Boutsen asserts himself
Belgian Thierry Boutsen got his big chance, when he signed a two-year contract with the Benetton Formula One Team. For the 1987 season, his team mate was Italian Teo Fabi.
Picture above: Thierry Boutsen (black helmet) and Teo Fabi, parked next to each other, in their Rory Byrne-designed Benetton B187-Ford. This car, despite some reliability issues, was competitive and did allow the promising Belgian to run regularly in the top 6. He scored points in six races, his best being an awarded 3rd place in Adelaide, after the disqualification of Ayrton Senna’s Lotus, and moved to 8th overall.
The car was a sound concept, but not really a winning package, in a year dominated by the Williams-Hondas of Piquet and Mansell. Nevertheless, Boutsen drove a fantastic race in Mexico, after qualifying in fourth, ahead of Prost, Senna and team mate Fabi, was leading in front of future winner Mansell, when he was stopped by electrical problems.
It was a sad end to a fantastic performance, but the Belgian had made a point and convinced the whole paddock he was a potential race winner. Picture below: Thierry Boutsen, Benetton B187 Ford, leads team mate Teo Fabi in the early stages of the 1987 Mexican Grand Prix.