1987 Australian Grand Prix

Lore & Background

The 82-lap race was won by Austrian driver Gerhard Berger, who started from pole position, achieved the fastest lap and led every lap in his Ferrari, earning him his only grand chelem in his career. The win would end up being the last Ferrari win during team founder Enzo Ferrari's life, who would die in August of the following year. Brazilian Ayrton Senna finished second in his Lotus-Honda but was subsequently disqualified, thus promoting Berger's Italian teammate Michele Alboreto to second and the Benetton-Ford of Belgian Thierry Boutsen to third. Following Senna's disqualification, it was a rare distinction of the dubbed 'Big Four' failing to score points at the same Grand Prix for various reasons.

In Their Own Story

The humidity hung heavy over Adelaide as Nelson Piquet adjusted his helmet strap. The final race of the season loomed ahead, a chance to etch his name permanently into history alongside Senna and Prost. He could hear the Honda V6 revving in the pit lane, a familiar scream that promised speed but demanded respect. Beside him, Nigel Mansell prepared with equal intensity, their shared goal overshadowed by personal ambition. As they pulled onto the grid, the tension was palpable among the Williams crew. They knew what was at stake: not just points, but legacy. The start was explosive, tires smoking against the asphalt as Piquet fought for position. Through the tight hairpins of the street circuit, he managed the car's heat and traction with surgical precision. When he crossed the finish line, the roar of the crowd confirmed what the scoreboard already showed: another championship for Williams.

Reader's Guide

Nigel Mansell was still recovering from his accident in the previous race in Japan and so Riccardo Patrese, who had already signed for Williams to partner Mansell in 1988, was given permission by Brabham owner Bernie Ecclestone to stand in for the Briton in this race; he was replaced at Brabham by Formula 3000 champion Stefano Modena, making his Formula One debut. Despite being ill during qualifying, Gerhard Berger took pole position in his Ferrari by 0.7 seconds from Alain Prost in the McLaren. In his final race for Williams Nelson Piquet took third, with compatriot Ayrton Senna fourth in his final race for Lotus. At the green light, Piquet darted past Berger to take the lead into the first chicane, but Berger re-passed Piquet at Wakefield Corner and began to pull away. Early retirements included Philippe Streiff spinning off in his Tyrrell on lap 7 and Nakajima suffering a hydraulics failure on lap 23. Modena's debut ended on lap 32 when he stopped in the pits due to exhaustion. The battle for second changed little until lap 35, when Piquet pitted for tyres and dropped to sixth. On lap 42, Prost found himself baulked by former teammate René Arnoux in the Ligier on the pit straight and Alboreto slipped through, before Senna powered past both the McLaren and the Ferrari. Attrition kicked in as the race continued, with brakes in particular becoming a big issue. Fabi was the first brake-related retirement on lap 47, followed by Johansson on lap 49 and Prost on lap 54. Piquet's brakes also failed on lap 59, leaving Berger, Senna and Alboreto as the top three followed by Boutsen and Patrese. In the latter stages Senna made a charge, closing to within eight seconds of Berger, before the Austrian pulled away again, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 72. Berger crossed the finish line just under 35 seconds ahead of Senna, with Alboreto the only other driver on the lead lap and Boutsen, Jonathan Palmer in the second Tyrrell and Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse completing the top six after Patrese suffered a late oil leak. In post-race scrutineering it was discovered that the brake ducts on Senna's Lotus were oversized, resulting in his disqualification from the race. Alboreto was duly promoted to second, giving Ferrari a 1-2 finish, with Boutsen third, Palmer fourth, Dalmas fifth and Roberto Moreno sixth, scoring the AGS team's first World Championship point.

Did You Know?

• Gerhard Berger achieved his only grand chelem in this race, leading every lap from pole with fastest lap.
• This was the last Ferrari win during team founder Enzo Ferrari's life; he died in August of the following year.
• Ayrton Senna was disqualified after the race for oversized brake ducts on his Lotus.
• Roberto Moreno scored the AGS team's first World Championship point by finishing sixth.
• Yannick Dalmas finished fifth but did not receive points because Larrousse had officially entered only one car for the championship.