1986 Mexican Grand Prix

1986 Mexican Grand Prix
Race 15 of 16 in the 1986 Formula One World Championship
Race details
Date	October 12, 1986
Official name	Gran Premio de Mexico
Location	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico
Course	Permanent circuit
Course length	4.421 km (2.747 miles)
Distance	68 laps, 300.628 km (186.802 miles)
Weather	Sunny and hot
Pole position
Driver	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault
Time	1:16.990
Fastest lap
Driver	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda
Time	1:19.360 on lap 64
Podium
First	Gerhard Berger	Benetton-BMW
Second	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG
Third	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault
Lap leaders

The 1986 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on October 12, 1986.

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.

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.^[1]

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 1959–1960, and Mansell's own Williams team mate Nelson Piquet looking to win his 3rd championship after winning the 1981 and 1983 titles.