Alain Prost won the 1986 Formula One Drivers' Championship, becoming the first back-to-back champion since Jack Brabham in 1959–60, while Williams-Honda claimed the Constructors' title.
Key Facts
- Season number
- 40th FIA Formula One season
- Number of races
- 16
- Drivers' Champion
- Alain Prost
- Constructors' Champion
- Williams-Honda
- Season span
- 23 March – 26 October 1986
- Notable retirement
- Keke Rosberg (1982 champion) retired from F1
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1986 Formula One season emerged from a period of intense competition among top teams, with Williams-Honda, McLaren, and Lotus fielding powerful turbocharged cars. Four elite drivers — Prost, Mansell, Piquet, and Senna — entered the season capable of championship contention, setting up an unusually competitive title fight across sixteen rounds.
The 40th FIA Formula One World Championship ran from 23 March to 26 October 1986 across sixteen races. Alain Prost clinched the Drivers' Championship ahead of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, with Ayrton Senna also a contender. The four drivers, collectively called the 'Gang of Four', dominated the season. Williams-Honda secured the Constructors' Championship, with Honda becoming the first Japanese engine supplier to achieve the title.
Prost's victory made him the first driver to win consecutive Drivers' Championships since Jack Brabham in 1959–60. Keke Rosberg, the 1982 champion, retired from Formula One after the season. Renault departed as an engine supplier following corporate restructuring, though it would return in 1989. Honda's Constructors' title win marked a landmark moment for Japanese manufacturers in the sport.