1992 Formula One World Championship
The 1992 Formula One World Championship was the 46th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1992 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1992 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 1 March and ended on 8 November. Nigel Mansell, in what would prove to be his final full season in Formula One, won the Drivers' Championship and Williams-Renault won the Constructors' Championship.
Mansell won the first five races of the season and went on to become the first driver in Formula One history to win nine World Championship races in a single season. He sealed the championship at the Hungarian Grand Prix in mid-August, with five races still to run, becoming the first British driver to win the championship since James Hunt in. Reigning champion Ayrton Senna won three races for McLaren-Honda but could only manage fourth in the championship, with Mansell's Williams teammate Riccardo Patrese finishing second and young Michael Schumacher third for Benetton-Ford.
This was the first season in which all teams had two regular drivers, a trend that has remained the same ever since. Although champion Mansell would start a combined six more Formula One Grands Prix across 1994 and 1995, he would never contest a full F1 season again.
Drivers and constructors
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1992 FIA Formula One World Championship. All teams competed with tyres supplied by Goodyear. This was the first season in which all teams ran two cars.Team changes
- March completed a take-over of Leyton House Racing.
- Modena designed a car for 1992, but had to cease operations before the season started, due to insurmountable financial challenges.
- After a one-year spell with Lamborghini, Ligier signed a three-year full-works engine deal with Renault. They received the same treatment as Williams, by utilizing the same engine specifications.
- Lamborghini moved on to supply Minardi and Larrousse, who collaborated with Venturi Automobiles.
- Judd supplied Team Lotus and BMS Scuderia Italia in, but moved on to Brabham and Andrea Moda in 1992. Lotus was supplied by Ford, BMS received a 1991-spec Ferrari engine.
- Brabham's former supplier, Yamaha, moved to Jordan.
- After preparing the Honda engines for Tyrrell in 1991, Mugen Motorsports made their public debut as supplier to Footwork. Tyrrell moved on to engine supplier Ilmor.
Mid-season changes
- After being in Formula 1 since, Brabham went into administration 11 races into the 1992 season.
- Andrea Moda was expelled from the championship after 12 races, on the regulatory grounds of " team in a manner compatible with the standards of the championship or in any way brings the championship into disrepute."
- The Fondmetal team ran out of money after 13 races.
Post-season
- March left the sport after more than twenty years in F1.
Driver changes
- After Alain Prost was released from his contract with Ferrari before the season ended, the team attracted Ivan Capelli.
- Three-time world champion Nelson Piquet retired and Benetton attracted Martin Brundle, coming from Brabham.
- Brabham signed Eric van de Poele and Giovanna Amati, the first female F1 driver since Desiré Wilson in. Ex-driver Mark Blundell could not find a seat for 1992.
- Stefano Modena and Andrea de Cesaris switched employers, Modena going to Jordan and De Cesaris to Tyrrell. Jordan also signed Maurício Gugelmin from Leyton House, while Tyrrell replaced the retired Satoru Nakajima with Olivier Grouillard.
- Pierluigi Martini moved from Minardi to Scuderia Italia, replacing Emanuele Pirro making place at Minardi for debutant Christian Fittipaldi.
- Aguri Suzuki moved from Larrousse to Footwork, freeing a seat for newcomer and fellow Japanese Ukyo Katayama. Ex-Footwork driver Alex Caffi moved to Andrea Moda, besides Enrico Bertaggia.
- Andrea Chiesa debuted with Fondmetal, the team fielding a second car for the first time.
Mid-season changes
- After three races, Giovanna Amati was replaced by Williams test driver Damon Hill, while he was still competing in the F3000.
- Before the Hungarian Grand Prix, Andrea Chiesa was replaced at Fondmetal by Eric van de Poele, coming from the defunct Brabham team. Unfortunately, Fondmetal folded just three races later.
- At March, Emanuele Naspetti left the F3000 championship while he was leading, to replace Paul Belmondo, and Jan Lammers made a surprise comeback when he replaced Karl Wendlinger for the final two races of the season. Lammers set a record by returning a full ten years after his initial final race.
- Christian Fittipaldi was replaced at Minardi by Alessandro Zanardi when he crashed during qualifying of the French Grand Prix. After three races, the Brazilian returned.
- Ivan Capelli was dropped by Ferrari after the Portuguese Grand Prix, and the team promoted their test driver and ITCC champion Nicola Larini to a race seat. He had helped develop their active suspension system and when it was time to launch the car with that upgrade, Larini was awarded the drive.
- After just two races, Andrea Moda separated with both drivers and hired Roberto Moreno and Perry McCarthy.
Calendar
Calendar changes
- The United States Grand Prix was originally scheduled for 15 March at the Phoenix street circuit, which was to be the second round as a result of the return of South Africa but was cancelled due to the inability to install more seats in order to attract spectators.
- This made way for the return of the South African Grand Prix. After a seven-year absence, the FIA lifted its ban on events in South Africa due to the end of Apartheid. The race was held again at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, but there was a new layout compared to the last time they raced in 1985.
- The Mexican Grand Prix was moved from its mid-June date to March and the Spanish Grand Prix was moved from September to May.
- The Austrian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for 16 August, was cancelled due to financial problems. The Hungarian Grand Prix moved up from 23 August to take its slot.
- The European Grand Prix, originally scheduled for 4 October at the Jerez circuit, was cancelled.
Regulation changes
Technical regulations
- Unleaded gasoline fuel became mandatory for all Formula One cars from the 1992 season onwards, as leaded gasoline fuel was deemed too hazardous for health. Previously, unleaded gasoline fuel was optional for top teams only. From the Hungarian Grand Prix, FISA mandated pump fuel only with lower octane, further reducing engine power.
- Stricter crash tests were introduced.
Sporting and event regulations
- The use of the Safety Car was formalised.
- Circuits were demanded to lower the kerbs, to widen the pit lane to at least 12 meters and to add a chicane in the pit lane entry.
Race-by-race
Race 1: South Africa
The season started off in South Africa at the newly rebuilt Kyalami circuit near the high altitude city of Johannesburg where Mansell took pole ahead of Senna, Berger, Patrese, Alesi and Schumacher. At the start, Patrese overtook 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. Brundle spun off on the first lap in the Benetton and then retired with a broken clutch. Alesi was well behind Senna and had a comfortable gap to Schumacher, whom Berger could do nothing about. The pit stops left the order unchanged, and it held until Alesi's engine failed on lap 41. Andrea de Cesaris was sixth and in the points for one lap until his engine failed as well.
Mansell won the race easily with Patrese making it a Williams 1–2 ahead of Senna, Schumacher, Berger and Johnny Herbert. Mansell had also won the previous South African Grand Prix, held in 1985, in a Williams-Honda.
Race 2: Mexico
The cancellation of the United States Grand Prix on a street circuit in Phoenix, Arizona, originally scheduled for 15 March left a 3-week gap between the first two races, and there was some controversy surrounding the next race in Mexico: the venue for this race, the Hermanos Rodríguez Autodrome in Mexico City had an appallingly bumpy track surface, thanks to the circuit being located on a geologically active area. It also had a dauntingly fast final corner called the Peraltada which was 180 degrees and banked. Although the banking had been eased from the previous year, making the corner slightly slower, the bumps were still disastrous as Ayrton Senna hit a nasty bump in the Esses and crashed into a concrete wall, receiving severe bruising. He was cleared fit enough to race.The Williams cars 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 for fourth. At the front, Mansell won with Patrese making it a Williams 1–2 again ahead of Schumacher, Berger, de Cesaris and Mika Häkkinen.