Monaco Grand Prix: Top 5 Races of all time

#4 - Senna v Mansell

Nigel Mansell never won in Monaco, but he came close in 1992.

The 1992 Williams was one of F1’s most dominant in history and Nigel Mansell had won the first five rounds of the season before arriving in Monaco. Mansell already looked like champion-elect and was on pole one more, with his teammate Riccardo Patrese alongside him on the starting grid. Ayrton Senna - the winner of the last three Monaco Grands Prix- jumped Patrese at the start but Mansell lead going round Sainte Devote.

Mansell dominated the race and in the days before tyre stops became mandatory, never relinquished his lead. After 70 or 78 Laps, his advantage over Senna was huge but disaster struck. A wheel nut came loose on the Briton’s car and he had to pit for new tyres. Senna took the lead but Mansell smashed the lap record to catch back up after just a few laps, he was right on the McLaren’s gearbox.

Nigel was so much faster than Senna, but the Brazilian had track position. Even so, Mansell was all over him, trying to dive through at every corner but they never touched, this was a classic example of two great champions at the top of their games.

But Senna held on, against all the odds, to equal Graham Hill’s record of five wins in the principality, a superb achievement.