1986 French Grand Prix
The 1986 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on 6 July 1986. It was the eighth race of the 1986 Formula One World Championship.
| 1986 French Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 16 in the 1986 Formula One World Championship | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 6 July 1986 | ||
| Official name | 72e Grand Prix de France | ||
| Location |
Circuit Paul Ricard Le Castellet, Var, France | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 3.812 km (2.369 miles) | ||
| Distance | 80 laps, 304.960 km (189.493 miles) | ||
| Weather | Dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Lotus-Renault | ||
| Time | 1:06.526 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | |
| Time | 1:09.993 on lap 57 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First |
| Williams-Honda | |
| Second | McLaren-TAG | ||
| Third | Williams-Honda | ||
|
Lap leaders | |||
Following Elio de Angelis's fatal testing crash on the full 5.81-kilometre (3.61 mi) circuit two months previously, a decision was made to use the shorter, 3.812-kilometre (2.369 mi) "Club" circuit for this race and for future F1 races (up to and including 1990). This eliminated the high-speed Verrerie bends, where de Angelis had crashed, and reduced the length of the Mistral straight from 1.8 km (1.1 mi) to 1 km (0.62 mi). Nonetheless, the cars still recorded speeds of over 330 km/h (205 mph) on the straight.
The 80-lap race was won by Nigel Mansell, driving a Williams-Honda. It was Mansell's third victory of the season. Alain Prost finished second in a McLaren-TAG, with Nelson Piquet third in the other Williams-Honda. Ayrton Senna took pole position in his Lotus-Renault, but crashed at Signes early in the race after sliding on oil laid by Andrea de Cesaris's failed Minardi.
This race marked Scuderia Ferrari's 400th start in a World Championship event as a team.