1990 Formula One World Championship

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Ayrton Senna (pictured in 1989) won his second title with McLaren. Ayrton Senna Imola 1989 (cropped).jpg
Ayrton Senna (pictured in 1989) won his second title with McLaren.
Defending champion Alain Prost (pictured here driving for McLaren in 1989) was runner-up by 5 points for Ferrari. Alain Prost 1989 Belgian GP podium (Cropped).jpg
Defending champion Alain Prost (pictured here driving for McLaren in 1989) was runner-up by 5 points for Ferrari.
3 time world champion Nelson Piquet, finished the season ranked third for Benetton. Nelson Piquet 1990.jpg
3 time world champion Nelson Piquet, finished the season ranked third for Benetton.

The 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 44th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 11 March and ended on 4 November. Ayrton Senna won the Drivers' Championship for the second time, and McLaren-Honda won their third consecutive Constructors' Championship.

Contents

The championship featured a dramatic battle between Senna and former teammate Alain Prost, who had made the switch to Ferrari. Prost mounted Ferrari's first title challenge for several years, and led the championship after three consecutive mid-season wins. Senna fought back strongly and went into the penultimate round at the Suzuka circuit in Japan with a nine-point lead over Prost. There, Senna took pole position only for Prost to beat him off the line; the Brazilian driver then drove into the Frenchman at the first corner, putting both out and thus settling the championship in Senna's favour. This was the second year in succession that the two drivers had collided at Suzuka. Senna admitted the following year that the collision was deliberate, as he was furious that Prost had been able to start on the clean side of the grid and had decided that he was not going to allow the Frenchman to 'make the corner' should he lose the start. [1]

Drivers and constructors

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship.

EntrantConstructorChassisEngineTyreNoDriverRounds
Flag of Italy.svg Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 641 Ferrari 036 3.5 V12
Ferrari 037 3.5 V12
G 1 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost All
2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell All
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell-Ford 018
019
Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 P 3 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Satoru Nakajima All
4 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean Alesi All
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Canon Williams Team Williams-Renault FW13B Renault RS2 3.5 V10 G 5 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen All
6 Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese All
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Motor Racing Developments Brabham Brabham-Judd BT58
BT59
Judd EV 3.5 V8 P 7 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Gregor Foitek 1–2
Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Brabham 3–16
8 Flag of Italy.svg Stefano Modena All
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Footwork Arrows Racing Arrows-Ford A11
A11B
Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 G 9 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Alboreto All
10 Flag of Germany.svg Bernd Schneider 1, 14
Flag of Italy.svg Alex Caffi 2–13, 15–16
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Camel Team Lotus Lotus-Lamborghini 102 Lamborghini 3512 3.5 V12 G 11 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Derek Warwick All
12 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Martin Donnelly 1–14
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert 15–16
Flag of Italy.svg Fondmetal Osella Osella-Ford FA1M
FA1ME
Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 P 14 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Olivier Grouillard All
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Leyton House Racing Leyton House-Judd CG901 Judd EV 3.5 V8 G 15 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Maurício Gugelmin All
16 Flag of Italy.svg Ivan Capelli All
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives AGS-Ford JH24
JH25
Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 G 17 Flag of Italy.svg Gabriele Tarquini All
18 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Yannick Dalmas All
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Benetton Formula Benetton-Ford B189B
B190
Ford HBA4 3.5 V8 G 19 Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Nannini 1–14
Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Roberto Moreno 15–16
20 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Nelson Piquet All
Flag of Italy.svg BMS Scuderia Italia Dallara-Ford F190 Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 P 21 Flag of Italy.svg Gianni Morbidelli 1–2
Flag of Italy.svg Emanuele Pirro 3–16
22 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea de Cesaris All
Flag of Italy.svg SCM Minardi Team Minardi-Ford M189
M190
Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 P 23 Flag of Italy.svg Pierluigi Martini All
24 Flag of Italy.svg Paolo Barilla 1–14
Flag of Italy.svg Gianni Morbidelli 15–16
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Équipe Ligier Gitanes Ligier-Ford JS33B Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 G 25 Flag of Italy.svg Nicola Larini All
26 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Philippe Alliot All
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Honda Marlboro McLaren McLaren-Honda MP4/5B Honda RA109E 3.5 V10 G 27 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna All
28 Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger All
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg ESPO Larrousse F1 Lola-Lamborghini LC89B
LC90
Lamborghini 3512 3.5 V12 G 29 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Éric Bernard All
30 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Aguri Suzuki All
Flag of Italy.svg Subaru Coloni Racing
Flag of Italy.svg Coloni Racing
Subaru Coloni C3B Subaru 1235 3.5 F12 G 31 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Bertrand Gachot 1–8
Coloni-Ford C3C Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 9–16
Flag of Italy.svg EuroBrun Racing EuroBrun-Judd ER189B Judd CV 3.5 V8 P 33 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Roberto Moreno 1–14
34 Flag of Italy.svg Claudio Langes 1–14
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Onyx Grand Prix
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Monteverdi Formula One
Onyx-Ford ORE-1
ORE-1B
Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 G 35 Flag of Sweden.svg Stefan Johansson 1–2
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Gregor Foitek 3–10
36 Flag of Finland.svg JJ Lehto 1–10
Flag of Italy.svg Life Racing Engines Life L190 Life F35 3.5 W12 G 39 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gary Brabham 1–2
Flag of Italy.svg Bruno Giacomelli 3–12
Life-Judd Judd CV 3.5 V8 13–14
Sources:[ citation needed ]

Team changes

Mid-season changes

  • Faced with disappointing results in the first six races of the year, highly regarded designer Adrian Newey was fired from the Leyton House team.
  • The Subaru flat-12 engine supplied to Coloni was not producing more than 500 brake horsepower (370 kW) and the chassis was overweight by some 300 pounds (140 kg). Good results stayed away and Subaru withdrew their ownership. By the German Grand Prix, Coloni had arranged a supply of Ford-Cosworth engines.
  • The Life W12 engine was equally unsuccessful and the team switched to a Judd V8 engine before the Portuguese Grand Prix.
  • Onyx folded after ten races, and EuroBrun and Life after fourteen of the sixteen races.

Driver changes

Another eight driver switches had happened over the winter, within the lower-ranking teams.

Mid-season changes

Calendar

Round Grand Prix Circuit Date
1 United States Grand Prix Flag of the United States.svg Phoenix Street Circuit, Phoenix, Arizona 11 March
2 Brazilian Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo 25 March
3 San Marino Grand Prix Flag of Italy.svg Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola 13 May
4 Monaco Grand Prix Flag of Monaco.svg Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 27 May
5 Canadian Grand Prix Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal 10 June
6 Mexican Grand Prix Flag of Mexico.svg Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City 24 June
7 French Grand Prix Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet 8 July
8 British Grand Prix Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 15 July
9 German Grand Prix Flag of Germany.svg Hockenheimring, Hockenheim 29 July
10 Hungarian Grand Prix Flag of Hungary.svg Hungaroring, Mogyoród 12 August
11 Belgian Grand Prix Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 26 August
12 Italian Grand Prix Flag of Italy.svg Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 9 September
13 Portuguese Grand Prix Flag of Portugal.svg Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril 23 September
14 Spanish Grand Prix Flag of Spain.svg Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera 30 September
15 Japanese Grand Prix Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka 21 October
16 Australian Grand Prix Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide 4 November

Calendar change

The United States Grand Prix was moved from June to March to become the first round.

The Canadian Grand Prix was moved to be before the Mexican Grand Prix.

Regulation changes

Three regulation changes occurred before the 1990 season, all from the aspect of driver safety: [6] [7]

Technical regulations

Sporting and event regulations

Season report

Race 1: USA

The first race of the year was held on an angular street circuit in Phoenix, Arizona, USA; the race became the season opener so it could be held in cooler and much more pleasant weather, avoiding the 104 °F (40 °C) degree heat that made conditions very difficult at the previous race in Phoenix, which took place in June 1989. Unexpected rain in qualifying led to a grid with Gerhard Berger on pole position with Pierluigi Martini second in the Minardi, Andrea de Cesaris third in the Dallara, Jean Alesi fourth in the Tyrrell, Ayrton Senna down in fifth and Nelson Piquet sixth. Alesi took the lead at the start ahead of Berger, de Cesaris, Senna, Martini and Piquet.

Alesi pulled away and Berger was dropping back Senna passed de Cesaris. Berger hit a wall on lap 9 forcing him to pit. He charged back but later retired with clutch problems. Alesi was 8.2 seconds ahead but Senna started to reel him in. Senna attacked on lap 34 but Alesi defended and kept the lead. Senna overtook Alesi one lap later and pulled away to win. Both Ferraris retired with Alain Prost retiring on lap 21 with an oil leak and Nigel Mansell on lap 49 with clutch problems. After that, Thierry Boutsen passed Piquet to take third with Stefano Modena's Brabham and Satoru Nakajima's Tyrrell getting the final points.

Race 2: Brazil

The Brazilian Grand Prix had returned to the Interlagos Autodrome in São Paulo for the first time since 1980, having been at the Jacarepagua Riocentro Autodrome in Rio de Janeiro for 9 previous seasons consecutively, and 1978. The circuit had been shortened from 4.9 mi (7.9 km) to 2.6 mi (4.2 km).

During qualifying, Senna and Berger were 1–2 with Boutsen and Patrese 3–4 and the Ferraris of Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost behind them. At the start, Senna led Berger, Boutsen, Prost, Patrese and Mansell. Boutsen passed Berger early on but could not keep up with Senna.

At the stops, Boutsen ran into a tyre and had to change his nose cone, dropping back to 11th and some good work from the Ferrari crew got Prost ahead of Berger and Mansell ahead of Patrese. Senna was ahead of Prost, Berger, Mansell, Patrese and Alesi. Senna, 10 seconds ahead of everybody hit the backmarker, former teammate Nakajima, forcing him to pit and drop back to third. With just a few laps to go, Patrese retired with a broken oil cooler. Prost won from Berger, Senna, Mansell, the recovering Boutsen and Piquet.

Race 3: San Marino

There was a six-week gap before the San Marino round, at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari near Bologna in Italy; a number of changes were made to most of the cars during this period. An almost identical grid to Brazil saw Senna, Berger, Patrese, Boutsen, Mansell and Prost line up after qualifying. At the start, Senna and Berger got away well but Boutsen sliced ahead of Patrese to take third with Mansell and Prost behind. Boutsen passed Berger on lap 2. On the next lap, a stone sliced through Senna's wheelrim, spinning him into a sand trap and out of the race. Boutsen pulled away from Berger but his engine blew on lap 18.

Soon Mansell passed Patrese and then attacked Berger. Berger closed the door and Mansell spun without hitting anything nor losing a place. He set off after Berger again but retired with engine problems. At the second stops, Nannini got ahead of Prost. Patrese closed in on Berger and passed him on lap 51. Patrese pulled away and won his first Grand Prix since South Africa in 1983 from Berger, Nannini, Prost, Piquet and Alesi.

Race 4: Monaco

In Monaco, Senna took pole but Prost was second with Alesi third ahead of Patrese, Berger and Boutsen. At the start, Berger collided with Prost at Mirabeau, blocking the track and stopping the race. The second start was all right and Senna led from Prost, Alesi, Berger, Patrese and Boutsen.

The race settled down and nothing changed until lap 30 when Prost retired with a battery failure. Then Mansell hit the back of Boutsen and was forced to pit and changed his front wing. Patrese's distributor failed on lap 42. Behind, Mansell was charging through the field and passed Boutsen to take fourth. But then he was sidelined with the same problem as Prost. At the front, Senna won from Alesi, Berger, Boutsen, Alex Caffi in the Arrows and Éric Bernard's Larrousse.

Race 5: Canada

Canada was next and at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal the McLarens were 1–2 in qualifying with Senna ahead of Berger with Prost third, Nannini fourth, Piquet fifth and Boutsen sixth. The track was damp on race day and Berger jumped the start and then hesitated. He got a 1-minute time penalty as well as allowing Senna to lead on the road. Senna led Nannini, Alesi, Prost, Boutsen and Piquet.

The track began to dry and everyone pitted. But when Nannini rejoined, he hit a groundhog and had to pit again for repairs. He spun off on lap 22. Berger took the lead on the road but he needed a minute to stay ahead at the end. He charged and was a second quicker than the others as Boutsen spun off while battling Prost. Senna now led from Prost, Piquet, Mansell, Patrese and Derek Warwick.

Piquet after many laps finally passed Prost who was then attacked by Mansell. Patrese retired putting Berger to fifth (he got ahead of Warwick before). Mansell passed Prost and slowly pulled away. With two laps to go, Berger got past Prost on aggregate but could not get ahead of Mansell. Senna won from Piquet, Mansell, Berger, Prost and Warwick.

Race 6: Mexico

After Canada came the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City and Berger qualified on pole position with Patrese beside him and Senna third, Mansell fourth, Boutsen fifth and Alesi sixth. At the start, Patrese and Berger jumped Senna while Piquet got ahead of Boutsen and Mansell. Early on, Senna passed Patrese and Berger followed him through. Patrese was dropping back and Piquet got by him as well. Boutsen was the next to go through but at the same time Berger had a problem with his tyre and was forced to stop and dropped to 12th position. Senna lead from Piquet, Boutsen, Patrese, Mansell and Prost.

Soon, Mansell passed Patrese and got Boutsen four laps later as Prost did the same to Patrese. Prost sneaked ahead of Boutsen as Mansell closed in on Piquet. Mansell got ahead on lap 36 and Prost followed him through six laps later. Piquet soon stopped and dropped behind Nannini, Boutsen (who already stopped) and Berger. Berger passed Boutsen on lap 47 and Nannini four laps later. Prost passed Mansell on lap 55 and they began to close in on Senna. Prost, passed Senna followed by Mansell. Then Mansell spun but at the same time Senna got a puncture that let to him retiring in the pits 4 laps before the end and allowing Berger to get third and close in to Mansell. With a daring move Berger passed Mansell but Mansell charged back and attacked taking back second place after making an even more daring pass around the outside of Berger at the fastest corner on the track, the 180-degree Peraltada corner. Prost won with Mansell second making it a Ferrari 1–2 ahead of Berger, Nannini, Boutsen and Piquet.

Race 7: France

France was next, being held at the Paul Ricard circuit near the coastal city of Marseille. The fans were wearing red and a Ferrari did take pole position. However, it was not their hero Prost but Mansell who was ahead of Berger, Senna, Prost, Nannini and Patrese. At the start, Berger got past Mansell while Prost lost out as well. Berger led with Mansell, Senna, Nannini, Patrese and Prost behind. On lap 2, Senna passed Mansell for second and soon after Prost passed Patrese. The order stayed like that until Senna passed Berger who had been too hard on his tyres in the early stages.

Nannini and Piquet pitted early while Berger and Senna went too late. Mansell's and Prost's tyres lasted longer and thus they pitted late. Riccardo Patrese went too late and was the big loser. This left the two Leyton Houses (they planned the race without a stop) ahead with a totally shuffled order behind them. Ivan Capelli led Maurício Gugelmin, Prost, Nannini, Mansell and Senna. Prost then caught and passed Gugelmin who then went out with engine trouble.

As Prost closed in on Capelli, Mansell in 8th place could not get by Berger, Piquet and Senna. Capelli continued to defend from Prost as Mansell went out with engine trouble. Nannini moved into third but was then forced to retire with electrical trouble, while Prost finally passed Capelli with three laps to go. Prost won ahead of Capelli, Senna, Piquet, Berger and Patrese.

Race 8: Great Britain

Britain was next and Mansell, roared on by his home fans at the fast Silverstone airfield circuit, took pole from Senna, followed by Berger, Boutsen, Prost and Alesi. Senna passed Mansell at the first corner and led for the first 11 laps before Mansell retook the lead; the Brazilian then spun on lap 14, dropping down to fifth.

As Prost passed Boutsen for third, Mansell began to have troubles with his gearbox. Berger passed him for the lead on lap 22 but then began to suffer handling issues, enabling Mansell to re-pass him on lap 28. Meanwhile, Prost closed up to both drivers, before passing Berger on lap 31 and then Mansell on lap 44 as the Englishman's gearbox issues worsened.

Mansell remained second until lap 56 when his gearbox failed altogether; he promptly threw his gloves into the crowd and announced his retirement from Formula One at the end of the season. Capelli briefly ran third ahead of Berger before his fuel pipe broke; Berger's race then ended four laps from home with a throttle failure. This left Prost to win by nearly 40 seconds from Boutsen, the Belgian driver in turn finishing four seconds ahead of Senna. Bernard, Piquet and Aguri Suzuki rounded out the top six.

At the halfway stage of the season, Prost led the Drivers' Championship by two points from Senna, 41 to 39, with Berger third with 25 points, Piquet fourth with 18 and Boutsen fifth with 17. McLaren led the Constructors' Championship with 64 points, followed by Ferrari on 54, Williams on 27 and Benetton on 25.

Race 9: Germany

At the start of the second half of the season, there was one change in pre-qualifying: Larrousse-Lola's five points meant that they were automatically promoted into main qualifying, dropping fellow French team Ligier into the Friday morning session. Meanwhile, Coloni had terminated their unsuccessful partnership with Subaru and were now using Cosworth engines, although these failed to improve the team's performance.

At the very fast, forested Hockenheimring, McLarens were 1–2 in qualifying, Senna ahead of Berger. Ferraris were 3–4 with Prost ahead of Mansell and Williamses were 5–6 to complete the "Noah's Ark" (two-by-two) formation, Patrese ahead of Boutsen. At the start, Berger took off better than Senna but Senna just stayed ahead with Berger second, Prost third, Mansell fourth, Patrese fifth and Piquet sixth.

There were no changes until lap 11 when Piquet tried to pass Patrese and went through an escape road, allowing Nannini to get ahead. Three laps later Mansell went through the grass at Ostkurve without losing a place but damaging his car. It proved crucial as he retired two laps later, the damage being too great. Meanwhile, Nannini passed Patrese as the top three stopped for tyres, the Williamses and Benettons planning to go without a stop. Piquet retired with engine trouble.

Thus, Nannini led Senna, Patrese, Piquet, Berger and Prost. Patrese's tyres were very badly damaged and he was forced to pit. Prost then passed Boutsen for fourth with Patrese following him two laps later. On lap 34, Senna passed Nannini for the lead and pulled away. Senna won from Nannini, Berger, Prost, Patrese and Boutsen.

Race 10: Hungary

Hungary was next and at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, the Williamses qualified ahead of the McLarens, Boutsen taking pole ahead of Patrese, Berger, Senna, Mansell and Alesi. At the start, Boutsen kept the lead but it was Berger who got away best and passed Patrese while Senna was worse and lost out to both Mansell and Alesi. Thus, it was Boutsen, Berger, Patrese, Mansell, Alesi and Senna.

It stayed like that until lap 21 when Senna passed Alesi for fifth but he was forced to pit on the next lap with a slow puncture. Nannini soon passed Alesi to take fifth. The leaders stopped and Berger was the big loser with Nannini and Senna the big gainers, rising directly behind the Williams men. The order was: Boutsen, Patrese, Nannini, Senna, Mansell and Berger. Boutsen then pulled away while Patrese held up the others until Nannini streamed by with Senna following him.

Patrese then pitted and dropped behind Piquet as Berger passed Mansell only for Mansell to get back at him. Senna tried to pass Nannini on lap 64 and tipped Nannini into a spin and retirement. Berger tried to do the same thing on Mansell on lap 72 at the same corner with the same result – a collision but with both cars out. Boutsen won ahead of Senna, Piquet, Patrese, Warwick and Bernard.

Race 11: Belgium

The financially troubled Monteverdi Onyx team pulled out of F1 before the Belgian round, which allowed the Ligier team to escape from pre-qualifying. At the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, McLaren were 1–2 with Senna on pole ahead of Berger, Prost, Boutsen, Mansell and Patrese. At the start, Piquet pushed Mansell off the road and soon Nakajima and Modena collided as well, causing the race to be stopped.

At the second start, Senna took the lead while Boutsen sliced into second and Prost dropped to fifth. However, Paolo Barilla crashed his Minardi heavily at Eau Rouge, sending debris all over the track and causing the race to be stopped again.

The third start was clean and Senna took the lead ahead of Berger, Prost, Boutsen, Patrese and Nannini. On lap 11, Mansell went into the pits with handling problems; he went back out but retired eight laps later. On lap 14, Prost sliced ahead of Berger who then pitted for tyres. Senna and Prost, separated by 2 seconds stopped at the same time but then Nannini who was planning to go without stopping came in between them. Then both Patrese and Boutsen went out with gearbox troubles. Prost passed Nannini and Berger tried the same but this time Nannini came back at him to keep the place. On lap 41, Nannini went wide and Berger sailed through to take third. Senna duly won from Prost, Berger, Nannini, Piquet and Gugelmin.

With five races remaining, the Drivers' Championship now lay firmly between Senna with 63 points and Prost with 50. Berger was third with 33, Boutsen fourth with 27, and Piquet fifth with 24. McLaren held a comfortable lead in the Constructors' Championship with 96 points against Ferrari's 63, with Williams third with 42, and Benetton fourth with 40.

Race 12: Italy

After Belgium came Italy and at the historic Monza Autodrome near Milan, Senna took pole again with Prost second, Berger third, Mansell fourth, Alesi fifth and Boutsen sixth. At the start, Berger raced past Prost while Alesi was jumped by both the Ferraris. But Warwick crashed at the Parabolica, bringing out the red flags. In the restart, Berger got past Prost and Alesi repeated his previous effort and had passed both Ferraris before the second chicane, so we had Senna leading Berger, Alesi, Prost, Mansell and Boutsen.

On lap 5, Alesi spun off and retired. Nothing changed until lap 18 when Boutsen retired with a suspension failure and Berger's tyres began to fade. Prost then passed Berger and the stops did not change anything. The top three then began to battle for the lead but none were able to close in on the other while Mansell continued to drop back, fighting a faulty throttle return spring. Senna won from Prost, Berger, Mansell, Patrese and Nakajima.

Race 13: Portugal

In Portugal, at the Estoril circuit near Lisbon, the Ferraris took 1–2 in qualifying with Mansell ahead of Prost, Senna, Berger, Patrese and Piquet. At the start, Mansell got too much wheel spin and he slid across the track and almost took Prost out; as a result, the McLarens blasted by them with Piquet getting by Prost as well. The order was: Senna, Berger, Mansell, Piquet, Prost and Boutsen.

On lap 13, Prost overtook Piquet for fourth and later Mansell went to the grass, allowing Prost to take third. Mansell and Berger pitted soon as Prost passed Senna at the same time to lead. These two soon pitted as well with a shuffled order: Senna, Mansell, Berger, Prost, Nannini and Piquet. By then, the Ferraris started to close in on the McLarens in front of them. Behind them, Piquet passed Nannini to take fifth.

On lap 50, Mansell was close to Senna and passed him to lead. He pulled away fast but then hit Phillipe Alliot while lapping him, pushing the Ligier into a wall while Mansell got away with no damage. Prost then passed Berger on lap 59. Two laps later, Suzuki and Caffi collided and with the latter stuck in the cockpit in a zone with the wall next to the track, the race was stopped. Thus Mansell won from Senna, Prost, Berger, Piquet and Nannini.

Race 14: Spain

Qualifying in Spain, at the Jerez circuit near Seville, was marred by a serious incident involving Martin Donnelly. During a hot lap on the Friday, the Northern Irishman suffered a suspension failure on one of the fastest corners of the circuit, sending his Lotus into the barriers head-on. The car was destroyed while Donnelly was thrown across the track with his seat still strapped to his back; he suffered severe leg fractures and bruising on his brain and lungs. Remarkably, he survived, though his Formula One career was over.

Senna, shaken by this incident, took his 50th career pole position ahead of Prost, Mansell, Alesi, Berger and Patrese. At the start, Senna led away from Prost, while Alesi was hit by Patrese and spun into retirement. Mansell kept up with the championship challengers, while Berger struggled on hard tyres and held up the Williams and Benettons. The pit stops saw Mansell get ahead of Prost before waving his teammate through; he did so just as Senna was emerging from his own stop. The Brazilian, realising that he could not afford to be behind Mansell, dived ahead of him.

Piquet, who had not pitted, held a narrow lead over Prost; the Frenchman pressured him into running wide on lap 29, dropping him down to fourth. He eventually retired with battery problems. Senna began to struggle with a punctured radiator, and was passed by Mansell before dropping out on lap 54. Nannini was now up to third while Boutsen and Berger disputed fourth; the two tangled on lap 57, sending Berger into retirement. Prost and Mansell duly completed a Ferrari 1–2, the Frenchman 22 seconds ahead, with Nannini, Boutsen, Patrese and Suzuki completing the top six.

With two races to go, Senna had 78 points to Prost's 69; both had had eleven points finishes and would therefore have to drop points if they scored again. Senna was still in a strong position, however, as a win or a second place (if Prost did not win) in the next race would give him the championship. Berger was third with 40, Mansell was up to fourth with 31 and Boutsen was fifth with 30. Similarly, McLaren retained a strong position in the Constructors' Championship with 118 points against Ferrari's 100, with Williams a distant third with 49, and Benetton fourth with 47.

Race 15: Japan

Before the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Nannini was involved in a helicopter crash, suffering a severed right forearm. Though it was reattached using microsurgery, his F1 career ended. Meanwhile, the EuroBrun and Life teams withdrew (meaning that pre-qualifying was unnecessary); Benetton duly took on EuroBrun's Roberto Moreno as Nannini's replacement.

In qualifying, Senna took pole ahead of Prost, Mansell, Berger, Boutsen and Piquet. However, Senna was unhappy at the pole being located on the dirty side of the track and thus the second place being on the racing line which should give the second-placed driver the advantage into the first corner. He went to FISA president Jean Marie Balestre to change the side on which pole was located, but was refused. After this, he decided that he would intentionally drive his race car into Prost's Ferrari into the first corner if Prost had the advantage. At the start, Prost did have the advantage and Senna drove into the Frenchman, who drove the normal racing line. Senna's left front touched Prost's rear wing, spinning both of them into the gravel trap. The world championship was sealed.

Although Senna led by 9 points and there were 9 points for a win, if Prost won the last race he would have had to drop his fifth place in Canada which meant that he would be two points behind Senna even if Senna retired. Senna was the new world champion. In the race Berger was leading Mansell, Piquet, Moreno, Boutsen and Patrese. At the start of the second lap, Berger spun off into retirement after hitting debris from the Senna-Prost collision. This left Mansell who was under pressure by the Benettons leading.

Mansell then began to pull away from Piquet and Moreno as Suzuki passed Warwick for sixth. Mansell pitted with a 15-second lead on lap 27 for tyres but his driveshaft snapped as he went out of his garage. He retired giving the Constructors title to McLaren as they were 18 points ahead and a 1–2 could get only 15 points. The Benettons and Suzuki did not stop but Patrese and Boutsen did with Patrese getting ahead at the stops but both rejoined behind Suzuki. Then Nakajima passed Warwick to take sixth as Warwick then retired with gearbox trouble. Piquet won with Moreno making it a Benetton 1–2. Suzuki was third, Patrese fourth, Boutsen fifth and Nakajima sixth.

Race 16: Australia

The last race of the year was in Australia for what would be the 500th World Championship Grand Prix race, and at the Adelaide City street circuit the McLarens took 1–2 in qualifying ahead of the Ferraris, Senna ahead of Berger, Mansell, Prost, Alesi and Patrese. At the start, Senna took off into the lead with Berger defending from the Ferraris and Piquet getting by Alesi and Patrese. The order was: Senna, Berger, Mansell, Prost, Piquet and Alesi.

On lap 2, Berger accidentally hit the engine kill switch allowing Mansell to get ahead before he could bump start the McLaren. Then while defending from Prost, he held up Prost allowing Piquet to get ahead of the Frenchman. Piquet then soon passed Berger for third and the order settled down. Senna and Mansell continued to pull away from the rest, none of them able to keep up. Soon Patrese got past Alesi with Boutsen following suit.

Then, on lap 43, Mansell went up an escape road, giving Senna a good lead. Mansell was caught and passed by Piquet and pitted for tyres soon after. At the stops, Boutsen got ahead of Patrese. Berger then ran wide entering the Brabham straight, allowing Prost to take third. Mansell passed Berger on lap 57 and soon passed Prost on his new tyres. Senna had a gearbox glitch on lap 62 and went straight on into the wall and retired. Mansell closed in on Piquet, breaking the lap record 3 times towards the finish, taking 2 seconds a lap out of his lead. Piquet made an error with 4 laps to go, allowing Mansell to close right up. Mansell attacked on the last lap with a desperate passing attempt at the end of the straight, was too far behind to make the pass. Thus, Piquet won from Mansell, Prost, Berger, Boutsen and Patrese.

At the end of the season, Senna was world champion with 78 points with Prost second with 71 (he got 73 but had to drop 2 points), Piquet third with 43 (he got 44 but had to drop 1 point), Berger fourth with 43 (Piquet had 2 wins to Berger's none), Mansell fifth with 37, Boutsen sixth with 34, Patrese seventh with 23 and Nannini eighth with 21. In the constructors, McLaren were champions with 121 points with Ferrari second with 110, Benetton third with 71 and Williams fourth with 55.

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Round Grand Prix Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning constructor Report
1 Flag of the United States.svg United States Grand Prix Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren-Honda Report
2 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Brazilian Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari Report
3 Flag of Italy.svg San Marino Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Nannini Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Williams-Renault Report
4 Flag of Monaco.svg Monaco Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren-Honda Report
5 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canadian Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren-Honda Report
6 Flag of Mexico.svg Mexican Grand Prix Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari Report
7 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg French Grand Prix Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari Report
8 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg British Grand Prix Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari Report
9 Flag of Germany.svg German Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren-Honda Report
10 Flag of Hungary.svg Hungarian Grand Prix Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Williams-Renault Report
11 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgian Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren-Honda Report
12 Flag of Italy.svg Italian Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren-Honda Report
13 Flag of Portugal.svg Portuguese Grand Prix Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari Report
14 Flag of Spain.svg Spanish Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari Report
15 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japanese Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Nelson Piquet Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Benetton-Ford Report
16 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australian Grand Prix Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Nelson Piquet Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Benetton-Ford Report

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. For the Drivers' Championship, the best eleven results were counted, while, for the Constructors' Championship, all rounds were counted.

Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:

Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th 
Race964321
Source: [8]

World Drivers' Championship standings

Pos.Driver USA
Flag of the United States.svg
BRA
Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg
SMR
Flag of Italy.svg
MON
Flag of Monaco.svg
CAN
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
MEX
Flag of Mexico.svg
FRA
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg
GBR
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
GER
Flag of Germany.svg
HUN
Flag of Hungary.svg
BEL
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
ITA
Flag of Italy.svg
POR
Flag of Portugal.svg
ESP
Flag of Spain.svg
JPN
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg
AUS
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Points [a]
1 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna 13PRetP1PF1P20331P21P1PF2RetPRetPRetP78
2 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Alain Prost Ret14Ret(5)1F114Ret2F231Ret371 (73)
3 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Nelson Piquet 4(6)5DSQ2645Ret3575Ret1143 (44)
4 Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger RetPF2F234F3P514316334RetRet443
5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Ret4RetRet3218PFRetPFRet17Ret41P2Ret2F37
6 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen 35Ret4Ret5Ret26F1PRetRetRet45534
7 Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese 9131RetRet96Ret54FRet57F5F4F623
8 Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Nannini 11103FRetRet416Ret2Ret486321
9 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean Alesi 2762Ret7Ret811Ret8Ret8RetDNS813
10 [b] Flag of Italy.svg Ivan Capelli RetDNQRetRet10DNQ2Ret7Ret7RetRetRetRetRet6
= [b] Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Roberto Moreno 13DNPQRetDNQDNQEXDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ276
12 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Aguri Suzuki RetRetRetRet12Ret76RetRetRetRet1463Ret6
13 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Éric Bernard 8Ret1369Ret84Ret69RetRetRetRetRet5
14 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Derek Warwick RetRet7Ret61011Ret8511RetRetRetRetRet3
15 Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Satoru Nakajima 68RetRet11RetRetRetRetRetRet6DNSRet6Ret3
16 [c] Flag of Italy.svg Alex Caffi RetDNQ58DNQRet799109139DNQ2
= [c] Flag of Italy.svg Stefano Modena 5RetRetRet711139RetRet17RetRetRetRet122
18 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Maurício Gugelmin 14DNQRetDNQDNQDNQRetDNSRet86Ret128RetRet1
Flag of Italy.svg Nicola Larini Ret1110RetRet161410101114111077100
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Martin Donnelly DNSRet8RetRet812RetRet712RetRetDNS0
Flag of Italy.svg Pierluigi Martini 79DNSRetRet12RetRetRetRet15Ret11Ret890
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Gregor Foitek RetRetRet7Ret15DNQDNQRetDNQ0
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Philippe Alliot EX129RetRet18913DSQ14DNQ13RetRet10110
Flag of Italy.svg Michele Alboreto 10RetDNQDNQRet1710RetRet121312910RetDNQ0
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Yannick Dalmas DNPQRetDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ17DNPQDNQDNQDNQNCRet9DNQDNQ0
Flag of Italy.svg Emanuele Pirro RetRetRetRetRet11Ret10RetRet15RetRetRet0
Flag of Italy.svg Andrea de Cesaris RetRetRetRetRet13DSQRetDNQRetRet10RetRetRetRet0
Flag of Italy.svg Paolo Barilla RetRet11RetDNQ14DNQ12DNQ15RetDNQDNQDNQ0
Flag of Finland.svg JJ Lehto DNQDNQ12RetRetRetDNQDNQNCDNQ0
Flag of Germany.svg Bernd Schneider 12DNQ0
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Olivier Grouillard RetRetRetDNQ1319DNPQDNQDNQDNPQ16RetDNQRetDNQ130
Flag of Italy.svg Gabriele Tarquini DNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNQRetDNPQ13DNQDNQDNQRetDNQRet0
Flag of Italy.svg Gianni Morbidelli DNQ14RetRet0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Brabham DNQRetDNQRet15DNQRetDNQRetDNQRetDNQRetRet0
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Herbert RetRet0
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Bertrand Gachot DNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNQDNQDNQDNQDNQDNQ0
Flag of Sweden.svg Stefan Johansson DNQDNQ0
Flag of Italy.svg Claudio Langes DNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ0
Flag of Italy.svg Bruno Giacomelli DNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ0
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gary Brabham DNPQDNPQ0
Pos.Driver USA
Flag of the United States.svg
BRA
Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg
SMR
Flag of Italy.svg
MON
Flag of Monaco.svg
CAN
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
MEX
Flag of Mexico.svg
FRA
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg
GBR
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
GER
Flag of Germany.svg
HUN
Flag of Hungary.svg
BEL
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
ITA
Flag of Italy.svg
POR
Flag of Portugal.svg
ESP
Flag of Spain.svg
JPN
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg
AUS
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Points
Key
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenOther points position
BlueOther classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
PurpleNot classified, retired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (empty cell)
AnnotationMeaning
P Pole position
F Fastest lap

Notes:

World Constructors' Championship standings

McLaren won the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors McLaren MP4-5B 2009 Japan.jpg
McLaren won the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors
Ferrari placed second in the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors Ferrari 641 MOMA 2.jpg
Ferrari placed second in the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors
Benetton placed third in the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors Benetton B190 front-right 2010 Pavilion Pit Stop.jpg
Benetton placed third in the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors
Pos.ConstructorNo. USA
Flag of the United States.svg
BRA
Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg
SMR
Flag of Italy.svg
MON
Flag of Monaco.svg
CAN
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
MEX
Flag of Mexico.svg
FRA
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg
GBR
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
GER
Flag of Germany.svg
HUN
Flag of Hungary.svg
BEL
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
ITA
Flag of Italy.svg
POR
Flag of Portugal.svg
ESP
Flag of Spain.svg
JPN
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg
AUS
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Points
1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren-Honda 2713PRetP1PF1P20331P21P1PF2RetPRetPRetP121
28RetPF2F234F3P514316334RetRet4
2 Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari 1Ret14Ret51F114Ret2F231Ret3110
2Ret4RetRet3218PFRetPFRet17Ret41P2Ret2F
3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Benetton-Ford 1911103FRetRet416Ret2Ret48632771
20465DSQ2645Ret3575Ret11
4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Williams-Renault 535Ret4Ret5Ret26F1PRetRetRet45557
69131RetRet96Ret54FRet57F5F4F6
5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tyrrell-Ford 368RetRet11RetRetRetRetRetRet6DNSRet6Ret16
42762Ret7Ret811Ret8Ret8RetDNS8
6 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lola-Lamborghini [d] 298Ret1369Ret84Ret69RetRetRetRetRet11
30RetRetRetRet12Ret76RetRetRetRet1463Ret
7 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Leyton House-Judd 1514DNQRetDNQDNQDNQRetDNSRet86Ret128RetRet7
16RetDNQRetRet10DNQ2Ret7Ret7RetRetRetRetRet
8 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lotus-Lamborghini 11RetRet7Ret61011Ret8511RetRetRetRetRet3
12DNSRet8RetRet812RetRet712RetRetDNSRetRet
9 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Brabham-Judd 7RetRetDNQRetDNQRet15DNQRetDNQRetDNQRetDNQRetRet2
85RetRetRet711139RetRet17RetRetRetRet12
= Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arrows-Ford 910RetDNQDNQRet1710RetRet121312910RetDNQ2
1012RetDNQ58DNQRet79910913DNQ9DNQ
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Ligier-Ford 25Ret1110RetRet161410101114111077100
26EX129RetRet18913DSQ14DNQ13RetRet1011
Flag of Italy.svg Minardi-Ford 2379DNSRetRet12RetRetRetRet15Ret11Ret890
24RetRet11RetDNQ14DNQ12DNQ15RetDNQDNQDNQRetRet
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Onyx-Ford 35DNQDNQRet7Ret15DNQDNQRetDNQ0
36DNQDNQ12RetRetRetDNQDNQNCDNQ
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg AGS-Ford 17DNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNQRetDNPQ13DNQDNQDNQRetDNQRet0
18DNPQRetDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ17DNPQDNQDNQDNQRetRet9DNQDNQ
Flag of Italy.svg Dallara-Ford 21DNQ14RetRetRetRetRet11Ret10RetRet15RetRetRet0
22RetRetRetRetRet13DSQRetDNQRetRet10RetRetRetRet
Flag of Italy.svg Osella-Ford 14RetRetRetDNQ1319DNPQDNQDNQDNPQ16RetDNQRetDNQ130
Flag of Italy.svg EuroBrun-Judd 3313DNPQRetDNQDNQEXDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ0
34DNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ
Flag of Italy.svg Coloni-Ford 31DNPQDNPQDNQDNQDNQDNQDNQDNQ0
Flag of Italy.svg Life 39DNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ0
Flag of Italy.svg Coloni-Subaru 31DNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ0
Flag of Italy.svg Life-Judd 39DNPQDNPQ0
Pos.ConstructorNo. USA
Flag of the United States.svg
BRA
Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg
SMR
Flag of Italy.svg
MON
Flag of Monaco.svg
CAN
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
MEX
Flag of Mexico.svg
FRA
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg
GBR
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
GER
Flag of Germany.svg
HUN
Flag of Hungary.svg
BEL
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
ITA
Flag of Italy.svg
POR
Flag of Portugal.svg
ESP
Flag of Spain.svg
JPN
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg
AUS
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Points

Notes:

Non-championship event results

The 1990 season also included a single event which did not count towards the World Championship, the Formula One Indoor Trophy at the Bologna Motor Show.

Race nameVenueDateWinning driverConstructorReport
Flag of Italy.svg Formula One Indoor Trophy Bologna Motor Show 8–9 December Flag of Italy.svg Gianni Morbidelli Flag of Italy.svg Minardi Report

Notes

  1. Only the best 11 results counted towards the Drivers' Championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
  2. 1 2 Results published in the 1991 FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport show Capelli and Moreno as equal 10th in the Drivers' Championship.
  3. 1 2 Results published in the 1991 FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport show Modena and Caffi as equal 16th in the Drivers' Championship.
  4. Results published in 1991 FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport credit sixth place to "Larrousse" rather than "Lola".

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