Wacky F1 points change jokingly proposed after thrilling finish

The 1986 Spanish Grand Prix delivered one of the most dramatic conclusions in Formula 1 history, a finish so close that Nigel Mansell jokingly suggested he and Ayrton Senna should split the points equally.

Just 0.014 seconds separated the Lotus-Renault of Senna from the Williams-Honda of Mansell as they crossed the line at Jerez on 13 April 1986, the two cars virtually side by side after a breathtaking drag race down the final straight.

It remains the third-closest finish in F1 history.

For Mansell, the result was particularly galling. He had dominated the middle portion of the race, overtaking Senna on lap 40 to seize the lead after methodically carving his way through the field from fifth place early on.

Victory seemed assured until a slow puncture struck on lap 63, forcing him to concede positions to both Senna and Alain Prost before finally relenting to pit.

With fresh rubber and just eight laps remaining, Mansell launched an astonishing recovery drive. The 19.186-second deficit to Senna evaporated at a rate of over two seconds per lap as the Williams driver set the fastest lap of the race and sliced through the gap with relentless precision.

After dispatching Prost for second on lap 69, Mansell homed in on Senna's increasingly vulnerable Lotus.

By the final lap, the margin stood at just 1.589 seconds, with Senna's tyres at their absolute limit and barely gripping the tarmac.

As they exited Turn 16 onto the main straight, Senna took the outside line whilst Mansell dived inside. Both drivers accelerated frantically towards the chequered flag, crossing almost wheel to wheel at over 320km/h. Senna prevailed by mere centimetres, 93 to be precise.

Sporting jest

When asked about Senna's defensive move afterwards, Mansell expressed satisfaction that the battle had been fair before delivering his tongue-in-cheek suggestion.

As close as it was, he joked, they should split the points for first and second place and give him and Senna 7.5 points each, the average of the winner's nine and second place's six under the 1986 points system.

"Sorry, Frank, next time!" he added, addressing Williams team boss Frank Williams.

The jest masked a deeper frustration. Prost, who finished third some 21 seconds behind, later apologised to Mansell for not letting him past earlier in the race, admitting he thought Senna was too far ahead for either of them to catch.

Those three lost points would prove costly. At season's end, Prost clinched the drivers' championship by just two points over Mansell, with team-mate Nelson Piquet a further point behind.

Had the finish line at Jerez been positioned just a few metres further down the road, as observers noted at the time, the championship might well have taken a different course entirely.