Alain Prost took a third consecutive victory at the 1990 British Grand Prix as Nigel Mansell‘s home challenge ended with gearbox failure. Thierry Boutsen finished second and Ayrton Senna third in the final Grand Prix on Silverstone‘s original high-speed layout.
Race Guide
Season: 1990 F1 World Championship
Race date: 15 July 1990
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC+01:00)
Circuit: Silverstone Circuit
Laps: 64 laps
Circuit length: 4.778 km
1989 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari |
| Pole time | 1:07.428 | |
| Fastest lap | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:11.291 on lap 51 | |
| First | Alain Prost | Ferrari |
| Second | Thierry Boutsen | Williams |
| Third | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 13 July 1990 | Pre-qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 13 July 1990 | Practice 1 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 13 July 1990 | Qualifying 1 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 14 July 1990 | Practice 2 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 14 July 1990 | Qualifying 2 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 15 July 1990 | Warm-up | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 15 July 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 8 leading the 1990 F1 World Championship on 35 points, with Alain Prost on 32. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 60 points.
Race entries
The teams retained their French Grand Prix line-ups. Riccardo Patrese reached his 200th Grand Prix start, while Benetton introduced an improved Ford engine. The race also marked the last opportunity to influence the mid-season pre-qualifying reshuffle.
Pre-qualifying
Eric Bernard and Aguri Suzuki again led the session, with Gabriele Tarquini and Olivier Grouillard advancing. Roberto Moreno, Yannick Dalmas and Langes missed out. Gachot’s Subaru engine failed once more, bringing that unsuccessful partnership towards its end, while Giacomelli’s Life was stopped by an electrical problem.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | 1:10.254 | — |
| 2 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:11.128 | +0.874 |
| 3 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:11.516 | +1.262 |
| 4 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | 1:11.953 | +1.699 |
| 5 | 33 | Roberto Moreno | EuroBrun | 1:12.554 | +2.300 |
| 6 | 18 | Yannick Dalmas | AGS | 1:12.653 | +2.399 |
| 7 | 34 | Claudio Langes | EuroBrun | 1:15.059 | +4.805 |
| 8 | 31 | Bertrand Gachot | Coloni | 1:19.230 | +8.976 |
| 9 | 39 | Bruno Giacomelli | Life | 1:25.947 | +15.693 |
Friday Free Practice
Gerhard Berger headed Friday practice in hot, sunny conditions, but Ferrari arrived with a particularly thorough preparation: each driver had separate cars available for race work and qualifying. Nigel Mansell was not yet happy with his settings. Williams had also set aside its French suspension experiment, while Benetton prepared to assess its improved engine specification.
Friday Practice Classification
1990 British Grand Prix Practice, 13 July 1990
Friday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna headed Friday qualifying ahead of Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell. McLaren appeared to have maintained its familiar advantage, but Ferrari was still refining the setup that would transform the following afternoon.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1990 British Grand Prix first qualifying session, 13 July 1990
Saturday Free Practice
Alain Prost led Saturday practice, with Jean Alesi second, as Ferrari‘s threat became clearer. Nigel Mansell adopted more downforce and found a much stronger balance for the afternoon. McLaren remained quick but struggled to sustain the performance of its soft tyres. Larrousse also showed considerable pace, although engine failures meant that its promising times came with a substantial repair bill.
Saturday Practice Classification
1990 British Grand Prix Practice, 14 July 1990
Saturday Qualifying
Nigel Mansell produced a 1:07.428 on Saturday to take pole by more than half a second from Ayrton Senna‘s Friday time. Gerhard Berger was third, followed by Thierry Boutsen and Alain Prost. Eric Bernard and Aguri Suzuki qualified eighth and ninth, giving Larrousse an excellent opportunity to score.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1990 British Grand Prix second qualifying session, 14 July 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 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 1:08.336 | 1:07.428 | 1:07.428 | — |
| 2 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:08.071 | 1:09.055 | 1:08.071 | — |
| 3 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:08.246 | 1:08.674 | 1:08.246 | — |
| 4 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | 1:09.102 | 1:08.291 | 1:08.291 | — |
| 5 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:09.110 | 1:08.336 | 1:08.336 | — |
| 6 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | 1:09.147 | 1:08.370 | 1:08.370 | — |
| 7 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:08.677 | 1:08.864 | 1:08.677 | — |
| 8 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | 1:09.560 | 1:09.003 | 1:10.254 | — |
| 9 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:09.243 | 1:09.865 | 1:11.128 | — |
| 10 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 1:10.691 | 1:09.308 | 1:09.308 | — |
| 11 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1:09.684 | 1:09.407 | 1:09.407 | — |
| 12 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 1:09.937 | 1:09.608 | 1:09.608 | — |
| 13 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 1:09.782 | 1:09.641 | 1:09.641 | — |
| 14 | 12 | Martin Donnelly | Lotus | 1:10.786 | 1:09.741 | 1:09.741 | — |
| 15 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | Leyton House | 1:11.167 | 1:10.044 | 1:10.044 | — |
| 16 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | 1:10.552 | 1:10.092 | 1:10.092 | — |
| 17 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Arrows | 1:10.480 | 1:10.110 | 1:10.110 | — |
| 18 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:10.568 | 1:10.303 | 1:10.303 | — |
| 19 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1:11.413 | 1:10.847 | 1:10.847 | — |
| 20 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | 1:11.070 | 1:11.600 | 1:11.070 | — |
| 21 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | 1:11.942 | 1:11.180 | 1:11.180 | — |
| 22 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 1:12.483 | 1:11.215 | 1:11.215 | — |
| 23 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | 1:11.705 | 1:11.234 | 1:11.234 | — |
| 24 | 24 | Paolo Barilla | Minardi | 1:11.498 | 1:11.387 | 1:11.387 | — |
| 25 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Arrows | 1:11.562 | 1:12.644 | 1:11.562 | — |
| 26 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:12.506 | 1:11.681 | 1:11.516 | — |
| DNQ | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | 1:12.179 | 1:11.710 | 1:11.953 | — |
| DNQ | 7 | David Brabham | Brabham | 1:11.741 | 1:13.016 | 1:11.741 | — |
| DNQ | 36 | JJ Lehto | Onyx | 1:12.712 | 1:12.631 | 1:12.631 | — |
| DNQ | 35 | Gregor Foitek | Onyx | 1:13.413 | 1:13.271 | 1:13.271 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Nigel Mansell led the warm-up, with Nelson Piquet splitting the Ferraris. Benetton‘s improved engine offered encouragement after a difficult qualifying session, while McLaren was only fourth and fifth. Most drivers selected harder tyres for the race, with Leyton House taking a different approach. The morning suggested that Ferrari‘s advantage could extend well beyond a single qualifying lap.
Warm-up Classification
1990 British Grand Prix Warm-up, 15 July 1990
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 1:10.880 | — |
| 2 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | +0.367s | — |
| 3 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | +0.392s | — |
| 4 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | +0.767s | — |
| 5 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +0.960s | — |
| 6 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +1.143s | — |
| 7 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | +1.308s | — |
| 8 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | +1.351s | — |
| 9 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | +1.423s | — |
| 10 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | +1.484s | — |
| 11 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | +1.741s | — |
| 12 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | +1.963s | — |
| 13 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Arrows | +1.963s | — |
| 14 | 12 | Martin Donnelly | Lotus | +2.055s | — |
| 15 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | +2.108s | — |
| 16 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | +2.329s | — |
| 17 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +2.393s | — |
| 18 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | +2.429s | — |
| 19 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | Leyton House | +2.719s | — |
| 20 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Arrows | +2.861s | — |
| 21 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | +3.148s | — |
| 22 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | +3.414s | — |
| 23 | 24 | Paolo Barilla | Minardi | +3.642s | — |
| 24 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | +3.839s | — |
| 25 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | +4.313s | — |
| 26 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | +4.605s | — |
What happened in the 1990 British Grand Prix?
Ayrton Senna initially led, but Nigel Mansell moved ahead and controlled much of the race. Riccardo Patrese‘s landmark start ended following contact with Alessandro Nannini. Ivan Capelli recovered from an early spin to run strongly before a fuel leak forced him out.
Nigel Mansell‘s gearbox began to malfunction, allowing Alain Prost to pass. The problem eventually became terminal, ending the home driver’s hopes. His frustration spilled over after the retirement, when he announced an intention to leave Formula 1 at the end of the season, a decision he would later reverse.
Alain Prost won from Thierry Boutsen and Ayrton Senna, taking the championship lead. Eric Bernard finished fourth, Nelson Piquet fifth and Aguri Suzuki sixth, giving Larrousse a valuable double points result. Nigel Mansell‘s disappointment contrasted sharply with Alain Prost‘s increasingly convincing title campaign.
After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 41 points, followed by Ayrton Senna on 39. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 64, with Ferrari on 54.
1990 British Grand Prix race results
The 1990 British Grand Prix was held on 15 July 1990, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.
1990 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 51 | 1:11.291 |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 56 | 1:11.526 |
| 3 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 37 | 1:11.712 |
| 4 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 59 | 1:12.227 |
| 5 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 57 | 1:12.250 |
| 6 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 53 | 1:12.393 |
| 7 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | 44 | 1:12.639 |
| 8 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 53 | 1:12.723 |
| 9 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | 56 | 1:12.879 |
| 10 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | 50 | 1:13.088 |
| 11 | 12 | Martin Donnelly | Lotus | 48 | 1:13.204 |
| 12 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | 56 | 1:13.338 |
| 13 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 12 | 1:13.405 |
| 14 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Arrows | 59 | 1:13.573 |
| 15 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 57 | 1:13.731 |
| 16 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Arrows | 36 | 1:13.932 |
| 17 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 20 | 1:14.130 |
| 18 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | 46 | 1:14.416 |
| 19 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 59 | 1:14.848 |
| 20 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | 57 | 1:14.953 |
| 21 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 20 | 1:15.192 |
| 22 | 24 | Paolo Barilla | Minardi | 47 | 1:15.607 |
| 23 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 39 | 1:15.889 |
| 24 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | 6 | 1:16.039 |
| 25 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 2 | 1:17.827 |
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 British Grand Prix.
1990 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1990 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 64 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 54 |
| 3 | Williams | 27 |
| 4 | Benetton | 25 |
| 5 | Tyrrell | 14 |
| 6 | Leyton House | 6 |
| 7 | Lola | 5 |
| 8 | Arrows | 2 |
| 9 | Brabham | 2 |
| 10 | Lotus | 1 |
| – | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Onyx | 0 |
| – | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Dallara | 0 |
| – | Osella | 0 |
| – | EuroBrun | 0 |
| – | AGS | 0 |
Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.
1990 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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