1989 Spanish Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 16 in the 1989 Formula One season | |||
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|||
| Date | 1 October 1989 | ||
| Official name | XXXI Gran Premio Tio Pepe de España | ||
| Location |
Circuito Permanente de Jerez Jerez de la Frontera, Spain |
||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.218 km (2.6209 mi) | ||
| Distance | 73 laps, 307.918 km (191.328 mi) | ||
| Weather | Dry, hot, sunny | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | McLaren-Honda | ||
| Time | 1:20.291 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Ayrton Senna
|
McLaren-Honda | |
| Time | 1:25.779 on lap 55 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | McLaren-Honda | ||
| Second | Ferrari | ||
| Third | McLaren-Honda | ||
The 1989 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jerez on 1 October 1989.
After failing to pit after being shown the black flag twice for reversing in the pits during the previous race in Portugal, Ferrari driver Nigel Mansell had been suspended for the race by the sports governing body FISA. Never far from drama, Mansell stated in a pre-practice press conference that he would be forced to consider retirement if FISA honestly believed he would ignore a black flag. The general feeling among those in the paddock and the members of the press was that Mansell was really being punished for 'ruining the championship' after his post black flag crash that took Ayrton Senna out of the race. Ferrari did not replace Mansell in Spain and only entered one car for Gerhard Berger.
Pre-qualifying was again a lottery. Last start podium finisher Stefan Johansson failed to pre-qualify his Onyx, while new team mate JJ Lehto finished second behind the Osella of Nicola Larini. Third was Larini's team mate Piercarlo Ghinzani, while qualifying specialist Philippe Alliot finished 4th in his Lola-Lamborghini. Missing out were the likes of Johansson, Michele Alboreto and Roberto Moreno.
Ayrton Senna blasted around the 4.218 km (2.6209 mi) Jerez circuit in 1:20.291 to take his pole position record to 40. Gerhard Berger was second in his Ferrari 640, only 0.274 seconds behind the man who would be his 1990 team mate at McLaren. Over a second behind Senna in third was world championship leader Alain Prost in his McLaren, with the surprise of late season qualifying, Pierluigi Martini, fourth in his Minardi, the Pirelli qualifying tyres once again coming to the fore. Martini had been an incredible second fastest after Friday qualifying, only 0.388 slower than Senna.
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