Nigel Mansell: “Maybe the best race of my life” – Hungarian F1 GP 1989

It’s easy to see why they called Nigel Mansell Il Leone (The Lion)

Opening Image: The Cahier Archive

Hungaroring 1989, the site of the Hungarian Grand Prix and a track which was supposed to make overtaking nearly impossible. Nigel Mansell starts 12th and obliterates the field, jumping to second place in 51 laps.

At the moment the above image was taken Nigel Mansell was on his 52nd lap and right behind Ayrton Senna. This was a position he’d remain in until lap 58, when he’d sieze the opportunity for an overtake as Senna moved to lap Stefan Johansson with caution. From that moment, it was all Nigel – he blasted into the distance and won the race by more than 25 seconds.

Later Nigel Mansell would be heard describing the race as “maybe the best of my life”.