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15 dvd / 15 full races 1989 - Title for Prost or ...Balestre? 1989 Formula One season
The 1989 Formula One season was the 40th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 26, 1989 and ended on November 5 after sixteen races. Alain Prost won his third Drivers' World Championship, and his McLaren team were Constructors' champions. Pre-seasonTechnical and rules changes
Team and Driver Changes
Race-by-RaceRace One: BrazilThe climate as the Formula One circus arrived at Jacarepagua was one of much optimism in what many saw as a new age, with many revelling in the brutal and much more appealing sounds of the V10 and V12 engines. Brazil proved to be an excitement filled race, and dramatic too. Qualifying had a few surprises, with Riccardo Patrese scoring a front row position next to the home favorite, world champion Ayrton Senna. Williams and Renault were both surprised by the position, but both highly pleased with Thierry Boutsen qualifying fourth alongside the high powered Ferrari of Berger. The race started with a bang, as Senna's hopes at a home grand prix victory were dashed as he squeezed Berger a little too much. Senna went on to finish two laps down whilst Berger retired on the spot. Double world champion Alain Prost's McLaren had been having problems all weekend, and when his two stop strategy was ruined by a clutch failure, he knew he had to continue the race on one set of tires. He finished second. Nigel Mansell secured a surprising win for the Scuderia, with no problems despite ongoing gearbox faults all weekend and winter testing. The final step of the podium was taken by local Maurício Gugelmin. Race Two: San MarinoAt Imola, "normal service" was resumed. McLaren settled on the front row of the grid and stayed that way for the race, with Mansell's Ferrari retiring midway with gearbox issues. Gerhard Berger, despite showing promise by setting the fastest time in the wet Friday qualifying, suffered a brake problem and careered off the track at Tamburello at high speed, forcing the race to be stopped after the third lap. Berger miraculously survived with just a broken rib, shoulder bone and burns to his back and hands. He gave a thumbs up and the race was restarted not too long after. Senna went on to win with Prost second. Patrese's engine failed and Boutsen was disqualified (but he got his 4th position back in an appeal), so the third place was taken by the Benetton Ford of Alessandro Nannini. After the Grand Prix, Prost seemed disgruntled and said he wished to not make a comment on the race, other than that "orders were not respected". Senna refused to comment on the matter. Before the race at Monaco, Prost said he wanted "nothing to do with (Senna)" and refused to speak with him. Race Three: MonacoWith Berger out, there was 29 cars in qualifying instead of 30, because Ferrari didn't have a replacement driver. Senna had scored his third pole of the season, with the number 2 car of Prost again alongside. March introduced their new 1989 design.[3] Senna went on to win by almost a whole minute over Prost while Stefano Modena secured a valuable third for the rekindled Brabham team (which effectively was the result that allowed Brabham to avoid prequalifying in the second half of the season, Modena however failed to scored any points in any other Grand Prix in 1989), while Michele Alboreto secured his first points since leaving Ferrari for Tyrrell. Race Four: MexicoAt Mexico, Gerhard Berger made a return despite continued pain in his fingers. However, transmission and gearbox problems forced the Ferraris to retire from point-scoring positions for the third race straight. While they lamented their results, McLaren and Senna took a third win on the trot by a differing choice of tires. Prost's choice sent him down the order to fifth. Patrese was second for Williams, while Alboreto doubled his efforts in Monaco by scoring third. Gabriele Tarquini was able to bring his barely-prequalified AGS home in sixth for a well-celebrated point. Race Five: United StatesThe United States Grand Prix had a new destination, this time in the hot desert of Phoenix, Arizona. It was a new place, but the same old dirty and dusty street circuits. Senna made the most of his skill in the wet and scored another pole, Prost again playing second fiddle by over a second. However, Senna suffered an electric problem when leading the race, and Prost took the victory. Williams ended up being the only team to finish with both cars as the dirty track and unforgiving concrete walls ended six races, with the heat and dust cutting out many more. One driver, Nannini, even suffered from driver fatigue and had to retire, with the Ferrari V12s cutting out from identical alternator failures. Patrese's second gave him third place in the championship, while Prost took the lead. An ecstatic Cheever celebrated his and his team's first podium of the season at his own home grand prix. The Brabhams, on the other hand, continued their lacklustre return, both drivers retiring with worn-out brakes. Race Six: CanadaThe Canadian Grand Prix was run in wet conditions and provided many retirements, but also a new winner. Senna was comfortably leading with only three laps to go when engine problems forced him to retire, handing Boutsen his first victory. Patrese came home second to make it a 1-2 finish for Williams, the first time a team other than McLaren had achieved this since Ferrari in Monza the previous year. Andrea de Cesaris picked up third for Dallara. Race Seven: FranceIn his home race, Prost took pole and won convincingly, while fellow Frenchman Jean Alesi made his debut for the Tyrrell team, replacing Alboreto despite his two strong results. This proved to pay off as Alesi secured a fourth place finish (having run second at one stage). Nigel Mansell ended Ferrari's run of retirements with a secure second while Patrese was third. Swede Stefan Johansson also scored the Onyx team's first points. Senna, meanwhile, was forced to retire early on with a differential problem. The race had to be restarted when, on the first lap, Gugelmin caused a major first corner accident when he lost control of his March, flew into the air and landed on Mansell's rear wing. Luckily, no one was hurt and all drivers managed to take the restart. Race Eight: Great BritainThe British Grand Prix proved much the same - McLaren front row, Senna retiring, and Prost winning. Mansell finished second in his home race to please the British fans, whose Mansellmania coupled with the tifosi made for hysteria. Nannini finished third while both Minardis scored points. At this, the halfway point of the championship, Prost's lead over Senna had increased to 20 points. Despite much talk, he downplayed the thought of a third championship. "I don't want to start talking about the championship, getting into all that," he said, "but I'm much happier now, yes. Motivated again. I've had no engine problems since Mexico, which is nice, and also I'm pleased to see Ferrari getting more competitive: both Nigel and Gerhard can win races and that can only help me."[4] Race Nine: GermanyIn Germany, however, Senna's bad luck ended after scoring a treble - pole, fastest lap and the win. Prost suffered gearbox troubles, while Berger's pointless season continued with a tire puncture robbing him of a possible podium. Mansell picked up a third place and mused everyone's thoughts: "If any of the circuits in the world is ideal for McLaren-Honda, it's Hockenheim."[5] Race Ten: HungaryThe dirty Hungaroring provided an almost gripless practice and qualifying, that eventually led to the first non-McLaren pole position of the year - Riccardo Patrese made a Senna-like performance with a 0.31 gap between himself and Senna himself. Another surprise was the equally impressive Alex Caffi, who scored third with a time less than a second slower than that of Patrese - in a car that had been notoriously midfield. The Ferraris, however, suffered badly. Mansell was over two seconds off Patrese's time of an impressive 1:19.7, whilst Berger constantly complained of gear shift troubles - even asking the team to change the gearbox pre-race, which they didn't. This eventually cost him a point scoring position, as the gearbox went on to fail. Countering this was Mansell's impressive 12th-to-first race, even overtaking Senna in the area he excelled most, lapping back markers - an impressive move on a track notorious for mediocre and unpassable races. He went on to compare the race to his win at Silverstone two years earlier and dedicated it to the late Enzo Ferrari, a year after the Old Man's death. Caffi's race was the exact counter-point of Mansell's - despite a strong start he finished a lonely seventh, earning no points. Senna finished nearly half a minute behind Mansell in second, while Prost again suffered problems and finished fourth. Patrese retired from the lead and Boutsen finished third. Race Eleven: BelgiumA wet Spa showcased Senna's wet weather skills at their best. 'Magic' (Senna's nickname during the wet[6]) shone that day to give him another win despite engine troubles that also befell Prost with Mansell in third saying that problems like that he could certainly use - he finished less than two seconds behind Senna. Race Twelve: ItalyThe Italian Grand Prix sealed the end of two things: Gerhard Berger's terrible season (he scored a second place on both the grid and in the race) and Prost's relationship with McLaren. Having become progressively distanced from the team due to his conflict with Senna, he announced his switch to Ferrari for 1990, and after inheriting the race win when Senna retired from the lead late on, he proceeded to give the trophy he had won to the tifosi. Ron Dennis' usual composure was shattered and he hurled his trophy at the driver's feet, storming off. Prost later said it was an unsatisfactory win. Boutsen inherited third for Williams. Race Thirteen: PortugalThe thirteenth round at Estoril turned many frowns and furrowed brows upside down, while it kept the McLaren men's exactly where they were. Berger won whilst Mansell took out the world champion in a controversial black flag situation. Prost scored another podium, with his twelfth point finish, it meant he started to lose points as only his best eleven finishes counted. Martini's Minardi scored a fifth place grid and finish while the struggling Onyx in the hands of Johansson finshed third (That result was the decision that Onyx would avoid prequalifying in the 1st Half of 1990). He marveled at the car's performance on a low-grip track and spoke of optimism for Spain. The new Williams, however, suffered near-simultaneous and identical motor blow-outs. Up until then they looked promising. Race Fourteen: SpainIn Spain, Senna, now in a position where he must win all three remaining races, took a thirty second victory over Berger with another thirty to Prost. Alesi scored another strong fourth place for the Tyrrell team. Race Fifteen: JapanThen the Formula One circus arrived at Suzuka, Japan for the now infamous penultimate round for the championship. Prost, after saying he would not leave the door open for his teammate, who he felt had made far too many risky moves on him.[7] Senna took pole, but Prost beat him away from the grid and led by 1.4 seconds by the end of the first lap. By lap 15, however, Senna was all over the back of Prost's McLaren after moving through both Williams and Benettons. He whittled down Prost's 5 second lead to just under a second by lap 30, but the latter pulled a few seconds ahead by the 35th lap. By the end of lap 46, with 7 to go, the gap was just over a second. Senna, further back then he had been earlier in the race, made a move on Prost in the chicane before the start-finish straight. True to his word, Prost closed the gap and the two skidded into the escape road and both engines stalled.[citation needed] Prost had won the championship and jumped from his car. Senna, however, got a push from the marshals and returned to the track. He worked his way past both Williams and the Benettons again, to take a three second victory. However, his altercation with Prost seven laps earlier meant he had missed the chicane, and not completed the lap. He was disqualified and Nannini reveled in his first grand prix victory. The new Williams FW13s finished second and third, putting them five points ahead of the Ferrari team in the race for second. McLaren went to appeal the decision. With the matter hanging in the air, Senna went on record saying it was a plot and conspiracy against him by FIA and FISA president Jean Marie Balestre who he said favored Alain Prost. Senna would comment again on the matter after sealing his 1991 championship, reiterating his belief that he had been unfairly treated. Race Sixteen: AustraliaThe final round at Adelaide saw the race run under heavy rain. Prost elected to withdraw at the end of the first lap in such torrentially wet conditions and would score no points. Senna, who still had a slim chance of winning the championship, pending the appeal, saw no choice but to race. By lap ten, he had over 30 seconds to the Williams pair and counting. Instead of relaxing, he continued to push in poor visibility. On lap 13, he ran into the rear of Brundle's Brabham and sealed the championship for Prost. The Williams scored a double podium finish with Boutsen winning, despite being a strong proponent of not starting in such conditions. The Australian Grand Prix was overshadowed by the ongoing controversy surrounding the Japanese race, but once the appeals had been considered, Prost was crowned the champion for the third time. Drivers and ConstructorsThe following teams and drivers competed in the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship. Race schedule
1989 Calendar1989 Constructors Championship final standings
1989 Drivers Championship final standings
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