1991 Season

The 1991 FIA Formula One World Championship is the 45th season of Formula One motor racing. It is contested over sixteen races from 10 March in Phoenix to 3 November in Adelaide. Ayrton Senna and McLaren-Honda enter as defending Drivers’ and Constructors’ champions.

Driver changes

Nigel Mansell returns to Williams after two years at Ferrari, replacing Thierry Boutsen. Boutsen joins Ligier alongside French Formula 3000 driver Érik Comas, who makes his Formula 1 debut.

Ferrari replace Mansell with Jean Alesi, the young Frenchman who impressed the team while driving for Tyrrell in 1990. Alesi’s Tyrrell seat passes to Stefano Modena, whose place at Brabham is taken by sports car driver Mark Blundell.

Jordan Grand Prix hire Bertrand Gachot — promoted from Coloni — and Andrea de Cesaris — from Scuderia Italia — as their inaugural driver pairing. Coloni replace Gachot with 1990 British Formula 3000 champion Pedro Chaves. Scuderia Italia retain Emanuele Pirro and hire Finnish driver JJ Lehto, who raced for Onyx in 1990.

Lotus sign 1990 British Formula 3 champion Mika Häkkinen for his Formula 1 debut, partnering Julian Bailey, who returns to the sport after a three-year absence.

The new Modena team field 1990 International F3000 runner-up Eric van de Poele and former Ligier driver Nicola Larini.

AGS replace Yannick Dalmas with former race winner Stefan Johansson.

Team changes

Jordan Grand Prix makes its Formula 1 debut after a successful Formula 3000 campaign, running Cosworth V8 power.

Lamborghini have built their own F1 chassis for the first time, the Lambo 291, having spent two seasons as an engine supplier. Following a relocation to Modena, Italy, the team races as Modena.

Lotus abandon the Lamborghini V12 used in 1990 and return to the Judd V8.

Osella has been sold to the Fondmetal company and the Osella name disappears from Formula 1. The team retains Olivier Grouillard and campaigns an updated version of last year’s car, now called the Fondmetal FA1M-E.

Arrows received investment from the Footwork corporation in 1990 and is renamed Footwork for this season.

EuroBrun, Onyx, and Life all withdrew before the season begins.

Calendar

The French Grand Prix moves from Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille to the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in central France. The Spanish Grand Prix leaves Circuito de Jerez near Seville for the brand-new Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló, near Barcelona. All other venues remain unchanged across the sixteen-round calendar.

Regulation changes

Four aerodynamic changes reduce overall downforce and grip. The front wing narrows from 150 cm to 140 cm and the front overhang shrinks from 120 cm to 100 cm. The rear overhang reduces from 60 cm to 50 cm, and rubbing strips on the front wing must be raised so that no part forward of the front axle centreline sits closer than 25 mm to the ground. The minimum weight without driver rises from 500 kg to 505 kg. Safety testing of the survival cell — seat belts, fuel tanks, and rollbar — becomes more stringent.

The scoring system changes: the winner now receives ten points instead of nine. More significantly, all results from every race count towards each driver’s championship tally. For the first time there are no dropped scores — every finish across all sixteen rounds will count toward the champion.