Complete calendar with 16 races
The 1989 Formula 1 season delivered one of the most controversial and bitter championship battles in the sport's history, as Alain Prost claimed his third World Championship amid a toxic feud with teammate Ayrton Senna that culminated in a infamous collision at Suzuka. The year marked the end of the turbo era and witnessed McLaren-Honda's continued dominance despite escalating internal warfare that would ultimately tear the team apart.
McLaren entered 1989 as overwhelming favorites, fielding the naturally aspirated MP4/5 powered by Honda's new V10 engine. While no longer enjoying the 15-from-16 dominance of 1988's MP4/4, the team remained Formula 1's benchmark with 10 victories and 141 constructors' points. However, the harmonious facade of previous seasons crumbled as Senna and Prost's rivalry descended into open hostility. Their relationship, strained by 1988's championship battle and Prost's suspicions of Honda favoritism, became Formula 1's most toxic partnership.
The breaking point came at Imola's San Marino Grand Prix. Before the race, Prost and Senna allegedly agreed not to challenge each other into the first corner to avoid early-race incidents. Senna led from pole position, but when Gerhard Berger crashed heavily at Tamburello and triggered a restart, Prost out-accelerated his teammate from the second row. Senna immediately dove down the inside at Tosa, repassing Prost in a move the Frenchman considered a blatant breach of their agreement. Prost felt betrayed and publicly accused Senna of dishonesty, poisoning any remaining trust between them.
Prost's championship was built on six victories - United States, France, Britain, Italy, Portugal, and Japan - and tactical superiority when Senna's aggression backfired. The Frenchman scored 76 points with remarkable consistency, avoiding the mistakes and mechanical failures that cost Senna crucial points. His smooth, calculating style maximized Honda's V10 power while managing tire wear and fuel consumption. At 34 years old, Prost demonstrated that experience and racecraft could overcome Senna's qualifying brilliance and raw speed.
Senna won six races - San Marino, Monaco, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, and Spain - showcasing his extraordinary talent despite championship disappointment. He secured 13 pole positions to Prost's two, reinforcing his status as Formula 1's fastest qualifier but highlighting his inability to convert speed into consistent point-scoring. His 60-point championship total reflected a season where spectacular speed was undermined by mistakes, mechanical failures, and the disqualification that would define his year.
The championship climax at Suzuka produced one of motorsport's most controversial moments. Prost entered with a 16-point advantage, requiring only to finish ahead of Senna to secure the title. Late in the race, Senna attempted to pass Prost for the lead at the chicane before the final corner. The Frenchman, knowing the championship implications, turned into the corner despite Senna being alongside. Both cars collided and spun into the escape road, with Prost immediately abandoning his stricken McLaren, believing the championship was his.
Senna had other ideas. Marshals push-started his McLaren, and he rejoined the track having cut the chicane, pitted for a new nose, and stormed back through to pass Alessandro Nannini's Benetton for victory. However, race stewards disqualified Senna for cutting the chicane and gaining an unfair advantage. The decision handed the race victory to Nannini - his maiden win - and the championship to Prost. Senna received a $100,000 fine and a six-month suspended ban for allegedly dangerous driving, sanctions he believed were politically motivated by FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre.
The controversy divided Formula 1. Senna's supporters argued he was merely trying to continue after the collision, while critics pointed to his pattern of aggressive moves that left rivals no option but to yield or crash. Prost's tactical brilliance in forcing the collision demonstrated his understanding that championship mathematics sometimes required sacrificing individual race results. The incident cemented their rivalry's toxic reputation and ensured they could never race as teammates again.
Williams-Renault emerged as McLaren's primary challenger, with the naturally aspirated FW12C and FW13 showing competitive pace. Riccardo Patrese and Thierry Boutsen combined for two victories, demonstrating that Williams had successfully navigated the transition from turbo power. Their 77 constructors' points represented a significant improvement and previewed the dominance they would achieve in the early 1990s. Renault's naturally aspirated V10 proved a worthy competitor to Honda's power unit, ending the Japanese manufacturer's total supremacy.
Ferrari's season was defined by Nigel Mansell's return from retirement. The Briton won the season opener in Brazil after a dramatic battle with Senna, then claimed victory in Hungary, demonstrating that the Scuderia's 640 chassis was genuinely competitive when its semi-automatic gearbox functioned properly. However, reliability issues and political infighting prevented a sustained championship challenge. Mansell's fiery personality clashed with team management, leading to his acrimonious mid-season departure to announce he would leave for Williams in 1990.
Benetton's progress continued with Alessandro Nannini's inherited Japanese Grand Prix victory, while Tyrrell showed flashes of competitiveness with the elegant 018. The proliferation of small teams reflected Formula 1's expanding commercial appeal, though the gap between frontrunners and backmarkers remained vast. The naturally aspirated era promised greater cost control than turbo development's arms race, though this hope would prove illusory.
The season marked the turbo era's formal conclusion. Turbocharged engines were banned from 1989 onward, ending a 12-year period that had revolutionized Formula 1's technical landscape. The forced-induction years had delivered spectacular power outputs approaching 1,400 horsepower in qualifying, but mounting costs and safety concerns prompted FISA to mandate naturally aspirated 3.5-liter engines. The transition represented Formula 1's acknowledgment that unlimited technical development was financially unsustainable.
Prost's third championship confirmed his status as the era's most successful driver, joining Brabham, Stewart, Lauda, and Piquet as a three-time World Champion. However, the manner of his victory - secured through a controversial collision with his teammate - left questions about sporting ethics and racing conduct. For Senna, the season's bitter conclusion fueled determination to prove his superiority, setting up their rivalry's next chapter when they would race for different teams in 1990. The Suzuka collision's legacy extended far beyond 1989, poisoning Senna and Prost's relationship permanently and establishing a precedent for championship-deciding contact that would recur throughout Formula 1's history.