1992 Hungarian Grand Prix

The 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Hungaroring on 16 August 1992. It was the eleventh race of the 1992 Formula One World Championship. The 77-lap race was won by Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna, driving a McLaren-Honda. Briton Nigel Mansell finished second in his Williams-Renault to clinch the Drivers' Championship with five races still to run, with Austrian Gerhard Berger third in the other McLaren-Honda.

1992 Hungarian Grand Prix
Race 11 of 16 in the 1992 Formula One World Championship
Race details
Date 16 August 1992
Official name Marlboro Magyar Nagydíj[1]
Location Hungaroring, Mogyoród, Pest, Hungary
Course Permanent race track
Course length 3.968 km (2.466 miles)
Distance 77 laps, 305.536 km (189.851 miles)
Weather Dry
Pole position
Driver Williams-Renault
Time 1:15.476
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault
Time 1:18.308 on lap 63
Podium
First McLaren-Honda
Second Williams-Renault
Third McLaren-Honda
Lap leaders

At the time, it was the earliest moment in Formula One history the championship has been clinched before the final race. That record would be broken ten years later at the 2002 French Grand Prix when Michael Schumacher clinched the 2002 World Championship six races early. The race also marked the final appearance of the Brabham team, which had been competing in Formula One since 1962 and had won four Drivers' Championships and two Constructors' Championships. Ferrari celebrated its 500th entry, although its official 500th entry was at the next round in Belgium. Ivan Capelli scored his last point for Ferrari, as well as the last point of his career.

Background

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Ferrari celebrated its 500th start in a World Championship event as a team, even though Ferrari did not participate in the 1950 French Grand Prix and Peter Whitehead's privateer entry in this race does not count towards the team's participation tally. Although its official 500th entry was at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari celebrated it in Hungary due to counting Alberto Ascari entry at the 1952 Indy 500. Until 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was considered a round of the World Championship, albeit for reasons more symbolic than logical.[2]

Qualifying

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Pre-qualifying report

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After the German Grand Prix, the Fondmetal team replaced Andrea Chiesa with Brabham driver Eric van de Poele. Brabham did not replace van de Poele and reduced their entry to one car. This meant the pre-qualifying pool could be reduced by one, and thus Larrousse driver Bertrand Gachot was no longer required to pre-qualify.[3]

The session proved practically unnecessary as the Andrea Moda team again did not make a serious attempt to run their second car, which was driven by Perry McCarthy. His teammate Roberto Moreno had used both cars to pre-qualify, and McCarthy was only allowed to leave the pits 45 seconds before the end of the session, leaving him no chance to reach the start-finish line to begin a timed lap before the chequered flag was waved.[3][4] This being the latest in a succession of similar incidents, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile formally warned Andrea Moda to make a proper effort to run both cars at the next Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, or face suspension from the following event.[3]

The other four cars in the session thus all pre-qualified, with the Fondmetals taking the first two places as Gabriele Tarquini outpaced van de Poele by nearly a second. Ukyo Katayama was another second further back in the remaining Larrousse, with Moreno 1.1 seconds slower in fourth, only his second pre-qualification success this season. McCarthy was the sole entrant to fail to pre-qualify. After the race, the Brabham team withdrew entirely, removing the necessity for further pre-qualifying sessions. To date, this pre-qualifying session was the last to be held in Formula One.[5][6][7]

Pre-qualifying classification

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Pos No Driver Constructor Time Gap
1 15   Gabriele Tarquini Fondmetal-Ford 1:22.412
2 14   Eric van de Poele Fondmetal-Ford 1:23.398 +0.986
3 30   Ukyo Katayama Venturi-Lamborghini 1:24.421 +2.009
4 34   Roberto Moreno Andrea Moda-Judd 1:25.567 +3.155
5 35   Perry McCarthy Andrea Moda-Judd no time

Qualifying report

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This was the chance for Williams to seal both titles and they were dominant, but it was Riccardo Patrese who took pole ahead of teammate Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Gerhard Berger, and Martin Brundle.[8]

Qualifying classification

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Pos No Driver Constructor Q1 Q2 Gap
1 6   Riccardo Patrese Williams-Renault 1:15.476 1:15.725
2 5   Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault 1:15.643 1:15.950 +0.167
3 1   Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda 1:16.467 1:16.267 +0.791
4 19   Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford 1:17.070 1:16.524 +1.048
5 2   Gerhard Berger McLaren-Honda 1:17.277 1:17.414 +1.801
6 20   Martin Brundle Benetton-Ford 1:18.843 1:18.148 +2.672
7 9   Michele Alboreto Footwork-Mugen-Honda 1:20.538 1:18.604 +3.128
8 25   Thierry Boutsen Ligier-Renault 1:18.799 1:18.616 +3.140
9 27   Jean Alesi Ferrari 1:19.511 1:18.665 +3.189
10 28   Ivan Capelli Ferrari 1:19.313 1:18.765 +3.289
11 26   Érik Comas Ligier-Renault 1:19.193 1:18.902 +3.426
12 15   Gabriele Tarquini Fondmetal-Ford 1:19.555 1:19.123 +3.647
13 12   Johnny Herbert Lotus-Ford 1:19.555 1:19.143 +3.667
14 10   Aguri Suzuki Footwork-Mugen-Honda 1:21.064 1:19.200 +3.724
15 29   Bertrand Gachot Venturi-Lamborghini 1:19.819 1:19.365 +3.889
16 11   Mika Häkkinen Lotus-Ford 1:19.587 1:20.390 +4.111
17 17   Paul Belmondo March-Ilmor 1:21.781 1:19.626 +4.150
18 14   Eric van de Poele Fondmetal-Ford 1:21.741 1:19.776 +4.300
19 4   Andrea de Cesaris Tyrrell-Ilmor 1:20.003 1:19.867 +4.391
20 30   Ukyo Katayama Venturi-Lamborghini 1:20.209 1:19.990 +4.514
21 33   Maurício Gugelmin Jordan-Yamaha 1:20.481 1:20.023 +4.547
22 3   Olivier Grouillard Tyrrell-Ilmor 1:21.193 1:20.063 +4.587
23 16   Karl Wendlinger March-Ilmor 1:21.116 1:20.315 +4.839
24 32   Stefano Modena Jordan-Yamaha 1:20.819 1:20.707 +5.231
25 8   Damon Hill Brabham-Judd 1:22.369 1:20.781 +5.305
26 22   Pierluigi Martini Dallara-Ferrari 1:22.731 1:20.988 +5.512
27 24   Gianni Morbidelli Minardi-Lamborghini 1:22.176 1:21.246 +5.770
28 21   JJ Lehto Dallara-Ferrari 1:22.364 1:21.288 +5.812
29 23   Alessandro Zanardi Minardi-Lamborghini 1:21.756 No time +6.280
30 34   Roberto Moreno Andrea Moda-Judd 1:22.286 1:22.870 +6.810
Sources:[9][10][11]

Race

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Race report

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At the start, Gerhard Berger passed Michael Schumacher, and then Mansell lost momentum and Senna passed him with Berger following his teammate through. The order was Patrese, Senna, Berger, Mansell, Schumacher, and Brundle. There was a collision on the first lap between Érik Comas, Johnny Herbert, Thierry Boutsen, and Gabriele Tarquini who all retired on the first lap (meaning both Ligiers of Comas and Boutsen retired on the first lap), before Eric van de Poele spun into retirement at the first corner on lap 3 as both Fondmetals retired after only two laps. Mansell passed Berger on lap 8 and set off after Senna. As hard as he tried, the combination of the small circuit and Senna's skills in defending meant that he could not pass.[12]

Another multi-car collision came on lap 14, which eliminated Bertrand Gachot, Aguri Suzuki, Olivier Grouillard, Karl Wendlinger, and Stefano Modena (forcing all five drivers to retire on the same lap). Alesi in the leading Ferrari behind the leading pack spun out with the rear wheels in the gravel trap by lap 15. After these accidents, which took place in three separate sections of the track, Modena's disabled Jordan blocking turn 13 was the most precariously positioned cars of all, the SC sign meaning the safety car was going to be deployed for the first time since the SC rule had been in place. Double yellow flags were waved around the track. Controversially, no further action was taken, and the safety car was never deployed. Murray Walker and James Hunt in the BBC booth phrased the situation "shambolic". On lap 31, Mansell made a mistake and went wide and rejoined behind Berger, just in the very moment when Walker was talking about the track not providing any overtaking opportunities. Two laps later, Mansell passed Berger to get back third. A pivotal movement came on lap 39 when Patrese spun off going into turn 3. He rejoined in seventh, outside the points, which meant that Mansell would be the world champion if results stayed the same. On lap 61, Mansell had to go to the pits with tyre troubles and rejoined in sixth, just ahead of Patrese. Mansell quickly passed Mika Häkkinen but before Patrese, who was right behind could take sixth, Patrese's engine blew. He was out and would get no points.[12]

Mansell quickly caught and passed Brundle on lap 60 and four laps later, he was up to third when Schumacher's rear wing broke on his Benetton, spinning him out and retired on lap 64. Senna, a minute at the front, made a precautionary stop just as Häkkinen passed Brundle for fourth. Mansell passed Berger for second and now had a toehold on the championship. Soon afterwards, Häkkinen tried to pass Berger and spun into Brundle's path. Brundle was forced to spin to avoid a collision and both rejoined without losing places, with Häkkinen staying ahead. Senna won ahead of new world champion Mansell,[13][14][15] Berger, Häkkinen, Brundle, and Ivan Capelli.[12] Mansell became world champion with five races remaining.[16]

Race classification

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Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1   Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda 77 1:46:19.216 3 10
2 5   Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault 77 + 40.139 2 6
3 2   Gerhard Berger McLaren-Honda 77 + 50.782 5 4
4 11   Mika Häkkinen Lotus-Ford 77 + 54.313 16 3
5 20   Martin Brundle Benetton-Ford 77 + 57.498 6 2
6 28   Ivan Capelli Ferrari 76 + 1 lap 10 1
7 9   Michele Alboreto Footwork-Mugen-Honda 75 + 2 laps 7
8 4   Andrea de Cesaris Tyrrell-Ilmor 75 + 2 laps 19
9 17   Paul Belmondo March-Ilmor 74 + 3 laps 17
10 33   Maurício Gugelmin Jordan-Yamaha 73 + 4 laps 21
11 8   Damon Hill Brabham-Judd 73 + 4 laps 25
Ret 19   Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford 63 Broken wing 4
Ret 6   Riccardo Patrese Williams-Renault 55 Engine 1
Ret 22   Pierluigi Martini Dallara-Ferrari 40 Gearbox 26
Ret 30   Ukyo Katayama Venturi-Lamborghini 35 Engine 20
Ret 27   Jean Alesi Ferrari 14 Spun off 9
Ret 29   Bertrand Gachot Venturi-Lamborghini 13 Collision 15
Ret 10   Aguri Suzuki Footwork-Mugen-Honda 13 Collision 14
Ret 3   Olivier Grouillard Tyrrell-Ilmor 13 Collision 22
Ret 16   Karl Wendlinger March-Ilmor 13 Collision 23
Ret 32   Stefano Modena Jordan-Yamaha 13 Collision 24
Ret 14   Eric van de Poele Fondmetal-Ford 2 Spun off 18
Ret 25   Thierry Boutsen Ligier-Renault 0 Collision 8
Ret 26   Érik Comas Ligier-Renault 0 Collision 11
Ret 15   Gabriele Tarquini Fondmetal-Ford 0 Collision 12
Ret 12   Johnny Herbert Lotus-Ford 0 Collision 13
DNQ 24   Gianni Morbidelli Minardi-Lamborghini
DNQ 21   JJ Lehto Dallara-Ferrari
DNQ 23   Alessandro Zanardi Minardi-Lamborghini
DNQ 34   Roberto Moreno Andrea Moda-Judd
DNPQ 35   Perry McCarthy Andrea Moda-Judd
Source:[17]

Championship standings after the race

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  • Bold text indicates the World Champions.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References

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  1. ^ "Motor Racing Programme Covers: 1992". The Programme Covers Project. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Ferrari's 500th GP". Autosport. 1 June 1992. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Walker, Murray (1992). Murray Walker's 1992 Grand Prix Year. Hazleton Publishing. pp. 93–102. ISBN 0-905138-99-6.
  4. ^ McCarthy, Perry (2003). Flat Out, Flat Broke. Haynes. p. 197. ISBN 1-84425-018-0.
  5. ^ "Deciding the grid – A history of F1 qualifying formats". Formula 1. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  6. ^ "When the early birds dominated the Formula One". UnracedF1.com. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  7. ^ "The beginner's guide to the Formula 1 weekend | Formula 1®". Formula 1. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  8. ^ "1992 Hungarian Grand Prix". Motor Sport. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Marlboro Hungarian Grand Prix – Qualifying 1". Formula 1. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Marlboro Hungarian Grand Prix – Qualifying 2". Formula 1. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ^ "1992 Hungarian Grand Prix Classification Qualifying". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "1992 Hungarian Grand Prix". Turbos and Tantrums. 24 November 2017.
  13. ^ "30 memorable Hungarian Grand Prix moments". Formula 1. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Five Things To Know About Hungaroring 🇭🇺". Red Bull. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Revisited: Nigel Mansell becomes World Champion at the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix". Williams Racing. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Race Facts – Hungarian Grand Prix". F1Destinations.com. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  17. ^ "1992 Hungarian Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  18. ^ a b "Hungary 1992 – Championship". statsf1.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.

Further reading

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Previous race:
1992 German Grand Prix
FIA Formula One World Championship
1992 season
Next race:
1992 Belgian Grand Prix
Previous race:
1991 Hungarian Grand Prix
Hungarian Grand Prix Next race:
1993 Hungarian Grand Prix