1989 F1 Season
Senna and Prost Became Biggest Rivals in Formula 1 History
Turbocharged engines were banned for the 1989 Formula 1 season. Honda and McLaren had dominated the 1988 championship, winning 15 of 16 races. For 1989 the Japanese manufacturer produced a normally aspirated V10, while the driving partnership of defending champion Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost remained the same.
Elsewhere, there were driver changes. Nigel Mansell left Williams to join Gerhard Berger at Ferrari. The Italian team had developed a semi-automatic gearbox but pre-season testing did not go well. Thierry Boutsen moved from Benetton to replace Mansell at Williams. Partnering Alessandro Nannini at Benetton for 1989 was the young English driver Johnny Herbert. He had survived a horrendous Formula 3000 crash at Brands Hatch in 1988 which left him with shattered legs. By the start of the season he was still far from being completely fit. Before the first race AGS driver Philippe Streiff crashed in testing, leaving him paralysed.
Mansell and Ferrari in Surprise Brazilian Grand Prix Victory
After their testing woes no-one gave Ferrari much of a chance at the opening race in Brazil. Senna added yet another pole position to his tally, with Williams driver Riccardo Patrese joining him on the front row.
Senna made a poor start and paid for it at the first corner, where he became entangled with Berger’s Ferrari and went out of the race. For a while Williams ran 1-2 with Patrese leading Boutsen, but Mansell eventually passed both of them. He stayed ahead to score an unlikely victory, with Prost second and Mauricio Gugelmin’s Leyton House March third. In fourth place was Herbert, an astounding result considering his recent injuries.
Senna and Prost Feud Starts at San Marino Grand Prix
At Imola Senna started from pole, with Prost next to him. After just four laps the race was halted because of a serious crash involving Gerhard Berger. Something broke on the Austrian’s Ferrari, sending it hurtling into the concrete wall at Tamburello at terrific speed. The shattered car then slid along the wall before erupting into flames. Fantastic work by the Italian marshals almost certainly saved Berger’s live, as they quickly extinguished the fire. He survived the frightening accident with relatively minor injuries.
At the re-start Prost had the better traction off the line and pulled ahead. At Tosa Senna dived past his team-mate, a move which angered Prost. The McLaren drivers had agreed prior to the race that whoever led away would be allowed to keep the position. Senna decided that this didn’t apply to re-starts. The dislike between the two drivers was beginning to grow. It was still Senna ahead at the finish, with a seething Prost second. Nannini came home third in the Benetton.
Ayrton Senna's 1989 McLaren F1 car
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