The 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix opened the Formula One World Championship season, with Nelson Piquet winning on home soil at Jacarepaguá.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Nelson Piquet (Williams-Honda)
- Pole position
- Ayrton Senna (Lotus-Renault)
- Winning margin
- 34 seconds over Senna
- Race distance
- 306.9 km over 61 laps
- Circuit length
- 5.03 km
- Championship round
- Round 1 of 1986 F1 World Championship
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1986 Formula One World Championship calendar opened at the Jacarepaguá circuit in Rio de Janeiro, a venue that had hosted the Brazilian Grand Prix six times previously. Ayrton Senna qualified on pole position in his Lotus-Renault, setting the stage for a contest between two Brazilian drivers at the front of the grid.
On 23 March 1986, Nelson Piquet started from second on the grid in his Williams-Honda and overtook pole-sitter Senna on lap 3. Piquet controlled the race from that point, winning by 34 seconds over Senna, with Frenchman Jacques Laffite taking third place for Ligier-Renault across 61 laps of the 5.03 km circuit.
Piquet's victory gave Williams-Honda a strong points start to the 1986 championship season. The result demonstrated the competitiveness of the Williams-Honda package early in the year and marked the 15th running of the Brazilian Grand Prix, reinforcing Jacarepaguá's standing as a major venue on the Formula One calendar.