1986 French Grand Prix

The 1986 French Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 72e Grand Prix de France, was the eighth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit Paul Ricard on the 6 July 1986.'French GP, 1986', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr428.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019) The race, which marked the halfway point in the 1986 campaign, would see Nigel Mansell claim victory as Alain Prost moved to the top of the Championship.
The switch to the shorter circuit at Paul Ricard had been enforced after Elio de Angelis' fatal accident at the circuit a month earlier. Indeed, the new circuit completely cut off the Esses where the Italian had flown off the circuit in the , and greatly reduced the length of the Mistral straight.
It was Championship leader, and de Angelis' former teammate Ayrton Senna who claimed pole position during qualifying, the Brazilian lapping the shortened circuit in 1:06.526. Nigel Mansell would, as ever, claim second for ahead of his teammate Nelson Piquet, while Prost would start from fifth behind René Arnoux.
The start of the race would see Mansell sprint ahead of Senna, while Arnoux, Gerhard Berger, Prost and Johnny Dumfries all getting the jump on Piquet. The Brazilian was hence left to fend off Keke Rosberg as he tried to hang onto seventh, while Michele Alboreto was left stranded on the grid after stalling.
The early stages would see Mansell establish a small lead at the head of the field, while Senna spectacularly crashed out of contention when he hit an oil slick left by Andrea de Cesaris. That put Arnoux up into second ahead of Berger, although the Austrian racer was coming under constant attack from the two s as the early laps ticked away.
Ultimately Berger's resistance would be broken before the end of lap ten, before the Austrian ultimately removed himself from the proceedings by slamming into the back of Christian Danner. Prost and Rosberg, meanwhile, would be left to attack Arnoux for second, and would duly complete their respective moves on the before the end of the eighteenth lap.
Mansell would pit from the lead a few laps later, the Brit opting for a two stop strategy rather than the McLarens' one. As such Mansell would drop behind both Prost and Rosberg mid-race, although after his second stop the Brit would be able to retake the lead with ease with fresher rubber.
Indeed, barring a late move by Piquet on Rosberg the race would effectively be over by the end of lap 58. Mansell therefore claimed victory at a canter from Prost and Piquet, while Rosberg was frustrated to slip to fourth in the closing stages as his tyres faded badly. The remaining points would go to the two Ligiers, with Arnoux ahead of Jacques Laffite.
The results of the race meant that Prost re-took the lead in the Championship at the halfway mark, a point ahead of Mansell in second while Senna dropped three behind in third. In the Constructors Championship, meanwhile, it was Williams-Honda who ended the afternoon on top, five ahead of McLaren-TAG Porsche.
==Background==
Victory in Detroit had propelled Ayrton Senna back into the lead of the Championship, with the Brazilian having opened out a three point lead over Alain Prost. Furthermore, with Nigel Mansell just four points further back in third, it seemed as if it would be a three way fight for the Championship, with all three drivers holding two wins across the first seven races. Behind, Nelson Piquet was ten points off his third placed teammate, with Keke Rosberg even further back in fifth.
It was a similar picture the Constructors Championship at the start of the French Grand Prix weekend, with and having ended the Detroit weekend just a point apart. It was the Anglo-Japanese combination, rather than the Anglo-German alliance that led, before an eleven point gap back to third placed . Indeed, the Ethel based squad were also in the hunt for the crown, provided that second driver Johnny Dumfries became a regular scorer, having left in an increasingly distant fourth.
===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 	 	MP4/2C 	 	TTE PO1 1.5 V6t 	
2 	Keke Rosberg 	Marlboro McLaren International 	 	MP4/2C 	 	TTE PO1 1.5 V6t 	
3 	Martin Brundle 	Data General Team Tyrrell 	 	015 	 	EF15 1.5 V6t 	
4 	Philippe Alliot 	Data General Team Tyrrell 	 	015 	 	EF15 1.5 V6t 	
5 	Nigel Mansell 	Canon Williams Honda Team 	 	FW11 	 	RA166E 1.5 V6t 	
6 	Nelson Piquet 	Canon Williams Honda Team 	 	FW11 	 	RA166E 1.5 V6t 	
7 	Riccardo Patrese 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT55 	 	M12/13/1 1.5 L4t 	
8 	Derek Warwick 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT55 	 	M12/13/1 1.5 L4t 	
11 	Johnny Dumfries 	John Player Special Team Lotus 	 	98T 	 	EF15B 1.5 V6t 	
12 	Ayrton Senna 	John Player Special Team Lotus 	 	98T 	 	EF15B 1.5 V6t 	
14 	Jonathan Palmer 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	861 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
15 	Alan Jones 	Team Haas (USA) Ltd. 	 	THL2 	 	GBA 1.5 V6t 	
16 	Patrick Tambay 	Team Haas (USA) Ltd. 	 	THL2 	 	GBA 1.5 V6t 	
17 	Christian Danner 	Barclay Arrows BMW 	 	A8 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
18 	Thierry Boutsen 	Barclay Arrows BMW 	 	A8 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
19 	Teo Fabi 	Benetton Formula 	 	B186 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
20 	Gerhard Berger 	Benetton Formula 	 	B186 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
21 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1H 	 	890T 1.5 V8t 	
22 	Allen Berg 	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1F 	 	890T 1.5 V8t 	
23 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Minardi Team SpA 	 	M185B 	 	615-90 1.5 V6t 	
24 	Alessandro Nannini 	Minardi Team SpA 	 	M185B 	 	615-90 1.5 V6t 	
25 	René Arnoux 	Equipe Ligier 	 	JS27 	 	EF15 1.5 V6t 	
26 	Jacques Laffite 	Equipe Ligier 	 	JS27 	 	EF15 1.5 V6t 	
27 	Michele Alboreto 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	F1/86 	 	032 1.5 V6t 	
28 	Stefan Johansson 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	F1/86 	 	032 1.5 V6t 	
29 	Huub Rothengatter 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	861 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
Source:'France 1986: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)
==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 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	1:06.526 	1:06.807 	—
2 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	1:06.755 	1:09.819 	+0.229s
3 	6 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:06.797 	1:07.184 	+0.271s
4 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	1:07.114 	1:07.075 	+0.549s
5 	1 	Alain Prost 	 	1:07.545 	1:07.266 	+0.740s
6 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:07.365 	1:09.161 	+0.839s
7 	2 	Keke Rosberg 	 	1:07.545 	1:08.175 	+1.019s
8 	20 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:07.835 	1:07.554 	+1.028s
9 	19 	Teo Fabi 	 	1:08.703 	1:07.818 	+1.348s
10 	28 	Stefan Johansson 	 	1:07.874 	1:08.881 	+1.348s
11 	26 	Jacques Laffite 	 	1:07.913 	1:08.288 	+1.387s
12 	11 	Johnny Dumfries 	 	1:09.477 	1:08.544 	+2.018s
13 	16 	Patrick Tambay 	 	1:09.108 	1:08.616 	+2.090s
14 	8 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:09.471 	1:08.905 	+2.379s
15 	3 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:09.044 	1:10.293 	+2.518s
16 	7 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:09.624 	1:09.436 	+2.910s
17 	4 	Philippe Streiff 	 	1:09.935 	1:09.700 	+3.174s
18 	17 	Christian Danner 	 	1:09.737 	1:10.614 	+3.211s
19 	24 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	1:09.792 	1:10.630 	+3.266s
20 	15 	Alan Jones 	 	1:09.929 	1:10.733 	+3.403s
21 	18 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	1:09.987 	1:28.882 	+3.461s
22 	14 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	1:10.305 	1:10.511 	+3.779s
23 	23 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:11.483 	1:21.859 	+4.957s
24 	29 	Huub Rothengatter 	 	1:12.940 	1:12.163 	+5.637s
25 	21 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	1:14.496 	1:12.443 	+5.917s
26 	22 	Allen Berg 	 	1:18.866 	1:14.264 	+7.738s
Source:'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'France 1986: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'France 1986: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'France 1986: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'France 1986: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'France 1986: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'France 1986: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'Grand Prix de France 1986 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1986/races/505/france/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019)'France 1986: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
*T Indicates a driver using their test/spare cars to set their best time in this session.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	80 	1:37:19.272 	2 	9
2 	1 	Alain Prost 	 	80 	+17.128s 	5 	6
3 	6 	Nelson Piquet 	 	80 	+37.545s 	3 	4
4 	2 	Keke Rosberg 	 	80 	+48.703s 	7 	3
5 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	79 	+1 Lap 	4 	2
6 	26 	Jacques Laffite 	 	79 	+1 Lap 	11 	1
7 	7 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	78 	+2 Laps 	16 	
8 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	78 	+2 Laps 	6 	
9 	8 	Derek Warwick 	 	77 	+3 Laps 	14 	
10 	3 	Martin Brundle 	 	77 	+3 Laps 	15 	
11 	17 	Christian Danner 	 	76 	+4 Laps 	18 	
NC* 	18 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	67 	+13 Laps 	21 	
Ret 	16 	Patrick Tambay 	 	64 	Brakes 	13 	
Ret 	11 	Johnny Dumfries 	 	56 	Engine 	12 	
Ret 	14 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	46 	Engine 	22 	
Ret 	4 	Philippe Streiff 	 	43 	Fire 	17 	
Ret 	29 	Huub Rothengatter 	 	32 	Accident 	24 	
Ret 	22 	Allen Berg 	 	25 	Turbo 	26 	
Ret 	20 	Gerhard Berger 	 	22 	Gearbox 	8 	
Ret 	19 	Teo Fabi 	 	7 	Engine 	9 	
Ret 	28 	Stefan Johansson 	 	5 	Turbo 	10 	
Ret 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	3 	Accident 	1 	
Ret 	21 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	3 	Accident 	25 	
Ret 	24 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	3 	Accident 	19 	
Ret 	23 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	3 	Turbo 	23 	
Ret 	15 	Alan Jones 	 	2 	Accident 	20 	
Source:'France 1986: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)	Source:'France 1986: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Boutsen was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* Derek Warwick entered his 75th Grand Prix.'1986 French GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1986&gp=French%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 29/03/2019)
* Thierry Boutsen entered his 50th race.
* Tenth entry for Christian Danner.
* Fifth victory for Nigel Mansell.'8. France 1986', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/france.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019)
* secured their 26th win as a constructor.
** Eleventh win for as an engine supplier.
* Nelson Piquet recorded the 70th podium finish for Williams.
* Mansell would record the 25th fastest lap for a car using #5 as its race number.
==Standings==
Second place in France was enough to hand the Championship lead back to Alain Prost at the halfway point in the season, although victory for Nigel Mansell ensured that he was just a point behind. Indeed, even former leader Ayrton Senna had not lost too much ground in-spite of slipping to third, remaining just three off the lead, before a huge thirteen point gap to Nelson Piquet. Further back, Keke Rosberg had lost more ground in fifth ahead of Jacques Laffite, while René Arnoux crept up the table to seventh.
In the Constructors Championship it was who ended the first half of the season on top, ending the French Grand Prix with a five point lead. were still their closest challengers, sat on 56 points, while were beginning to fall out of the fight in third, ending the day twenty behind McLaren. Indeed, the effort from Ethel were being punished for only having one consistent point scoring driver, with Johnny Dumfries yet to threaten the points at all.
 
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Alain Prost 	39 	1
2 	Nigel Mansell 	38 	1
3 	Ayrton Senna 	36 	2
4 	Nelson Piquet 	23 	
5 	Keke Rosberg 	17 	
6 	Jacques Laffite 	14 	
7 	René Arnoux 	8 	3
8 	Stefan Johansson 	7 	1
9 	Gerhard Berger 	6 	1
10 	Michele Alboreto 	6 	1
11 	Teo Fabi 	2 	
12 	Martin Brundle 	2 	
13 	Riccardo Patrese 	2 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	61 	
2 	 	56 	
3 	 	36 	
4 	 	22 	
5 	 	13 	
6 	 	8 	
7 	 	2 	
8 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1986 Grands Prix
Category:French Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in France