keeping the McLaren at bay.
Michael Schumacher worked his way into fourth as Ferrari‘s challenge unravelled. Both Jean Alesi and Ivan Capelli retired, while Martin Brundle‘s first race for Benetton also ended early. Gerhard Berger had to manage his fuel consumption and could not recover the ground lost to Michael Schumacher.
Nigel Mansell completed a lights-to-flag victory, with Riccardo Patrese making it a perfect afternoon for Williams. Ayrton Senna finished third and Michael Schumacher fourth. Gerhard Berger reached the finish in fifth, and Johnny Herbert earned the final point for Lotus. Williams had delivered a powerful opening statement.
After the race, Nigel Mansell headed the drivers’ standings with 10 points, followed by Riccardo Patrese on 6. Williams led the constructors’ table on 16, with McLaren on 6.
1992 South African Grand Prix race results
The 1992 South African Grand Prix was held on 1 March 1992, with a scheduled start of Start time unconfirmed local time.
1992 South African Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 70 | 1:17.578 |
| 2 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 68 | 1:18.140 |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 67 | 1:18.571 |
| 4 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 66 | 1:19.085 |
| 5 | 19 | Michael Schumacher | Benetton | 66 | 1:19.224 |
| 6 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 66 | 1:20.188 |
| 7 | 27 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 35 | 1:20.332 |
| 8 | 26 | Erik Comas | Ligier | 41 | 1:20.347 |
| 9 | 3 | Olivier Grouillard | Tyrrell | 43 | 1:20.476 |
| 10 | 25 | Thierry Boutsen | Ligier | 36 | 1:20.524 |
| 11 | 4 | Andrea de Cesaris | Tyrrell | 33 | 1:20.679 |
| 12 | 30 | Ukyo Katayama | Venturi | 66 | 1:20.714 |
| 13 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Footwork | 66 | 1:20.821 |
| 14 | 33 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Jordan | 56 | 1:20.832 |
| 15 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 55 | 1:20.852 |
| 16 | 21 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Dallara | 43 | 1:20.922 |
| 17 | 11 | Mika Hakkinen | Lotus | 65 | 1:20.956 |
| 18 | 10 | Aguri Suzuki | Footwork | 40 | 1:21.146 |
| 19 | 28 | Ivan Capelli | Ferrari | 28 | 1:21.376 |
| 20 | 15 | Gabriele Tarquini | Fondmetal | 22 | 1:22.031 |
| 21 | 23 | Christian Fittipaldi | Minardi | 39 | 1:22.072 |
| 22 | 16 | Karl Wendlinger | March | 13 | 1:22.736 |
| 23 | 7 | Eric van de Poele | Brabham | 59 | 1:23.165 |
| 24 | 22 | Pierluigi Martini | Dallara | 48 | 1:23.612 |
| 25 | 29 | Bertrand Gachot | Venturi | 8 | 1:23.974 |
| 26 | 20 | Martin Brundle | Benetton | 1 | 1:51.189 |
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 South African Grand Prix.
1992 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 10 |
| 2 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Williams | 6 |
| 3 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | McLaren | 4 |
| 4 | Michael Schumacher | German | Benetton | 3 |
| 5 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | McLaren | 2 |
| 6 | Johnny Herbert | British | Lotus | 1 |
| – | Érik Comas | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Aguri Suzuki | Japanese | Footwork | 0 |
| – | Mika Häkkinen | Finnish | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Footwork | 0 |
| – | Maurício Gugelmin | Brazilian | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Ukyo Katayama | Japanese | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Eric van de Poele | Belgian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Olivier Grouillard | French | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Pierluigi Martini | Italian | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Gianni Morbidelli | Italian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | JJ Lehto | Finnish | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Christian Fittipaldi | Brazilian | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Jean Alesi | French | Ferrari | 0 |
| – | Ivan Capelli | Italian | Ferrari | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | Fondmetal | 0 |
| – | Karl Wendlinger | Austrian | March | 0 |
| – | Bertrand Gachot | Belgian | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Martin Brundle | British | Benetton | 0 |
1992 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams | 16 |
| 2 | McLaren | 6 |
| 3 | Benetton | 3 |
| 4 | Lotus | 1 |
| – | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Footwork | 0 |
| – | Jordan | 0 |
| – | Venturi | 0 |
| – | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Ferrari | 0 |
| – | Fondmetal | 0 |
| – | March | 0 |
1992 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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