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Home / Seasons / 1991 F1 World Championship Season / 1991 Japanese Grand Prix

1991 Japanese Grand Prix

Date
Winner
Pole position
Fastest lap
CircuitSuzuka, 53 laps
Round15 of 16
Race numbers

The 1991 Japanese Grand Prix was the:

  • 515th World Championship race
  • 7th World Championship Japanese Grand Prix
  • 5th World Championship race at Suzuka
  • 1991 Drivers’ title decider
More 1991 season
More Japanese Grands Prix

Race result

PosDriverConstructorLapsTimePoints
1 (AUT) Gerhard BergerMcLaren-Honda531hr 32m 10.695s10
2 (BRA) Ayrton SennaMcLaren-Honda53+0.344s6
3+2(ITA) Riccardo PatreseWilliams-Renault53+56.731s4
4 (FRA) Alain ProstFerrari53+1m 20.761s3
5+14(GBR) Martin BrundleBrabham-Yamaha52+1 lap2
6+8(ITA) Stefano ModenaTyrrell-Honda52+1 lap1
7+3(BRA) Nelson PiquetBenetton-Ford Cosworth52+1 lap 
8+10(BRA) Mauricio GugelminLeyton House-Ilmor52+1 lap 
9+8(BEL) Thierry BoutsenLigier-Lamborghini52+1 lap 
10+16(ITA) Alex CaffiFootwork-Ford Cosworth51+2 laps 
11+13(ITA) Gabriele TarquiniFondmetal-Ford Cosworth50+3 laps 
R (FRA) Erik ComasLigier-Lamborghini41DNF 
R (ITA) Pierluigi MartiniMinardi-Ferrari39DNF 
R (DEU) Michael SchumacherBenetton-Ford Cosworth34DNF 
R (GBR) Johnny HerbertLotus-Judd31DNF 
R (JPN) Satoru NakajimaTyrrell-Honda30DNF 
R (JPN) Aguri SuzukiLola-Ford Cosworth26DNF 
R (ITA) Gianni MorbidelliMinardi-Ferrari15DNF 
R (GBR) Nigel MansellWilliams-Renault9DNF 
R (ITA) Alessandro ZanardiJordan-Ford Cosworth7DNF 
R (FIN) Mika HakkinenLotus-Judd4DNF 
R (ITA) Andrea de CesarisJordan-Ford Cosworth1DNF 
R (FIN) JJ LehtoDallara-Judd1DNF 
R (ITA) Emanuele PirroDallara-Judd1DNF 
R (AUT) Karl WendlingerLeyton House-Ilmor1DNF 
R (FRA) Jean AlesiFerrari0DNF 

Starting grid

PosDriverConstructor
1(AUT) Gerhard BergerMcLaren-Honda
2(BRA) Ayrton SennaMcLaren-Honda
3(GBR) Nigel MansellWilliams-Renault
4(FRA) Alain ProstFerrari
5(ITA) Riccardo PatreseWilliams-Renault
6(FRA) Jean AlesiFerrari
7(ITA) Pierluigi MartiniMinardi-Ferrari
8(ITA) Gianni MorbidelliMinardi-Ferrari
9(DEU) Michael SchumacherBenetton-Ford Cosworth
10(BRA) Nelson PiquetBenetton-Ford Cosworth
11(ITA) Andrea de CesarisJordan-Ford Cosworth
12(FIN) JJ LehtoDallara-Judd
13(ITA) Alessandro ZanardiJordan-Ford Cosworth
14(ITA) Stefano ModenaTyrrell-Honda
15(JPN) Satoru NakajimaTyrrell-Honda
16(ITA) Emanuele PirroDallara-Judd
17(BEL) Thierry BoutsenLigier-Lamborghini
18(BRA) Mauricio GugelminLeyton House-Ilmor
19(GBR) Martin BrundleBrabham-Yamaha
20(FRA) Erik ComasLigier-Lamborghini
21(FIN) Mika HakkinenLotus-Judd
22(AUT) Karl WendlingerLeyton House-Ilmor
23(GBR) Johnny HerbertLotus-Judd
24(ITA) Gabriele TarquiniFondmetal-Ford Cosworth
25(JPN) Aguri SuzukiLola-Ford Cosworth
26(ITA) Alex CaffiFootwork-Ford Cosworth

Notes

  • Nelson Piquet started the Grand Prix from the back of the grid after failing to pull away at the beginning of the formation lap.

Qualifying result

PosDriverConstructorTimeGap
1(AUT) Gerhard BergerMcLaren-Honda1:34.700 
2(BRA) Ayrton SennaMcLaren-Honda1:34.8980.198
3(GBR) Nigel MansellWilliams-Renault1:34.9220.222
4(FRA) Alain ProstFerrari1:36.6701.970
5(ITA) Riccardo PatreseWilliams-Renault1:36.8822.182
6(FRA) Jean AlesiFerrari1:37.1402.440
7(ITA) Pierluigi MartiniMinardi-Ferrari1:38.1543.454
8(ITA) Gianni MorbidelliMinardi-Ferrari1:38.2483.548
9(DEU) Michael SchumacherBenetton-Ford Cosworth1:38.3633.663
10(BRA) Nelson PiquetBenetton-Ford Cosworth1:38.6143.914
11(ITA) Andrea de CesarisJordan-Ford Cosworth1:38.8424.142
12(FIN) JJ LehtoDallara-Judd1:38.9114.211
13(ITA) Alessandro ZanardiJordan-Ford Cosworth1:38.9234.223
14(ITA) Stefano ModenaTyrrell-Honda1:38.9264.226
15(JPN) Satoru NakajimaTyrrell-Honda1:39.1184.418
16(ITA) Emanuele PirroDallara-Judd1:39.2384.538
17(BEL) Thierry BoutsenLigier-Lamborghini1:39.4994.799
18(BRA) Mauricio GugelminLeyton House-Ilmor1:39.5184.818
19(GBR) Martin BrundleBrabham-Yamaha1:39.6974.997
20(FRA) Erik ComasLigier-Lamborghini1:39.8205.120
21(FIN) Mika HakkinenLotus-Judd1:40.0245.324
22(AUT) Karl WendlingerLeyton House-Ilmor1:40.0925.392
23(GBR) Johnny HerbertLotus-Judd1:40.1705.470
24(ITA) Gabriele TarquiniFondmetal-Ford Cosworth1:40.1845.484
25(JPN) Aguri SuzukiLola-Ford Cosworth1:40.2555.555
26(ITA) Alex CaffiFootwork-Ford Cosworth1:40.4025.702
Did not qualify
27(ITA) Michele AlboretoFootwork-Ford Cosworth1:40.8446.144
28(ITA) Nicola LariniLamborghini1:42.4937.793
29(BEL) Eric van de PoeleLamborghini1:42.7248.024
30(FRA) Eric BernardLola-Ford Cosworth– 
Did not pre-qualify
31(GBR) Mark BlundellBrabham-Yamaha1:44.0049.304
32(JPN) Naoki HattoriColoni-Ford Cosworth2:00.03525.335

Championship standings

How the championship standings stood post-race.

Driver

PosDriverPoints
1(BRA) Ayrton Senna91
2(GBR) Nigel Mansell69
3(ITA) Riccardo Patrese52
4(AUT) Gerhard Berger41
5(FRA) Alain Prost34
6(BRA) Nelson Piquet25
7(FRA) Jean Alesi21
8(ITA) Stefano Modena10
9(ITA) Andrea de Cesaris9
10(BRA) Roberto Moreno8
11(ITA) Pierluigi Martini6
12(FIN) JJ Lehto4
13(FRA) Bertrand Gachot4
=(DEU) Michael Schumacher4
15(JPN) Satoru Nakajima2
=(FIN) Mika Hakkinen2
=(GBR) Martin Brundle2
18(JPN) Aguri Suzuki1
=(GBR) Julian Bailey1
=(ITA) Emanuele Pirro1
=(FRA) Eric Bernard1
=(ITA) Ivan Capelli1
=(GBR) Mark Blundell1

Constructor

PosConstructorPoints
1McLaren-Honda132
2Williams-Renault121
3Ferrari55
4Benetton-Ford Cosworth37
5Jordan-Ford Cosworth13
6Tyrrell-Honda12
7Minardi-Ferrari6
8Dallara-Judd5
9Lotus-Judd3
=Brabham-Yamaha3
11Lola-Ford Cosworth2
12Leyton House-Ilmor1

Stats & milestones

Race debut
Karl Wendlinger
World Champion
3rd and last title for Ayrton Senna (7th driver to win three championships, 2nd Brazilian driver)
Wins
6th for Gerhard Berger (first win since 1989; first for McLaren)
93rd for McLaren
Race 1-2
26th for McLaren
Podiums
65th for Ayrton Senna
26th for Riccardo Patrese
25th for Gerhard Berger
222nd & 223rd for McLaren
132nd for Williams
Poles
8th for Gerhard Berger (last until 1994; last Austrian polesitter until 1994; last for McLaren)
76th for McLaren
1-2 start
32nd for McLaren
Fastest laps
17th for Ayrton Senna
64th for McLaren
Front row starts
74th for Ayrton Senna
24th for Gerhard Berger
Pole & win
3rd for Gerhard Berger (first since 1987 and last until 1994; first Austrian driver to win from pole since 1987 and last until 1994; only win from pole for McLaren)