Gerhard Berger won a dramatic 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix, while a pit-lane mistake turned Nigel Mansell‘s promising race into disqualification and a collision with Ayrton Senna. Alain Prost finished second, and Stefan Johansson gave Onyx its only Formula 1 podium. It was also a landmark afternoon for Minardi, which briefly led a Grand Prix for the first time.
Race Guide
Season: 1989 F1 World Championship
Race date: 24 September 1989
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+00:00)
Circuit: Autódromo do Estoril
Laps: 71 laps
Circuit length: 4.350 km
1988 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:15.468 | |
| Fastest lap | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:18.986 on lap 49 | |
| First | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| Second | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| Third | Stefan Johansson | Onyx |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 22 September 1989 | Pre-qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 22 September 1989 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 22 September 1989 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 23 September 1989 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 23 September 1989 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 24 September 1989 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 24 September 1989 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Alain Prost arrived at round 13 leading the 1989 F1 World Championship on 71 points, with Ayrton Senna on 51. McLaren – Honda headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 122 points.
Race entries
JJ Lehto replaced Bertrand Gachot at Onyx for his first Formula 1 weekend. Johnny Herbert again deputised for Jean Alesi at Tyrrell while Jean Alesi raced in Formula 3000. Williams finally introduced the FW13 for both Riccardo Patrese and Thierry Boutsen, giving the team a new development challenge with four rounds remaining.
Pre-qualifying
Stefan Johansson headed the session, with Philippe Alliot, Roberto Moreno and Michele Alboreto also progressing. Yannick Dalmas lost his place through a tyre infringement, while Nicola Larini was excluded for missing a weight check. JJ Lehto narrowly failed to advance after suspension trouble, leaving Stefan Johansson as Onyx‘s sole representative in the main sessions.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 36 | Stefan Johansson | Onyx | 1:18.623 | — |
| 2 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:19.164 | +0.541 |
| 3 | 31 | Roberto Moreno | Coloni | 1:19.780 | +1.157 |
| 4 | 29 | Michele Alboreto | Lola | 1:19.869 | +1.246 |
| 5 | 37 | JJ Lehto | Onyx | 1:20.880 | +2.257 |
| 6 | 18 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:21.021 | +2.398 |
| 7 | 33 | Oscar Larrauri | EuroBrun | 1:21.326 | +2.703 |
| 8 | 40 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:21.881 | +3.258 |
| 9 | 35 | Aguri Suzuki | Zakspeed | 1:24.116 | +5.493 |
| 10 | 34 | Bernd Schneider | Zakspeed | 1:24.732 | +6.109 |
| 11 | 32 | Enrico Bertaggia | Coloni | 1:28.526 | +9.903 |
| EX | 41 | Yannick Dalmas | AGS | — | — |
| EX | 17 | Nicola Larini | Osella | — | — |
Friday Free Practice
Ayrton Senna led Friday practice from Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger, as McLaren explored suspension changes developed in testing. Williams had a much larger task with the debuting FW13: both drivers found it nervous and difficult to place consistently. Johnny Herbert was also unwell on his return to Tyrrell, limiting his prospects. The opening session combined a familiar McLaren advantage with substantial setup work for teams introducing new machinery or adjusting to a substitute driver.
Friday Practice Classification
1989 Portuguese Grand Prix Practice, 22 September 1989
Friday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna set a formidable Friday benchmark of 1:15.496, with Gerhard Berger second. Pierluigi Martini put Minardi third, a striking demonstration of the team’s growing pace on Pirelli qualifying tyres. The Brazilian had a substantial margin, but Ferrari and the smaller Italian team both had reasons to be pleased with their opening session.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1989 Portuguese Grand Prix first qualifying session, 22 September 1989
Saturday Free Practice
Nigel Mansell headed Saturday practice, with Ayrton Senna close behind and Pierluigi Martini an impressive third. Pierluigi Martini‘s performance reinforced Minardi‘s Friday promise and the effectiveness of its Pirelli tyres. The new Williams continued to demand careful setup work, with oversteer making it less settled than its drivers wanted. Ferrari‘s pace was encouraging too: its handling gave Nigel Mansell a stronger basis for optimism than the size of Ayrton Senna‘s Friday qualifying advantage might have suggested.
Saturday Practice Classification
1989 Portuguese Grand Prix Practice, 23 September 1989
Saturday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna improved fractionally on Saturday to take pole in 1:15.468. Gerhard Berger remained second and Nigel Mansell moved to third, ahead of Alain Prost. Pierluigi Martini qualified fifth and team-mate Luis Pérez-Sala ninth. Roberto Moreno took Coloni‘s best-ever grid position in fifteenth, although his session ended with a heavy collision with Eddie Cheever. Both drivers escaped injury.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1989 Portuguese Grand Prix second qualifying session, 23 September 1989
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Friday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:15.496 | 1:15.468 | 1:15.468 | — |
| 2 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:16.799 | 1:16.059 | 1:16.059 | — |
| 3 | 27 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 1:17.387 | 1:16.193 | 1:16.193 | — |
| 4 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:17.336 | 1:16.204 | 1:16.204 | — |
| 5 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:16.938 | 1:17.161 | 1:16.938 | — |
| 6 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:17.281 | 1:17.852 | 1:17.281 | — |
| 7 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Dallara | 1:18.623 | 1:17.661 | 1:17.661 | — |
| 8 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | 1:17.801 | 1:17.888 | 1:17.801 | — |
| 9 | 24 | Luis Pérez-Sala | Minardi | 1:17.844 | 1:18.305 | 1:17.844 | — |
| 10 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 1:17.874 | 1:17.995 | 1:17.874 | — |
| 11 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | 1:18.589 | 1:18.093 | 1:18.093 | — |
| 12 | 36 | Stefan Johansson | Onyx | 1:19.281 | 1:18.105 | 1:18.623 | — |
| 13 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 1:18.115 | 1:18.359 | 1:18.115 | — |
| 14 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | March | 1:18.124 | 1:18.277 | 1:18.124 | — |
| 15 | 31 | Roberto Moreno | Coloni | 1:18.196 | 1:20.512 | 1:19.780 | — |
| 16 | 20 | Emanuele Pirro | Benetton | 1:18.340 | 1:18.328 | 1:18.328 | — |
| 17 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:19.306 | 1:18.386 | 1:19.164 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:19.172 | 1:18.404 | 1:18.404 | — |
| 19 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | 1:18.442 | 1:18.511 | 1:18.442 | — |
| 20 | 11 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus | 1:18.482 | 1:18.682 | 1:18.482 | — |
| 21 | 29 | Michele Alboreto | Lola | 1:18.563 | 1:18.846 | 1:19.869 | — |
| 22 | 9 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:18.711 | 1:18.892 | 1:18.711 | — |
| 23 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 1:18.767 | 1:19.979 | 1:18.767 | — |
| 24 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:19.079 | 1:18.785 | 1:18.785 | — |
| 25 | 12 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:19.278 | 1:19.165 | 1:19.165 | — |
| 26 | 10 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:19.247 | 1:20.006 | 1:19.247 | — |
| 27 | 4 | Johnny Herbert | Tyrrell | 1:19.515 | 1:19.264 | 1:19.264 | — |
| 28 | 26 | Olivier Grouillard | Ligier | 1:19.605 | 1:19.436 | 1:19.436 | — |
| 29 | 39 | Pierre-Henri Raphanel | Rial | No time | 1:21.435 | 1:21.435 | — |
| 30 | 38 | Christian Danner | Rial | 1:21.678 | 1:22.423 | 1:21.678 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Ayrton Senna was fastest in the warm-up despite gearbox trouble, ahead of Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost. Nigel Mansell emerged confident in the Ferrari‘s race prospects, while McLaren‘s drivers were not entirely satisfied with their cars’ balance. Eddie Cheever also improved markedly on his qualifying showing with eighth. The session suggested that the race might be more closely contested than qualifying, particularly once tyre wear and the cars’ behaviour over a longer run came into play.
Warm-up Classification
1989 Portuguese Grand Prix Warm-up, 24 September 1989
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:19.795 | — |
| 2 | 27 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | +0.268s | — |
| 3 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | +0.424s | — |
| 4 | 9 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | +0.898s | — |
| 5 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | +0.935s | — |
| 6 | 36 | Stefan Johansson | Onyx | +1.137s | — |
| 7 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | +1.264s | — |
| 8 | 10 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | +1.449s | — |
| 9 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +1.738s | — |
| 10 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | March | +1.750s | — |
| 11 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +1.771s | — |
| 12 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | +1.846s | — |
| 13 | 20 | Emanuele Pirro | Benetton | +1.867s | — |
| 14 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | +1.938s | — |
| 15 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | +2.215s | — |
| 16 | 12 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | +2.278s | — |
| 17 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | +2.279s | — |
| 18 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | +2.380s | — |
| 19 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Dallara | +2.516s | — |
| 20 | 29 | Michele Alboreto | Lola | +2.653s | — |
| 21 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | +2.677s | — |
| 22 | 11 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus | +3.196s | — |
| 23 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | +3.248s | — |
| 24 | 24 | Luis Perez-Sala | Minardi | +3.422s | — |
| 25 | 31 | Roberto Moreno | Coloni | +3.511s | — |
| 26 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | +4.766s | — |
What happened in the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix?
Gerhard Berger led from the start, but Nigel Mansell passed Ayrton Senna and then his Ferrari team-mate to take control. Nigel Mansell‘s race unravelled at his tyre stop when he overshot the pit box and reversed back into position. Reversing under power in the pit lane was prohibited, and the officials showed him the black flag.
Nigel Mansell continued and collided with Ayrton Senna while attempting to pass, taking both out. Gerhard Berger went on to win, with Alain Prost second. The Williams cars retired with overheating after debris obstructed their cooling ducts, helping Stefan Johansson reach third on a non-stop run for Onyx.
Alessandro Nannini finished fourth, Pierluigi Martini fifth and Jonathan Palmer sixth. Pierluigi Martini had briefly led during the pit stops, the only lap a Minardi would lead in Formula 1. Nigel Mansell‘s actions subsequently brought a one-race ban, while Alain Prost‘s result increased his retained championship score after his lowest previous result was dropped.
After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 75 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 51. McLaren – Honda led the constructors’ table on 128, with Ferrari on 53.
1989 Portuguese Grand Prix race results
The 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix was held on 24 September 1989.
1989 Portuguese Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 49 | 1:18.986 |
| 2 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 48 | 1:19.385 |
| 3 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 47 | 1:19.490 |
| 4 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | 38 | 1:19.575 |
| 5 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 46 | 1:19.796 |
| 6 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | March | 69 | 1:20.571 |
| 7 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 33 | 1:20.697 |
| 8 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 43 | 1:20.722 |
| 9 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham | 50 | 1:21.167 |
| 10 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 34 | 1:21.170 |
| 11 | 36 | Stefan Johansson | Onyx | 45 | 1:21.224 |
| 12 | 21 | Alex Caffi | Dallara | 33 | 1:21.300 |
| 13 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | 64 | 1:21.451 |
| 14 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 34 | 1:21.562 |
| 15 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 63 | 1:21.603 |
| 16 | 29 | Michele Alboreto | Lola | 56 | 1:21.756 |
| 17 | 12 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 39 | 1:21.794 |
| 18 | 24 | Luis Perez-Sala | Minardi | 60 | 1:22.114 |
| 19 | 11 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus | 22 | 1:22.356 |
| 20 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 18 | 1:22.873 |
| 21 | 9 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 27 | 1:22.926 |
| 22 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | 4 | 1:23.592 |
| 23 | 10 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 7 | 1:23.732 |
| 24 | 20 | Emanuele Pirro | Benetton | 3 | 1:24.080 |
| 25 | 31 | Roberto Moreno | Coloni | 10 | 1:25.411 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1989 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix.
1989 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1989 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren – Honda | 128 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 53 |
| 3 | Williams – Renault | 52 |
| 4 | Benetton – Ford | 22 |
| 5 | Tyrrell – Ford | 13 |
| 6 | Arrows – Ford | 12 |
| 7 | Lotus – Judd | 9 |
| 8 | Dallara – Ford | 8 |
| 9 | Onyx – Ford | 6 |
| 10 | Brabham – Judd | 6 |
| 11 | Minardi – Ford | 5 |
| 12 | March – Judd | 4 |
| 13 | Rial – Ford | 3 |
| 14 | Ligier – Ford | 3 |
| 15 | AGS – Ford | 1 |
| — | Lola – Lamborghini | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 0 |
| — | Zakspeed – Yamaha | 0 |
| — | EuroBrun – Judd | 0 |
| — | Coloni – Ford | 0 |
Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.
1989 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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