“Economy run: not for me!”

Keke Rosberg negotiates the Loews hairpin in his McLaren MP4/2C during the 1986 Monaco Grand Prix (photo above). The Finn, winner in the Principality in 1983, qualified in 9th position, drove a strong race, finished second 25 seconds behind his teammate Alain Prost, and secured a fine one-two finish for McLaren.

The McLaren MP4/2c, designed by John Barnard and still powered by the Tag-Porsche turbocharged V6, was an evolution of the MP4/2b that had allowed Alain Prost to clinch his first world title. For the 1986 season, the Frenchman was joined in Ron Dennis’s team by the 1982 world champion, Keke Rosberg.

While it was expected that Rosberg, with his top speed, would push Prost to his limits, this transfer was a disappointment, as the Finnish driver could not feel comfortable driving the McLaren, and could not bear having to ease off the gas when it came to managing fuel consumption. He declared: “Economy run, not for me!”

Alain Prost won his second title at the last round of the season in Adelaide, when Mansell’s Williams left rear tire exploded on the straight, while Rosberg, who had announced his retirement from F1 at the end of the season, was leading the last Grand Prix of his career, but was forced to retire due to a puncture (photo below).

Keke Rosberg left Formula 1 without having won a Grand Prix for McLaren, but could be proud of his five victories with Williams and his 1982 world championship title.