1986 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1986 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on 27 April 1986. The race was the third round of the year's World Championship. As with the previous year's event, fuel consumption was a big issue, changing the points finishers in the closing laps.

1986 San Marino Grand Prix
Race 3 of 16 in the 1986 Formula One World Championship
Race details
Date	April 27, 1986
Official name	6º Gran Premio di San Marino
Location	Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	5.040 km (3.131 miles)
Distance	60 laps, 302.4 km (187.86 miles)
Weather	Overcast, warm
Pole position
Driver	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault
Time	1:25.050[1]
Fastest lap
Driver	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda
Time	1:28.667 on lap 57[2]
Podium
First	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG
Second	Nelson Piquet	Williams-Honda
Third	Gerhard Berger	Benetton-BMW
Lap leaders

The Autodromo Dino Ferrari had received safety upgrades from the previous year, including slight track modifications after the Variante Alta chicane and extended runoff areas at the Rivazza complex.

Alain Prost (McLaren-TAG) dominated the race after Ayrton Senna (Lotus-Renault) and Nigel Mansell (Williams-Honda) retired early, before almost running out of fuel, three corners from the chequered flag. Frantically weaving the car back and forth to slosh the last drops of fuel into the pickup, he managed to keep it running just long enough to creep over the line and win the race (his McLaren teammate Keke Rosberg was classified 5th despite running dry 2 laps from the finish, a problem attributed to Rosberg using too much boost). Nelson Piquet brought his Williams home in second place only 7.645 seconds behind Prost, while Austrian Gerhard Berger finished third to score his and the Benetton team's first Formula One podium finish.