Date 26 August 1990 Weather Dry | Course length 7.004 km (4.352 mi) | |
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Course Permanent racing facility Distance 43 laps, 301.172 km (187.136 mi) | ||
The 1990 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 26 August 1990. It was the eleventh round of the 1990 Formula One season. The race was the 48th Belgian Grand Prix. It was the 36th to be held at Spa-Francorchamps and the seventh since the circuit was extensively redeveloped in 1979. The race was held over 43 laps of the seven kilometre circuit for a race distance of 301 kilometres.
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Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna claimed his fifth race victory for the season in his McLaren MP4/5B taking a four-second win over the Ferrari 641 driven the reigning world champion, Frenchman Alain Prost. It was Senna's fourth victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, and his third in succession. Senna's Austrian team mate Gerhard Berger finished third, while further back Maurício Gugelmin scored a rare point for the Leyton House team in his Leyton House CG901.
Three attempts were made to start the race, the first two being red-flagged after collisions. Aguri Suzuki's Lola LC90 was eliminated after the first start, Paolo Barilla's Minardi M190 after the second.
Off-track, Nigel Mansell dropped a huge hint that he would not retire from F1 after all. He stated that if he was given a car for 1991 with number 1 status, reliability, a quick engine and worthy of a championship he would consider racing but (as he stated that it seemed unlikely to him) he was still adamant he would retire. He was repeatedly linked with Williams.
Qualifying
The two McLarens were on the front row, with Senna ahead of Berger. Prost in the Ferrari was third ahead of Boutsen and the second Ferrari of Mansell.
The Onyx team pulled out of the sport before the weekend of the race. This meant that the two Ligier cars no longer needed to pre-qualify.