Brazilian Grand Prix 1987 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Alain Prost opened the 1987 season with a commanding victory at Rio de Janeiro, demonstrating that McLaren remained competitive despite losing their TAG-Porsche partnership and Honda switching primary allegiance to Williams. The Frenchman controlled the race from pole position while Nelson Piquet brought his Williams-Honda home in second, signaling the beginning of the British team's dominant season. Stefan Johansson completed a McLaren one-three finish, though the team knew they faced an uphill battle against Williams-Honda's superior power and active suspension technology.

The Brazilian Grand Prix established the season's competitive order, with Williams-Honda holding the technical advantage but McLaren and Ferrari capable of challenging when circumstances favored them. Prost's victory was built on tactical intelligence and racecraft rather than outright speed, qualities that would characterize his entire season as he fought to extract maximum results from the MP4/3's aging TAG-Porsche engine. The race also marked the beginning of Piquet and Mansell's intense rivalry within Williams, as the teammates would battle each other as fiercely as they fought their external competitors.