The 1986 British Grand Prix (formally the XXXIX Shell Oils British Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch in Kent, England on 13 July 1986. It was the ninth race of the 1986 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Background The race also saw the return to the paddock of Frank Williams for the first time since he was paralysed in a road accident in France four months earlier.
This was the last British Grand Prix and also the last Formula One race to be held at Brands Hatch. The international motorsports governing body at the time, FISA, had instituted a policy of long-term contracts with circuits, and Brands Hatch was perceived as a poorer facility to Silverstone, with much less room for the mechanics to work, besides the track being more dangerous for the drivers. In May 1986, Silverstone and its owner, the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), signed a long-term contract with FISA; the British Grand Prix has been held at the Northamptonshire circuit since 1987. The first time since the 1986 British Grand Prix that major single-seater racing returned to Brands Hatch was the London Champ Car Trophy for CART in 2003.
Race French driver Jacques Laffite broke both legs during a multi-car pile-up at the start, resulting in the end of his Formula One career (which he intended to end after the Australian Grand Prix). Laffite, driving a Ligier-Renault, was assisted by Zakspeed driver Jonathan Palmer, a qualified general practitioner before taking up motor racing in the late 1970s. Laffite was making his 176th Formula One start, equalling Graham Hill's record. The pile-up caused the race to be stopped; it was restarted 50 minutes later, after Laffite had been airlifted to Queen Mary's Hospital in nearby Sidcup.
The race was eventually won by local driver Nigel Mansell, driving a Williams-Honda. Mansell won after a battle with Brazilian teammate Nelson Piquet, finishing 5.5 seconds ahead. Reigning World Champion, Frenchman Alain Prost, finished third in his McLaren-TAG, one lap adrift.
This was the first time a woman had stood on the Formula One podium to receive the Manufacturers' Award, and it was Virginia "Ginny" Williams, wife of Frank Williams and mother of Claire Williams.
Classification
Qualifying Pos No Driver Constructor Q1 Q2 Gap 1 6 Nelson Piquet Williams-Honda 1:07.690 1:06.961 2 5 Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda 1:08.818 1:07.399 +0.438 3 12 Ayrton Senna Lotus-Renault 1:09.042 1:07.524 +0.563 4 20 Gerhard Berger Benetton-BMW 1:09.916 1:08.196 +1.235 5 2 Keke Rosberg McLaren-TAG 1:09.479 1:08.477 +1.516 6 1 Alain Prost McLaren-TAG 1:09.779 1:09.334 +2.373 7 19 Teo Fabi Benetton-BMW 1:11.819 1:09.409 +2.448 8 25 René Arnoux Ligier-Renault 1:09.971 1:09.543 +2.582 9 8 Derek Warwick Brabham-BMW 1:12.403 1:10.209 +3.248 10 11 Johnny Dumfries Lotus-Renault 1:10.304 1:10.583 +3.343 11 3 Martin Brundle Tyrrell-Renault 1:11.432 1:10.334 +3.373 12 27 Michele Alboreto Ferrari 1:11.662 1:10.338 +3.377 13 18 Thierry Boutsen Arrows-BMW 1:12.333 1:10.941 +3.980 14 15 Alan Jones Lola-Ford 1:12.060 1:11.121 +4.160 15 7 Riccardo Patrese Brabham-BMW 1:12.513 1:11.267 +4.306 16 4 Philippe Streiff Tyrrell-Renault 1:11.682 1:11.450 +4.489 17 16 Patrick Tambay Lola-Ford 1:13.376 1:11.458 +4.497 18 28 Stefan Johansson Ferrari 1:11.500 1:11.568 +4.539 19 26 Jacques Laffite Ligier-Renault 1:12.715 1:12.281 +5.320 20 24 Alessandro Nannini Minardi-Motori Moderni 1:12.848 1:13.496 +5.887 21 23 Andrea de Cesaris Minardi-Motori Moderni 1:14.366 1:12.980 +6.019 22 14 Jonathan Palmer Zakspeed 1:14.678 1:13.009 +6.048 23 17 Christian Danner Arrows-BMW 1:13.261 1:13.421 +6.300 24 21 Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella-Alfa Romeo 1:16.440 1:16.134 +9.173 25 29 Huub Rothengatter Zakspeed 1:16.854 +9.917 26 22 Allen Berg Osella-Alfa Romeo 1:18.319 +11.738
Race Pos No Driver Constructor Tyre Laps Time/Retired Grid Points 1 5 Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda 75 1:30:38.471 2 9 2 6 Nelson Piquet Williams-Honda 75 + 5.574 1 6 3 1 Alain Prost McLaren-TAG 74 + 1 lap 6 4 4 25 René Arnoux Ligier-Renault 73 + 2 laps 8 3 5 3 Martin Brundle Tyrrell-Renault 72 + 3 laps 11 2 6 4 Philippe Streiff Tyrrell-Renault 72 + 3 laps 16 1 7 11 Johnny Dumfries Lotus-Renault 72 + 3 laps 10 8 8 Derek Warwick Brabham-BMW 72 + 3 laps 9 9 14 Jonathan Palmer Zakspeed 69 + 6 laps 22 18 Thierry Boutsen Arrows-BMW 62 + 13 laps 13 16 Patrick Tambay Lola-Ford 60 Gearbox 17 27 Michele Alboreto Ferrari 51 Turbo 12 24 Alessandro Nannini Minardi-Motori Moderni 50 Steering 20 19 Teo Fabi Benetton-BMW 45 Fuel system 7 7 Riccardo Patrese Brabham-BMW 39 Engine 15 12 Ayrton Senna Lotus-Renault 27 Gearbox 3 29 Huub Rothengatter Zakspeed 24 Engine 25 23 Andrea de Cesaris Minardi-Motori Moderni 23 Electrical 21 20 Gerhard Berger Benetton-BMW 22 Electrical 4 15 Alan Jones Lola-Ford 22 Throttle 14 28 Stefan Johansson Ferrari 20 Engine 18 2 Keke Rosberg McLaren-TAG 7 Gearbox 5 26 Jacques Laffite Ligier-Renault 0 Collision 19 17 Christian Danner Arrows-BMW 0 Collision 23 21 Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella-Alfa Romeo 0 Collision 24 22 Allen Berg Osella-Alfa Romeo 0 Collision 26
Championship standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Nigel Mansell 47 2 Alain Prost 43 3 Ayrton Senna 36 4 Nelson Piquet 29 5 Keke Rosberg 17Source:
Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 Williams-Honda 76 2 McLaren-TAG 60 3 Lotus-Renault 36 4 Ligier-Renault 25 5 Ferrari 13Source:
References