ADELAIDE’S CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP DECIDER, 40 YEARS ON

The Adelaide Street Circuit is where champions are made, as host of Supercars’ championship decider – the bp Adelaide Grand Final.

Now in its second year, the event format guarantees a champion will be crowned in Adelaide. And though the event was historically at the start of the Supercars season before the introduction of the finals concept, Adelaide has a history of championship deciders.

The Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide was Formula 1’s season-ending race from 1985 to 1995, with 2026 being the 40th anniversary of one of motorsport’s most dramatic championship-deciding events.

In October 1986, three drivers were still in contention for the world championship at the Formula 1 season finale in Adelaide – Williams teammates Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet and defending champion, McLaren’s Alain Prost. Mansell arrived with the advantage, leading the points standings and needing only a third-place finish to secure his first title with the Williams car the fastest on the grid. Prost, meanwhile, had a simple but daunting task – he had to win and hope the Williams drivers ran into trouble.

The Williams pair qualified on the front row with Mansell on pole from Piquet and Prost in fourth. Piquet led after the opening lap but Prost’s teammate Keke Rosberg soon took over at the front and set the pace with the championship contenders running line astern behind him.

Rosberg eventually dropped out with a puncture, leaving the championship combatants to fight for the race and title win. Piquet led with Prost in second and Mansell sitting in the third place that was enough for the championship win. Then came the moment that changed the championship: with the title seemingly within his grasp, Mansell’s Williams suffered a spectacular tyre failure at high speed on Brabham Straight, forcing him out of the race and instantly ending his championship hopes.

Piquet was now in the championship-winning position, but Williams feared a repeat of Mansell’s tyre blowout. The team pitted Piquet as a precaution, handing Prost the lead and the championship advantage.

Piquet closed up to Prost in the final stages of the race – Piquet on fresher tyres and Prost conserving his tyres and running out of fuel. However, Prost held on for the race win and the championship, just four seconds ahead of Piquet. The final standings told the story of just how close the battle had been: Prost finished the season with 72 points, Mansell with 70 and Piquet with 69.

Nearly four decades later, the echoes of that dramatic race still resonate in Adelaide. The Adelaide Street Circuit once again hosts championship-deciding drama at the bp Adelaide Grand Final. And just as in 1986, the title battle builds toward a climactic final race where a year’s worth of racing comes down to a decisive handful of laps.