1987 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the XVI Grande Prêmio do Brasil, was the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Jacarepaguá Circuit on the 12 April 1987.'Brazilian GP, 1987', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr437.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019) The race would see Alain Prost open his title defence with victory for , amid controversy both off and on the circuit.
Indeed, the opening round of the 1987 campaign had been severely threatened by a boycott by drivers, all due to the costs of renewing their Super Licenses. Elsewhere, FISA implemented a release valve for the turbo charged cars, which was meant to open if the boost pressure exceeded 4.0 Bar, although several drivers reported that it was kicking it a far lower pressure.
Yet, it would still be a turbocharged car that kicked off the season on pole position, with Nigel Mansell beating teammate Nelson Piquet in a straight fight. Ayrton Senna was next in the Honda engined , while Teo Fabi put his into fourth ahead of Prost.
The field would be reduced to just 22 starters on race morning, for an engine failure for the returning team during the warm-up left them without an engine. Fortunately the start itself would be conducted without issue, with Piquet sprinting ahead of Senna off the line, while Mansell dropped to third ahead of Prost.
Piquet would dominate the opening stages of the race, only to have to stop to have paper cleared from his radiators, dumping him back to eleventh. Mansell, meanwhile, would harass Senna for the lead, only to be brought into the pits himself after a sudden spike in engine temperatures.
Piquet and Mansell spent the rest of the afternoon running nose-to-tail, picking their way through the field as Senna led Prost. However, when Senna pitted with a handling issue (and later retired with an engine failure), Prost would be left with an unassailable lead, which he would only lose during his stop for fresh tyres.
Indeed, Prost would go on to claim a comfortable victory ahead of Piquet, with the Brazilian overcoming Prost's teammate Stefan Johansson in the closing stages. New racer Gerhard Berger ended the day in fourth ahead of Thierry Boutsen, while Mansell ended the afternoon in sixth after a puncture cost him more time.
The race was also the debut for the new Jim Clark and Colin Chapman Trophies, intended to reward drivers and teams running with under-powered, naturally aspirated, cars. The winner of the "class" would be Jonathan Palmer in the ahead of teammate Philippe Streiff, although they were only tenth and eleventh overall.
==Background==
===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 Mauro Baldi 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT56 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
9 	Martin Brundle 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	861 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
10 	Christian Danner 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	861 	 	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 	 	87P 	 	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 	 	FA1F 	 	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 	Equipe Ligier 	 	JS27 	 	890T 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:'Brazil 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/engages.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/engages.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/engages.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/engages.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/engages.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/engages.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/engages.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/engages.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)
* Entries with a white background denote eligibility for the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy.
** Baldi's entry was withdrawn after he was fired by Brabham. de Cesaris was hence entered in his place.
==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 	 	1:27.901 	1:26.128 	—
2 	6 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:27.822 	1:26.567 	+0.439s
3 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	1:29.002 	1:28.408 	+2.280s
4 	19 	Teo Fabi 	 	1:30.439 	1:28.417 	+2.289s
5 	1 	Alain Prost 	 	1:29.522 	1:29.175 	+3.047s
6 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	1:30.166 	1:29.450 	+3.322s
7 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:31.444 	1:30.357 	+4.229s
8 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:32.531 	1:30.467 	+4.339s
9 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:31.218 	1:30.468 	+4.340s
10 	2 	Stefan Johansson 	 	1:31.343 	1:30.476 	+4.348s
11 	7 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:32.001 	1:31.179 	+5.051s
12 	11 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	1:34.445 	1:32.276 	+6.148s
13 	8 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:32.402 	1:34.115 	+6.274s
14 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:33.084 	1:32.769 	+6.641s
15 	24 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	1:33.980 	1:33.729 	+7.601s
16 	23 	Adrián Campos 	 	— 	1:33.825 	+7.697s
17 	10 	Christian Danner 	 	1:36.178 	1:35.212 	+9.084s
18 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	1:37.488 	1:36.091 	+9.963s
19 	9 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:37.488 	1:36.091 	+9.963s
20 	4 	Philippe Streiff 	 	1:38.822 	1:36.274 	+10.146s
21 	21 	Alex Caffi 	 	1:39.931 	1:38.770 	+12.642s
22 	14 	Pascal Fabre 	 	1:44.126 	1:39.816 	+13.688s
23 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	1:43.580 	2:02.966 	+17.452s
WD* 	8 	Mauro Baldi 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
WD† 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
WD‡ 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn 	Withdrawn
Source:'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazil 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazil 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazil 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazil 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazil 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazil 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'1987 Brazilian Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1987/races/5/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazil 1987: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)
*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.
* A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy.
** Baldi's entry was withdrawn after the Italian was fired by Brabham.
*† Arnoux's entry was withdrawn as Ligier had no engines available.
*‡ Alliot's entry was withdrawn as Lola failed to arrive.
===Grid===
** Capelli was unable to start after an engine failure during morning warm-up.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Alain Prost 	 	61 	1:39:45.141 	5 	9
2 	6 	Nelson Piquet 	 	61 	+40.547s 	2 	6
3 	2 	Stefan Johansson 	 	61 	+56.758s 	10 	4
4 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	61 	+1:39.235 	7 	3
5 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	60 	+1 Lap 	6 	2
6 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	60 	+1 Lap 	1 	1
7 	11 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	59 	+2 Laps 	12 	
8* 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	58 	Spin 	9 	
9 	10 	Christian Danner 	 	58 	+3 Laps 	17 	
10 (1) 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	58 	+3 Laps 	18 	
11 (2) 	4 	Philippe Streiff 	 	57 	+4 Laps 	20 	
12 (3) 	14 	Pascal Fabre 	 	55 	+6 Laps 	22 	
Ret 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	52 	Overheating 	14 	
Ret 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	50 	Engine 	3 	
Ret 	7 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	48 	Battery 	11 	
Ret 	8 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	21 	Differential 	13 	
Ret 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	20 	Engine 	8 	
Ret 	21 	Alex Caffi 	 	20 	Exhaustion 	21 	
Ret 	24 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	17 	Suspension 	15 	
Ret 	9 	Martin Brundle 	 	15 	Turbo 	19 	
Ret 	19 	Teo Fabi 	 	9 	Turbo 	4 	
DSQ† 	23 	Adrián Campos 	 	3 	Disqualified 	16 	
DNS‡ 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	 	 	 	
WD 	8 	Mauro Baldi 	 	 	 	 	
WD 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	 	 	 	
WD 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Brazil 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/classement.aspx, (Accessed 30/01/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/classement.aspx, (Accessed 30/01/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/classement.aspx, (Accessed 30/01/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/classement.aspx, (Accessed 30/01/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/classement.aspx, (Accessed 30/01/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/classement.aspx, (Accessed 30/01/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/classement.aspx, (Accessed 30/01/2019)	Source:'Brazil 1987: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil/classement.aspx, (Accessed 30/01/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
* A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy with numbers in brackets indicating their finishing position in that class.
** Alboreto was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
*† Campos was disqualified for an illegal start procedure.
*‡ Capelli was unable to start after an engine failure during morning warm-up.
==Milestones==
* Debut race for Adrián Campos, Pascal Fabre and Satoru Nakajima.'1987 Brazilian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1987&gp=Brazilian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 01/04/2019)
* First race for as an engine supplier.
* entered their 50th chassis.
* Alain Prost secured his 26th victory.'1. Brazil 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), http://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/bresil.aspx, (Accessed 01/04/2019)
* claimed their 53rd win as a constructor.
** scored their 23rd victory as an engine supplier.
* Nelson Piquet earned his 40th podium finish.
** The Brazilian also recorded his twentieth fastest lap.
* Jonathan Palmer became the first winner in the Jim Clark Trophy class.
==Standings==
Victory at the opening round ensured that Alain Prost opened his title defence in perfect fashion, ending the weekend with nine points to his name. Nelson Piquet was next ahead of Stefan Johansson, while Gerhard Berger, Thierry Boutsen and Nigel Mansell had also registered points at the opening round.
 had early command of the Constructors' Championship, with Prost and Johansson scoring a combined total of thirteen points. were next, having secured seven points, while and were the only other scorers.
 
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Alain Prost 	9 	
2 	Nelson Piquet 	6 	
3 	Stefan Johansson 	4 	
4 	Gerhard Berger 	3 	
5 	Thierry Boutsen 	2 	
6 	Nigel Mansell 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	9 	
2 	 	7 	
3 	 	3 	
4 	 	2 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
===Jim Clark/Colin Chapman Trophy===
Jonathan Palmer was the inaugural winner in the Jim Clark Trophy, earning him nine points and the lead in the cup. His teammate Philippe Streiff was next, meaning their team led the Colin Chapman Trophy, while Pascal Fabre and were the only other scorers.
 
Jim Clark Trophy	Jim Clark Trophy	Jim Clark Trophy	Jim Clark Trophy
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Jonathan Palmer 	9 	
2 	Philippe Streiff	6 	
3 	Pascal Fabre 	4 	
Colin Chapman Trophy	Colin Chapman Trophy	Colin Chapman Trophy	Colin Chapman Trophy
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	15 	
2 	 	4 	
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:Brazilian Grand Prix