Race
The first Mexican Grand Prix since 1970 was held at the newly renamed Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez , located in the Magdalena Mixhuca recreational sports park in the middle of Mexico City. The track had been slightly shortened and modified from its previous layout; although Mexico City was located on a geologically active surface; so the circuit was very bumpy- and the most fearsome and spectacular corner on the circuit, the banked 275 km/h, 180-degree Peraltada turn remained from before, but wi... It was the first win for Gerhard Berger and the first win for the Benetton team. Benetton ran on Pirelli tyres, and their relative durability compared to competitors on Goodyear tyres played to the team's advantage. Berger won this race due to not having to make a pit stop for a fresh set of tyres. It would also prove to be the final win for the turbocharged BMW engine . Starting from third on the grid, Nigel Mansell could have wrapped up his first World Drivers' Championship with a win. However, it all went wrong on the grid when he went to select first gear for the start, and was still fumbling trying to get it in when the lights went green. By the time he got his Williams - Honda into gear more than two thirds of the field had gone past and he finished the first lap in 18th place. He would ultimately finish in 5th place meaning that the following Australian G...
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton-BMW | 68 | 1:33:18.700 |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 68 | + 25.438 |
| 3 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 68 | + 52.513 |
| 4 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda | 67 | + 1 Lap |
| 5 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 67 | + 1 Lap |
| 6 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier-Renault | 67 | + 1 Lap |
| 7 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows-BMW | 66 | + 2 Laps |
| 8 | 23 | Andrea de Cesaris | Minardi-Motori Moderni | 66 | + 2 Laps |
| 9 | 17 | Christian Danner | Arrows-BMW | 66 | + 2 Laps |
| 10 | 14 | Jonathan Palmer | Zakspeed | 65 | Out of Fuel |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 1:18.367 | 1:16.990 |
| 2 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda | 1:18.037 | 1:17.279 |
| 3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 1:18.269 | 1:17.514 |
| 4 | 20 | Gerhard Berger | Benetton-BMW | 1:17.780 | 1:17.609 |
| 5 | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-BMW | 1:21.241 | 1:18.285 |
| 6 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1:19.294 | 1:18.421 |
| 7 | 8 | Derek Warwick | Brabham-BMW | 1:19.713 | 1:18.527 |
| 8 | 16 | Patrick Tambay | Lola-Ford | 1:20.492 | 1:18.839 |
| 9 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton-BMW | 1:18.971 | 1:18.893 |
| 10 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier-Renault | 1:20.372 | 1:19.257 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung thick with the scent of exhaust and something sharper – the mineral tang of the Mexican earth. A wave of 2. 7 liters of twin-turbocharged TAG engine roared from Gerhard Berger's Benetton, a testament to Renault's engineering prowess, propelling him through the Peraltada. This was a machine forged in the heart of a nation, a first victory not just for Berger, but for a team daring to challenge the established order. A curious detail: Pirelli's tires, relatively new to F1, proved remarkably resilient here, absorbing the track's brutal undulations with an almost unsettling stoicism.
The air hangs thick with the scent of exhaust and something older – the dust of a nation celebrating its return to the pinnacle. 1986. Mexico. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez breathes with a renewed vigor, a defiant pulse after decades of silence. Gerhard Berger, piloting a Benetton that felt sculpted from the very mountains surrounding the city, secured a victory that resonated not just with speed, but with a profound statement: Pirelli's tenacity held firm against the capricious tremors of this geological heart. A win born of 17 attempts, a statistical anomaly reflecting the tenacity of a team and a tyre, a testament to Benetton's unwavering resolve.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The air hung thick, a greasy, ozone-laced blanket over the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Berger wrestled the Benetton, a predatory gleam in his eye, as he wrestled with the Peraltada. A fractured gearbox screamed a defiant song, mirroring the brutal geometry of the track beneath. Then, a surge. The Pirelli tyres, a new weapon in this ancient battle, found purchase, and the Italian machine devoured the distance. The roar of the crowd, a volcanic eruption of Mexican passion, swelled with each passing second. A victory born of tenacity, of engineering prowess, and the raw, untamed spirit of racing. This, this was the heart of it all.
The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the mood in the pit lane. Gerhard Berger, a figure etched with the quiet intensity of a seasoned craftsman, meticulously adjusted the rear wing of his Benetton. He wasn't simply making a mechanical correction; he was coaxing a response, a harmonious vibration from the machine beneath him. A man who understood the brutal poetry of asphalt and rubber, a man who'd spent a lifetime listening to the whispers of speed. This victory, the first for Benetton, felt less like a triumph and more like a culmination of relentless dedication. A testament to a team's belief, forged in the heart of a nation yearning for a return to glory. The air hung thick with anticipation, a palpable current of history being made.