Prost, alone against all

Alain Prost, the already two-time world champion (1985 and 1986), pictured above at the 1987 Portuguese Grand Prix, driving his McLaren MP4/3-TAG Porsche. The French champion was on his way for his 28th F1 victory, which would break Jackie Stewart’s record of 27 wins.

In the 1987 season, Alain Prost faced stiff competition from the Williams-Hondas of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet, as well as from Ayrton Senna’s Lotus-Renault. The Ferraris of Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto, while fast at Estoril, were further back and didn’t really play a role in the title race.

The McLaren MP4/3 driven by Alain Prost and Stefan Johansson in 1987 was designed by Steve Nichols in collaboration with Neil Oatley, Gordon Kimball, Tim Wright, and Bob Bell. It was the last McLaren to be powered by the TAG-Porsche turbo engine introduced in 1983, which was going to be replaced by the Honda engine in 1988.

Alain Prost won three Grands Prix – Brazil, Belgium, and Portugal – at the wheel of MP4/3, but could not prevent Nelson Piquet (Williams-Honda) from securing his third world title. Stefan Johansson achieved five podium finishes, but no victories, and would be replaced by Ayrton Senna from 1988 onwards.