German triumph puts Piquet on top

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 34

German triumph puts Piquet on top

NZPA-Reuter Hockenheim, West Germany Nelson Piquet ended a run of four second places when he won the West German Grand Prix at Hockenheim yesterday and took over from his fellow Brazilian, Ayrton Senna, as leader of the world driver’s championship.

Piquet, driving a Williams, emerged victorious after a dramatic and gruelling race with a comfortable margin but only after the world champion, Alain Prost, of France, in a McLaren, retired while leading four laps from home.

For Piquet, who now leads the title race with 39 points from Senna on 35, it was his third win at the West German race and second in successive years. It was the eighteenth Grand Prix win of his career. Piquet’s Williams team mate and arch-rival, Nigel Mansell, of Britain, who was looking to complete a hattrick, retired when his engine failed after 26 laps and the race ended with only seven cars still running. Stefan Johansson, of Sweden, brought his McLaren home in second place in spite of a burst front right tyre on

the closing lap. Senna was third. The naturally aspirated Tyrrells, of the Frenchman Philippe Streiff and the Briton, Jonathan Palmer, took fourth and fifth places a full lap behind with Philippe Alliot, of France, finishing sixth in the naturally aspirated Lola. Piquet’s winning time was one hour 21 minutes and 25.091 seconds. But his teammate, Mansell, recorded the fastest lap of the circuit with a twenth-fourth lap of 1:45.716 before he retired.