The heavy rain coming down in Adelaide on 3 November 1991 meant the Australian Grand Prix was red flagged after just 14 laps, making it the shortest Grand Prix in Formula One history.
As the race got underway, it was immediately apparent that the circumstances didn’t allow for a normal race. While the drivers in front had reasonable vision and were able to lap 35 to 40 seconds slower than in dry conditions, the drivers at the back had to use extreme caution and completed the first lap another 30 seconds slower than the leaders. Ayrton Senna showed his mastership in the rain and opened a gap of over three seconds in the opening lap.
Satoru Nakajima became the first victim of the rain after four laps. The next lap Michael Schumacher and Jean Alesi collided and Nicola Larini and Thierry Boutsen also retired. Three laps later Pierluigi Martini became the sixth driver to retire.
Conditions got worse quickly and driver after driver disappeared off the circuit. After 15 laps leader Ayrton Senna had enough and in his 16th lap he started waving his arm out of the cockpit to indicate to the other drivers that the race had to be stopped. As he crossed the line, the race was red flagged. In that final lap, Nigel Mansell crashed into a wall, injuring his ankle, but his second place was safe. The standing after 14 laps was declared final.
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