Pre-race
With the team under new management having been sold by Cyril De Rouvre , Stefan Johansson was replaced at AGS by Formula One debutant Fabrizio Barbazza .
Qualifying
Apart from Pirro, those who failed to pre-qualify included Olivier Grouillard in the new British-built Fomet-1 chassis debuted by the Fondmetal team. Despite teething troubles which prevented him from progressing any further, Grouillard said he was happy with the new car. Seventh was the other Lambo of Nicola Larini , and bottom of the time sheets was Pedro Chaves in the sole Coloni , who suffered a gearbox failure during the session. Ayrton Senna claimed his 55th pole position from Riccardo Patrese , Alain Prost , Nigel Mansell and Gerhard Berger .
Race
The formation lap saw two dramatic incidents: Prost spun off the track at Rivazza Turn, followed by Berger, who was able to continue. However Prost stalled the engine and did not take the start. At the lights, Patrese took the lead ahead of Senna, whilst Mansell, already slow off the line with gearbox problems, retired near the end of lap 1 after a collision with Martin Brundle . He was followed out by Nelson Piquet who spun off on lap 2, Aguri Suzuki who spun off on lap 3 behind the leaders and Jean Alesi who also spun off on lap 3 attempting a rather foolhardy pass on Stefano Modena . In a strong lead, Patrese pitted for originally what appeared to be an early stop to slicks turned out to be more serious – a misfire with a faulty camshaft sensor. He restarted last before retiring for good 9 laps later. Berger was catching Senna, lapping 1.5 seconds quicker than his teammate. The lead was soon down to 5 seconds, with Modena a superb third from Satoru Nakajima and the two Minardis of Pierluigi Martini and Gianni Morbidelli . Both McLarens pitted for tyres with Senna maintaining his lead. Just after setting fastest lap, Berger was delayed in traffic, held up by the trio of Maurício Gugelmin , Julian Bailey and Thierry Boutsen . Bailey himself moved past Andrea de Cesaris into 6th, whilst Nakajima retired with transmission problems.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Andrea de Cesaris | Jordan-Ford | 1:25.535 | — |
| 2 | 22 | JJ Lehto | Dallara-Judd | 1:25.923 | +0.388 |
| 3 | 32 | Bertrand Gachot | Jordan-Ford | 1:25.980 | +0.445 |
| 4 | 35 | Eric van de Poele | Lambo-Lamborghini | 1:26.117 | +0.582 |
| 5 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara-Judd | 1:26.305 | +0.770 |
| 6 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Fondmetal-Ford | 1:26.789 | +1.254 |
| 7 | 34 | Nicola Larini | Lambo-Lamborghini | 1:26.886 | +1.351 |
| 8 | 31 | Pedro Chaves | Coloni-Ford | 1:31.239 | +5.704 |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1:21.877 | 1:43.633 |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams-Renault | 1:21.957 | 1:42.455 |
| 3 | 27 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:22.195 | 1:42.429 |
| 4 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Renault | 1:22.366 | 1:41.878 |
| 5 | 2 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren-Honda | 1:22.567 | 1:40.322 |
| 6 | 4 | Stefano Modena | Tyrrell-Honda | 1:23.511 | 1:44.613 |
| 7 | 28 | Jean Alesi | Ferrari | 1:23.945 | 1:41.149 |
| 8 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi-Ferrari | 1:24.762 | no time |
| 9 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi-Ferrari | 1:24.807 | no time |
| 10 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell-Honda | 1:25.345 | 1:42.063 |
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Ayrton Senna's McLaren-Honda, a beast of 678 horsepower – a staggering output for the time, particularly considering the 3. 0-liter V10's displacement – carved a nearly impossible gap in the pre-qualifying session, a testament to Honda's relentless pursuit of power. Barbazza in the AGS, running a Judd engine, struggled to find purchase on the slick asphalt, a stark contrast to the McLaren's predatory grip. The air hung thick with the scent of wet concrete and anticipation, a prelude to a weekend steeped in legend.
The rain, a sullen grey drape across Imola, seemed to hold its breath as the pre-qualifying session began. Andrea de Cesaris, in the Jordan, sliced through the damp air, a startling 0. 40 seconds separating him from the burgeoning field – a margin that hinted at the capricious nature of grip and the delicate dance between driver and machine. Consider the statistical anomaly: De Cesaris's lap time, a full tenth faster than Lehto's, mirrored the 1986 season's peculiar trend – a consistent, almost unsettling, lead margin for Jordan's first lap performance. This race, like so many, promised a symphony of calculated risk and fleeting brilliance.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a venomous grey, clawed at the Imola asphalt, mirroring the desperation in Berger's eyes. A fraction of a second. That's all it took. Senna, a ghost in papaya, edged ahead, the McLaren's engine a predatory growl against the relentless downpour. The crowd, a huddled mass of soaked colors, roared its disapproval. A legacy hung in the balance, a championship fought not just on speed, but on the very soul of racing. This, this was the heart of it.
The rain, a sullen grey weeping across the Imola track, mirrored the quiet apprehension of Fabrizio Barbazza. Just seventeen, he gripped the Dallara-Judd so tightly his knuckles shone – a boy confronting a leviathan. He'd traded the familiar warmth of Stefan Johansson's tutelage for this, a baptism by deluge, a baptism into a world of impossible speeds and unforgiving concrete. He glanced at the pit wall, a silent plea for reassurance lost in the rhythmic drumming of the rain. The air, thick with the scent of wet asphalt and high-octane fuel, held a palpable tension. Would this be the moment he discovered the savage beauty of racing, or would Imola swallow him whole?