The 1992 Formula One season was the 43rd FIAFormula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 1, 1992, and ended on November 8 after sixteen races. Nigel Mansell won the Drivers' World Championship, and the Williams-Renault team were Constructors' Champions.
Further down the grid, the Jordan team took a risk by replacing both drivers after their successful debut season, while the impoverished Coloni team had been sold and renamed Andrea Moda Formula.
Race-by-Race
Race One: South Africa
The season started off in Kyalami where Mansell took pole ahead of
Senna, Berger, Patrese, Alesi and Schumacher. At the start, Patrese
blasted by both McLarens and Berger lost out to both Alesi and
Schumacher as well. The order was: Mansell, Patrese, Senna, Alesi,
Schumacher and Berger.
Mansell quickly pulled away from Patrese who was under no pressure
at all from Senna. Alesi was well behind Senna and had a comfortable
gap to Schumacher, whom Berger could do nothing about. The pit stops
changed nothing and the order was still the same. Nothing changed until
Alesi's engine failed on lap 41, promoting everyone behind him up the
order. Andrea de Cesaris was briefly sixth and in the points but he held the position only for one lap until his engine failed as well.
Mansell won a dull opening race easily with Patrese making it a Williams 1-2 ahead of Senna, Schumacher, Berger and Johnny Herbert.
Race Two: Mexico
The Williamses were 1-2 in qualifying in Mexico ahead of the
Benettons and the McLarens with Mansell on pole ahead of Patrese,
Schumacher, Brundle, Berger and Senna. At the start, Senna blasted past
his teammate and the Benettons with Brundle getting ahead of
Schumacher. The order was: Mansell, Patrese, Senna, Brundle, Schumacher
and Berger.
Schumacher quickly passed Brundle on lap 2 and soon afterwards there
was a big queue behind Senna, who was apparently having some sort of
trouble. Schumacher got past on lap 7 and the rest were relieved of
being stuck up when Senna retired with transmission troubles on lap 11.
After the stops, Berger got ahead of Brundle only to be passed two
laps later. Berger repassed Brundle on lap 36. Brundle got back ahead
on lap 39 only for Berger to repass him two laps later. Brundle was
back in fourth on lap 44 but retired with engine trouble three laps
later, ending the battle four fourth . At the front, Mansell won with
Patrese making it a Williams 1-2 again ahead of Schumacher, Berger, de
Cesaris and Mika Häkkinen.
Race Three: Brazil
In qualifying in Brazil, the Williamses were ahead of the McLarens
with Mansell on pole ahead of Patrese with Senna third in front of his
home crowd ahead of Berger, Schumacher and Alesi. On the parade lap,
Berger stalled and had to start at the back. At the start, Mansell was
poor and Patrese blasted ahead of him with Brundle getting ahead of
Alesi. The order was: Patrese, Mansell, Senna, Schumacher, Brundle and
Alesi.
The Williamses pulled away with Mansell and Patrese battling until
Mansell took the lead on lap 6. Senna was holding the rest at bay and
Schumacher was over 20 seconds behind by the time he had passes Senna
for third on lap 13. Brundle and Alesi passed him soon afterwards and
Senna retired with engine troubles on lap 17.
The stops brought Alesi closer to Brundle and Alesi made his move on
lap 31. The two collided, with Brundle spinning out. This promoted Karl Wendlinger
to fifth and he was there until his clutch failed on lap 56. Mansell
won with Patrese making it yet another Williams 1-2 ahead of
Schumacher, Alesi, Capelli and Michele Alboreto.
Race Four: Spain
Mansell was on pole once again in Spain ahead of Schumacher, Senna,
Patrese, Capelli and Brundle. At the start, in torrential wet
conditions, Patrese got by Schumacher and Senna and Alesi sensationally
climbed up from eighth to third. The order was: Mansell, Patrese,
Alesi, Schumacher, Senna and Capelli.
Schumacher attacked and passed Alesi on lap 7. Senna tried to do the
same but tipped Alesi into a spin, putting the Frenchman behind Berger
and Capelli as well. By, now the rain intensified, and Patrese spun off
on lap 20 while trying to lap a backmarker. This put Mansell ahead of
Schumacher, Senna, Berger, Capelli and Alesi.
During the pit-stops, Alesi got past Capelli and began to charge up
through the field. He cruised past Berger for fourth and began to
attack Senna for third. He wanted to attack Schumacher as well and was
in a hurry. The pressure was so much that Senna spun off with two laps
to go. At the same time, Capelli spun off from as well. Mansell won
again from Schumacher, Alesi, Berger, Alboreto and Pierluigi Martini.
Race Five: San Marino
Now to San Marino and the Williamses were still well ahead of the
McLarens and the Benettons, Mansell taking another pole ahead of
Patrese, Senna, Berger, Schumacher and Brundle. At the start, Patrese
attacked Mansell but Mansell kept the lead and Schumacher got ahead of
Berger to take fourth. The order at the end of the first lap was:
Mansell, Patrese, Senna, Schumacher, Berger and Brundle.
As usual, Mansell was pulling away from Patrese and these two were
getting away from the field. Schumacher was pressurizing Senna but it
was he who made the mistake first, spinning out into retirement on lap
21. Alesi was planning to go without a stop and so after the others
stopped, he had climbed up to third. However, he was soon under
pressure from the McLarens of Senna and Berger. Senna went ahead at
Tosa on lap 40, but Berger tried to follow him through and Alesi lost
momentum and spun towards Berger, taking both out.
Mansell made it five wins out of five with Patrese making it one
more Williams 1-2 ahead of Senna, Brundle, Alboreto and Martini.
Race Six: Monaco
In Monaco, the Williamses were again dominant, with Mansell taking
six poles in six with Patrese beside him, Senna third, Alesi fourth,
Berger fifth and Schumacher sixth. At the start, Senna got ahead of
Patrese while Schumacher took Alesi and Berger into the first corner.
However, Alesi took fourth back at Mirabeau and then the race settled
down. The order was: Mansell, Senna, Patrese, Alesi, Schumacher and
Berger.
Patrese began to attack Senna but then began to drop back with
gearbox troubles. On lap 12, Schumacher tried to pass Alesi and the two
collided, and an electronic box was damaged in Alesi's car, with
Schumacher getting ahead. Alesi continued to stay fifth for another 16
laps before the damage forced him to retire on lap 28. This promoted
Berger to fifth, a place which he held for just under 5 laps before he
had to retire from gearbox troubles.
On lap 60, Alboreto, just about to be lapped by Senna, spun in front
of him and Senna lost another 10 seconds. Then, there was a loose
wheelnut in Mansell's car and Mansell had to pit and rejoined behind
Senna. He closed the gap quickly but with overtaking extremely hard,
Senna legally blocked every move that Mansell made. Senna won from
Mansell, Patrese, Schumacher, Brundle and Bertrand Gachot.
Race Seven: Canada
There was a change in Canada with Senna taking his 61st career pole
position ahead of Patrese, Mansell, Berger, Schumacher and Herbert. At
the start, Mansell got ahead of Patrese and behind them Brundle was
able to get by Herbert. The order was: Senna, Mansell, Patrese, Berger,
Schumacher and Brundle.
The race settled down for the first 14 laps but then on lap 15,
Mansell attacked Senna at the final chicane and hit a kerb, pushing his
car into the air. It landed nose-first into the gravel and spun back on
to the track. Mansell claimed that Senna had pushed him off the track.
He was out and this forced Patrese to slow down and suddenly Berger
went through to second. Senna then began to pull away from the field
and the stops changed nothing. Senna still led Berger, Patrese,
Schumacher, Brundle and Herbert. Herbert went out on lap 34 with clutch
troubles.
Senna lost a certain victory when electrical failure put him out on
lap 38. Behind them, Brundle passed Schumacher for third and this
became second when Patrese's gearbox failed on lap 44. However, Brundle
only lasted for two more laps before he retired with transmission
trouble. Berger won from Schumacher, Alesi, Wendlinger, de Cesaris and Érik Comas.
Race Eight: France
It was back to normal in France with the Williamses ahead of the
McLarens with Mansell on pole ahead of Patrese, Senna, Berger,
Schumacher and home hero Alesi. At the start, Patrese got by Mansell
while Berger got ahead of Senna and Brundle was able to sneak by Alesi.
At the Adelaide hairpin, Schumacher tried to pass Senna but instead hit
him, taking Senna out and forcing himself to pit. Meanwhile, Patrese
and Mansell were side by side but Patrese kept the lead. Patrese led
Mansell, Berger, Brundle, Alesi and Häkkinen and then Patrese waved
Mansell through.
Nothing changed until lap 11 when Berger's engine failed. Soon
afterwards it began to rain so heavily that the race was stopped. After
some time the rain decreased and the grid formed up again. Patrese took
the lead again with Alesi getting ahead of Häkkinen as well. Mansell
tried to get past but Patrese defended and one again kept the lead.
Patrese led Mansell, Brundle, Alesi, Häkkinen and Comas on aggregate.
Patrese then waved Mansell through on track and soon Mansell got ahead
on aggregate.
It began to rain again and everyone pitted for wets with Alesi going
too late and dropping down to sixth. His engine failed on lap 61.
Mansell won with Patrese making it a Williams 1-2 ahead of Brundle,
Häkkinen, Comas and Herbert.
Thus, at the halfway stage of the season, Mansell was comfortably
leading the championship with 66 points compared to Patrese's 34.
Schumacher was third with 26, Senna was fourth with 18, Berger was
fifth with 18, Alesi was sixth with 11, Brundle was seventh with 9 and
Alboreto was eighth with 5. in the constructors championship, Williams
were dominant, with 100 points and well ahead of the field. McLaren
were second with 36, Benetton were third with 35 and Ferrari were
fourth with 13.
Race Nine: Great Britain
Mansell took a popular pole position in Britain with Patrese making
another Williams 1-2 ahead of Senna, Schumacher, Berger and Brundle. At
the start, Patrese got ahead of Mansell while Brundle had a superb
start, blasting by the three in front of him (Schumacher also got ahead
of Senna). Patrese waved Mansell through on the Hangar straight with
action behind as both Senna and Berger got ahead of Schumacher.
Schumacher quickly recovered and repassed Berger at Priory before the
first lap was over. Mansell led Patrese, Brundle, Senna, Schumacher and
Berger.
Senna put Brundle under pressure but Brundle kept the place. The
round of stops changed nothing, with Mansell leading from Patrese,
Brundle, Senna, Schumacher and Berger. Schumacher then went wide at a
corner giving fifth to Berger. Senna only lasted until lap 53 when his
transmission failed. On the next lap, Schumacher passed Berger who was
suffering from engine trouble.
Mansell took a win which sent his fans wild with Patrese making it
one more Williams 1-2 ahead of Brundle, Schumacher, Berger and
Häkkinen. There was cause for concern however, as a reckless and
misguided track invasion as the race finished, could easily have ended
in tragedy. Even so, Mansell overtook Jackie Stewart as the most
successful British driver, with 28 wins to Stewart's 27.
Race Ten: Germany
In Germany, the Williamses were again ahead of the McLarens, with
Mansell on pole ahead of Patrese, Senna, Berger, Alesi and home hero
Schumacher. At the start, Mansell defended from Patrese while Alesi
lost out to both Schumacher and a fast-starting Brundle. Mansell was
leading Patrese, Senna, Berger, Schumacher and Brundle at the end of
the first lap.
Mansell then pulled away from Patrese who was doing the same to the
McLarens. Soon the stops came and everyone in the top pitted except
Senna and the Benettons were planning to go without a stop. Berger had
a slow stop and retired with a misfire soon after. The order after the
stops was: Senna, Mansell, Schumacher, Patrese, Brundle and Alesi.
Mansell did not want to stay second and passed Senna to lead with
Patrese taking third from Schumacher soon after. Patrese was on a
charge and smashed the lap record in his chase of Senna. He was right
with Senna on the penultimate lap and tried to attack on the last lap.
But Patrese in his attempt spun off into the gravel trap and was out.
Mansell took his eighth win of the season ahead of Senna, Schumacher,
Brundle, Alesi and Comas.
Race Eleven: Hungary
At Hungary, Mansell was 46 points ahead of Patrese and the Williams
team were 77 points ahead of Benetton with 6 races to go. This was the
chance for Williams to seal both titles and they were dominant, but it
was Patrese who took pole ahead of Mansell, Senna, Schumacher, Berger
and Brundle. At the start, Berger got by 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.
Mansell passed Berger on lap 8 and set off after Senna. However, as
hard as he tried, the combination of the small circuit and Senna's
skills in defending meant that he could not pass. On lap 31, he made a
mistake and went wide and rejoined behind Berger. Two laps later,
Mansell passed Berger to get back third. Then, a pivotal movement came
on lap 39 when Patrese spun off. He rejoined in seventh, outside the
points which meant that Mansell would be the world champion if results
stay the same. However, on lap 51, Mansell had to go the pits with tyre
troubles and rejoined in sixth, just ahead of Patrese. Mansell quickly
passed Häkkinen but before Patrese, who was right behind could take
sixth, Patrese's engine blew. He was out and would get no points.
Mansell quickly caught and passed Brundle on lap 60 and four laps
later, he was up to third when Schumacher's rear wing broke, spinning
him out. 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, Berger, Häkkinen, Brundle and Capelli.
Race Twelve: Belgium
Now to Belgium and champion-elect Mansell took pole ahead of Senna,
Schumacher, Patrese, Alesi and Berger. At the start, it was damp and
Senna outdragged Mansell with Patrese getting ahead of Schumacher while
Berger did not move. Senna was leading Mansell, Patrese, Schumacher,
Alesi and Thierry Boutsen.
Mansell attacked and passed Senna and the end of the seconds lap
with Patrese following suit. Then it began to rain and everybody pitted
for wets. But Senna stayed out in the hope that the rain would stop but
it did not. He pitted late and rejoined down in 12th as Alesi went out
with a puncture. The order was: Mansell, Patrese, Schumacher, Brundle,
Häkkinen and Boutsen. Track was beginning to dry and Bouten spun off on
lap 26. Schumacher lost two seconds after an off and stopped for dries
at the end of the lap. However, Mansell and Patrese, stayed out way too
long and when both pitted late, they rejoined behind Schumacher.
Mansell tried to close in but cracked an exhaust and dropped back.
Patrese suffered the same fate and had to hold back Brundle. Behind,
the recovering Senna took fifth from Häkkinen. Schumacher took his
first win ahead of Mansell, Patrese, Brundle, Senna and Häkkinen. The
Constructors Championship went to Williams after their 2-3 finish.
Thus, with three-quarters of the season over, Mansell was the World
Champion with 98 points with Patrese second with 44, Schumacher third
with 43, Senna fourth with 36, Berger fifth with 24, Brundle sixth with
21, Alesi seventh with 13 and Häkkinen eighth with 9. Williams are the
World Champions in the constructors Championship with 142 points with
Benetton second with 64, McLaren third with 60 and Ferrari fourth with
16.
Race Thirteen: Italy
Now to Italy and Mansell was on pole ahead of Senna, Alesi, Berger,
Patrese and Schumacher. At the start, Mansell took off while Patrese
got ahead of Alesi and Berger lost out to Schumacher, Capelli and
Brundle. Mansell led Senna, Patrese, Alesi, Schumacher and Capelli.
Mansell pulled away fast with Senna holding up Patrese. On lap 13,
both Ferraris went out: Alesi with trouble in his fuel system and
Capelli with electrical problems. Patrese then passed Senna but Mansell
was already 10 seconds up the road. Then, everybody stopped during
which Brundle got ahead of Schumacher. The order was: Mansell, Patrese,
Senna, Brundle, Schumacher and Berger. Then Mansell suddenly slowed
down a lot and allowed Patrese to pass him. Then he made a spectacle
behind Patrese to show everyone that he could pass him whenever he
wanted.
Then, on lap 36, he began to drop back with hydraulic troubles.
Senna, Brundle, Schumacher and Berger all passed him. He trolled round
and retired in the pits on lap 41. Patrese led but then Senna began to
close in. Patrese also began to suffer from hydraulic troubles and
Senna passed him on lap 49. On the next lap, both Brundle and
Schumacher found a way through. Patrese held fourth until the last lap
when Berger passed him. Senna won from Brundle, Schumacher, Berger, the
hobbling Patrese and de Cesaris.
Race Fourteen: Portugal
The Williamses were again ahead of the McLarens and the Benttons in
Estoril with Mansell on pole ahead of Patrese, Senna, Berger,
Schumacher and Brundle. At the start, Schumacher was late firing up and
started at the back of the grid. At the start, Berger got ahead of
Senna. Mansell led from Patrese, Berger, Senna, Brundle and Häkkinen.
Then it was the usual sight of Mansell pulling away from Patrese and
the two getting away from the rest. The Williamses pitted early unlike
the McLarens. Mansell had a quick stop and rejoined in the lead but
Patrese had a problem with his right rear jack and joined behind the
McLarens. He passed Senna quickly and set off after Berger. On lap 35,
the recovering Schumacher took sixth from Alboreto. Soon after, Patrese
was right with Berger, looking for a way through.
Berger realised that he had blistered his tyres and slowed down as
he was about to go to the pits. Patrese was caught unawares, hit the
back of Berger and had a massive crash. Luckily, Patrese was unhurt.
Schumacher hit the debris and had to pit again, dropping back to
eighth. Mansell took his 30th career win ahead of Berger, Senna,
Brundle, Häkkinen and Alboreto.
With two more races to go, Mansell was already World Champion with
108 points but there was a big battle for second. Senna was second with
50, Schumacher was third with 47, Patrese was fourth with 46, Berger
was fifth with 33, Brundle was sixth with 30, Alesi was seventh with 13
and Häkkinen was eighth with 11. In the Constructors Championship,
Williams were the World Champions with 154 points. McLaren were second
with 83, Benetton were third with 77 and Ferrari were fourth with 16.
Race Fifteen: Japan
Before the race in Japan, Ferrari had dropped Capelli who had a poor season and replaced him with Nicola Larini.
In qualifying, the Williamses showed their class with Mansell taking
pole ahead of Patrese, Senna, Berger, Schumacher and Herbert. At the
start, there were no changes at the front and Mansell still led
Patrese, Senna, Berger, Schumacher and Herbert.
Senna did not last long, going out with engine troubles on lap 3.
Berger decided to make an early stop and dropped back down to sixth.
Schumacher had gearbox troubles and retired at the end of lap 13.
Herbert now inherited third only to go out with the same problems two
laps later. Berger and Brundle who stopped earlier did not stop when
the others did and so the order after the stops was: Mansell, Patrese,
Berger, Häkkinen, Brundle and Comas.
On lap 36, Mansell slowed down and let Patrese through before again
speeding up and hanging on Patrese's tail. However, on lap 45, an
engine failure ended Mansell's race. At the same time, Häkkinen went
out with the same problem. Patrese won from Berger, Brundle, de
Cesaris, Alesi and Christian Fittipaldi.
Race Sixteen: Australia
For the season's final race in Adelaide, Mansell took pole ahead of
Senna, Patrese, Berger, Schumacher and Alesi. At the start, Alesi had
to hold off Brundle and there were no changes ahead of him. The order
was: Mansell, Senna, Patrese, Berger, Schumacher and Alesi.
However, Mansell did not pull away as usual. Senna was right with
him and tried to pass him on lap 8. He went wide and Mansell retained
the lead. The top two were pulling away from Patrese and the rest but
Senna could not attack Mansell. The gap stayed at less than a second.
Then, on lap 19, entering the final corner, Senna crashed into the back
of Mansell resulting in both drivers retiring. Some claimed that
Mansell 'brake tested' Senna.
Patrese was now leading under immense pressure from Berger. Berger
tried to pass around the outside but he too went wide. While Patrese
did not pit, Berger pitted, followed 5 laps later by Schumacher. Berger
rejoined 4 seconds ahead. Behind them, Brundle had got ahead of Alesi
in the stops. On lap 51, Patrese, nearly 20 seconds ahead, coasted to a
halt with an engine failure. So, Berger won with Schumacher close
behind ahead of Brundle, Alesi, Boutsen and Stefano Modena.
At the end of the season, Mansell was a comfortable world champion
with 108 points with Patrese edging out the battle for second with 56,
Schumacher third with 53, Senna fourth with 50, Berger fifth with 49,
Brundle sixth with 38, Alesi seventh with 18 and Häkkinen eighth with
11. In the Constructors Championship, Williams were dominant champions
with 164 points, McLaren just edging out second with 99, Benetton a
close third with 91 and Ferrari fourth with 21.
