The 1990 International Formula 3000 Championship was a motor racing competition organised by the FIA for Formula 3000 cars. It was the sixth running of an FIA Formula 3000 Championship.
Érik Comas won the eleven-round championship.
The season began on a damp Donington Park track. On the second lap, Allan McNish and Emanuele Naspetti collided on the straight before the Esses. McNish's car went over the concrete wall, and its engine broke away and killed a spectator. Meanwhile, the race continued uninterrupted and several drivers, including polesitter Andrea Montermini, spun off in the damp conditions. McNish's DAMS Lola teammate Érik Comas took the victory.
At the next round at Silverstone, Damon Hill overtook the two DAMS cars at the start, but suffered the same rear tire failure that had earlier claimed his teammate Gary Brabham. McNish took an emotional win just one week after his Donington crash.
The third round at Pau had to be restarted twice after accidents caused traffic jams on the narrow streets. Marco Apicella took a commanding lead, but slid off into a tire barrier, leaving Eric van de Poele to take the win. Érik Comas won the next round at Jerez, with Apicella coming second. Comas won at Monza as well, this time pursued by Eddie Irvine.
At Enna, a dusty track surface was exacerbated by the rubber “marbles” that resulted from the wearing tires. Many of the favorites spun out of the race, and Gianni Morbidelli won despite a spin of his own. Eddie Irvine managed to come in fourth with a broken front wing, having been off the track at least three times. Irvine won from Apicella at Hockenheim after polesitter Hill had spun off early.
Allan McNish won on a drying Brands Hatch track as the series returned to England. Van de Poele took his second win of the year at the Birmingham Superprix, a race in which Fabrizio Barbazza walked away from a spectacular accident. On the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans, championship leader Comas led away. He was challenged by Philippe Gache, who put in a surprising drive in a year-old Lola before retiring. Comas won the race and clinched the title. Van de Poele won in the wet at Nogaro to take second in the championship. The final round, scheduled to be held at Dijon-Prenois was cancelled. An official statement cited the Gulf crisis and French talks on tobacco sponsorship as the reasons behind the cancellation. [1]
| Round | Race [4] | Circuit | Date | Laps | Distance | Time | Speed | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donington 200 Gold Cup |  Donington Park | 22 April | 50 | 4.023=201.150 km | 1'12:15.34 | 167.03 km/h |  Andrea Montermini |  Stéphane Proulx |  Érik Comas |
| 2 | International Trophy | Silverstone Circuit | 19 May | 41 | 4.778=196.308 km | 0'54:23.20 | 214.59 km/h | Allan McNish | Allan McNish | Allan McNish |
| 3 | Grand Prix de Pau | Pau Grand Prix | 4 June | 69 | 2.76=190.44 km | 1'24:18.72 | 135.532 km/h | Érik Comas | Marco Apicella |  Eric van de Poele |
| 4 | Jerez F3000 |  Circuito de Jerez | 17 June | 48 | 4.2179=202.459 km | 1'18:07.02 | 155.49 km/h | Érik Comas | Érik Comas | Érik Comas |
| 5 | Monza F3000 | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | 24 June | 34 | 5.8=197.2 km | 0'55:19.12 | 213.75 km/h | Damon Hill | Damon Hill | Érik Comas |
| 6 | Grand Premio del Mediterraneo | Autodromo di Pergusa | 22 July | 36 | 4.95=178.200 km | 0'55:27.219 | 192.80 km/h | Damon Hill | Damon Hill | Gianni Morbidelli |
| 7 | Hockenheim F3000 |  Hockenheimring | 28 July | 29 | 6.797=197.113 km | 0'58:14.604 | 202.95 km/h | Damon Hill | Marco Apicella | Eddie Irvine |
| 8 | Brands Hatch F3000 | Brands Hatch | 19 August | 48 | 4.1846=200.861 km | 1'09:09.68 | 174.23 km/h | Eddie Irvine | Michael Bartels | Allan McNish |
| 9 | Halfords Birmingham Superprix | Birmingham | 27 August | 51 | 3.975=202.725 km | 1'11:47.02 | 169.45 km/h | Marco Apicella | Marco Apicella | Eric van de Poele |
| 10 | Le Mans F3000 | Bugatti Circuit | 23 September | 45 | 4.426=199.170 km | 1'11:41.65 | 166.85 km/h | Érik Comas | Philippe Gache | Érik Comas |
| 11 | Grand Prix de Nogaro | Circuit Paul Armagnac | 7 October | 55 | 3.625=199.375 km | 1'20:27.81 | 148.670 km/h | Gianni Morbidelli | Érik Comas | Eric van de Poele |
| Dijon F3000 | Dijon-Prenois | 21 October | Cancelled | |||||||
| Source: [5] | ||||||||||
In each championship round, 9 points were awarded to the winning driver, 6 to the runner up, 4 for third place, 3 for fourth place, 2 for fifth place and 1 for sixth place. No additional points were awarded. [6]
| Pos | Driver | DON | SIL | PAU | JER | MNZ | PER | HOC | BRH | BIR | BUG | NOG | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Érik Comas | 1 | 2 | Ret | 1 | 1 | Ret | 4 | Ret | Ret | 1 | 2 | 51 | |
| 2 | Eric van de Poele | 6 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 1 | 10 | 1 | 30 | |
| 3 | Eddie Irvine | Ret | 6 | Ret | DNS | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 27 | |
| 4 | Allan McNish | Ret | 1 | 6† | 16 | 6 | 2 | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | 8 | 26 | |
| 5 | Gianni Morbidelli | 8 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 4 | 1 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 7 | 3 | 20 | |
| 6 | Marco Apicella | 13 | 3 | Ret | 2 | 5 | Ret | 2 | DSQ | Ret | Ret | 5 | 20 | |
| 7 |  Andrea Chiesa | 2 | Ret | Ret | 5 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 5 | 2 | 5 | Ret | 18 | |
| 8 | Andrea Montermini | Ret | 4 | Ret | 3 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 9 | 2 | Ret | 13 | |
| 9 | Jean-Marc Gounon | Ret | 13 | DNQ | Ret | Ret | DSQ | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | Ret | 11 | |
| 10 | Fabrizio Giovanardi | Ret | Ret | 2 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 7 | Ret | 5 | Ret | Ret | 10 | |
| 11 |  Gary Brabham | Ret | DNQ | 12 | 3 | 3 | 14† | 8 | DNQ | 8 | 11 | 8 | ||
| 12 | John Jones | 3 | 11 | 4 | Ret | Ret | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | 11 | 9 | DNQ | 7 | |
| 13 | Damon Hill | DNQ | Ret | Ret | 7 | 11 | Ret | Ret | 2 | Ret | Ret | 10 | 6 | |
| 14 | Antonio Tamburini | 4 | 9 | Ret | 13 | 8 | 8 | DNQ | Ret | Ret | 16 | 4 | 6 | |
| 15 | Didier Artzet | DNQ | Ret | Ret | 11 | Ret | Ret | 8 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| 16 | Fabrizio Barbazza | Ret | Ret | Ret | 4 | Ret | Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 18 | 3 | |
| 17 |  Pedro Chaves | 4 | Ret | DNQ | 14 | 3 | ||||||||
| 18 | Heinz-Harald Frentzen | Ret | Ret | Ret | 17 | Ret | 5 | 6 | 7 | Ret | Ret | DNQ | 3 | |
| 19 | Richard Dean | 5 | 7 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 2 | |||||||
| 20 | Franck Fréon | DNQ | DNQ | 5† | DNQ | DNQ | 14 | 16 | 2 | |||||
| 21 |  Karl Wendlinger | DNQ | 14 | DNQ | Ret | Ret | 5 | DNQ | 10 | 9 | 2 | |||
| 22 | Michael Bartels | 11 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 7 | Ret | 11 | Ret | 13 | 6 | 1 | |
| 23 | Emanuele Naspetti | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 6 | DNQ | 1 | |||
| 24 | Paul Belmondo | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | Ret | DNQ | 11 | Ret | Ret | 6 | Ret | 1 | |
| 25 | Andrew Gilbert-Scott | Ret | 12 | DNQ | 10 | Ret | Ret | 13 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 0 | |
| 26 | Stéphane Proulx | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 7 | 0 | |
| 27 | Jean-Denis Délétraz | 7 | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | Ret | 0 | |||||||
| 28 | Giovanni Bonanno | 10 | 8 | DNQ | Ret | 9 | DNQ | 0 | ||||||
| 29 | Paul Warwick | Ret | 8 | DNS | 15 | 0 | ||||||||
| 30 | Vincenzo Sospiri | 8 | DNQ | 0 | ||||||||||
| 31 | Philippe Gache | 9 | DNQ | Ret | 14 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 0 | |||
| 32 | Phil Andrews | 14 | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | 12 | Ret | Ret | 12 | 19 | 0 | |
| 33 | Philippe Favre | 12 | DNS | 15 | DNQ | 0 | ||||||||
| 34 | Alain Menu | 12 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 35 |  Giovanni Aloi | Ret | 15 | DNQ | 15 | 0 | ||||||||
| 36 | Giovanna Amati | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 15 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | ||
| 37 | Thierry Delubac | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 17 | 17 | 0 | |||||
| Paolo Delle Piane | DNQ | Ret | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | ||||||||
| Domenico Gitto | Ret | Ret | ||||||||||||
 Marco Greco | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | |||||||
| Claude Bourbonnais | DNQ | DNQ | ||||||||||||
| Vittorio Zoboli | DNQ | DNQ | ||||||||||||
| Otto Rensing | DNQ | |||||||||||||
| Ellen Lohr | DNQ | |||||||||||||
| Sources: [7] [8] [9] | ||||||||||||||
| first column of every race | 10 | = grid position |
| second column of every race | 10 | = race result |
R6=retired, but classified R=retired NS=did not start NQ=did not qualify DIS(3)=disqualified after finishing in third position
The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter Formula One. Formula Two had become too expensive, and was dominated by works-run cars with factory engines; the hope was that Formula 3000 would offer quicker, cheaper, more open racing. The series began as an open specification, then tyres were standardized from 1986 onwards, followed by engines and chassis in 1996. The series ran annually until 2004, and was replaced in 2005 by the GP2 Series.
The 2004 International Formula 3000 season was the thirty-eight season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also twentieth and final season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker. It featured the 2004 FIA Formula 3000 International Championship, which was contested over ten rounds from 24 April to 11 September 2004. Two titles were awarded, a Championship for Drivers and a Championship for Teams. This was the final FIA Formula 3000 International Championship before it was replaced by the GP2 Series in 2005.
The 2003 International Formula 3000 season was the thirty-seventh season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also nineteenth season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker. It featured the 2003 FIA Formula 3000 International Championship with titles awarded for both Drivers and Teams. The championship was contested over ten events from 19 April to 13 September 2003.
The 2002 International Formula 3000 season was the thirty-sixth season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also eighteenth season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker. It featured the 2002 FIA Formula 3000 International Championship which was contested over twelve races from 30 March to 14 September 2002. Championship titles were awarded for both Drivers and Teams.
The 2000 International Formula 3000 season was the thirty-fourth season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also sixteenth season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker. It featured the 2000 FIA Formula 3000 International Championship which was contested over ten rounds from 8 April to 26 August 2000. Bruno Junqueira won the Drivers’ Championship and D2 Playlife Super Nova won the Teams’ title.
The 1999 International Formula 3000 season was the thirty-third season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also fifteenth season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker which was an FIA sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Formula 3000 racing cars. The title was contested over a ten-round series from 1 May to 25 September 1999. This was the first F3000 season in which every International Championship race took place during a Formula One weekend and supported the Grand Prix itself.
The 1998 International Formula 3000 Championship was the thirty-second season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also fourteenth season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker. The championship was contested over twelve rounds from 11 April to 26 September 1998. The Drivers' Championship was won by Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya of Super Nova Racing, who won four races.
Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit in Birmingham city centre, England, from 1986 to 1990. The principal event was a round of the FIA Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Thundersports Series rounds, as well as sports car racing.
The 1996 International Formula 3000 Championship was contested over ten rounds from 11 May to 12 October 1996. This was the first F3000 season in which every team had the same chassis, engine and tyres.
The 1995 International Formula 3000 Championship was contested over eight rounds from May 7 to October 15, 1995. This was the final F3000 season in which teams could use different chassis and engines. At the final race of this season at Magny Cours, Marco Campos was killed after suffering head injuries in a crash. He was the only driver killed in International F3000.
The 1985 European Formula 3000 Championship was the inaugural season of the Formula 3000 category. The European Formula 3000 Championship replaced Formula Two as the official feeder series to Formula One. It was scheduled over 12 rounds and contested over 11 rounds. 14 different teams tried their luck with 33 different drivers and 7 different chassis. The series was won by the German Christian Danner driving for BS Automotive.
The 1986 International Formula 3000 Championship was contested over an eleven-round series. A total of 28 different teams, 71 different drivers, 7 different chassis and 2 different engines competed.
The 1987 International Formula 3000 season was the third season of FIA Formula 3000 motor racing. It featured the 1987 Formula 3000 Intercontinental Championship, which was contested over an eleven round series in which 23 different teams, 53 different drivers, 4 different chassis constructors and 3 different engines manufacturers competed. The championship was won by Stefano Modena who drove a March 87B Ford Cosworth for Onyx Racing ahead of Lola Motorsport driver Luis Perez Sala.
The 1988 International Formula 3000 Championship was contested over 11 rounds. 24 different teams, 69 different drivers, 5 different chassis and 2 different engines competed.
The 1989 International Formula 3000 Championship was contested over 10 rounds. Jean Alesi won the title, while also competing in the last half of the Formula One season for Tyrrell.
The 1991 Formula 3000 International Championship was the seventh season of Formula 3000 in Europe. Christian Fittipaldi won the championship after ten rounds.
The 1992 Formula 3000 International Championship was the eighth season of Formula 3000 in Europe. Luca Badoer won the ten-round championship.
The 1993 FIA Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 3000 cars. Contested over nine races, it was the ninth FIA Formula 3000 International Championship.
The 1994 Formula 3000 International Championship was the tenth season of Formula 3000 in Europe. Jean-Christophe Boullion won the championship after eight rounds.
The 1989 British Formula 3000 Championship was the first season of the British Formula 3000 Championship. Australia’s Gary Brabham took the inaugural title, racing an ex-Jean Alesi Reynard-Cosworth 88D for Bromley Motorsport. He took three race wins during the season. Brabham, son of three time World Drivers Champion, Jack Brabham, only raced in the series after a deal to race for Roni Q8 Racing in the International F3000 series fell through.