1990 Spanish Grand Prix
| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 16 in the 1990 Formula One season | ||
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| Date | September 30, 1990 | |
| Official name | XXXI Gran Premio Tio Pepe de España | |
| Location | Circuito Permanente de Jerez Jerez de la Frontera, Spain |
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| Course | Permanent racing facility 4.218 km (2.6209 mi) |
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| Distance | 73 laps, 307.918 km (191.328 mi) | |
| Weather | Dry, hot, sunny | |
| Pole position | ||
| Driver |  Ayrton Senna |
McLaren-Honda |
| Time | 1:18.387 | |
| Fastest lap | ||
| Driver |  Riccardo Patrese |
Williams-Renault |
| Time | 1:24.513 on lap 53 | |
| Podium | ||
| First |  Alain Prost |
Ferrari |
| Second |  Nigel Mansell |
Ferrari |
| Third | Alessandro Nannini |
Benetton-Ford |
The 1990 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 30 September, 1990 at Jerez. It was the 31st Spanish Grand Prix and the fifth and last time the Grand Prix would be held at the Jerez circuit in Valencia before moving to a new larger facility near Barcelona in Catalonia, though it was not the last time Formula One would race here. F1 would return twice in the 1990s for a race titled the European Grand Prix.
Ferrari drivers dominated the race with reigning world champion Alain Prost lead his team mate Nigel Mansell home by 22 seconds for a 1-2 finish for the Scuderia. The race however would come to be remembered for a crash by British driver for Team Lotus, Martin Donnelly. Donnelly had a horrific crash during Friday practice. The seat of his Lotus 102 broke free and was flung clear of the wreck. Donnelly received serious injuries that took months to recover from, bringing an end to his Formula One career, although he would later return to racing. Team Lotus considered retiring from the meeting, but eventually decided to race and Derek Warwick was on the fringe of the point scoring positions when he became the races final retirement on lap 63 with a broken gearbox in his Lotus 102.
The race would also prove to be the last race of Alessandro Nannini's Formula One career. Nannini claimed the final podium position of the race in his Benetton B190, the ninth podium of his career, finishing ahead of the Williams pair of Thierry Boutsen and Riccardo Patrese for which he and his Brazilian team mate Nelson Piquet had been season long rivals. One week after the race, his right arm was severed in a helicopter accident. Nannini did recover and would subsequently return to racing as a touring car driver.
At the start of the race, Gerhard Berger, desperate to move up from his fifth place on the grid, gave Jean Alesi no room, resulting in Alesi moving to the outside, only to find himself being hit by Riccardo Patrese, and Alesi was out immediately.
The Larrousse-Lola of Aguri Suzuki claimed the final championship point of the race, continuing an encouraging season for thr French team. It would be an encouraging race for another French team, Yannick Dalmas and Gabriele Tarquini would qualify both of the AGS JH25s in a first for the team. The achievement proved to be unique and AGS never again got two cars onto a Formula One grid. Dalmas would finish in ninth position, the highlight of the season for the small French team.
McLaren driver Ayrton Senna's lap 53 retirement with a failed radiator saw his lead in the world championship over Prost reduced to nine points with just the Japanese and Australian Grands Prix remaining in the season. This would ramp up tensions between the two championship protagonists leading to a showdown at the Suzuka racetrack in Japan, one every bit as controversial as their clash twelve months prior at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix.
Contents |
[edit] Classification
[edit] Notes
- Lap Leaders: Ayrton Senna 26 laps (1-26); Nelson Piquet 2 laps (27-28); Alain Prost 45 laps (29-73)
[edit] Standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
[edit] References
- Unless otherwise indicated, all race results are taken from "The Official Formula 1 website". http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1990/228/. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
| Previous race: 1990 Portuguese Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1990 season |
Next race: 1990 Japanese Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1989 Spanish Grand Prix |
Spanish Grand Prix | Next race: 1991 Spanish Grand Prix |
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