1987 Hungarian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Nelson Piquet leads the Drivers’ Championship for the first time in 1987, four points ahead of Senna and nine ahead of Mansell, after his win in Germany.

Previous race

At Hockenheim, Piquet took his first win of the season after both Mansell and Prost retired with engine failures. Johansson coasted across the finish line in second on three wheels after a puncture on his final lap. Only six of 26 starters were classified at the end, the lowest number since the 1984 Detroit Grand Prix; the long, fast straights took a heavy toll on engines and turbos running close to their limits.

Between-race developments

Ayrton Senna has informed Lotus that he will be leaving the team at the end of the year. Almost immediately, Lotus signed Piquet for 1988 — the Brazilian is unhappy that Williams has refused to confirm his number one status within the team. Senna will join Alain Prost at McLaren next season.

Honda has also confirmed it will switch its engine supply from Williams to McLaren for 1988, despite having one year remaining on its current contract.