Motor racing: Mansell on rampage denied by a whisker

Action Replay

The Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on 13 April, 1986, made history when it was won by one of the shortest distances recorded in the sport of Grand Prix racing. This is how the Daily Express reported it.

NIGEL MANSELL failed by just 0.014 of a second to win a thrilling Spanish Grand Prix from Ayrton Senna at the new Jerez de la Frontera track yesterday.

Tyre trouble forced Mansell into the pits just 10 laps from home, but he came out with a new lease of life, passing Alain Prost and setting a lap record, only for the race to finish just a few metres too soon.

As the two men joked afterwards, Mansell said: "It was a hell of a fight. I thought I had done it. It was a debate whether to go in to the pits or carry on but the team called me in and we had an excellent stop."

"If there had been another 20 metres I would have caught him, but that's the way it goes."

Brazilian Senna's winning margin was as close as Peter Gethin's at Monza in 1971, when he beat Ronnie Peterson, and denied Williams their fifth success in a row.

Senna started from pole position and led until Mansell caught him on lap 40. But then the Briton was forced into the pit-stop.

Third and fourth were the Marlboro McLarens of Prost and Keke Rosberg, with the Benettons of Teo Fabi and Gerhard Berger rounding off the top six.

Martin Brundle, pulling out a fine drive in the spare Data General Tyrrell after emerging unscathed from a high-speed practice crash in his new car, looked good before engine failure forced him out 31 laps from home.

Johnny Dumfries in the second Lotus, carried on the fight, reaching fifth place before coming to grief with a broken drive shaft, but Jonathan Palmer lasted only two corners before going off.

The win put Senna well ahead in the 1986 world championship with 15 points from two races. His Brazilian rival, Nelson Piquet, who had engine failure here in the other Williams, when third after 39 laps, is second with nine points.

Final positions: 1 A Senna (Bra, John Player Special Lotus, 1hr 46min 43.735sec); 2 N Mansell (GB, Canon Williams Honda, 1:46:43.749); 3 A Prost (Fr, Marlboro McLaren); 4 K Rosberg (Fin, Marlboro McLaren); 5 T Fabi (It, Benetton); 6 G Berger (Aut, Benetton).