The 1986 FIA Formula One World Championship began on 23 March and concluded on 26 October, over 16 race weekends.
Season
The World Drivers’ Championship was won by Alain Prost, who successfully defended the title he had secured the previous year. In doing so, Prost became the first driver to win consecutive Drivers’ Championships since Jack Brabham achieved the feat in 1959 and 1960. Prost’s success came during one of the most competitive seasons of the decade, as he battled against several of the sport’s leading drivers throughout the year.
The championship fight was largely dominated by four drivers: Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, and Ayrton Senna. Their consistent performances and frequent presence at the front of the field led journalists and fans to refer to them collectively as the “Gang of Four.” These drivers traded victories and championship momentum throughout the season, producing one of the most intense title contests of the era.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Williams-Honda emerged victorious, delivering a strong performance across the season. The achievement was historically significant as it marked the first time a Japanese engine manufacturer—Honda—won the Formula One Constructors’ Championship, highlighting the growing influence of Japanese engineering in the sport during the 1980s.
The season also marked the final Formula One campaign of Keke Rosberg, the 1982 World Drivers’ Champion. Rosberg competed for McLaren in 1986 but endured a difficult season, and he chose to retire from Formula One at the end of the year, bringing his Grand Prix career to a close.
Another notable development transpired at the end of the season, when Renault withdrew from Formula One as an engine supplier due to internal restructuring. Despite this departure, Renault would later return to the sport in 1989, continuing its influential role in Formula One engine development.
1986 F1 Entries Drivers and Teams
| Entrant | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | No | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro McLaren TAG Turbo | McLaren-TAG | MP4/2C | TAG-Porsche TTE PO1 1.5 V6 t | G | 1 | Alain Prost | All |
| 2 | Keke Rosberg | All | |||||
| Data General Team Tyrrell | Tyrrell-Renault | 014 015 | Renault EF4B 1.5 V6 t | G | 3 | Martin Brundle | All |
| 4 | Philippe Streiff | All | |||||
| Canon Williams Honda Team | Williams-Honda | FW11 | Honda RA166E 1.5 V6 t | G | 5 | Nigel Mansell | All |
| 6 | Nelson Piquet | All | |||||
| Olivetti Brabham | Brabham-BMW | BT54 BT55 | BMW M12/13/1 1.5 L4 t | P | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | All |
| 8 | Elio de Angelis | 1–4 | |||||
| 8 | Derek Warwick | 6–16 | |||||
| John Player Special Team Lotus | Lotus-Renault | 98T | Renault EF15B 1.5 V6 t | G | 11 | Johnny Dumfries | All |
| 12 | Ayrton Senna | All | |||||
| West Zakspeed Racing | Zakspeed | 861 | Zakspeed 1500/4 1.5 L4 t | G | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | All |
| 29 | Huub Rothengatter | 3–16 | |||||
| Team Haas (USA) Ltd. | Lola-Hart | THL1 | Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t | G | 15 | Alan Jones | 1–2 |
| 16 | Patrick Tambay | 1–3 | |||||
| Lola-Ford | THL2 | Ford-TEC 1.5 V6 t | 15 | Alan Jones | 3–16 | ||
| 16 | Patrick Tambay | 4–6, 8–16 | |||||
| 16 | Eddie Cheever | 7 | |||||
| Barclay Arrows BMW | Arrows-BMW | A8 A9 | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4 t | G | 17 | Marc Surer | 1–5 |
| 17 | Christian Danner | 7–16 | |||||
| 18 | Thierry Boutsen | All | |||||
| Benetton BMW Team | Benetton-BMW | B186 | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4 t | P | 19 | Teo Fabi | All |
| 20 | Gerhard Berger | All | |||||
| Osella Squadra Corse | Osella-Alfa Romeo | FA1G FA1F FA1H | Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 V8 t | P | 21 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | All |
| 22 | Christian Danner | 1–6 | |||||
| 22 | Allen Berg | 7–12, 14–16 | |||||
| 22 | Alex Caffi | 13 | |||||
| Minardi Team | Minardi-Motori Moderni | M185B M186 | Motori Moderni Tipo 615–90 1.5 V6 t | P | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | All |
| 24 | Alessandro Nannini | All | |||||
| Équipe Ligier | Ligier-Renault | JS27 | Renault EF4B 1.5 V6 t Renault EF15B 1.5 V6 t | P | 25 | René Arnoux | All |
| 26 | Jacques Laffite | 1–9 | |||||
| 26 | Philippe Alliot | 10–16 | |||||
| Ferrari | Ferrari | F1/86 | Ferrari Tipo 032 1.5 V6 t | G | 27 | Michele Alboreto | All |
| 28 | Stefan Johansson | All | |||||
| Jolly Club SpA | AGS-Motori Moderni | JH21C | Motori Moderni Tipo 615–90 1.5 V6 t | P | 31 | Ivan Capelli | 13–14 |
1986 Formula 1 Race Calendar
1986 Formula 1 Race Results
Grands Prix
1986 Formula 1 Standings
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alain Prost | FRA | McLaren TAG | 72 |
| 2 | Nigel Mansell | GBR | Williams Honda | 70 |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | BRA | Williams Honda | 69 |
| 4 | Ayrton Senna | BRA | Lotus Renault | 55 |
| 5 | Stefan Johansson | SWE | Ferrari | 23 |
| 6 | Keke Rosberg | FIN | McLaren TAG | 22 |
| 7 | Gerhard Berger | AUT | Benetton BMW | 17 |
| 8 | Jacques Laffite | FRA | Ligier Renault | 14 |
| 9 | Michele Alboreto | ITA | Ferrari | 14 |
| 10 | Rene Arnoux | FRA | Ligier Renault | 14 |
| 11 | Martin Brundle | GBR | Tyrrell Renault | 8 |
| 12 | Alan Jones | AUS | Lola Ford | 4 |
| 13 | Johnny Dumfries | GBR | Lotus Renault | 3 |
| 14 | Philippe Streiff | FRA | Tyrrell Renault | 3 |
| 15 | Teo Fabi | ITA | Benetton BMW | 2 |
| 16 | Patrick Tambay | FRA | Lola Ford | 2 |
| 17 | Riccardo Patrese | ITA | Brabham BMW | 2 |
| 18 | Philippe Alliot | FRA | Ligier Renault | 1 |
| 19 | Christian Danner | GER | Arrows BMW | 1 |
Team standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams Honda | 141 |
| 2 | McLaren TAG | 96 |
| 3 | Lotus Renault | 58 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 37 |
| 5 | Ligier Renault | 29 |
| 6 | Benetton BMW | 19 |
| 7 | Tyrrell Renault | 11 |
| 8 | Lola Ford | 6 |
| 9 | Brabham BMW | 2 |
| 10 | Arrows BMW | 1 |
