1987 Detroit Grand Prix

The 1987 Detroit Grand Prix, otherwise known officially as the Detroit Grand Prix VI, was the fifth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged on the 21 June 1987 at the Detroit Street Circuit.'United States GP, 1987', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr441.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019) The race would see Ayrton Senna claim victory and the Championship lead for , as former leader Alain Prost finished third.
Nigel Mansell would claim pole position during qualifying, beating Senna with his as teammate Nelson Piquet claimed third. Thierry Boutsen was best of the rest in fourth for , with Championship leader Prost claiming fifth for .
Mansell would take the lead at the start of the race, leaving Senna to squabble for second with Piquet. The rest of the field piled in behind them, resulting in Stefan Johansson breaking his front wing on the back Derek Warwick, while Satoru Nakajima smacked into Ivan Capelli and Adrián Campos.
Senna quickly managed to escape Piquet's attentions, and duly tried to chase Mansell as the Brit broke away at the head of the field. Piquet, meanwhile, would fight hard to keep Eddie Cheever at bay, only to give himself a puncture when the two clashed wheels on lap seven.
Cheever's hopes were to come to an end shortly after, with a lunge from Teo Fabi leaving both the American and the Italian in the pits for repairs. Michele Alboreto therefore shuffled into third ahead of Boutsen and Prost, although Boutsen soon dropped back with a brake issue.
Once Alboreto dropped out with a gearbox failure the order would remain stable until the stops, where Mansell lost a bundle of time due to a sticking wheel nut. That allowed Senna to sneak through into the lead, while Piquet managed to catch up to the back of Prost.
Prost subsequently fell to Piquet in the closing stages, while Mansell's pace deteriorated late on as his legs began cramping. The Brit duly tumbled back behind Piquet, Prost and Gerhard Berger, as Senna swept across the line to claim victory.
That victory left Senna in the lead of the Championship, opening out a two point lead over former leader Prost. McLaren-TAG Porsche, meanwhile, would retain the lead in the Constructors' Championship, five ahead of Williams-Honda, while Lotus-Honda retained third.
==Background==
Alain Prost had retained the lead in the Championship in Monaco, although Ayrton Senna's maiden triumph in the Principality had seen the Brazilian close to within three points of the Frenchman. Stefan Johansson, meanwhile, had slipped to third ahead of Nelson Piquet, while Nigel Mansell had tumbled to fifth, eight off the lead. Elsewhere, Jonathan Palmer and Ivan Capelli had added their names to board, meaning fifteen drivers had scored across the opening four races.
In the Constructors' Championship it had been a similar story in Monte Carlo, with retaining their lead despite failing to score. Instead, and had closed the gap to the leaders, ending the Monaco weekend nine and thirteen off the lead respectively. , meanwhile, had made significant ground in fourth after doubling their tally for the season, while completed the top five.
Philippe Streiff had continued to hold the lead in the Jim Clark Trophy after the Monaco Grand Prix, although his teammate Jonathan Palmer was just three points behind. Behind, Pascal Fabre had made ground in third ahead of Philippe Alliot, while arrived in the US with the lead in the Colin Chapman Trophy.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Alain Prost 	Marlboro McLaren International 	 	MP4/3 	 	TTE PO1 1.5 V6t 	
2 	Stefan Johansson 	Marlboro McLaren International 	 	MP4/3 	 	TTE PO1 1.5 V6t 	
3 	Jonathan Palmer 	Data General Team Tyrrell 	 	DG016 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
4 	Philippe Streiff 	Data General Team Tyrrell 	 	DG016 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
5 	Nigel Mansell 	Canon Williams Honda Team 	 	FW11B 	 	RA167E 1.5 V6t 	
6 	Nelson Piquet 	Canon Williams Honda Team 	 	FW11B 	 	RA167E 1.5 V6t 	
7 	Riccardo Patrese 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT56 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
8 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT56 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
9 	Martin Brundle 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	871 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
10 	Christian Danner 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	871 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
11 	Satoru Nakajima 	Camel Team Lotus Honda 	 	99T 	 	RA166E 1.5 V6t 	
12 	Ayrton Senna 	Camel Team Lotus Honda 	 	99T 	 	RA166E 1.5 V6t 	
14 	Pascal Fabre 	Team El Charro AGS 	 	JH22 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
16 	Ivan Capelli 	Leyton House March Racing Team 	 	871 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
17 	Derek Warwick 	USF&G Arrows Megatron 	 	A10 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
18 	Eddie Cheever 	USF&G Arrows Megatron 	 	A10 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
19 	Teo Fabi 	Benetton Formula Ltd. 	 	B187 	 	GBA 1.5 V6t 	
20 	Thierry Boutsen 	Benetton Formula Ltd. 	 	B187 	 	GBA 1.5 V6t 	
21 	Alex Caffi 	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1I 	 	890T 1.5 L4t 	
23 	Adrián Campos 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	M187 	 	615-90 1.5 V6t 	
24 	Alessandro Nannini 	Minardi F1 Team 	 	M187 	 	615-90 1.5 V6t 	
25 	René Arnoux 	Ligier Loto 	 	JS29B 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
26 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	Ligier Loto 	 	JS29B 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
27 	Michele Alboreto 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	F186 	 	033D 1.5 V6t 	
28 	Gerhard Berger 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	F187 	 	033D 1.5 V6t 	
30 	Philippe Alliot 	Larrousse & Camels F1 	 	LC87 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
Source:'Detroit 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'Detroit 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'Detroit 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'Detroit 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'Detroit 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'Detroit 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'Detroit 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'Detroit 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)
* Entries with a white background denote eligibility for the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy.
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Friday Qualifying===
===Saturday Qualifying===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Time 	Gap
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Q1 	Q2 	Gap
1 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	1:42.223 	1:39.264 	—
2 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	1:42.985 	1:40.607 	+1.343s
3 	6 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:43.152 	1:40.942 	+1.678s
4 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	1:44.686 	1:42.050 	+2.786s
5 	1 	Alain Prost 	 	1:46.042 	1:42.357 	+3.093s
6 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:45.296 	1:42.361 	+3.097s
7 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:45.437 	1:42.684 	+3.420s
8 	19 	Teo Fabi 	 	1:47.064 	1:42.918 	+3.654s
9 	7 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:46.932 	1:43.479 	+4.215s
10 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:45.234 	1.43.541 	+4.277s
11 	2 	Stefan Johansson 	 	1:46.623 	1:43.797 	+4.533s
12 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:45.054 	1:43.816 	+4.552s
13 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	1:47.010 	1:44.350 	+5.086s
14 	4 	Philippe Streiff 	 	1:47.963 	1:45.037 	+5.773s
15 	9 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:48.932 	1:45.291 	+6.027s
16 	10 	Christian Danner 	 	1:48.867 	1:45.740 	+6.476s
17 	8 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:47.670 	1:46.046 	+6.782s
18 	24 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	1:46.449 	1:46.083 	+6.819s
19 	21 	Alex Caffi 	 	1:55.787 	1:46.124 	+6.860s
20 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	1:47.470 	1:46.194 	+6.930s
21 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	1:48.338 	1:46.211 	+6.947s
22 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	1:49.969 	1:46.269 	+7.005s
23 	26 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	1:48.661 	1:47.471 	+8.207s
24 	11 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	1:51.355 	1:48.801 	+9.537s
25 	23 	Adrián Campos 	 	1:50.495 	3:26.319 	+11.231s
26 	14 	Pascal Fabre 	 	1:57.475 	1:53.644 	+14.380s
Source:'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'USA 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'USA 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'USA 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'USA 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'USA 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'USA 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'1987 USA Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/515/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019)'USA 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)
* A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy.
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	63 	1:50:16.358 	2 	9
2 	6 	Nelson Piquet 	 	63 	+ 33.819 	3 	6
3 	1 	Alain Prost 	 	63 	+ 45.327 	5 	4
4 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	63 	+ 1:02.601 	12 	3
5 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	62 	+ 1 Lap 	1 	2
6 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	60 	+ 3 Laps 	6 	1
7 	2 	Stefan Johansson 	 	60 	+ 3 Laps 	11 	
8 	10 	Christian Danner 	 	60 	+ 3 Laps 	16 	
9 	7 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	60 	+ 3 Laps 	9 	
10 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	60 	+ 3 Laps 	21 	
11 (1) 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	60 	+ 3 Laps 	13 	
12 (2) 	14 	Pascal Fabre 	 	58 	+ 5 Laps 	26 	
Ret 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	52 	Brakes 	4 	
NC* 	26 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	51 	+12 Laps 	23 	
Ret 	4 	Philippe Streiff 	 	44 	Wheel 	14 	
Ret 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	38 	Accident 	20 	
Ret 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	25 	Gearbox 	7 	
Ret 	24 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	22 	Gearbox 	18 	
Ret 	9 	Martin Brundle 	 	16 	Turbo 	15 	
Ret 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	12 	Accident 	10 	
Ret 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	9 	Electrical 	22 	
Ret 	19 	Teo Fabi 	 	6 	Accident 	8 	
Ret 	21 	Alex Caffi 	 	3 	Transmission 	19 	
Ret 	8 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	2 	Gearbox 	17 	
Ret 	23 	Adrián Campos 	 	1 	Damage 	25 	
Ret 	11 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	0 	Collision 	24 	
Source:'USA 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)
* A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy with numbers in brackets indicating their finishing position in that class.
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Ghinzani was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* Eddie Cheever entered his 100th Grand Prix.'1987 Detroit GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1987&gp=Detroit%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 02/04/2019)
* Sixth career victory for Ayrton Senna.'5. USA 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019)
** Senna also recorded his twentieth podium finish.
* secured their 79th victory as a constructor.
** claimed their nineteenth win as an engine supplier.
* Senna recorded the twentieth fastest lap for a Honda engine.
==Standings==
Victory in Detroit ensured that Ayrton Senna left the US in the lead of the Championship, albeit with a slim, two point lead. Alain Prost, former leader, would drop to second as he looked for a third straight crown, while Nelson Piquet climbed above Stefan Johansson for third. Behind, Nigel Mansell retained fifth ahead of Gerhard Berger, with no new names added to the scorers' list.
In the Constructors' Championship it had been a relatively neutral day, although the gaps at the top of the title hunt had come down. Indeed, while had retained their lead, their advantage over had been reduced to five points, while had closed to within seven of the Anglo-German alliance. Behind, were an increasingly distant but solid fourth, while moved level with in fifth.
 
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Ayrton Senna 	24 	1
2 	Alain Prost 	22 	1
3 	Nelson Piquet 	18 	1
4 	Stefan Johansson 	13 	1
5 	Nigel Mansell 	12 	
6 	Gerhard Berger 	9 	1
7 	Michele Alboreto 	8 	1
8 	Andrea de Cesaris 	4 	
9 	Eddie Cheever 	4 	
10 	Satoru Nakajima 	3 	
11 	Martin Brundle 	2 	
12 	Jonathan Palmer 	2 	
13 	Thierry Boutsen 	2 	
14 	René Arnoux 	1 	
15 	Ivan Capelli 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	35 	
2 	 	30 	
3 	 	27 	
4 	 	17 	
5 	 	4 	
6 	 	4 	
7 	 	2 	
8 	 	2 	
9 	 	2 	
10 	 	1 	
11 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
===Jim Clark/Colin Chapman Trophy===
Jonathan Palmer returned to the top of the Jim Clark Trophy in Detroit, opening out a five point gap to Pascal Fabre. The Frenchman himself had overhauled Palmer's teammate Philippe Streiff in Detroit, leaving a point clear of his compatriot, before a six point gap back to Philippe Alliot. , meanwhile, continued to dominate the Colin Chapman Trophy, largely due to the fact that they were the only effort fielding two cars.
 
Jim Clark Trophy	Jim Clark Trophy	Jim Clark Trophy	Jim Clark Trophy
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Jonathan Palmer 	27 	1
2 	Pascal Fabre 	22 	1
3 	Philippe Streiff	21 	2
4 	Philippe Alliot 	15 	
5 	Ivan Capelli 	6 	
Colin Chapman Trophy	Colin Chapman Trophy	Colin Chapman Trophy	Colin Chapman Trophy
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	48 	
2 	 	22 	
3 	 	15 	
4 	 	6 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
* 
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1987 Grands Prix
Category:Detroit Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in the United States