1986 Mexican Grand Prix

Lore & Background

The first Mexican Grand Prix since 1970 was held at the newly renamed Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, located in the Magdalena Mixhuca recreational sports park in the middle of Mexico City. The track had been slightly shortened and modified from its previous layout; although Mexico City was located on a geologically active surface; so the circuit was very bumpy- and the most fearsome and spectacular corner on the circuit, the banked 275 km/h, 180-degree Peraltada turn remained from before, but with more run-off area and less banking than before.

In Their Own Story

The thin air of Mexico City hummed with the high-pitched whine of turbochargers, a sound that usually signaled speed but today felt like an omen. Inside the garage, the atmosphere was tense as Alboreto's F1/86 rolled in for a scheduled stop. The mechanics moved with practiced precision until the sudden, deafening roar of escaping pressure shattered the rhythm. In a split second, the controlled chaos of the pit lane turned into a scene of horror, silencing the crowd and freezing time for Scuderia Ferrari.

Reader's Guide

It was the first win for Gerhard Berger and the first win for the Benetton team. Benetton ran on Pirelli tyres, and their relative durability compared to competitors on Goodyear tyres played to the team's advantage. Berger won this race due to not having to make a pit stop for a fresh set of tyres. It would also prove to be the final win for the turbocharged BMW engine. Starting from third on the grid, Nigel Mansell could have wrapped up his first World Drivers' Championship with a win. However, it all went wrong on the grid when he went to select first gear for the start, and was still fumbling trying to get it in when the lights went green. By the time he got his Williams-Honda into gear more than two thirds of the field had gone past and he finished the first lap in 18th place. He would ultimately finish in 5th place meaning that the following Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide would see a three-way shootout for the championship between Mansell, defending champion Prost looking to be the first driver to win back-to-back championships since Jack Brabham in –, and Mansell's own Williams teammate Nelson Piquet looking to win his 3rd championship after winning the and titles.

Did You Know?

• The race was held on October 12, 1986.
• Gerhard Berger's win was his first in Formula One.
• It was the first win for the Benetton team.
• Berger won without making a pit stop for tyres.
• This was the final win for the turbocharged BMW engine.