1986 Formula One World Championship

Team changes

• Two factory-backed constructors left Formula One after the 1985 season: Renault (only staying one more year as an engine supplier) and Alfa Romeo. Two other teams had already folded during the season: RAM and Spirit.
• The Toleman team was bought by the Benetton Group and renamed Benetton Formula.
• Shortly before the season began, Frank Williams was involved in a road accident in France that left him in a wheelchair. Technical director and part-owner Patrick Head would be forced to run the team in all departments, in addition to his design and engineering work.

Driver changes

• After triple world champion Niki Lauda retired, 1982 champion Keke Rosberg took his place at McLaren. Nelson Piquet, two world championships under his belt, took the opportunity to leave Brabham after seven seasons, and move to Williams.
• Elio de Angelis had chosen to leave Lotus, frustrated that the team's efforts were being focused mostly on Ayrton Senna. He was granted Piquet's seat at Brabham. Derek Warwick was originally signed to replace the Italian, but Senna gave his preference to Johnny Dumfries, British F3 champion and European F3 runner-up in 1984.
• A lot of other driver changes happened in the lower-ranking teams.

Calendar changes

• The Spanish Grand Prix returned to the calendar for the first time in five years and was held at the newly built Circuito de Jerez. (In 1984 and 1985, Formula One had tried to stage the race in Fuengirola.) The owners of the Jarama circuit tried to get the slot of the European Grand Prix, but were unsuccessful.
• The Belgian Grand Prix was moved up to May to avoid the chance of hot and dry weather, after the asphalt broke up in practice for the 1985 edition under the immense power of the cars.
• The British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. The 1986 British Grand Prix would be the last at Brands Hatch, as from 1987, it would be permanently held at Silverstone (under FISA's "one country, one circuit" rule).
• The German Grand Prix returned to the Hockenheimring after using the Nürburgring for 1985, and would be permanently held at Hockenheim (again, "one country, one circuit").
• The Hungarian Grand Prix was organised for the first time. It was the first F1 race to take place behind the Iron Curtain.
• The Portuguese Grand Prix was moved back to September.
• The Mexican Grand Prix returned for the first time since 1970. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City was upgraded to a new layout to improve safety. (The race was originally supposed to return in 1985 but was cancelled due to the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.)

Provisional calendar

An early version of the calendar showed 20 races. These rounds were eventually removed:

Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires	9 March
Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka City	6 April
Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Park Zandvoort, Zandvoort	31 August
South African Grand Prix	Kyalami Circuit, Midrand	26 October

• An attempt was made to revive the Argentine Grand Prix at the Autódromo de Buenos Aires to be held on 9 March as Round 1. This was unsuccessful due to lack of sponsorship and no Argentinian driver competing in the championship.
• The Japanese Grand Prix, originally scheduled for 6 April, was cancelled as rebuilding parts of the Suzuka International Racing Course were too time-consuming. The race would only return the following year in a completely renovated Suzuka.
• Detroit was originally due to be replaced by the return of the US Grand Prix in name to be held at Road America in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin but terms could not be agreed which meant that the race returned to Detroit.
• The Dutch Grand Prix, originally scheduled for 31 August, was dropped after the owners, CENAV (Circuit Exploitatie Nederlandse Autorensport Vereniging), went out of business. It was replaced by the Hungarian Grand Prix.
• The South African Grand Prix, originally scheduled for 26 October, was dropped because of apartheid. FISA banned all events in South Africa until 1992.
• In the provisional calendar, the Swedish Grand Prix was earmarked to return for the first time since 1978 and was scheduled for 14 September (later than the original June slot it had between 1973 and 1978), the Italian Grand Prix was to take place on 28 September, Portuguese Grand Prix was to take place on 12 October, Mexican Grand Prix on 9 November and Australian Grand Prix on 23 November as the final round. All 4 were moved ahead when the Dutch, Swedish and South African rounds fell through.

Background

Back in 1980, Renault proved that turbocharged engines were the way to success and by the half-way point in the 1985 season, all teams had followed their example. The FIA saw that the power output from turbo engines had doubled in the past six years. The 1986 F1 cars in qualifying trim proved to be the most powerful Grand Prix cars in history. Manufacturers mentioned numbers above 1,400 bhp (1,000 kW), powering cars that weighed just 540 kg (1,190 lb) giving a staggering power-to-weight ratio of 2,500 hp/ton. This power output was only seen in qualifying trim, since the specially prepared engines, tyres and gearboxes could only hold on for two to four laps under this immense force before destroying themselves, and in race trim, with the engines limited in power to conserve them to run a 190-mile (306 km) race distance, the cars were not much slower.

So after mandating turbocharged engines for 1986, the governing body decided to re-allow naturally aspirated engines for 1987, and at the same time started reining in the power of turbo engines, before banning them altogether for the 1989 season.

Technical regulations

• 1.5 litre turbocharged engines compulsory (with unlimited number of cylinders, RPM and power output).
• Fuel use during the race was limited from 220 L (58 US gal) to 195 L (52 US gal). This led to fuel saving playing a major role in team strategy during the season.

Event regulations

• Catch-fencing was banned.
• After the accident and death of Elio de Angelis in testing, a permanent team of professional firefighters, FIA medical service inspector and medevac helicopter were made mandatory at all testing and race events.

Grands Prix

The 1986 Formula One World Championship was contested over a sixteen-race series.

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Report
1	Brazilian Grand Prix	Ayrton Senna	Nelson Piquet	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda	Report
2	Spanish Grand Prix	Ayrton Senna	Nigel Mansell	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault	Report
3	San Marino Grand Prix	Ayrton Senna	Nelson Piquet	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	Report
4	Monaco Grand Prix	Alain Prost	Alain Prost	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	Report
5	Belgian Grand Prix	Nelson Piquet	Alain Prost	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	Report
6	Canadian Grand Prix	Nigel Mansell	Nelson Piquet	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	Report
7	Detroit Grand Prix	Ayrton Senna	Nelson Piquet	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault	Report
8	French Grand Prix	Ayrton Senna	Nigel Mansell	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	Report
9	British Grand Prix	Nelson Piquet	Nigel Mansell	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	Report
10	German Grand Prix	Keke Rosberg	Gerhard Berger	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda	Report
11	Hungarian Grand Prix	Ayrton Senna	Nelson Piquet	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda	Report
12	Austrian Grand Prix	Teo Fabi	Gerhard Berger	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	Report
13	Italian Grand Prix	Teo Fabi	Teo Fabi	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda	Report
14	Portuguese Grand Prix	Ayrton Senna	Nigel Mansell	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	Report
15	Mexican Grand Prix	Ayrton Senna	Nelson Piquet	Gerhard Berger	Benetton-BMW	Report
16	Australian Grand Prix	Nigel Mansell	Nelson Piquet	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	Report

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. For the Drivers' Championship, the best eleven results were counted, while, for the Constructors' Championship, all rounds were counted.

Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:

World Drivers' Championship standings

Pos Driver BRA ESP SMR MON BEL CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN AUT ITA POR MEX AUS Points 1 Alain Prost Ret 3 1 1PF (6)F 2 3 2 3 (6)† Ret 1 DSQ 2 2 1 72 (74) 2 Nigel Mansell Ret 2F Ret 4 1 1P 5 1F 1F 3 3 Ret 2 1F (5) RetP 70 (72) 3 Nelson Piquet 1F Ret 2F 7 RetP 3F RetF 3 2P 1 1F Ret 1 3 4F 2F 69 4 Ayrton Senna 2P 1P RetP 3 2 5 1P RetP Ret 2 2P Ret Ret 4P† 3P Ret 55 5 Stefan Johansson Ret Ret 4 10 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret 11† 4 3 3 6 12† 3 23 6 Keke Rosberg Ret 4 5† 2 Ret 4 Ret 4 Ret 5P† Ret 9† 4 Ret Ret Ret 22 7 Gerhard Berger 6 6 3 Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10F Ret 7F 5 Ret 1 Ret 17 8 Jacques Laffite 3 Ret Ret 6 5 7 2 6 Ret 14 9 Michele Alboreto Ret Ret 10† Ret 4 8 4 8 Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret 5 Ret Ret 14 10 René Arnoux 4 Ret Ret 5 Ret 6 Ret 5 4 4 Ret 10 Ret 7 15† 7 14 11 Martin Brundle 5 Ret 8 Ret Ret 9 Ret 10 5 Ret 6 Ret 10 Ret 11 4 8 12 Alan Jones Ret Ret Ret Ret 11† 10 Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret 4 6 Ret Ret Ret 4 13 Johnny Dumfries 9 Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret 7 Ret 7 Ret 5 Ret Ret 9 Ret 6 3 14 Philippe Streiff 7 Ret Ret 11 12 11 9 Ret 6 Ret 8 Ret 9 Ret Ret 5† 3 15 Patrick Tambay Ret 8 Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret Ret 8 7 5 Ret NC Ret NC 2 16 Teo Fabi 10 5 Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret RetP RetPF 8 Ret 10 2 17 Riccardo Patrese Ret Ret 6† Ret 8 Ret 6 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 13† Ret 2 18 Christian Danner Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret 6 8 11 9 Ret 1 19 Philippe Alliot Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 6 8 1 — Thierry Boutsen Ret 7 7 8 Ret Ret Ret NC NC Ret Ret Ret 7 10 7 Ret 0 — Derek Warwick Ret 10 9 8 7 Ret DNS Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Jonathan Palmer Ret Ret Ret 12 13 Ret 8 Ret 9 Ret 10 Ret Ret 12 10† 9 0 — Huub Rothengatter Ret DNQ Ret 12 DNS Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 Ret Ret DNS Ret 0 — Andrea de Cesaris Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 Ret 0 — Elio de Angelis 8 Ret Ret Ret 0 — Marc Surer Ret Ret 9 9 9 0 — Piercarlo Ghinzani Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Allen Berg Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret 13 16 NC 0 — Alessandro Nannini Ret DNS Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 14 Ret 0 — Alex Caffi NC 0 — Ivan Capelli Ret Ret 0 — Eddie Cheever Ret 0 Pos Driver BRA ESP SMR MON BEL CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN AUT ITA POR MEX AUS Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (empty cell) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap

^† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

World Constructors' Championship standings

Pos Manufacturer No. BRA ESP SMR MON BEL CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN AUT ITA POR MEX AUS Pts 1 Williams-Honda 5 Ret 2F Ret 4 1 1P 5 1F 1F 3 3 Ret 2 1F 5 RetP 141 6 1F Ret 2F 7 RetP 3F RetF 3 2P 1 1F Ret 1 3 4F 2F 2 McLaren-TAG 1 Ret 3 1 1PF 6F 2 3 2 3 6† Ret 1 DSQ 2 2 1 96 2 Ret 4 5† 2 Ret 4 Ret 4 Ret 5P† Ret 9† 4 Ret Ret Ret 3 Lotus-Renault 11 9 Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret 7 Ret 7 Ret 5 Ret Ret 9 Ret 6 58 12 2P 1P RetP 3 2 5 1P RetP Ret 2 2P Ret Ret 4P† 3P Ret 4 Ferrari 27 Ret Ret 10† Ret 4 8 4 8 Ret Ret Ret 2 Ret 5 Ret Ret 37 28 Ret Ret 4 10 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret 11† 4 3 3 6 12† 3 5 Ligier-Renault 25 4 Ret Ret 5 Ret 6 Ret 5 4 4 Ret 10 Ret 7 15† 7 29 26 3 Ret Ret 6 5 7 2 6 Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 6 8 6 Benetton-BMW 19 10 5 Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret RetP RetPF 8 Ret 10 19 20 6 6 3 Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10F Ret 7F 5 Ret 1 Ret 7 Tyrrell-Renault 3 5 Ret 8 Ret Ret 9 Ret 10 5 Ret 6 Ret 10 Ret 11 4 11 4 7 Ret Ret 11 12 11 9 Ret 6 Ret 8 Ret 9 Ret Ret 5† 8 Lola-Ford 15 Ret Ret 11† 10 Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret 4 6 Ret Ret Ret 6 16 Ret Ret DNS Ret Ret Ret 8 7 5 Ret NC Ret NC 9 Brabham-BMW 7 Ret Ret 6† Ret 8 Ret 6 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 13† Ret 2 8 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 9 8 7 Ret DNS Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 Arrows-BMW 17 Ret Ret 9 9 9 Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret 6 8 11 9 Ret 1 18 Ret 7 7 8 Ret Ret Ret NC NC Ret Ret Ret 7 10 7 Ret — Zakspeed 14 Ret Ret Ret 12 13 Ret 8 Ret 9 Ret 10 Ret Ret 12 10† 9 0 29 Ret DNQ Ret 12 DNS Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 Ret Ret DNS Ret — Minardi-Motori Moderni 23 Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 Ret 0 24 Ret DNS Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 14 Ret — Lola-Hart 15 Ret Ret 0 16 Ret 8 Ret — Osella-Alfa Romeo 21 Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 22 Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret NC 13 16 NC — AGS-Motori Moderni 31 Ret Ret 0 Pos Constructor Car no. BRA ESP SMR MON BEL CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN AUT ITA POR MEX AUS Pts

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (empty cell) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap

^† Car did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as it completed over 90% of the race distance.