Date May 27, 1990 | Course length 3.328 km (2.068 mi) | |
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Official name XLVIII Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco Location Circuit de Monaco
Monte Carlo, Monaco Course Temporary street circuit Distance 78 laps, 259.584 km (161.298 mi) | ||
The 1990 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 27 May 1990 at Monaco. It was the fourth round of the 1990 Formula One season and the 48th Monaco Grand Prix. It was held over 78 laps of the three kilometre circuit for a race distance of 259 kilometres.
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The race was won by defending race champion Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna who led every lap of the race driving a McLaren MP4/5B. Senna became the first driver in 1990 to win a second race. Like his previous win in the US, Senna's rival for the race was the unexpected form of young French driver Jean Alesi driving a Tyrrell 019. Senna held a one-second gap over Alesi at the finish. It was Senna's third win at the Monaco Grand Prix. The only other driver to complete full race distance was Senna's Austrian team mate Gerhard Berger.
Qualifying
There had been no changes to the field as the cars arrived for the Jewel in the crown of Formula One and qualifying saw no surprises with Monaco master Ayrton Senna taking pole from arch-rival Alain Prost. Jean Alesi continued to impress in his Tyrrell, qualifying third from Riccardo Patrese. Row three was formed of Gerhard Berger and Thierry Boutsen; Nigel Mansell lined up seventh alongside the Minardi of Pierluigi Martini, while Emanuele Pirro and Nelson Piquet rounded out the top ten. Young Australian driver David Brabham qualified in 25th, to make a race start for the first time in his Formula 1 career.
Race
At the start there was an overly long delay between the red and green, which caused the drivers to be a little more agitated than usual, resulting in an accident between Prost and Berger at the Mirabeau corner. The track was blocked and the race had to be stopped. At the second start everything went to plan and Senna led from Prost, Alesi, Berger, Patrese, and Boutsen, with Pirro being the first retirement when his engine blew on the opening lap. Eighth-placed Nigel Mansell was the centre of action in the early going and he quickly got past Martini's Minardi and set off after Boutsen, but his overtaking attempt on the Belgian was less successful as he touched Boutsen's Williams at the seafront chicane and had to limp back to the pits for a new front wing. At the front Senna led comfortably, even more so after the lap 30 retirement of Prost with battery problems. There was more action on lap 35 when Piquet spun approaching Loewes Hairpin; the three time champ proceeded to stall the engine and was disqualified when he received a push start from the marshalls. While Senna maintained his lead, there was action further back where Mansell was once again charging through the field. First he cleanly disposed of Derek Warwick and then managed to successfully pass Boutsen for fourth, as Alesi and Berger fought over second place. Unfortunately for Mansell all his work went for nought as his battery failed as well. In the late stages Senna started to slow, which allowed the Alesi/Berger battle to close up on him, but Senna's McLaren would survive to the finish for his third career win at Monaco. Alesi was second, followed by Berger, Boutsen, Alex Caffi, and the only other survivor Éric Bernard, who had taken sixth place in the late stages after he had forced himself past Gregor Foitek's Onyx by pushing him into the wall. In doing so, Bernard earnt the first WDC point of his F1 career. Despite not finishing the race, Foitek was classified seventh; his best Formula One result.