Content deleted Content added
CatRacer22 (talk | contribs) m clarified event was a motor race |
m →Qualifying: clean up, typo(s) fixed: un-named → unnamed using AWB |
||
Line 46:
Qualifying was dominated by the [[Honda F1|Honda]] powered [[Williams FW11|Williams]], with Mansell ahead of Piquet. Third was [[Ayrton Senna]] with his Lotus. The [[Lotus 99T]], now in the Yellow and Blue colours of new sponsors [[Camel Cigarettes]], was using the computer controlled [[active suspension]] for the first time in the hope that its advantages (keeping the car at the optimum ride height) would give them an edge over the rest of the field. The total number of cars entered for the event was 23, but on race day the [[March Engineering|March]] team, who went into the race with a modified [[Formula 3000]] car for F1 rookie [[Ivan Capelli]] due to their [[March 871|new car]] not being ready, ran out of [[Cosworth DFZ]]s, blowing their last in the Sunday morning warm-up and there were only 22 starters.
Qualifying also saw the [[FIA]]'s controversial pop-off valves used for the first time on the turbocharged cars. The valves limited turbo boost pressure to 4.0 Bar where previously boost was only limited to what the engineers felt the engines could take. The valves were far from popular with the teams and drivers though with some drivers complaining throughout the weekend that they were cutting in too early and not allowing enough boost. Arrows driver [[Derek Warwick]] told that at times his valve was opening at just 2.6 Bar (a loss of approximately {{Convert|280|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}}) while [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]'s [[Thierry Boutsen]] told that the two valves on his [[Cosworth#The GBA V6|Ford V6]] were both opening at different levels and both well below the 4 Bar limit. [[McLaren]] got around the pop-off valve problem by limiting turbo boost on their [[Techniques d'Avant Garde|TAG]]-[[Porsche in Formula One|Porsche]] engines to just 3.6 Bar of pressure throughout the weekend, thus never allowing the valves to come into play.<ref name="The More Things Change">{{cite journal |last1=Roebuck |first1=Nigel |authorlink1=Nigel Roebuck |last2=Henry |first2=Alan |authorlink2=Alan Henry |year=1987 |journal=Grand Prix |volume=3 |page=40 |title=Round 1:Brazil The More Things Change... |location=Glen Waverly, Victoria |publisher=Garry Sparke & Associates |editor1-first=Barry |editor1-last=Naismith |isbn=0-908081-27-8}}</ref> One
The [[Equipe Ligier|Ligier]] team was absent from Rio, missing their first race since the French boycott of the [[1985 South African Grand Prix]]. The team had been set to use a new [[4-cylinder]], turbocharged [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] engine for the season and were to use the Alfa Romeo 890T [[V8 engine|V8]] turbo for the first race while debuting the new Alfa 415T in the second round in [[1987 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino]]. However, during pre-season testing lead driver [[René Arnoux]] compared the new 415T to used food. This gave Alfa's parent company [[Fiat]] the excuse they wanted to pull out of its association with the team leaving Ligier without an engine for the season, though Ligier were able to secure a supply of [[BMW M12|Megatron]] turbo's from the [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]] team sponsors [[USF&G]] and would use them from San Marino until the end of the season.
| |||