1991 United States Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 16 in the 1991 Formula One season | |||
 |
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| Date | March 10, 1991 | ||
| Official name | XXVIII Iceberg United States Grand Prix | ||
| Location |
Phoenix street circuit Phoenix, Arizona |
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| Course | Temporary Road Course | ||
| Course length | 3.721 km (2.312 mi) | ||
| Distance | 81 laps, 301.401 km (187.282 mi) | ||
| Weather | Overcast 25 °C (77 °F) |
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| Pole position | |||
| Driver | McLaren-Honda | ||
| Time | 1:21.434 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Jean Alesi
|
Ferrari | |
| Time | 1:26.758 on lap 49 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | McLaren-Honda | ||
| Second | Ferrari | ||
| Third | Benetton-Ford | ||
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The 1991 United States Grand Prix (formally the XXVIII Iceberg United States Grand Prix) motor was a Formula One race held on March 10, 1991, in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the first round of the 1991 Formula One season. The 81-lap race was won by McLaren driver Ayrton Senna after he started from pole position. Alain Prost finished in second for the Ferrari team with Benetton driver Nelson Piquet third. It was also the first Formula One race for the future double World Champion, Mika Häkkinen.
The race was the first of the 1991 Formula One season. In the two previous years, the championship had been decided when Senna and Prost tangled at Suzuka. In 1989, their collision as team-mates secured Prost's third World Championship; in 1990, with Prost driving for Ferrari and still in title contention, it handed Senna his second crown. Controversy regarding the nature of the 1990 incident had created great anticipation for the rematch.
Prior to arriving in Phoenix, the 1991 McLaren chassis had had only had one brief test session, and the two race cars were completed about 4 am Friday, six hours before the first practice session. Working to prepare the new car, Ayrton Senna claimed he had never gotten totally comfortable with the increasing complexity of the sport since helping Lotus introduce the first active suspension car in 1987, and he still found it hard to embrace the huge role of computers in achieving a proper setup. "Friday, to understand and interpret things properly, I worked with the engineers into the evening," Senna said. "It has been a long time since I did that. The engineers and I talked our way around the circuit, then we compared this with what the computer predicted. It was great because the computer confirmed almost everything, and it also showed where there was room for improvement."
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