Nelson Piquet vs Nigel Mansell

The Rivalry

When Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell were paired at Williams in 1986, the team had assembled the fastest car on the grid and, unwittingly, one of the most poisonous partnerships in Formula 1 history. Piquet, a two-time champion, arrived expecting to be the clear number one and was infuriated to find Mansell treated as an equal. The two men loathed each other, and Piquet would later make a series of crude and personal insults about his teammate to the press.

Their refusal to cooperate cost them dearly. In 1986 the pair spent the season taking points off one another, and their internecine warfare allowed Alain Prost to slip through and steal the title at the final round in Adelaide, where Mansell's dramatic tyre blowout ended his championship hopes. It was a masterclass in how two teammates can beat each other and lose to a third party.

In 1987 Piquet edged the title from Mansell, helped by a heavy practice crash that sidelined the Briton at Suzuka, but the bitterness never faded. Their feud became a cautionary tale about team management, proving that the best car in the field counts for little when its two drivers are at war.

Defining Moments

• Adelaide 1986 — Leading the title race, Mansell suffered a spectacular rear tyre blowout at high speed, and with the teammates having split their points all year, Prost snatched the championship.
• 1986 Civil War — Piquet, expecting number-one status, was enraged at being treated as Mansell's equal, and the pair's refusal to cooperate handed the title to a rival team.
• Suzuka 1987 — A heavy practice crash injured Mansell and ended his title hopes, allowing Piquet to clinch his third world championship.
• The Insults — Piquet's crude and deeply personal published remarks about Mansell and his family turned a sporting rivalry into open hatred.

The Verdict

Piquet won the head-to-head where it mattered most in their direct fight, taking the 1987 title from under Mansell's nose to add to his three championships overall. But Mansell amassed more race wins across his career and went on to win his own title in 1992. Piquet had the cunning and the silverware from their shared years; Mansell had the popular acclaim and the longer winning record. The debate, fittingly for two men who could agree on nothing, remains unresolved.