The 1990 French Grand Prix was a
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
motor race held at
Paul Ricard
Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...
on 8 July 1990. It was the seventh race of the
1990 Formula One World Championship
The 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 44th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1990 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were conteste ...
. It was the 68th
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...
and the 14th and last to be held at Paul Ricard until the
2018 French Grand Prix
The 2018 French Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix de France 2018) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 24 June 2018 at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France. The race was the eighth round of the ...
. It was held over 80 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a race distance of 305 kilometres. This race was held the same day as the
1990 FIFA World Cup Final in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, but that event took place later in the day from this Grand Prix.
The race almost saw one of the most remarkable upsets in Formula One history with the
Leyton House Racing
Leyton House Racing was a Formula One constructor that raced in the 1990 and 1991 seasons.
It was, in essence, a rebranding of the March team which had returned to F1 in . Leyton House, a Japanese real estate company, had been the team's marq ...
team of Italian driver
Ivan Capelli
Ivan Franco Capelli (born 24 May 1963) is an Italian sports broadcasting, broadcaster and former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to .
Born and raised in Milan, Capelli began competitive kart racing aged 15. He was widely succe ...
and Brazilian driver
MaurÃcio Gugelmin
MaurÃcio Gugelmin (born 20 April 1963) is a Brazilian former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to , and CART from 1993 to 2001.
Born and raised in Joinville, Gugelmin began competitive kart racing aged seven, win ...
running first and second for an extended period of the race in their
Leyton House CG901s. Local driver
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Professor", Prost won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and� ...
claimed the lead late in the race to take the win in his
Ferrari 641
The Ferrari 641 (also known as the Ferrari F1-90) was the Formula One racing car with which the Ferrari team competed in the 1990 Formula One World Championship.
Development
The 641 was a developed version of its predecessor, the 1989 Ferrari ...
by eight seconds over Capelli. Brazilian driver
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his death—held ...
finished third in his
McLaren MP4/5B.
The win, Prost's third for the season, marked Ferrari's
100th race victory in Formula One, and closed the gap to championship points leader Senna to just three points.
Qualifying
Pre-qualifying report
In the Friday morning pre-qualifying session, it was a return to the top two places for the
Larrousse
Larrousse Formula One was a motorsports racing team founded in 1987 by Didier Calmels and former racer Gérard Larrousse, originally under the name Larrousse & Calmels. It was based in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, Antony, in the southern suburbs of Pa ...
-
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lol ...
drivers, their fourth 1–2 of the season.
Éric Bernard
Éric Bernard (born 24 August 1964) is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and .
Born in Martigues, Bernard began competitive kart racing aged 13, winning several national titles. He graduated to Formula Renault ...
was over a second faster than his team-mate
Aguri Suzuki
is a Japanese former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to .
Suzuki entered 88 Formula One Grands Prix, achieving a best result of third at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, becoming the first Asian driver t ...
, who in turn was seven tenths faster than the next fastest driver. For the first time this season, at their home race, both
AGS drivers pre-qualified, with
Gabriele Tarquini
Gabriele Tarquini (born 2 March 1962) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and , and World Touring Car from to 2021. In touring car racing, Tarquini won the World Touring Car Championship in with SEAT; ...
third and
Yannick Dalmas
Yannick Dalmas (; born 28 July 1961) is a former racing driver from France. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times (in 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1999), each with different teams. Prior to this, he participated in 49 Formula One Grands Prix, debuti ...
fourth. It was the first successful pre-qualification for Tarquini this season, and only the second for Dalmas.
In fifth place, missing out by just under seven hundredths of a second, was
Olivier Grouillard
Olivier Grouillard (; born 2 September 1958) is a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to , and IndyCar in 1993.
Born in Fenouillet, Haute-Garonne, Grouillard started kart racing from the age of fourteen competing in event ...
in the sole Osella, the first time he had failed to pre-qualify in 1990. Sixth was
Roberto Moreno
Roberto Pupo Moreno (born 11 February 1959), usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a Brazilian former auto racing, racing driver. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 c ...
in his
EuroBrun
EuroBrun Racing was a Swiss-Italian Formula One constructor based in Senago, Milan, Italy. They participated in 46 Grands Prix between 1988 and 1990, with an Italian license, entering a total of 76 cars.
Background
The team was a combination o ...
, some way adrift of Grouillard and nearly five seconds off Bernard's pace. It was the second time this season Moreno had failed to pre-qualify. Seventh, and much closer to his team-mate this time, was
Claudio Langes
Claudio Langes (born 4 August 1961) is a former racing driver from Italy.
In 1978 he won the Italian 125 cc go-kart championship. In subsequent years he competed in Formula 3 and in Formula 3000, where his best result was a second place at Pergu ...
in the other EuroBrun. The other two runners were not remotely competitive;
Bertrand Gachot
Bertrand Jean Gachot (; born 23 December 1962) is a Belgian and French former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Gachot won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in with ...
suffered an engine failure on his first lap in his
Coloni, still with the heavy, fragile and underpowered
Subaru
is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...
engine,
while
Bruno Giacomelli
Bruno Giacomelli (; born 10 September 1952) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and .
Giacomelli won one of the two 1976 British Formula 3 Championships and the Formula Two championship. From to , Giacome ...
failed to leave the pits in the
Life
Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
.
Pre-qualifying classification
Qualifying report
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell (; born 8 August 1953) is a British former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Mansell won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won 31 Grands Prix across 15 seasons ...
took pole position from
Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger (; born 27 August 1959) is an Austrian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Berger won 10 Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons.
Berger competed in Formula One for 14 seasons, ...
and
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his death—held ...
being followed by
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost (; born 24 February 1955) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Professor", Prost won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles and� ...
,
Alessandro Nannini
Alessandro "Sandro" Nannini (born 7 July 1959) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nannini won the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix with Benetton.
Born in Siena, Nannini is the younger brother of musician Gianna ...
fifth,
Riccardo Patrese
Riccardo Gabriele Patrese (born 17 April 1954) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Patrese was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won six Grands Prix across 17 ...
sixth,
Ivan Capelli
Ivan Franco Capelli (born 24 May 1963) is an Italian sports broadcasting, broadcaster and former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to .
Born and raised in Milan, Capelli began competitive kart racing aged 15. He was widely succe ...
seventh followed by
Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Marc Alain Boutsen (; born 13 July 1957) is a Belgian former racing driver, businessman and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Boutsen won three Formula One Grands Prix across 11 seasons.
Boutsen competed in ...
in eighth,
Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet Souto Maior (, born 17 August 1952) is a Brazilian former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to . Piquet won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in , , and , and won 23 ...
in ninth and
MaurÃcio Gugelmin
MaurÃcio Gugelmin (born 20 April 1963) is a Brazilian former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to , and CART from 1993 to 2001.
Born and raised in Joinville, Gugelmin began competitive kart racing aged seven, win ...
tenth.
Qualifying classification
Race
Race report
The Leyton House cars of Ivan Capelli and MaurÃcio Gugelmin ran first and second for almost two-thirds of the race. Neither car had qualified for the previous race in
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, but on the smooth surface of Paul Ricard with its 1.1 km long Mistral Straight, the team were able to exploit their highly efficient aerodynamic package, as well as being the only team to attempt to race without stopping for fresh tyres. Gugelmin stopped late in the race while third, and Capelli led until three laps from home when his engine encountered problems and dropped to second.
Berger took the lead at the start followed by pole sitter Mansell, Senna, Nannini, Patrese, Prost, Boutsen, Piquet and
Jean Alesi
Jean Robert Alesi (; born Giovanni Roberto Alesi, 11 June 1964) is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Alesi won the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix with Ferrari.
Born and raised in Avignon, Alesi started karting a ...
. Later in the race when the leaders pitted, Capelli took the lead being followed by teammate Gugelmin. Prost overtook Gugelmin on lap 54 and Gugelmin's engine blew on lap 57. Mansell was battling for seventh position with the
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
of
Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger (; born 27 August 1959) is an Austrian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Berger won 10 Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons.
Berger competed in Formula One for 14 seasons, ...
after his second pit-stop, but was eventually forced to retire on lap 73 with engine troubles (Mansell was classified 18th).
Alessandro Nannini
Alessandro "Sandro" Nannini (born 7 July 1959) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nannini won the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix with Benetton.
Born in Siena, Nannini is the younger brother of musician Gianna ...
overtook Senna for third place but eventually retired three laps after Mansell with electrical problems (Nannini was classified 16th). Prost overtook Capelli for the lead on lap 77 of 80 and went on to win in front of his home crowd at the last French Grand Prix held at Paul Ricard before the race was moved to Magny-Cours in for many years until it eventually returned to Paul Ricard in .
Prost's win was the 42nd of his career, his third French Grand Prix in succession, his fifth French GP overall (and his fourth at Paul Ricard), and the 100th Grand Prix victory for
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
. Prost won ahead of Capelli, Senna, Piquet and Berger, with Patrese rounding out the top six. It proved to be the third and last podium finish for Ivan Capelli, and the only podium finish for the Leyton House Racing team.
Race classification
Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
;Constructors' Championship standings
*
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
{{F1GP 90-99
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...
French Grand Prix
Grand Prix
( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to:
* Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition
** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship
*** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...