Alain Prost charged from thirteenth on the grid to win the 1990 Mexican Grand Prix. Nigel Mansell completed a Ferrari one-two with a spectacular late pass on Gerhard Berger, while Ayrton Senna‘s tyre gamble ended in retirement.
Race Guide
Season: 1990 F1 World Championship
Race date: 24 June 1990
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC-06:00)
Circuit: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Laps: 69 laps
Circuit length: 4.421 km
1989 winner: Ayrton Senna
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:17.227 | |
| Fastest lap | Alain Prost | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:17.958 on lap 58 | |
| First | Alain Prost | Ferrari |
| Second | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari |
| Third | Gerhard Berger | McLaren |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 22 June 1990 | Pre-qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 22 June 1990 | Practice 1 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 22 June 1990 | Qualifying 1 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 23 June 1990 | Practice 2 | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 23 June 1990 | Qualifying 2 | Afternoon; start time unconfirmed |
| 24 June 1990 | Warm-up | Morning; start time unconfirmed |
| 24 June 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 6 leading the 1990 F1 World Championship on 31 points, with Gerhard Berger on 19. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 50 points.
Race entries
The driver line-ups were unchanged. Ferrari arrived amid changes to its technical organisation, while several smaller teams continued their struggle to develop difficult cars. Mexico’s altitude and uneven surface promised another demanding weekend for engines, tyres and suspension.
Pre-qualifying
Olivier Grouillard headed pre-qualifying for the first time that season. Eric Bernard, Roberto Moreno and Aguri Suzuki joined him in the main sessions. Yannick Dalmas and Gabriele Tarquini again missed out for AGS, while Gachot, Langes and Giacomelli completed the unsuccessful group.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | 1:25.281 | — |
| 2 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | 1:25.456 | +0.175 |
| 3 | 33 | Roberto Moreno | EuroBrun | 1:26.724 | +1.443 |
| 4 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:27.511 | +2.230 |
| 5 | 18 | Yannick Dalmas | AGS | 1:27.830 | +2.549 |
| 6 | 17 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS | 1:28.499 | +3.218 |
| 7 | 31 | Bertrand Gachot | Coloni | 1:28.805 | +3.524 |
| 8 | 34 | Claudio Langes | EuroBrun | 1:40.414 | +15.133 |
| 9 | 39 | Bruno Giacomelli | Life | 4:07.475 | +2:42.194 |
Friday Free Practice
Nigel Mansell led Friday practice, narrowly ahead of Riccardo Patrese. Getting a qualifying setup to work was unusually difficult because the soft tyres deteriorated quickly, prompting some drivers to find more speed on harder rubber. Alain Prost increasingly concentrated on race preparation instead. The bumps also exposed handling weaknesses in several cars, making a stable platform more valuable than an impressive isolated lap.
Friday Practice Classification
1990 Mexican Grand Prix Practice, 22 June 1990
Friday Qualifying
Gerhard Berger set the decisive Friday lap, a 1:17.227, ahead of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese. Alain Prost remained dissatisfied with the qualifying balance and continued working with his race setup rather than chasing a fragile improvement on soft tyres.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1990 Mexican Grand Prix first qualifying session, 22 June 1990
Saturday Free Practice
Thierry Boutsen headed Saturday practice, but both Larrousse drivers suffered major accidents during the morning. The team faced a substantial rebuilding task simply to keep Eric Bernard and Aguri Suzuki in contention. The changeable conditions further complicated preparation, while Leyton House remained unable to find the grip needed to qualify either car.
Saturday Practice Classification
1990 Mexican Grand Prix Practice, 23 June 1990
Saturday Qualifying
Riccardo Patrese was fastest on Saturday but could not beat Gerhard Berger‘s Friday time. He secured second overall, with Ayrton Senna third and Nigel Mansell fourth. Alain Prost started thirteenth. Roberto Moreno was excluded for receiving a push-start, while both Leyton Houses failed to qualify.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1990 Mexican Grand Prix second qualifying session, 23 June 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 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:17.227 | 1:17.850 | 1:17.227 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:18.215 | 1:17.498 | 1:17.498 | — |
| 3 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:18.417 | 1:17.670 | 1:17.670 | — |
| 4 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 1:17.938 | 1:17.732 | 1:17.732 | — |
| 5 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | 1:19.062 | 1:17.883 | 1:17.883 | — |
| 6 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | 1:18.723 | 1:18.282 | 1:18.282 | — |
| 7 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 1:18.526 | 1:18.590 | 1:18.526 | — |
| 8 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 1:19.022 | 1:18.561 | 1:18.561 | — |
| 9 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 1:19.551 | 1:18.575 | 1:18.575 | — |
| 10 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | 1:18.592 | 1:19.817 | 1:18.592 | — |
| 11 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | 1:19.557 | 1:18.951 | 1:18.951 | — |
| 12 | 12 | Martin Donnelly | Lotus | 1:19.769 | 1:18.994 | 1:18.994 | — |
| 13 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 1:19.378 | 1:19.026 | 1:19.026 | — |
| 14 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 1:19.909 | 1:19.227 | 1:19.227 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | 1:21.635 | 1:19.865 | 1:19.865 | — |
| 16 | 24 | Paolo Barilla | Minardi | 1:19.897 | 1:21.242 | 1:19.897 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Arrows | 1:21.212 | 1:19.941 | 1:19.941 | — |
| 18 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 1:21.067 | 1:20.044 | 1:20.044 | — |
| 19 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 1:21.077 | 1:20.268 | 1:27.511 | — |
| 20 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | 1:20.274 | 1:21.167 | 1:25.281 | — |
| 21 | 7 | David Brabham | Brabham | 1:20.447 | 1:20.636 | 1:20.447 | — |
| 22 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 1:21.451 | 1:20.657 | 1:20.657 | — |
| 23 | 35 | Gregor Foitek | Onyx | 1:21.012 | 1:21.400 | 1:21.012 | — |
| 24 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | 1:21.584 | 1:21.116 | 1:21.116 | — |
| 25 | 29 | Éric Bernard | Lola | 1:21.273 | 1:21.677 | 1:25.456 | — |
| 26 | 36 | JJ Lehto | Onyx | 1:21.519 | 1:21.687 | 1:21.519 | — |
| 27 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | Leyton House | 1:23.639 | 1:21.544 | 1:21.544 | — |
| 28 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | Leyton House | 1:22.612 | 1:21.665 | 1:21.665 | — |
| 29 | 10 | Alex Caffi | Arrows | 1:22.278 | 1:22.154 | 1:22.154 | — |
| EX | 33 | Roberto Moreno | EuroBrun | 1:21.142 | no time | 1:26.724 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Gerhard Berger led the warm-up ahead of Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet. A dog on the circuit caused a brief interruption, while Williams compared tyre combinations before choosing a harder race compound. Alain Prost was satisfied with the Ferrari‘s race balance despite his low grid position. The morning offered another reminder that qualifying order did not fully capture the likely long-run performance.
Warm-up Classification
1990 Mexican Grand Prix Warm-up, 24 June 1990
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 1:19.823 | — |
| 2 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | +0.107s | — |
| 3 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | +0.419s | — |
| 4 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | +0.575s | — |
| 5 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | +0.639s | — |
| 6 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +0.756s | — |
| 7 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | +1.105s | — |
| 8 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | +1.189s | — |
| 9 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | +1.233s | — |
| 10 | 12 | Martin Donnelly | Lotus | +1.430s | — |
| 11 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | +1.485s | — |
| 12 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | +1.771s | — |
| 13 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | +1.936s | — |
| 14 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | +1.973s | — |
| 15 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | +2.081s | — |
| 16 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | +2.141s | — |
| 17 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | +2.202s | — |
| 18 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | +2.287s | — |
| 19 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Arrows | +2.299s | — |
| 20 | 35 | Gregor Foitek | Onyx | +2.779s | — |
| 21 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | +3.078s | — |
| 22 | 24 | Paolo Barilla | Minardi | +3.100s | — |
| 23 | 7 | David Brabham | Brabham | +3.459s | — |
| 24 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | +3.772s | — |
| 25 | 36 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Onyx | +4.291s | — |
| 26 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | +4.636s | — |
What happened in the 1990 Mexican Grand Prix?
Riccardo Patrese led initially before the McLarens moved ahead. Gerhard Berger‘s early tyre stop left Ayrton Senna in control, but Alain Prost was steadily advancing from the midfield. Nigel Mansell also moved forward, giving Ferrari two strong contenders as the race developed.
Alain Prost passed Nigel Mansell and then caught Ayrton Senna, whose tyres were deteriorating. He took the lead late on, and Ayrton Senna‘s rear tyre subsequently failed. Gerhard Berger, benefiting from fresher rubber, challenged Nigel Mansell for second, setting up a dramatic final exchange.
Nigel Mansell swept around Gerhard Berger‘s outside at the fast Peraltada corner to secure a Ferrari one-two behind Alain Prost. Alessandro Nannini finished fourth, with Thierry Boutsen fifth and Nelson Piquet sixth. Alain Prost‘s patient preparation had delivered a remarkable victory, while Nigel Mansell supplied the race’s most breathtaking overtaking move.
After the race, Ayrton Senna headed the drivers’ standings with 31 points, followed by Alain Prost on 23. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 54, with Ferrari on 36.
1990 Mexican Grand Prix race results
The 1990 Mexican Grand Prix was held on 24 June 1990, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.
1990 Mexican Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alain Prost | Ferrari | 58 | 1:17.958 |
| 2 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | McLaren | 65 | 1:18.223 |
| 3 | 20 | Nelson Piquet | Benetton | 65 | 1:18.365 |
| 4 | 2 | Nigel Mansell | Ferrari | 62 | 1:18.487 |
| 5 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 48 | 1:18.653 |
| 6 | 27 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 41 | 1:19.062 |
| 7 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 46 | 1:19.378 |
| 8 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell | 65 | 1:19.474 |
| 9 | 12 | Martin Donnelly | Lotus | 63 | 1:19.508 |
| 10 | 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Williams | 46 | 1:19.525 |
| 11 | 11 | Derek Warwick | Lotus | 53 | 1:19.932 |
| 12 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi | 60 | 1:20.230 |
| 13 | 8 | Stefano Modena | Brabham | 58 | 1:20.355 |
| 14 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Dallara | 48 | 1:20.601 |
| 15 | 24 | Paolo Barilla | Minardi | 56 | 1:20.789 |
| 16 | 25 | Nicola Larini | Ligier | 43 | 1:21.235 |
| 17 | 35 | Gregor Foitek | Onyx | 59 | 1:21.408 |
| 18 | 26 | Philippe Alliot | Ligier | 19 | 1:21.467 |
| 19 | 3 | Satoru Nakajima | Tyrrell | 10 | 1:21.736 |
| 20 | 9 | Michele Alboreto | Arrows | 35 | 1:22.082 |
| 21 | 29 | Eric Bernard | Lola | 10 | 1:22.636 |
| 22 | 14 | Olivier Grouillard | Osella | 41 | 1:22.779 |
| 23 | 30 | Aguri Suzuki | Lola | 9 | 1:22.936 |
| 24 | 21 | Emanuele Pirro | Dallara | 10 | 1:23.476 |
| 25 | 36 | Jyrki Jarvilehto | Onyx | 13 | 1:23.816 |
| 26 | 7 | David Brabham | Brabham | 4 | 1:26.487 |
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 Mexican Grand Prix.
1990 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1990 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 54 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 36 |
| 3 | Williams | 20 |
| 4 | Benetton | 20 |
| 5 | Tyrrell | 14 |
| 6 | Brabham | 2 |
| 7 | Arrows | 2 |
| 8 | Lotus | 1 |
| 9 | Lola | 1 |
| – | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Onyx | 0 |
| – | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Leyton House | 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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