When the Formula 1 teams reached Monza for the 1986 Italian Grand Prix Nigel Mansell held a slender lead in the World Championship over Alain Prost. Ayrton Senna was third in the standings, but the Brazilian would only stand on the podium one more time that year. The other driver in contention was Mansell’s team-mate at Williams, Nelson Piquet.
Monza Victory for Piquet and Williams
Piquet was absent from the podium in Austria but responded with a win in the Italian Grand Prix. Fabi proved that his Austrian pole was no fluke by repeating the feat at Monza. The race once again brought disappointment as he suffered a puncture. Mansell finished nine seconds behind Piquet, with Johansson third again for Ferrari. Brabham driver Derek Warwick is quoted in the 2002 book, “Formula 1, The Autobiography”, edited by Gerald Donaldson and published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, speaking about the thrill of driving a Formula 1 car on full boost;
“I will remember qualifying at Monza for the rest of my life… five and a half bar boost, from a 1500cc engine, and we had 1300 horsepower! A seven speed gearbox and I was still on the limiter in top gear! It was like being in a bloody rocket!”
With only three races remaining the World Championship was still wide open. Prost, Piquet and Mansell all had a strong chance of taking the title.
Mansell Responds by Winning Formula 1 Race at Estoril
The Portuguese Grand Prix was held in dry conditions, a stark contrast to the 1985 event where Senna scored his first ever Formula 1 win in torrential rain. The Brazilian was once again quickest in qualifying and started form pole in his Renault powered Lotus. In the race he misjudged his fuel consumption, finishing a lap down after running dry. Title protagonists Mansell and Prost lined up second and third respectively, with Piquet sixth.
At the start Mansell passed Senna for the lead, and the Englishman never gave it up. Prost kept his championship hopes alive by finishing second, while Piquet was third. Meanwhile, Ferrari announced the signing of Gerhard Berger for 1987, to replace Stefan Johansson. Renault and Pirelli also made announcements, stating their intentions to withdraw from Grand Prix racing at the end of the 1986 Formula 1 season.
The win at Estoril meant that Mansell extended his lead in the World Championship. With only two races left, in Mexico and Australia, he looked like a strong favourite for the title.
1986 Grand Prix season review continues here.
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