Date 12 July 1992 Course length 5.226 km (3.260 mi) | Course Permanent race track Weather Dry | |
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Location Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Northamptonshire, Great Britain Distance 59 laps, 308.334 km (192.348 mi) | ||
The 1992 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 12 July 1992 at Silverstone, Northamptonshire. It was the ninth round of the 1992 Formula One season. The 59-lap race was won by Nigel Mansell for the Williams team, from a pole position start. Riccardo Patrese finished second in the other Williams car, with Martin Brundle third for the Benetton team.
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After Mansell won his home Grand Prix, the British spectators invaded the race track to congratulate their hero. Mansell's car was blocked by the crowd, preventing him from driving back to the pits. Eventually Mansell was returned to the pits by track marshals to attend the podium ceremony. Not only had Mansell scored a Grand Slam (led every lap from pole position and set fastest lap of the race), he had become the most successful British Formula One driver of all time, surpassing Jackie Stewart's 27 wins with his 28th win.
Future World Champion Damon Hill made his first start, for the Brabham team. Two further future champions (Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen) scored points.
Ayrton Senna retired his McLaren from fourth place due to transmission failure on lap 52, leaving his hopes of retaining the world title minimal. Coincidentally, his car stopped at the same spot where he had run out of fuel in the 1991 British Grand Prix and had been classified fourth.
Gerhard Berger's McLaren had an engine problem in the closing stages of the race and he just managed to finish fifth, right behind Schumacher's Benetton.
Schumacher got himself into trouble yet again; when trying to lap the Jordan of Stefano Modena, Schumacher wanted to get through when there was no room for Modena to make space, and they collided for the second straight race.
Background
The Grand Prix was entered by 16 teams, each of two drivers. The teams, also known as "constructors", were McLaren-Honda, Tyrrell-Ilmor, Williams-Renault, Brabham-Judd, Footwork-Mugen-Honda, Lotus-Ford, Fondmetal-Ford, March-Ilmor, Benetton-Ford, Dallara-Ferrari, Minardi-Lamborghini, Ligier-Renault, Ferrari, Larrousse-Lamborghini, Jordan-Yamaha and Andrea Moda-Judd
Before the race, Williams driver Nigel Mansell was leading the World Drivers' Champions with 66 points; Riccardo Patrese in the other Williams was second on 34 points, 32 points behind Mansell. Behind Mansell and Patrese in the Drivers' Championship, Michael Schumacher was third on 26 points in a Benetton, with McLaren drivers Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger both on 18 points. In the Constructors Championship, Williams were leading with 100 points and McLaren were second on 36 points, with Benetton in third with 35 points.