The 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XV Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix (XV Fujiterebi Nipponguranpuri in Japanese), was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie, Japan, on the 22 October 1989.[1] The race would be one of the most controversial in F1 history, with Ayrton Senna's post-race disqualification handing the Championship crown to teammate Alain Prost after the pair clashed on track.[1]
Qualifying would see Senna claim his twelfth pole position of the season, while Prost secured second alongside.[1] Behind them came the two Ferraris of Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell, while Riccardo Patrese and Alessandro Nannini shared the third row.[1]
However, while Senna won the battle in qualifying, it was Prost who won the battle of the start, easing ahead of the Brazilian into the first corner.[1] They both managed to pull clear of the Ferraris during the opening tour, with Berger and Mansell fighting with Nannini.[1]
All of the attention would be on the battle of the McLarens out front, for Senna had to win the race just to keep his title hopes alive.[1] At half-distance it seemed as if Prost was destined to win the battle, having established a five second lead, only for Senna to inch his way back towards him as the race wore on.[1]
By lap 40 the Brazilian was right on the Frenchman's tail, but was unable to pull off a move, for Prost was quicker down the straights.[1] Indeed, it was going to take a lunge from Senna to claim the lead, with the Brazilian making several sighting moves into the chicane.[1]
At the end of lap 46 Senna finally made his move, slinging his McLaren inside Prost's car as they braked for the chicane.[1] A huge smack between the two left Prost with suspension damage and a stalled engine, while Senna was left with wing damage and a stalled Honda unit.[1]
However, while Prost abandoned his car, Senna would be able to bump start his car, having been pushed twice by the marshals.[1] He subsequently cut across the chicane, entered the pits for a fresh front wing and rejoined, before hunting down Nannini in the closing stages.[1]
With three laps to go the Brazilian scythed past the Benetton-Ford Cosworth to reclaim the lead, before sprinting away to claim victory.[1] However, immediately after the race the officials opted to disqualify Senna for missing the chicane, with the Brazilian also hit with a six month ban (albeit suspended) and a $100,000 fine.[1]
Nannini was hence declared the victor of the Japanese Grand Prix, while Prost was declared as the winner of the Championship with a race to spare.[1] Elsewhere, Patrese beat Thierry Boutsen to second, while Nelson Piquet, Martin Brundle and Derek Warwick claimed the remaining points.[1]
Background[]
Ayrton Senna had just managed to keep his hopes of the Championship crown alive in Spain, although he would have to win both of the remaining races just to challenge Alain Prost. In contrast, Prost would claim the crown if he finished on the podium in Japan, regardless of what Senna achieved, or if the Brazilian could only manage third or lower. Behind, Nigel Mansell had lost more ground in third, and was set to fight with Riccardo Patrese for the position having sat out the race in Spain.
McLaren-Honda had, as ever, added to their title winning tally in the Constructors' Championship, moving on 141 points for the campaign. Ferrari, meanwhile, had further secured their grip on second, moving five clear of Williams-Renault in third with two races to go. Those two were now in an exclusive fight for the runner-up spot, with Benetton-Ford Cosworth and Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth instead fighting to stay in the top five.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix is outlined below:
Practice Overview[]
Qualifying[]
Pre-Qualifying[]
Pre-Qualifying Results[]
The full pre-qualifying results for the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix are outlined below:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 |  Nicola Larini
|
Osella-Ford Cosworth
|
1:43.035 | — |
| 2 | 30 |  Philippe Alliot
|
Lola-Lamborghini
|
1:43.089 | +0.054s |
| 3 | 34 |  Bernd Schneider
|
Zakspeed-Yamaha
|
1:44.053 | +1.018s |
| 4 | 29 | Michele Alboreto
|
Lola-Lamborghini
|
1:44.075 | +1.040s |
| DNPQ | 18 | Piercarlo Ghinzani
|
Osella-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.313 | +1.278s |
| DNPQ | 31 |  Roberto Moreno
|
Coloni-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.498 | +1.463s |
| DNPQ | 36 |  Stefan Johansson
|
 Onyx-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.582 | +1.547s |
| DNPQ | 35 |  Aguri Suzuki
|
Zakspeed-Yamaha
|
1:44.780 | +1.745s |
| DNPQ | 33 |  Oscar Larrauri
|
EuroBrun-Judd
|
1:45.466 | +2.411s |
| DNPQ | 37 |  JJ Lehto
|
Onyx-Ford Cosworth
|
1:45.787 | +2.752s |
| DNPQ | 40 | Gabriele Tarquini
|
AGS-Ford Cosworth
|
1:46.705 | +3.670s |
| DNPQ | 41 | Yannick Dalmas
|
AGS-Ford Cosworth
|
1:48.306 | +5.271s |
| DNPQ | 32 | Enrico Bertaggia
|
Coloni-Ford Cosworth
|
— | |
| Source:[3] | |||||
Friday Qualifying[]
Saturday Qualifying[]
Qualifying Results[]
The full qualifying results for the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix are outlined below:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | |||||
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna
|
McLaren-Honda
|
1:39.493 | 1:38.041 | — |
| 2 | 2 | Alain Prost
|
McLaren-Honda
|
1:40.875 | 1:39.771 | +1.730s |
| 3 | 28 |  Gerhard Berger
|
Ferrari
|
1:41.253 | 1:40.187 | +2.146s |
| 4 | 27 | Nigel Mansell
|
Ferrari
|
1:40.608 | 1:40.406 | +2.365s |
| 5 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese
|
Williams-Renault
|
1:42.397 | 1:40.936 | +2.895s |
| 6 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini
|
Benetton-Ford Cosworth
|
1:41.601 | 1:41.103 | +3.062s |
| 7 | 5 |  Thierry Boutsen
|
Williams-Renault
|
1:42.943 | 1:41.324 | +3.283s |
| 8 | 30 | Philippe Alliot
|
Lola-Lamborghini
|
1:42.534 | 1:41.336 | +3.295s |
| 9 | 8 | Stefano Modena
|
Brabham-Judd
|
1:42.909 | 1:41.458 | +3.417s |
| 10 | 17 | Nicola Larini
|
Osella-Ford Cosworth
|
1:42.483 | 1:41.519 | +3.478s |
| 11 | 11 | Nelson Piquet
|
Lotus-Judd
|
1:43.386 | 1:41.802 | +3.761s |
| 12 | 12 | Satoru Nakajima
|
Lotus-Judd
|
1:43.370 | 1:41.988 | +3.947s |
| 13 | 7 | Martin Brundle
|
Brabham-Judd
|
1:44.236 | 1:42.182 | +4.141s |
| 14 | 24 |  Luis Pérez-Sala
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:43.107 | 1:42.283 | +4.242s |
| 15 | 21 | Alex Caffi
|
Dallara-Ford Cosworth
|
1:43.171 | 1:42.488 | +4.447s |
| 16 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris
|
Dallara-Ford Cosworth
|
1:43.904 | 1:42.581 | +4.540s |
| 17 | 16 | Ivan Capelli
|
March-Judd
|
1:43.851 | 1:42.672 | +4.631s |
| 18 | 4 | Jean Alesi
|
Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth
|
1:43.306 | 1:42.709 | +4.668s |
| 19 | 23 | Paolo Barilla
|
Minardi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:46.096 | 1:42.780 | +4.739s |
| 20 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin
|
March-Judd
|
1:44.805 | 1:42.880 | +4.839s |
| 21 | 34 | Bernd Schneider
|
Zakspeed-Yamaha
|
1:44.323 | 1:42.892 | +4.851s |
| 22 | 20 | Emanuele Pirro
|
Benetton-Ford Cosworth
|
1:43.217 | 1:43.063 | +5.022s |
| 23 | 26 | Olivier Grouillard
|
Ligier-Ford Cosworth
|
1:45.801 | 1:43.379 | +5.338s |
| 24 | 10 |  Eddie Cheever
|
Arrows-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.501 | 1:43.511 | +5.470s |
| 25 | 9 | Derek Warwick
|
Arrows-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.288 | 1:43.599 | +5.558s |
| 26 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer
|
Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth
|
1:43.955 | 1:43.757 | +5.716s |
| DNQ | 25 | René Arnoux
|
Ligier-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.221 | 1:44.030 | +5.989s |
| DNQ | 29 | Michele Alboreto
|
Lola-Lamborghini
|
1:44.603 | 1:44.101 | +6.022s |
| DNQ | 38 | Pierre-Henri Raphanel
|
Rial-Ford Cosworth
|
2:11.328 | 1:47.160 | +9.119s |
| DNQ | 39 | Bertrand Gachot
|
Rial-Ford Cosworth
|
1:50.883 | 1:47.295 | +9.254s |
| DNPQ | 18 | Piercarlo Ghinzani
|
Osella-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.313 | ||
| DNPQ | 31 | Roberto Moreno
|
Coloni-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.498 | ||
| DNPQ | 36 | Stefan Johansson
|
Onyx-Ford Cosworth
|
1:44.582 | ||
| DNPQ | 35 | Aguri Suzuki
|
Zakspeed-Yamaha
|
1:44.780 | ||
| DNPQ | 33 | Oscar Larrauri
|
EuroBrun-Judd
|
1:45.466 | ||
| DNPQ | 37 | JJ Lehto
|
Onyx-Ford Cosworth
|
1:45.787 | ||
| DNPQ | 40 | Gabriele Tarquini
|
AGS-Ford Cosworth
|
1:46.705 | ||
| DNPQ | 41 | Yannick Dalmas
|
AGS-Ford Cosworth
|
1:48.306 | ||
| DNPQ | 32 | Enrico Bertaggia
|
Coloni-Ford Cosworth
|
— | ||
| Source:[4][5][6] | ||||||
- T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
- Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
Grid[]
| Pos. | Pos. | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Driver | |
| ______________ | ||
| Row 1 | ______________ | 1 |
| 2 | Ayrton Senna | |
| Alain Prost | ______________ | |
| Row 2 | ______________ | 3 |
| 4 | Gerhard Berger | |
| Nigel Mansell | ______________ | |
| Row 3 | ______________ | 5 |
| 6 | Riccardo Patrese | |
| Alessandro Nannini | ______________ | |
| Row 4 | ______________ | 7 |
| 8 | Thierry Boutsen | |
| Philippe Alliot | ______________ | |
| Row 5 | ______________ | 9 |
| 10 | Stefano Modena | |
| Nicola Larini | ______________ | |
| Row 6 | ______________ | 11 |
| 12 | Nelson Piquet | |
| Satoru Nakajima | ______________ | |
| Row 7 | ______________ | 13 |
| 14 | Martin Brundle | |
| Luis Pérez-Sala | ______________ | |
| Row 8 | ______________ | 15 |
| 16 | Alex Caffi | |
| Andrea de Cesaris | ______________ | |
| Row 9 | ______________ | 17 |
| 18 | Ivan Capelli | |
| Jean Alesi | ______________ | |
| Row 10 | ______________ | 19 |
| 20 | Paolo Barilla | |
| Maurício Gugelmin | ______________ | |
| Row 11 | ______________ | 21 |
| 22 | Bernd Schneider | |
| Emanuele Pirro | ______________ | |
| Row 12 | ______________ | 23 |
| 24 | Olivier Grouillard | |
| Eddie Cheever | ______________ | |
| Row 13 | ______________ | 25 |
| 26 | Derek Warwick | |
| ______________ |
- * Palmer started the race from the pit lane.[7]
Race[]
Report[]
Results[]
The full results for the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix are outlined below:
- T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
Milestones[]
- Alain Prost declared as the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship Champion.
- This was Prost's third World Championship title.[8]
- Maiden entry for Paolo Barilla.[9]
- Ayrton Senna secured the 50th pole position for a Honda engine.[8]
- Maiden (and only) victory for Alessandro Nannini.[8]
- Second victory for Benetton as a constructor.[8]
- Riccardo Patrese secured the 110th podium finish for Williams.[8]
- Thierry Boutsen recorded the 80th podium for a Renault engined car.[8]
Standings[]
Ayrton Senna's controversial disqualification brought the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship to a conclusion, with Alain Prost declared as the Champion with a race to spare. Indeed, the Frenchman would head to Australia with a sixteen point advantage over the Brazilian, with Senna only able to score a maximum of nine. The Brazilian hence had to settle for second, while Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese would battle for third at the finale.
McLaren-Honda had another rare double non-score in Japan, meaning their title winning advantage in the Constructors' Championship had been reduced. Indeed, Williams-Renault had climbed back into second after a double podium, moving to within 80 points of the Championship leaders. They would, however, have to fight to secure second in Australian, for Ferrari were just five behind in third.
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
References[]
Images and Videos:
References:
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 'Japanese GP, 1989', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr483.html, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
- ↑ 'Japan 1989: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1989/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
- ↑ '1989 Japan GP: Pre-Qualifying'. chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/race.pl?year=1989&gp=Japanese%20GP&r=1&type=preq, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
- ↑ 'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1989/races/557/japan/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
- ↑ 'Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1989/races/557/japan/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
- ↑ 'Japan 1989: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1989/japon/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 'Japan 1989: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1989/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 '15. Japan 1989', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1989/japon.aspx, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
- ↑ '1989 Japanese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1989&gp=Japanese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 23/04/2019)
| V T E | 1989 Formula One Season | |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | McLaren • Tyrrell • Williams • Brabham • Arrows • Lotus • March • Osella • Benetton • Dallara • Minardi • Ligier • Ferrari • Lola • Coloni • EuroBrun • Zakspeed • Onyx • Rial • AGS | |
| Engines | Ferrari • Ford • Honda • Judd • Lamborghini • Renault • Yamaha | |
| Drivers | 1 Senna • 2 Prost • 3 Palmer • 4 Alboreto • 4 Alesi • 4 Herbert • 5 Boutsen • 6 Patrese • 7 Brundle • 8 Modena • 9 Warwick • 9 Donnelly • 10 Cheever • 11 Piquet • 12 Nakajima • 15 Gugelmin • 16 Capelli • 17 Larini • 18 Ghinzani • 19 Nannini • 20 Herbert • 20 Pirro • 21 Caffi • 22 De Cesaris • 23 Martini • 23 Barilla • 24 Pérez-Sala • 25 Arnoux • 26 Grouillard • 27 Mansell • 28 Berger • 29 Dalmas • 29 Bernard • 29 Alboreto • 30 Alliot • 31 Moreno • 32 Raphanel • 32 Bertaggia • 33 Foitek • 33 Larrauri • 34 Schneider • 35 Suzuki • 36 Johansson • 37 Gachot • 37 Lehto • 38 Danner • 38 Foitek • 38 Gachot • 39 Weidler • 39 Raphanel • 40 Streiff • 40 Tarquini • 41 Winkelhock • 41 Dalmas | |
| Other Drivers | Dumfries • Giacomelli | |
| Cars | McLaren MP4/5 • Williams FW12C • Williams FW13 • Ferrari 640 • Benetton B188 • Benetton B189 • Tyrrell 017B • Tyrrell 018 • Lotus 101 • Arrows A11 • Dallara F189 • Brabham BT58 • Onyx ORE-1 • Minardi M188B • Minardi M189 • March 881 • March CG891 • Rial ARC2 • Ligier JS33 • AGS JH23B • AGS JH24 • Lola LC88B • Lola LC89 • Osella FA1M89 • Coloni FC188B • Coloni C3 • Zakspeed 891 • EuroBrun ER188B • EuroBrun ER189 | |
| Tyres | Goodyear • Pirelli | |
| Races | Brazil • San Marino • Monaco • Mexico • United States • Canada • France • Britain • Germany • Hungary • Belgium • Italy • Portugal • Spain • Japan • Australia | |
| See also | 1988 Formula One Season • 1990 Formula One Season • Category | |
| V T E | Promotional Trophy | |
|---|---|---|
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| V T E | Japanese Grand Prix
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Fuji (1976–1977, 2007–2008), Suzuka (1987–2006, 2009–present) |  |
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| See also | Pacific Grand Prix |
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