Qualifying
Although failing to pre-qualify, Gregor Foitek had one of his better sessions, finishing sixth fastest in the sole EuroBrun , ahead of the Osella of Nicola Larini , who suffered a fuel pump issue. Larini had been lined up to replace Gerhard Berger at Ferrari had the Austrian not been fit to return to the cockpit after his Imola accident. Volker Weidler was eighth in the Rial , also one of his better performances of the season despite having gearing problems. Next were the two Zakspeeds of ... Berger, still suffering the effects of his crash, admitted that if not for Ferrari's innovative semi-automatic transmission (which meant he did not have to change gears as with a normal stick shift), he would not have been able to race. The back row of the grid was arguably the best credentialed and most experienced in Grand Prix history, consisting of seven-time winner René Arnoux in the Ligier - Ford and triple World Champion Nelson Piquet in the Lotus -Judd. Piquet had scraped onto the grid just 0.104 seconds ahead of the Minardi -Ford of Spainard Luis Pérez-Sala .
Race
Senna won the restart and led Prost, a fast starting Berger, Mansell and the Williams pair of Patrese and Thierry Boutsen . Prost, with his softer tyres giving him better grip, soon moved onto the back of his teammate's car. However, Mexico would be where Prost started questioning the power of his Honda V10 compared to the ones used by Senna. For a number of laps Prost, clearly faster through the final Peraltada curve coming onto the main straight, could not make an impression on Senna despite b...
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham-Judd | 1:21.770 | — |
| 2 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham-Judd | 1:22.211 | +0.441 |
| 3 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Dallara-Ford | 1:22.876 | +1.106 |
| 4 | 36 | Stefan Johansson | Onyx-Ford | 1:23.288 | +1.518 |
| 5 | 37 | Bertrand Gachot | Onyx-Ford | 1:23.752 | +1.982 |
| 6 | 33 | Gregor Foitek | EuroBrun-Judd | 1.24.351 | +2.581 |
| 7 | 17 | Nicola Larini | Osella-Ford | 1:24.392 | +2.622 |
| 8 | 39 | Volker Weidler | Rial-Ford | 1:24.966 | +3.196 |
| 9 | 34 | Bernd Schneider | Zakspeed-Yamaha | 1:25.418 | +3.648 |
| 10 | 35 | Aguri Suzuki | Zakspeed-Yamaha | 1:25.658 | +3.888 |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1:19.112 | 1:17.876 |
| 2 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1:20.401 | 1:18.773 |
| 3 | 27 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 1:21.170 | 1:19.137 |
| 4 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March-Judd | 1:24.720 | 1:19.337 |
| 5 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams-Renault | 1:21.763 | 1:19.656 |
| 6 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:21.564 | 1:19.835 |
| 7 | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:22.150 | 1:20.066 |
| 8 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams-Renault | 1:21.456 | 1:20.234 |
| 9 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham-Judd | 1:22.640 | 1:20.505 |
| 10 | 9 | Derek Warwick | Arrows-Ford | 1:23.245 | 1:20.601 |
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air in Mexico City tasted of dust and ambition – a peculiar blend, wouldn't you agree? Brundle's pre-qualifying speed, a staggering 1. The 2. 0-liter V10, churning with 580 horsepower, seemed to hum with a renewed urgency, a frantic dance against the established order. It was a subtle shift, yet within the meticulous calculations of Harvey Ricardo, a potential crack in the Ferrari's seemingly impenetrable dominance.
The air hung thick with the scent of exhaust and anticipation, a familiar cocktail at Hermanos Rodríguez. Brundle's pre-qualifying dominance—a third time this season—felt less like a strategic advantage and more like a simmering frustration for those chasing the front. Consider the numerical echo: Brabham's early successes mirrored a recurring pattern – a team finding a rhythm, a confidence, that seemed to unlock a previously hidden potential. It's a curious thing, this reliance on repetition, isn't it?
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a venomous slick, had just spat Modena from the brink of a Brabham front row start. A misjudged braking point, a flash of blue, and then the Italian was skidding across the asphalt, a frustrated sigh swallowed by the roar of the crowd. Brundle, ever the stoic, watched with a grim satisfaction – a familiar dance of dominance, a subtle reminder of the Brabham's inherent aggression. Johansson, a quiet newcomer, felt the weight of expectation, the first tentative steps into a world suddenly saturated with speed and pressure. The track, a concrete beast, demanded respect, a lesson learned through sweat and the occasional, violent collision. This wasn't simply about winning; it was about survival, about etching your name into the legend of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
The air hung thick with the scent of exhaust and anticipation, a tangible thing in the Mexican heat. Brundle, perpetually restless, chewed on a thumbnail, a small, furious habit. He wasn't celebrating the pre-qualifying victory – Modena's second place was a mere shadow of his own ambition. The young Englishman carried the weight of Brabham's fading fortunes, a silent promise to deliver, a desperate need to prove himself worthy of the team's investment. He watched Modena, a younger, brighter star, and felt a prick of something akin to envy, a sharp reminder of his own trajectory. This wasn't just about speed; it was about legacy, about etching his name into the annals of racing. The shadows lengthening across the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez hinted at a long, demanding day.