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1987

1987 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

The win, Piquet's second in succession, extended his lead over Senna in the Drivers' Championship to seven points, with Mansell and Prost a further eleven points back. Piquet went on to take his second consecutive win in his Williams- Honda . Senna finished second in his Lotus-Honda but 37 seconds behind Piquet, while Alain Prost took third in his McLaren - TAG .

Winner

Piquet

Williams-Honda

Podium

Senna / Prost

P2 and P3

Pole Position

Mansell

Qualified fastest

Race

The win, Piquet's second in succession, extended his lead over Senna in the Drivers' Championship to seven points, with Mansell and Prost a further eleven points back. Piquet went on to take his second consecutive win in his Williams- Honda . Senna finished second in his Lotus-Honda but 37 seconds behind Piquet, while Alain Prost took third in his McLaren - TAG . Thierry Boutsen finished fourth in his Benetton - Ford , ahead of the Brabham - BMW of Riccardo Patrese . The final championship point was claimed by Derek Warwick in his Arrows - Megatron , who was battling with influenza and conjunctivitis . Jonathan Palmer claimed the Jim Clark Trophy points finishing seventh in his Tyrrell DG016 with teammate Philippe Streiff finishing ninth behind the second Arrows of Eddie Cheever . Italian driver Ivan Capelli was tenth in the March 871 . The win allowed Piquet to expand his championship points lead to seven over Senna and 18 over Mansell. Numbers in brackets refer to positions of normally aspirated entrants competing for the Jim Clark Trophy .

Race Result

PosNoDriverConstructorLapsTime/Retired
16Nelson PiquetWilliams-Honda761:59:26.793
212Ayrton SennaLotus-Honda76+ 37.727
31Alain ProstMcLaren-TAG76+ 1:27.456
420Thierry BoutsenBenetton-Ford75+ 1 lap
57Riccardo PatreseBrabham-BMW75+ 1 lap
617Derek WarwickArrows-Megatron74+ 2 laps
7 (1)3Jonathan PalmerTyrrell-Ford74+ 2 laps
818Eddie CheeverArrows-Megatron74+ 2 laps
9 (2)4Philippe StreiffTyrrell-Ford74+ 2 laps
10 (3)16Ivan CapelliMarch-Ford74+ 2 laps

Qualifying

PosNoDriverConstructorQ1Q2
15Nigel MansellWilliams-Honda1:28.0471:28.682
228Gerhard BergerFerrari1:31.0801:28.549
36Nelson PiquetWilliams-Honda1:30.8421:29.724
41Alain ProstMcLaren-TAG1:30.1561:30.327
527Michele AlboretoFerrari1:30.4721:30.310
612Ayrton SennaLotus-Honda1:31.3871:30.387
720Thierry BoutsenBenetton-Ford1:30.7481:30.810
82Stefan JohanssonMcLaren-TAG1:31.2281:31.940
917Derek WarwickArrows-Megatron1:31.4161:34.386
107Riccardo PatreseBrabham-BMW1:31.5861:32.422

Championship Standings After This Race

1 Nelson Piquet 48
2 Ayrton Senna 41
3 Nigel Mansell 30
4 Alain Prost 30
5 Stefan Johansson 19
Source: Source: Source:

The Paddock Breakdown

Barry · Gary · Kat

Barry — 58 · Watching since Senna

Did the roar of the crowd ever truly capture the solitude of a driver confronting a wall of impossible choices? The Hungaroring, a ribbon of asphalt sculpted by ambition, witnessed Nelson Piquet's victory, a brutal ballet of speed and calculated risk. Mansell's misfortune, a shattered wheel nut betraying a moment's lapse, felt like a cruel punctuation mark on a race brimming with potential. This wasn't simply a win; it was a testament to the enduring tension between instinct and intellect, a poignant reminder of the fragile balance upon which racing's legends are built. The scent of burning rubber and high-octane fuel still hangs heavy in the memory of this day, doesn't it?

The scent of high-octane fuel and damp asphalt—a phantom perfume clinging to the Hungaroring—heralded a drama forged in steel and ambition. Nelson Piquet seized victory, a testament to calculated aggression and a machine perfectly attuned to the circuit's savage curves. Observe, if you will, the ruthless ballet of a champion's hand guiding destiny.

Gary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues

The air hung thick with the scent of high-octane fuel and damp asphalt – a familiar perfume at Hungaroring. A Tyrrell, driven by Marc Surer, momentarily challenged the frontrunners with a 2. 6-liter Ford-Cosworth engine pushing 660 horsepower, a testament to the brutal efficiency of the era. But the true drama unfolded as Nigel Mansell, battling a critical wheel nut failure with just six laps remaining, relinquished the lead to Nelson Piquet's Williams-Honda, a machine boasting a 3. 0-liter V8 producing a dizzying 680 bhp. The afternoon's unfolding underscored the precarious balance between raw power and mechanical fidelity – a lesson etched into the very bones of this circuit.

A misaligned wheel nut, a mechanical betrayal, robbed him of the lead – a statistical anomaly considering his dominant pole position. Seven points separated Piquet from Senna, a chasm carved not solely by speed, but by the capricious dance of fortune. The Hungarian circuit, a freshly-laid ribbon of asphalt, already held its first secret: victory wasn't always about the fastest car.

Kat — 30 · Technical journalist

The air thickened, a greasy, ozone-laced scent clinging to the Hungarian tarmac. Six laps. That's all that separated Nigel from glory, a single, crucial rotation of a wheel nut threatening to unravel a season. The roar of the crowd, a primal wave, seemed to intensify, mirroring the frantic pulse of the Williams engine. Piquet, cool and deliberate, wrestled the car forward, a predator sensing weakness. Senna, a shadow beside him, remained patient, a coiled spring of potential. This wasn't merely a race; it was a confrontation of wills, a test of engineering, a legend being forged.

The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the mood in the Williams garage. Nelson Piquet, a man sculpted by the Brazilian sun and a lifetime of relentless pursuit, meticulously adjusted the angle of his helmet visor. A subtle frown etched itself onto his brow – a familiar sign of concentration, of wrestling with the nuances of a circuit, a machine, a destiny. You could almost hear the ghosts of Interlagos, the roar of the crowd, the scent of burning rubber, urging him onward. He wasn't simply chasing victory; he was safeguarding a lineage, a tradition of dominance born on the unforgiving asphalt of his homeland. The tension was palpable, a quiet storm brewing before the deluge of the race. Mansell, a whirlwind of nervous energy, paced the pit lane, a stark contrast to Piquet's stoic resolve. This was Hungary, and the weight of expectation, of national pride, settled heavily upon every movement.

Race Calendar

1987 season