After a difficult rookie year, the German team Zakspeed approaches the starting line of the 1986 season with renewed confidence. The only engineer available to team owner Erik Zakowski is Paul Brown, who, after having built the previous 841, updates it to create the new Zakspeed 861. Although a direct evolution of the 841, the new single-seater has been refined and improved mainly to reduce weight and increase the reliability of the various components, all of which are manufactured in-house by Zakspeed.
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| ZAKSPEED 861, Jonathan Palmer Imola, San Marino GP 1986 |
The chassis is still based on the original frame from 1983 and is built with a carbon fiber and Kevlar composite monocoque. The reduction in fuel tank capacity to 195 liters, imposed by the federation for the 1986 season, allowed the 861 to be more compact, improving airflow to the rear wing and therefore increasing downforce and grip. Despite efforts to lower the weight, the car still tips the scales at 575 kg, mainly due to the use of traditional and inexpensive materials, as the 861 was built on a fairly limited budget.
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| ZAKSPEED 861, Huub Rothengatter Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1986 |
The suspension and gearbox remain unchanged from the 841, while the engine, the Zakspeed 1500 L4 with 1495 cc designed in-house by Norbert Kreyer, is slightly improved. During the 1985 season, the team worked on developing its own electronic fuel injection system to replace the mechanical one. However, due to the complexity of the project, Zakowski opted to strike a deal with Bosch to use their low-pressure Bosch Motronic electronic injection system, originally intended for an Alfa Romeo inline-four turbo engine that was never built.
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| ZAKSPEED 861, Jonathan Palmer Jacarepaguà, Brazilian GP 1986 |
Thanks to this new system, throttle response, low-end drivability, and especially fuel consumption saw notable improvements. However, the power output of the Zakspeed four-cylinder engine remained among the lowest in 1986: 850 hp in race trim and just over 950 hp in qualifying. The West sponsorship once again covered the costs for just one entry, entrusted to British driver Jonathan Palmer, who competed in all races and not just the European rounds as in the previous year. Starting from the third race, Dutchman Huub Rothengatter, financially backed by his personal sponsors, provided the funds to field a second car, which regularly competed in the rest of the championship.
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| ZAKSPEED 861 Huub Rothengatter Österreichring, Austrian GP 1986 |
Despite the efforts of the small team from Niederzissen, a village in western Germany near Bonn, results remained disappointing, and scoring points remained a distant dream. A few decent performances from Palmer and a decrease in mechanical retirements compared to the previous season allowed Zakspeed to finish 11th in the constructors' standings, with zero points, but ahead of Osella, Haas-Lola, AGS, and Minardi thanks to better overall results.
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