Alain Prost won the 1986 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship by two points over Nigel Mansell.
Prost entered the final race in Adelaide, Australia, third in the standings, behind Mansell and Nelson Piquet. Mansell’s dramatic tire failure ended his title hopes, while Prost won the race and secured his second championship. Piquet finished second in the final standings.
The season was one of the closest in Formula 1 history. Prost drove for McLaren, while Mansell and Piquet were teammates at Williams. Prost’s consistency was crucial: he won four races, including the finale, and regularly scored points during a season when the Williams car was often faster.
A common mix-up is the size of Prost’s winning margin. He finished with 74 points, while Mansell had 72, so the margin was two points. Prost had also won the 1985 championship and later added titles in 1989 and 1993.