1989 FIA Formula One World Championship

The 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 43rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on 26 March 1989 and ended on 5 November after sixteen races. Alain Prost won his third Drivers' Championship, and McLaren won the Constructors' Championship.

The Drivers' Championship was decided in controversial circumstances at the penultimate race of the season in Japan, when Prost and team-mate Ayrton Senna, who needed to win the race, collided in the closing laps. Prost retired while Senna rejoined the track after a push start and crossed the line first, only to be disqualified for not rejoining the track correctly. This handed Prost the title, his last with McLaren before joining Ferrari for 1990.

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship.

The climate as the Formula One circus arrived at Jacarepaguá was one of much optimism in what many saw as a new age, with many revelling in the brutal and much more appealing sounds of the V10 and V12 engines. Brazil proved to be an excitement filled race, and dramatic too. Qualifying had a few surprises, with Riccardo Patrese, scoring his first front row start since 1983, next to the home favourite, world champion Ayrton Senna. Williams and Renault were both surprised by the position, but both highly pleased with Thierry Boutsen qualifying fourth alongside the high powered Ferrari of Berger and in front of Prost who could only manage 5th.

The race started with a bang, as Senna's hopes at a home Grand Prix victory were dashed after a clash with Berger in the first turn. In what would prove to be a regular occurrence during the season, the semi-automatic transmission in the Ferrari 640 allowed Berger to get a lightning start from 3rd on the grid and he attempted to go inside of Senna and Patrese into the turn. Patrese got through unscathed and in the lead of his record breaking 177th Grand Prix start whilst Berger was out on the spot (the first of 10 straight retirements for the Austrian driver) while Senna was forced to pit for repairs and would finish the race 2 laps down in 11th place.

...
Wikipedia