1986 Belgian Grand Prix

Qualifying

Brabham entered only one BT55 , the car of Riccardo Patrese . Elio de Angelis had been killed in a testing accident at Circuit Paul Ricard just over a week before the race. Williams - Honda driver Nelson Piquet took pole late in the qualifying session using the team's spare car. Piquet's engine blew up in his race car during qualifying forcing him into the spare. [ 3 ] Austrian Gerhard Berger scored his first front row start and the first for the BMW powered Benetton after being fastest in Frida...

Race

Piquet won the start and led the field into the La Source hairpin but behind him was chaos. Senna had made a good start from the 2nd row and when Berger's car twitched under brakes Senna went to the outside and then turned hard into the right hand corner. In doing so he squeezed out Berger who in turn squeezed out Prost while avoiding Senna. Prost, who had gone inside when the Benetton twitched, hit the inside barrier damaging the nose of his car with the right front wing drooping on the ground....

Both Berger and Prost pitted at the end of lap 1 with Berger in for a long stop for repairs and Prost for a new nose cone, his rear suspension survived intact despite its unscheduled first corner flight. Mansell disposed of Senna on lap 2, but spun on lap 5, [ 4 ] falling back to 4th place. Piquet led until suffering turbo failure on lap 16 leaving Senna in front from Mansell, who shortly overtook Senna during pitstops. Prost emerged last on the road and only a few hundred metres in front of th...

Nigel Mansell scored his first win of 1986 and the third win of his career. Senna, the cause of the first corner crash finished 20 seconds behind in second with Stefan Johansson finishing third after passing team leader Alboreto only two laps from home. Jacques Laffite finished fifth in his Ligier -Renault with Prost gaining a vital World Championship point for finishing sixth. Swiss driver Marc Surer finished ninth in his Arrows A8 in what would be the last Grand Prix of Surer's career – he wou...

Quick Facts

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Race 5 of 16 in the 1986 Formula One World Championship

1986 Belgian Grand Prix nan

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Race details

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Date

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Location

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Course

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Course length

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Distance

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Weather

1986 Belgian Grand Prix Pole position

Table 1

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2
1	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda	1:54.637	1:54.331
2	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton-BMW	1:54.468	1:54.939
3	1	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	1:55.039	1:54.501
4	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault	1:55.776	1:54.576
5	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	1:55.345	1:54.582
6	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton-BMW	1:57.440	1:54.765
7	25	René Arnoux	Ligier-Renault	1:57.269	1:55.576
8	2	Keke Rosberg	McLaren-TAG	1:56.534	1:55.662
9	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:56.294	1:56.242
10	16	Patrick Tambay	Lola-Ford	1:58.574	1:56.309

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	43	1:27:57.925
2	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault	43	+ 19.827
3	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	43	+ 23.592
4	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	43	+ 29.634
5	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier-Renault	43	+ 1:10.690
6	1	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	43	+ 2:17.772
7	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton-BMW	42	+ 1 Lap
8	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham-BMW	42	+ 1 Lap
9	17	Marc Surer	Arrows-BMW	41	+ 2 Laps
10	20	Gerhard Berger	Benetton-BMW	41	+ 2 Laps

Table 3

Pos	Driver	Points	Unnamed: 3
1	Ayrton Senna	25	nan
2	Alain Prost	23	nan
3	Nigel Mansell	18	nan
4	Nelson Piquet	15	nan
5	Keke Rosberg	11	nan
Source: [6]	Source: [6]	Source: [6]	Source: [6]

F1ABY Commentary

Consider the relentless pursuit of speed, a siren song echoing across generations of motorsport. The Spa-Francorchamps asphalt, a stage for such ambition, has witnessed countless battles. Senna, ever the strategist, secured second place, demonstrating a dominance that will undoubtedly fuel debate. Prost's struggle to sixth speaks volumes about the delicate balance of power within McLaren, mirroring the shifting alliances of nations across the globe. This race, like so many before, reveals not merely a sporting triumph, but a complex interplay of human will and mechanical design.

The ebb and flow of motorsport, much like the geopolitical currents of this age, reveals patterns of dominance and sudden shifts—a truth mirrored here at Spa. Nigel Mansell, with a drive born of relentless ambition, has seized control, establishing a vital new chapter in the saga of British racing supremacy, a narrative echoing the nation’s industrial prowess of decades past. Senna, ever the challenger, remains a constant, a force destined to test the very limits of this remarkable machine.

F1ABY Trivia

Here we go again, a sun-drenched Spa-Francorchamps, 1986. Mansell, in that Williams-Honda, a machine breathing 627 horsepower – a considerable advantage over the Ferrari’s 240 – has seized the lead. Senna, relentlessly pursuing, closes the gap, the Renault engine’s 614 units screaming a defiant chorus against the Italian machinery. Prost, relegated to sixth, faces a significant challenge regaining the championship lead, a stark reminder that dominance isn't always etched in victory.

A damp start for all, yet it proved decisive. Nigel Mansell, piloting his Williams-Honda, seized the advantage, exploiting a crucial half-second gap established in the opening laps.

F1ABY Tales

A fractured gearbox, a plume of smoke – Mansell wrestled the Williams through Stavelin, a defiant roar echoing across the Ardennes. The tension here, you sense, mirrors the political climate at home, a nation grappling with industrial unrest, mirroring the raw power unleashed on this track. Senna, a shadow of blue and gold, presses relentlessly, a familiar dance of aggression. This duel, a microcosm of the championship, a battle for dominance as old as motorsport itself. Prost, relegated to the rear, a strategic casualty, the ramifications of this race will reverberate through the season, a crucial juncture in the fight for the world title. The air hangs thick with the scent of burning rubber and the weight of history.

The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the mood in the Williams garage. Nigel, a man forged in the fires of motorsport, meticulously adjusted his helmet, a slight frown etched upon his brow. A quiet intensity radiated from him—a focused deliberation born of countless battles, a palpable understanding of this treacherous Spa circuit. It was a familiar ritual, this preparation, a solitary dance with the elements and his machine. The whispers of the team, a low hum of strategy and concern, barely registered; he was lost in the calculation of grip, of braking zones, of the unforgiving nature of the track. A victory here, a first for the season, demanded a level of precision that bordered on obsession. The air hung thick with anticipation, a silent prayer for a dry run, a desperate hope against the odds.