Japanese Grand Prix

Date & Time
Sun 22nd October 1989 12:00am Local
Sun 22nd October 1989 12:00am UTC

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League
Formula 1

Season
1989

Round
Round 15

Status

Location

Suzuka International Racing Course

Video Highlights

Play on YouTube

Event Statistics

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	Benetton Formula	1:35:06.277
02	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Racing	+0:11.904
03	Thierry Boutsen	Williams Racing	+0:13.446
04	Nelson Piquet	Lotus F1	+1:44.225
05	Martin Brundle	Brabham	+1 Lap
06	Derek Warwick	Arrows Grand Prix International	+1 Lap
07	Maurício Gugelmin	March Engineering	+1 Lap
08	Eddie Cheever	Arrows Grand Prix International	+1 Lap
09	Alex Caffi	Dallara	+1 Lap
10	Andrea De Cesaris	Dallara	+2 Laps
11	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Formula 1 Team	DNF
12	Alain Prost	McLaren Formula 1 Team	DNF
13	Stefano Modena	Brabham	DNF
14	Nigel Mansell	Scuderia Ferrari HP	DNF
15	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus F1	DNF
16	Jean Alesi	Tyrrell Racing	DNF
18	Gerhard Berger	Scuderia Ferrari HP	DNF
19	Emanuele Pirro	Benetton Formula	DNF
20	Olivier Grouillard	Ligier	DNF
21	Ivan Capelli	March Engineering	DNF
22	Nicola Larini	Osella	DNF
23	Jonathan Palmer	Tyrrell Racing	DNF
24	Bernd Schneider	Zakspeed	DNF
25	Sergio Perez	Minardi	DNF
26	Paolo Barilla	Minardi	DNF
27	René Arnoux	Ligier	Did not qualify
29	Pierre Hojbjerg	Rial Racing	Did not qualify
30	Bertrand Gachot	Rial Racing	Did not qualify
31	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	Did not prequalify
33	Stefan Johansson	Onyx Grand Prix	Did not prequalify
34	Aguri Suzuki	Zakspeed	Did not prequalify
36	JJ Lehto	Onyx Grand Prix	Did not prequalify
37	Gabriele Tarquini	AGS	Did not prequalify
38	Yannick Dalmas	AGS	Did not prequalify
39	Enrico Bertaggia	Scuderia Coloni	Did not prequalify