1987 San Marino Grand Prix

Championship standings

Alain Prost leads the Drivers’ Championship after winning the Brazilian opener, with Nelson Piquet three points behind.

Previous race

In Brazil, Prost managed his tyres to run only two stops while rivals needed three, winning after Piquet and Mansell were both delayed early on by litter blocking their radiators. Senna retired from second place with an engine failure on lap 51. Mansell finished sixth after a late puncture.

Between-race developments

Ligier returns to the grid after missing Brazil — their first absence since the 1985 South African Grand Prix — with Megatron engines for René Arnoux and Piercarlo Ghinzani. March have completed their first proper 871 chassis for Ivan Capelli, replacing the modified Formula 3000 car used in Brazil. Osella expands to two cars, with Gabriele Tarquini making his Formula One debut. The new Larrousse team enters with a Lola-Ford/Cosworth for Philippe Alliot. Zakspeed have a new 871 chassis ready for Martin Brundle.

Entrants

Nelson Piquet will not start. During Friday qualifying, a tyre failure on his Williams FW11B caused a violent crash at the flat-out Tamburello corner. Although Piquet believed he had only sustained a sore ankle, FIA Medical Delegate Sid Watkins examined him and forbade him from racing. Alarmed by reports of excessive tyre blistering from other drivers and the possibility that Piquet’s crash was caused by a deflation, Goodyear withdrew all tyres issued to teams and flew a replacement selection overnight from England, with additional supply drawn from the Ferrari factory at Maranello.

Milestones

Ayrton Senna’s pole position on Saturday is the first ever taken by a car running active suspension.