Nelson Piquet resisted a late charge from Nigel Mansell to win the 1990 Australian Grand Prix, with Alain Prost third. Ayrton Senna‘s retirement opened the door for Benetton to finish the season with a second successive victory.
Race Guide
Season: 1990 F1 World Championship
Race date: 4 November 1990
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC+10:30)
Circuit: Adelaide Street Circuit
Laps: 81 laps
Circuit length: 3.780 km
1989 winner: Thierry Boutsen
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:15.671 | |
| Fastest lap | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:18.203 on lap 75 | |
| First | Nelson Piquet | Benetton |
| Second | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari |
| Third | Alain Prost | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2 November 1990 | Practice 1 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 2 November 1990 | Qualifying 1 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 3 November 1990 | Practice 2 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 3 November 1990 | Qualifying 2 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 4 November 1990 | Warm-up | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 4 November 1990 | Race | 14:00 |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Ayrton Senna arrived at round 16 leading the 1990 F1 World Championship on 78 points, with Alain Prost on 69. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 118 points.
Race entries
The teams retained their Japanese Grand Prix line-ups, with Jean Alesi fit to return after his neck injury. Several partnerships were reaching their final race, including Nigel Mansell‘s spell at Ferrari and Jean Alesi‘s time with Tyrrell. There was again no pre-qualifying session.
Friday Free Practice
Ayrton Senna was comfortably fastest in Friday practice, but several teams had a less straightforward opening day. Lotus suffered repeated mechanical trouble, while David Brabham had returned to a more conventional gearbox arrangement. The street circuit also demanded careful braking preparation: repeated heavy stops could build heat faster than it dissipated, making consistent performance more important than a single quick lap.
Friday Practice Classification
1990 Australian Grand Prix Practice, 2 November 1990
Friday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna‘s Friday lap of 1:15.671 gave him a substantial advantage over Alain Prost and Jean Alesi. It would prove to be the decisive time of the weekend.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1990 Australian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 2 November 1990
Saturday Free Practice
Ayrton Senna again led Saturday practice as the heat intensified. Jean Alesi‘s competitive showing confirmed that he could challenge strongly on his return, while Larrousse struggled through a succession of faults and an ill-balanced spare car. The hotter conditions made improving Friday’s qualifying times difficult, shifting attention towards making the cars reliable and manageable over the race distance.
Saturday Practice Classification
1990 Australian Grand Prix Practice, 3 November 1990
Saturday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna was also fastest on Saturday without improving his earlier lap. Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell did improve, taking second and third overall ahead of Alain Prost. Emanuele Pirro‘s Saturday times were cancelled for a technical infringement, while both Arrows drivers failed to qualify.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1990 Australian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 3 November 1990
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 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:15.671 | 1:15.693 | 1:15.671 | — |
| 2 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:17.431 | 1:16.244 | 1:16.244 | — |
| 3 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 1:17.294 | 1:16.352 | 1:16.352 | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:16.365 | 1:17.021 | 1:16.365 | — |
| 5 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | 1:16.837 | 1:17.246 | 1:16.837 | — |
| 6 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:17.156 | 1:17.449 | 1:17.156 | — |
| 7 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1:17.640 | 1:17.173 | 1:17.173 | — |
| 8 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | 1:17.437 | 1:18.089 | 1:17.437 | — |
| 9 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | 1:17.596 | 1:18.112 | 1:17.596 | — |
| 10 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:18.235 | 1:17.827 | 1:17.827 | — |
| 11 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | 1:19.579 | 1:18.351 | 1:18.351 | — |
| 12 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | 1:19.567 | 1:18.730 | 1:18.730 | — |
| 13 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 1:18.738 | 1:19.066 | 1:18.738 | — |
| 14 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 1:19.341 | 1:18.843 | 1:18.843 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | 1:19.107 | 1:18.858 | 1:18.858 | — |
| 16 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | Leyton House | 1:19.804 | 1:18.860 | 1:18.860 | — |
| 17 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | 1:19.861 | 1:18.886 | 1:18.886 | — |
| 18 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 1:19.091 | 1:19.185 | 1:19.091 | — |
| 19 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 1:19.202 | 1:19.835 | 1:19.202 | — |
| 20 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 1:19.408 | 1:19.347 | 1:19.347 | — |
| 21 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1:19.476 | 3:35.811 | 1:19.476 | — |
| 22 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | 1:21.047 | 1:19.722 | 1:19.722 | — |
| 23 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | 1:21.489 | 1:19.858 | 1:19.858 | — |
| 24 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:19.970 | 1:20.235 | 1:19.970 | — |
| 25 | 7 | David Brabham | Brabham | 1:20.846 | 1:20.218 | 1:20.218 | — |
| 26 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:21.222 | 1:20.296 | 1:20.296 | — |
| DNQ | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Arrows | 1:20.630 | 1:20.545 | 1:20.545 | — |
| DNQ | 18 | Yannick Dalmas | AGS | 1:21.342 | 1:20.570 | 1:20.570 | — |
| DNQ | 10 | Alex Caffi | Arrows | 1:21.101 | 1:20.609 | 1:20.609 | — |
| DNQ | 31 | Bertrand Gachot | Coloni | 1:23.135 | 1:23.975 | 1:23.135 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Alain Prost narrowly headed the warm-up, with the leading four cars separated by less than a quarter of a second. The heat made tyre selection important, with Pirelli and Goodyear runners taking different approaches. Brake cooling also remained a major consideration on a circuit where successive heavy stops could produce fading performance, even in a car that looked competitive over a short run.
Warm-up Classification
1990 Australian Grand Prix Warm-up, 4 November 1990
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:19.422 | — |
| 2 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +0.094s | — |
| 3 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +0.223s | — |
| 4 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | +0.244s | — |
| 5 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | +0.423s | — |
| 6 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | +0.660s | — |
| 7 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +0.832s | — |
| 8 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | +1.312s | — |
| 9 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | +1.353s | — |
| 10 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | +1.531s | — |
| 11 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +1.881s | — |
| 12 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | +2.256s | — |
| 13 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | +2.285s | — |
| 14 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | +2.669s | — |
| 15 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | +2.778s | — |
| 16 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | +2.826s | — |
| 17 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | +2.892s | — |
| 18 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | +3.065s | — |
| 19 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | +3.078s | — |
| 20 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | +3.132s | — |
| 21 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | +3.373s | — |
| 22 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | +3.568s | — |
| 23 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | +3.725s | — |
| 24 | 7 | David Brabham | Brabham | +4.124s | — |
| 25 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | +4.274s | — |
| 26 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | +4.693s | — |
What happened in the 1990 Australian Grand Prix?
Ayrton Senna led the opening stages, with Nigel Mansell pursuing him. A spin damaged the Ferrari‘s tyres and forced a stop, dropping Nigel Mansell back into the pack. Nelson Piquet advanced to second and remained well placed to exploit any problem for the leader.
Ayrton Senna went off after a gear-selection problem, handing Nelson Piquet the lead. Nigel Mansell charged back on fresher tyres, passing Alain Prost and closing on the Benetton. Their duel supplied a thrilling finish as Nigel Mansell attempted a late braking move but could not make it stick.
Nelson Piquet won from Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost, with Gerhard Berger, Thierry Boutsen and Riccardo Patrese completing the points. The result lifted Nelson Piquet to third in the championship. Under the best-11-results rule, Alain Prost dropped two points and Nelson Piquet one from their final drivers’ totals; constructors retained every result.
After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 78 points, followed by Alain Prost on 71. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 121, with Ferrari on 110.
1990 Australian Grand Prix race results
The 1990 Australian Grand Prix was held on 4 November 1990, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.
1990 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 75 | 1:18.203 |
| 2 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 79 | 1:18.527 |
| 3 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 50 | 1:19.302 |
| 4 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 70 | 1:19.434 |
| 5 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Benetton | 38 | 1:19.707 |
| 6 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | 59 | 1:19.717 |
| 7 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | 59 | 1:19.732 |
| 8 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 57 | 1:19.818 |
| 9 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 48 | 1:20.025 |
| 10 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | 68 | 1:21.209 |
| 11 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 57 | 1:21.257 |
| 12 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 51 | 1:21.713 |
| 13 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 69 | 1:21.921 |
| 14 | 12 | Johnny Herbert | Lotus | 51 | 1:22.142 |
| 15 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | 21 | 1:22.200 |
| 16 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 61 | 1:22.505 |
| 17 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | 16 | 1:22.524 |
| 18 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 43 | 1:22.583 |
| 19 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | 55 | 1:22.693 |
| 20 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 56 | 1:23.147 |
| 21 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | 18 | 1:23.272 |
| 22 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | 19 | 1:23.897 |
| 23 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 6 | 1:24.007 |
| 24 | 24 | Gianni Morbidelli | Minardi | 17 | 1:24.272 |
| 25 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | 50 | 1:25.642 |
| 26 | 7 | David Brabham | Brabham | 6 | 1:25.703 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1990 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1990 Australian Grand Prix.
1990 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1990 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 121 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 110 |
| 3 | Benetton | 71 |
| 4 | Williams | 57 |
| 5 | Tyrrell | 16 |
| 6 | Lola | 11 |
| 7 | Leyton House | 7 |
| 8 | Lotus | 3 |
| 9 | Arrows | 2 |
| 10 | Brabham | 2 |
| – | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Onyx | 0 |
| – | AGS | 0 |
| – | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Osella | 0 |
| – | EuroBrun | 0 |
Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race. Prost scored 73 points but retained 71; Piquet scored 44 but retained 43. Larrousse’s 11 constructor points are shown as they stood at the season finale; the team was subsequently excluded in 1991 over its chassis declaration. The FIA yearbook listed Capelli and Moreno jointly tenth, and Modena and Caffi jointly sixteenth; the table preserves the modern archive order.
1990 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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