Race
This would prove to be the final Canadian Grand Prix held on the circuit in its original configuration with the pits and start/finish straight coming out of the Epingle de Casino Hairpin. After a sponsorship dispute saw the race not held in 1987 , a new pit complex was built at the other end of the circuit just before the Epingle de L'ile Hairpin with the circuit also being reprofiled to accommodate a new start/finish straight that would open in time for the 1988 race . The changes to the circui...
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 69 | 1:42:26.415 |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 69 | + 20.659 |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda | 69 | + 36.262 |
| 4 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren-TAG | 69 | + 1:35.673 |
| 5 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 68 | + 1 lap |
| 6 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier-Renault | 68 | + 1 lap |
| 7 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Renault | 68 | + 1 lap |
| 8 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 68 | + 1 lap |
| 9 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell-Renault | 67 | + 2 laps |
| 10 | 15 | Alan Jones | Lola-Ford | 66 | + 3 laps |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 1:28.829 | 1:24.118 |
| 2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 1:27.422 | 1:24.188 |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda | 1:28.588 | 1:24.384 |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1:29.541 | 1:25.192 |
| 5 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier-Renault | 1:30.200 | 1:25.224 |
| 6 | 2 | Keke Rosberg | McLaren-TAG | 1:29.384 | 1:25.533 |
| 7 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton-BMW | 1:29.471 | 1:26.439 |
| 8 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Renault | 1:30.171 | 1:26.447 |
| 9 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-BMW | 1:32.692 | 1:26.483 |
| 10 | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham-BMW | 1:33.231 | 1:27.413 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung thick with the scent of pine and burnt rubber, a Montreal summer pressing down on the circuit. Nigel Mansell, a tempest contained within the Williams-Honda's 2. 0-liter V8 – a unit already pushing the boundaries of displacement with its 260 bhp – wrestled the car through the final corners, a bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple. 0-liter, a machine boasting a slightly higher rev ceiling, perhaps anticipating a strategic tire choice. Senna, a silent force in the Lotus-Renault – a chassis utilizing Renault's newest 3. 5-liter V10, patiently waited, knowing the gamble on that engine's power delivery would be the key to unlocking the track.
The air hung thick with the scent of pine and anticipation – Montreal in June, 1986. Observe, if you will, the curious clustering: Mansell's triumph, coupled with Prost's second place, mirrored a statistical echo of the 1984 European Grand Prix, a pattern where the top two finishers had both driven for Williams. The Epingle de Casino Hairpin, that serpentine corner, seemed to favor aggression, a characteristic that, in turn, highlighted a disturbing trend – drivers consistently pushing the limits of grip, a gamble that, as always, threatened to unravel at any moment.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain hadn't relented, a greasy curtain clinging to the asphalt of Gilles Villeneuve. Mansell wrestled his Williams – Honda, a snarling beast, through the Casino, the gearbox screaming a desperate protest. A flash of blue – Prost's McLaren – shadowed him, a predator patiently stalking its prey. You could almost taste the tension, the knowledge that this wasn't simply a race; it was a battle for dominance, a reckoning forged in the heart of a storm. Prost, a sculptor of moments, was refining his attack, a subtle shift in throttle, a calculated brake point. Senna, a ghost in the periphery, watched, assessing, always assessing. The air hung thick with the unspoken: this circuit, this day, would etch itself into the annals of their rivalry.
The rain, a sullen grey drape over Montreal, seemed to mirror the mood clinging to Alain Prost. He stood, motionless, in the pit box, the scent of high-octane fuel and damp rubber a strangely comforting presence. A flicker of frustration, barely perceptible, tightened the set of his jaw – a familiar signature. The telemetry screamed of a perfectly executed lap, yet the victory, so tantalizingly close, remained just beyond his grasp. He'd chased Mansell's shadow relentlessly, a ghost of aggression fueled by the need to dominate. A quiet intensity radiated from him, a man sculpted by calculation, driven by an almost obsessive desire for control. It was a performance, of course, but one laced with a profound, and unsettling, vulnerability.