Nigel Mansell won the first Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya, cutting Ayrton Senna's championship lead to 16 points with two races left.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Nigel Mansell (Williams-Renault)
- Number of laps
- 65 laps
- Championship round
- 14th of the 1991 season
- Senna's points lead after race
- 16 points over Mansell
- Races remaining in championship
- 2
- First race at Circuit de Catalunya
- Yes — inaugural Spanish GP at this venue
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1991 Formula One World Championship season reached its fourteenth round with Ayrton Senna holding a points lead over Nigel Mansell. The race was held at the newly constructed Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, marking the first time the Spanish Grand Prix had been staged at this venue.
Nigel Mansell, starting from second on the grid, drove his Williams-Renault to victory over 65 laps on 29 September 1991. Alain Prost in a Ferrari finished second, and Mansell's teammate Riccardo Patrese took third. Championship leader Senna could only manage fifth place in his McLaren-Honda.
Mansell's victory reduced Senna's Drivers' Championship lead to 16 points with only two races remaining, tightening the title contest significantly. Senna ultimately retained enough of an advantage to claim the 1991 World Championship, but the race confirmed Mansell as a serious contender heading into the season's final rounds.