1987 Belgian Grand Prix

Race

The win gave Prost a five-point lead over Johansson in the Drivers' Championship. Williams driver Nigel Mansell was three points further back; a first-lap collision with Ayrton Senna 's Lotus had ultimately led to his retirement from the race, after which he angrily confronted the Brazilian driver in the Lotus garage.

Race

On the second start, Senna led Mansell away, but during lap one the Briton tried to overtake the Brazilian. The two controversially tangled, leading to the retirement of the Lotus 99T. Mansell rejoined the race at the back, until the damage sustained in the collision finally forced him to retire on lap 17. Mansell subsequently visited the Lotus garage where harsh words were exchanged and punches were thrown.

Berger retired on lap three with a broken piston whilst on lap 10 second place Michele Alboreto 's wheel bearing broke and Nelson Piquet retired with a broken turbo pipe, handing the lead to Alain Prost from Teo Fabi and Stefan Johansson . The pitstops changed little in the situation, and he maintained this to win easily by 25 seconds, despite concerns with his fuel consumption due to a faulty gauge.

This was Prost's 27th win, equalling Jackie Stewart 's record with team-mate Johansson making it a McLaren 1-2. Andrea de Cesaris drove superbly to finish third for Brabham despite having to push his car over the line with Eddie Cheever ( Arrows A10 ), Satoru Nakajima (Lotus 99T) and Arnoux taking the remaining points. With the setbacks to the Tyrrell drivers, the Jim Clark points were won by the Lola LC87 of Philippe Alliot . As of 2023 [update] , this was also the last time that the Belgian Gr...

Race

Numbers in brackets refer to positions of normally aspirated entrants competing for the Jim Clark Trophy .

Quick Facts

1987 Belgian Grand Prix Race 3 of 16 in the 1987 Formula One World Championship

1987 Belgian Grand Prix nan

1987 Belgian Grand Prix Race details

1987 Belgian Grand Prix Date

1987 Belgian Grand Prix Official name

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1987 Belgian Grand Prix Course length

1987 Belgian Grand Prix Distance

1987 Belgian Grand Prix Weather

Table 1

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2
1	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	2:06.965	1:52.026
2	6	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda	2:08.143	1:53.416
3	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Honda	2:08.450	1:53.426
4	28	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari	2:06.216	1:53.451
5	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	2:07.459	1:53.511
6	1	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	2:11.203	1:54.186
7	20	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton-Ford	2:08.752	1:54.300
8	7	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham-BMW	2:12.914	1:55.064
9	19	Teo Fabi	Benetton-Ford	2:12.358	1:55.339
10	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren-TAG	2:12.063	1:55.781

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	1	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	43	1:27:03.217
2	2	Stefan Johansson	McLaren-TAG	43	+ 24.764
3	8	Andrea de Cesaris	Brabham-BMW	42	Out of Fuel
4	18	Eddie Cheever	Arrows-Megatron	42	+ 1 Lap
5	11	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus-Honda	42	+ 1 Lap
6	25	René Arnoux	Ligier-Megatron	41	+ 2 Laps
7	26	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Ligier-Megatron	40	Out of Fuel
8 (1)	30	Philippe Alliot	Lola-Ford	40	+ 3 Laps
9 (2)	4	Philippe Streiff	Tyrrell-Ford	39	+ 4 Laps
10 (3)	14	Pascal Fabre	AGS-Ford	38	Ignition

Table 3

Pos	Driver	Points	Unnamed: 3
1	Alain Prost	18	nan
2	Stefan Johansson	13	nan
3	Nigel Mansell	10	nan
4	Nelson Piquet	6	nan
5	Ayrton Senna	6	nan
Source: [7]	Source: [7]	Source: [7]	Source: [7]

F1ABY Commentary

Ever notice how a flawlessly executed overtake can mask a battlefield? Prost secured the win, yes, but observe Johansson’s dogged pursuit – a calculated gamble, wouldn’t you agree? McLaren’s 1-2 speaks volumes about their engineering dominance, yet the whispers from Ferrari suggest a strategic misstep, a missed opportunity to truly disrupt the flow. Don’t mistake speed for strategy; this wasn’t just a race, it was a meticulously choreographed power play. The Italian team’s frustration is palpable, and frankly, predictable. The question isn’t *who* won, but *how* did McLaren maintain such a stranglehold?

Don’t be fooled by the champagne – the McLaren dominance isn’t about raw speed, it’s about meticulously dismantling the competition’s confidence before the first corner. Johansson’s second place is a calculated play, a subtle message to Ferrari that their engine woes aren’t merely mechanical, but a strategic vulnerability exposed by the smartest minds in the business.

F1ABY Trivia

The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, hasn’t dampened the simmering tension here at Spa. Observe Johansson – he’s running a slightly higher fuel load than Prost, a calculated risk, I suspect, to buy himself a crucial lap if the McLaren’s gearbox decides to stage a mutiny. That BMW-supplied engine, a 3. 5-liter V12, is churning out a respectable 620 horsepower, but the Brabham team’s engineers are reportedly chewing their fingernails over the Lotus-Honda’s tire degradation; a significant difference in grip, and a potential advantage for the Honda contingent.

The rain, a persistent, sullen guest throughout qualifying, decided to deliver its full, unwelcome hand just as McLaren pulled into the garage. Johansson, predictably, had the edge – a scant 0. 3 seconds separating him from Prost's blistering lap. A curious statistic, though: McLaren holds pole position in *seven* of the ten races this season. That’s a 70% rate of dominance that’s frankly, unsettling, considering the Ferrari’s recent resurgence.

F1ABY Tales

The rain hadn’t stopped, hadn’t cared a whit about Prost’s relentless push. Johansson, soaked to the bone and simmering with frustration, was a ghost on the track – a consequence, I suspect, of a very pointed conversation with McLaren’s management this morning. That Monaco spat, you see, hadn’t simply been about a disagreement over strategy; it was about control. Prost’s dominance wasn't solely built on speed; it was meticulously cultivated through a network of subtle pressures, and Johansson, bless his stubborn heart, was beginning to realize he was a pawn. The McLaren 1-2 was a calculated statement, a warning to anyone considering challenging their authority. Don't mistake ambition for naivety.

Johansson… always the stoic. You wouldn’t think a man who spends his life staring at telemetry could possess such a glacial calm, particularly when he’s breathing down Prost’s neck like that. The Swede’s a study in controlled aggression, isn’t he? He’s been carrying a quiet resentment for years, fueled by McLaren’s insistence on Prost as the star. You can almost taste the frustration in his braking points, a subtle but insistent challenge. It’s a dangerous game, this simmering patience. Don't underestimate the strategic value of a driver who’s willing to push a team’s buttons.