Senna arrived in Rio ready to battle out his fourth Grand Prix in Jacarepaguá. His best result until then had been second place, obtained the year before.
It was a moment for debuts: the Lotus was now yellow, but remained no. 12. The new Honda engine was his great hope for a more competitive car that year. His teammate, the friendly Japanese driver Satoru Nakajima, made his Formula 1 debut.
Also new on the scene was semi-active suspension, one of the accessories most difficult to set up for the Rio de Janeiro circuit.
Faced with so many new elements, Ayrton Senna considered his performance during the qualifying session satisfactory, coming in third place, behind Nigel Mansell (Williams) and Nelson Piquet (Williams).
At the starting, he jumped out in front and led for four laps. Afterwards, he lost his position and secured third place until the 50th of 61 laps, when his engine overheated because of a blockage in the radiator. Alain Prost (McLaren) won, with Nelson Piquet (Williams) and Stefan Johansson (McLaren) completing the podium.
Despite the letdown, Ayrton Senna believed in his Lotus for 1987, mainly in the new engine:
Resumo da Corrida
- 1 N. Mansell
- 2 N. Piquet
- 3 Ayrton Senna
- 4 T. Fabi
- 5 A. Prost
- 6 T. Boutsen
- 7 G. Berger
- 8 D. Warwick
- 9 M. Alboreto
- 10 S. Johansson
- 11 R. Patrese
- 12 S. Nakajima
- 13 A. de Cesaris
- 14 E. Cheever
- 15 A. Nannini
- 16 A. Campos
- 17 C. Danner
- 18 J. Palmer
- 19 M. Brundle
- 20 P. Streiff
- 21 A.Caffi
- 22 P. Barilla
- 23 I. Capelli
| Voltas | 61 |
| Tempo | Ensolarado |
| Volta mais rápida | N. Piquet - 1´33´´861 |
| Podium | 1º A. Prost 2º N. Piquet 3º S. Johansson |
| Carros | 22 |
| Abandonos | 9 |
Senna na corrida
| Posição de largada | 3 |
| Posição final | Abandonou (50ª volta) |
| Melhor volta | 1’35’’312 |
| Pontos somados para o Campeonato | - |
| Posição no Campeonato após a prova | 7 |
