Pre-race
In the week leading up to the German Grand Prix a number of teams tested at the Hockenheim circuit. During testing Ayrton Senna had a very lucky escape when he had a rear tyre failure at over 300 km/h (186 mph) on the long straight leading to the Bremsschikane. The rear corner of his Lotus 99T was destroyed and parts were reported to be hard to find as most ended up flying off into the forest. As a result of the crash Goodyear took the precaution of immediately flying in new compound tyres from ... The tyre failure was determined to be the result of Senna picking up a puncture late on his previous lap. However the Lotus' active suspension system compensated for that and kept the car at its correct ride height, masking the problem from Senna. This caused many to question the system as the general belief was that with a passively suspended car Senna would have known he had a puncture and would not have continued to drive at high speed.
Race
Piquet's win vaulted him into the championship lead for the first time in 1987, putting him four points ahead of Senna and nine ahead of Mansell.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda | 44 | 1:21:25.091 |
| 2 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren-TAG | 44 | + 1:39.591 |
| 3 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Honda | 43 | + 1 Lap |
| 4 (1) | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell-Ford | 43 | + 1 Lap |
| 5 (2) | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell-Ford | 43 | + 1 Lap |
| 6 (3) | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola-Ford | 42 | + 2 Laps |
| 7 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 39 | Electrical |
| NC | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 34 | + 10 Laps |
| Ret | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier-Megatron | 32 | Engine |
| Ret | 23 | Adrián Campos | Minardi-Motori Moderni | 28 | Engine |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 1:42.616 | 2:00.832 |
| 2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Honda | 1:42.873 | 1:01:19.245 |
| 3 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1:43.202 | no time |
| 4 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda | 1:43.705 | no time |
| 5 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:43.921 | 2:05.139 |
| 6 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton-Ford | 1:45.066 | 2:02.981 |
| 7 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham-BMW | 1:45.411 | no time |
| 8 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren-TAG | 1:45.428 | no time |
| 9 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton-Ford | 1:45.497 | 2:06.857 |
| 10 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:45.902 | 2:03.172 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Let's examine the Lotus 99T's braking system – a truly precarious setup. Senna's near-miss demonstrated the inherent instability of the car's rear suspension geometry coupled with Goodyear's D1000 compound; the tire's blistering initial grip simply vanished under heavy braking, a critical failure point given the Bremsschikane's severity. The Honda engine, displacing 3. 5 liters, delivered 620 horsepower, but its delivery profile – notably peaky around 7,500 rpm – exacerbated the rearward weight transfer, a significant factor in the incident. McLaren's reliance on this particular tire compound, without sufficient rear-end refinement, proved a catastrophic miscalculation.
Right then. Let's examine the data streaming from Hockenheim. Goodyear's preemptive tire recall following Senna's near-catastrophe—a truly savage incident, wasn't it? The fragmentation of the 99T's rear end suggests a significant stress load, likely exacerbated by the track's notoriously unforgiving asphalt. Observe the resultant logistical nightmare; a failure of that magnitude, coupled with the circuit's inherent challenges, demonstrates the brutal nature of this particular venue. The sheer volume of debris scattered amongst the trees speaks volumes about the forces at play.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The deceleration. A shudder ripped through the telemetry – 2. 3g, sustained. Villeneuve's rear end's been wrestled violently, a desperate attempt to mitigate the catastrophic tire delamination. Observe the lateral load spike; the suspension geometry, particularly the right-rear corner radius rod, simply couldn't contain the forces generated at that velocity. The Bremsschikane is a brutal test of mechanical fortitude, and Hassegawa's machine is proving exceptionally vulnerable. The differential lock, engaged at the time of impact, exacerbated the rotational instability, a critical miscalculation.
The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the mood in the McLaren garage. Leto was meticulously examining the data from Senna's near miss – a disconcerting 300km/h excursion. The sheer velocity, coupled with the fragmentation of the rear end of the 99T, presented a cascade of immediate concerns. Goodyear's tire supply chain, already strained, now faced a critical bottleneck; those components weren't exactly readily available, were they? The Bremsschikane, notoriously demanding, suddenly looked a far more perilous proposition. A slight misjudgment, a momentary loss of grip, and the consequences… well, let's just say the forest was proving a particularly enthusiastic absorber of Formula 1 hardware.