As the stage of both Ayrton Senna’s first pole position and his first win in F1, the Portuguese GP left its mark in the career of the Brazilian driver. After a flawless performance in 1985, under heavy rain, the Lotus driver was back at Estoril in 1986, hoping to repeat his feat.
Senna was impeccable during the qualifying sessions, posting a “cannonball lap”, as described by the commentator for Portuguese TV RTP. Senna ended up not winning on Sunday, but he took the first place on the starting grid by setting the track’s record: 1min16s673, 0s816 quicker than William’s Nigel Mansell, who started in second.
Check out the vídeo with Senna’s full pole position lap:
