1987 Monaco Grand Prix

Championship standings

Alain Prost leads the Drivers’ Championship by five points over Stefan Johansson following his Belgian Grand Prix victory, with Mansell eight points behind Prost.

Previous race

At Spa, Prost won his 27th Grand Prix victory, equalling Jackie Stewart’s all-time record and giving McLaren their first 1-2 finish since the 1986 Monaco Grand Prix with Johansson second. At the restart, Mansell attempted to pass Senna at the Fagnes chicane; the two cars collided, eliminating the Lotus and leaving Mansell to continue in a damaged Williams before retiring on lap 17. Mansell then walked to the Lotus garage where harsh words were exchanged and punches were thrown between the two drivers.

Entrants

For the first time in the history of the Monaco Grand Prix, a full grid of 26 cars will start — brought into line with the rest of the calendar by FISA. The expanded entry raises safety concerns among teams and drivers given the tight Monte Carlo circuit.

During practice, Michele Alboreto’s Ferrari tangled with Christian Danner’s slow-moving Zakspeed on the uphill section after Ste-Dévote. Alboreto’s car was thrown into the air and caught fire before landing back on the track. FISA blamed Danner for the accident and excluded him from the remainder of the weekend — the first time a driver has been excluded from a Formula One event for an on-track incident. Alboreto himself stated he did not believe Danner was to blame.