The 1992 German Grand Prix went down in F1 history as the only time Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Nigel Mansell shared a podium. The three drivers would end up winning 11world titles between them, by the end of their careers. On that July 26, the Britton came out on top – he was the odds on favorite, since his Williams was much superior to the competition at the time.
As the only driver among the three of them who already had a world title, Senna started in third place with his McLaren. The first row was taken up by Mansell’s and Riccardo Patrese’s Williams. In order to be able to compete with them, Senna went with a daring strategy: he didn’t stop to change tires. Mansell and Patrese did, but only the “Lion” managed to come back from the pit-stop ahead of Senna.
Even though He was yet to win a race in F1, Schumacher was already regarded as a major talent at Benetton. The German started in sixth place and he was in fourth when, in the very last lap, the third position fell on his lap. At the time, Senna was trying to get away from Patrese, who was on the heels of his McLaren, fighting for second place. A few meters away from te checkered flag, Ayrton forced a mistake by Patrese, and the Italian driver ended up on the gravel trap. That meant Schumacher inherited the third position.
With the win, Mansell was very close to becoming champion. He would secure the title at the following race, at Hungaroring, which Senna won.
According to journalist Livio Oricchio, the 1992 German GP was one of Senna’s most memorable races, especially because he was able to keep the car on the track even with worn out tires, while Patrese was driving a much better car with new tires. The reporter talked about the race in an interview to Senna TV.