| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 16 in the 1987 Formula One season | ||
| Date | May 31, 1987 | |
| Official name | 45e Grand Prix de Monaco | |
| Location | Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco | |
| Course | Street circuit 3.328 km (2.068 mi) |
|
| Distance | 78 laps, 259.584 km (161.298 mi) | |
| Weather | Sunny and warm | |
| Pole position | ||
| Driver | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda |
| Time | 1:23.039 | |
| Fastest lap | ||
| Driver | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Honda |
| Time | 1:27.685 on lap 72 | |
| Podium | ||
| First | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Honda |
| Second | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda |
| Third | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
The 1987 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on May 31, 1987 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo. It was the fourth race of the 1987 Formula One season.
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Traditionally the number of competitors permitted for this Grand Prix was lower than all other circuits, due to the tight twisty nature of the track. Originally 16, it was later increased to 20; in 1987 it was increased to a full grid of 26. According to FISA this was to bring it into line with other Grands Prix but there were cynical views that this was done in order to reduce the number of non-qualifiers to appease the team sponsors. There was widespread concern about the results of overcrowding on the track and the speed difference of various cars.
During the practice session, Christian Danner and Michele Alboreto tangled, resulting in a severe accident: the Ferrari was thrown in the air and caught fire, but fortunately landed back on the track. FISA took the decision to disqualify Danner from the weekend, the first such event in the history of the Formula 1 World Championship. There were widespread objections throughout the paddock, particularly as there were several other practice accidents and it was felt that Danner had no more to blame than any other driver involved in these accidents.[1]
The pole position was claimed by Nigel Mansell in the Williams, second was Ayrton Senna for Lotus, and third was the other Williams of Nelson Piquet. The top three were in the same order after the start. On lap 3, Philippe Streiff, still recovering from the huge accident he suffered at the previous race in Belgium, crashed heavily again. Mansell's lead built up until lap 30, when he retired with a loss of turbo boost. This gave first place to Senna, who dominated the rest of the race, making a pit stop for tyre change without losing the lead, and set the fastest lap of the race.
Arrows drivers Derek Warwick and Eddie Cheever were both competitive, but retired with gearbox and engine failure respectively. Alain Prost retired from 3rd place with an engine failure with just 2 laps to go. Piquet came home second from Alboreto in third and Gerhard Berger in fourth. Jonathan Palmer finished fifth for his first World Championship points in the Tyrrell (and winning the Jim Clark Trophy for nonturbo drivers), while Ivan Capelli grabbed the last point for March.
Senna's victory was notable in that it was the first for a car with active suspension.
Numbers in brackets refer to positions of normally aspirated entrants competing for the Jim Clark Trophy.
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Honda | 78 | 1:57:54.085 | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda | 78 | + 33.212 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 78 | + 1:12.839 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 77 | + 1 Lap | 8 | 3 |
| 5 (1) | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell-Ford | 76 | + 2 Laps | 15 | 2 |
| 6 (2) | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March-Ford | 76 | + 2 Laps | 19 | 1 |
| 7 | 9 | Martin Brundle | Zakspeed | 76 | + 2 Laps | 14 | |
| 8 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton-Ford | 76 | + 2 Laps | 12 | |
| 9 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 75 | Engine | 4 | |
| 10 | 11 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus-Honda | 75 | + 3 Laps | 17 | |
| 11 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier-Megatron | 74 | + 4 Laps | 22 | |
| 12 | 26 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Ligier-Megatron | 74 | + 4 Laps | 20 | |
| 13 (3) | 14 | Pascal Fabre | AGS-Ford | 71 | + 7 Laps | 24 | |
| Ret | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows-Megatron | 59 | Overheating | 6 | |
| Ret | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows-Megatron | 58 | Gearbox | 11 | |
| Ret | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren-TAG | 57 | Engine | 7 | |
| Ret | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola-Ford | 42 | Engine | 18 | |
| Ret | 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-BMW | 41 | Electrical | 10 | |
| Ret | 21 | Alex Caffi | Osella-Alfa Romeo | 39 | Electrical | 16 | |
| Ret | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham-BMW | 38 | Suspension | 21 | |
| Ret | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 29 | Exhaust | 1 | |
| Ret | 24 | Alessandro Nannini | Minardi-Motori Moderni | 21 | Electrical | 13 | |
| Ret | 4 | Philippe Streiff | Tyrrell-Ford | 9 | Accident | 23 | |
| Ret | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton-Ford | 5 | Transmission | 9 | |
| DNS | 23 | Adrián Campos | Minardi-Motori Moderni | 0 | Non Starter | 0 | |
| EX | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | Excluded |
|
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| Previous race: 1987 Belgian Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1987 season |
Next race: 1987 Detroit Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1986 Monaco Grand Prix |
Monaco Grand Prix | Next race: 1988 Monaco Grand Prix |
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