Japanese Grand Prix

Date
Sun 22nd October 1989 (UTC)
Sun 22nd October 1989 (Local)

Timestamp
1989-10-22T00:00:00

Time

00:00:00 UTC (00:00:00 Local)

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League
Formula 1

Season
1989

Round
15

Status

Location
Suzuka International Racing Course

Video Highlights

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Description

The 1989 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the XV Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 October 1989 at Suzuka Circuit. It was the 15th and penultimate round of the 1989 Formula One season. The 53-lap race was won by Alessandro Nannini for the Benetton team, from a sixth position start. Riccardo Patrese finished second for the Williams team, with Thierry Boutsen third. It was Nannini's only win.

The race is one of the most controversial in F1 history, as the culmination of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna's tumultuous two-year rivalry as teammates at McLaren, which would end anyway, with Prost leaving for Ferrari. One race before the final Australian Grand Prix it was decided that the Frenchman would win his third Drivers' Championship in 1989. With Prost leading the championship by 16 points, Senna had to win both races to possibly defend the championship, and with Prost leading the race, too, on lap 47 of 53 the Brazilian tried to pass at the inside of the chicane. Senna failed to get ahead, failed to turn in, and made both cars go straight, with his front wheels always behind Prost's wheels. Both cars came to a stop next to each other at the entry of the escape road, both had missed the entry to the chicane. Prost abandoned his stalled car, while Senna got his restarted by marshals, weaved through the barriers, rejoined the track after the chicane, made a pit stop to change his front wing, and overhauled Alessandro Nannini to take the checkered flag. Following the race Senna was disqualified for getting an advantage by missing the chicane, handing the win to Nannini and the title to Prost.

Reports

Result List

01	Alessandro Nannini	1:35:06.277
02	Riccardo Patrese	+0:11.904
03	Thierry Boutsen	+0:13.446
04	Nelson Piquet	+1:44.225
05	Martin Brundle	+1 Lap
06	Derek Warwick	+1 Lap
07	Maurício Gugelmin	+1 Lap
08	Eddie Cheever	+1 Lap
09	Alex Caffi	+1 Lap
10	Andrea De Cesaris	+2 Laps
11	Ayrton Senna	DNF
12	Alain Prost	DNF
13	Stefano Modena	DNF
14	Nigel Mansell	DNF
15	Satoru Nakajima	DNF
16	Jean Alesi	DNF
18	Gerhard Berger	DNF
19	Emanuele Pirro	DNF
20	Olivier Grouillard	DNF
21	Ivan Capelli	DNF
22	Nicola Larini	DNF
23	Jonathan Palmer	DNF
24	Bernd Schneider	DNF
25	Sergio Perez	DNF
26	Paolo Barilla	DNF
27	René Arnoux	Did not qualify
29	Pierre Hojbjerg	Did not qualify
30	Bertrand Gachot	Did not qualify
31	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Did not prequalify
33	Stefan Johansson	Did not prequalify
34	Aguri Suzuki	Did not prequalify
36	JJ Lehto	Did not prequalify
37	Gabriele Tarquini	Did not prequalify
38	Yannick Dalmas	Did not prequalify
39	Enrico Bertaggia	Did not prequalify