1990 F1 Championship Standings

The 1990 F1 Championship was one of the most closely contested seasons in recent history. The season was marked by intense battles between Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Frenchman Alain Prost, who were teammates at McLaren. The two drivers won 10 of the 16 races between them, with Senna winning six and Prost four.

Ayrton Senna, McLaren MP4-5 Honda (1990)

Senna got off to a flying start, winning the first race of the season in the United States, before Prost won the next race in Brazil. Senna then won the Monaco and Canadian grand prix races, before Prost won the next two races in Mexico and France. Senna then won the British grand prix, before Prost won the German grand prix.

The two drivers were tied on points heading into the Hungarian grand prix, which was won by Belgian driver Thierry Boutsen. Senna then won the next two races in Belgium and Italy, giving him a 16-point lead in the championship heading into the penultimate race in Spain.

Prost won the Spanish grand prix, but Senna secured the championship by finishing ahead of Prost in the final race of the season in Australia. Senna won the championship with 78 points, while Prost finished second with 73 points.

Brazilian Nelson Piquet finished third in the championship with 43 points, followed by Austrian Gerhard Berger with 43 points, and Briton Nigel Mansell with 37 points. The Constructors' Championship was won by McLaren with 121 points, followed by with 96 points and Williams with 79 points.

It was a thrilling season of racing, with Senna and Prost showcasing their incredible talent and fierce competitiveness. The battles between the two drivers are still talked about today as some of the greatest in F1 history.

Controversial incidents of 1990 F1 season

Prost and Senna after crashing in turn 1 of Suzuka (Japan 1990)

There were a few controversial incidents that occurred during the 1990 F1 season. One of the most significant was the clash between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost during the Japanese grand prix. Senna, who was fighting for the championship, made contact with Prost's Ferrari on the first lap of the race, taking them both out of the race and securing the championship for himself. Many people criticized Senna's aggressive tactics and accused him of deliberately crashing into Prost to win the title.

Another controversial incident occurred at the Brazilian grand prix, where the Ferrari team was accused of cheating by using illegal electronic driver aids. The FIA conducted an investigation and ultimately cleared Ferrari of any wrongdoing, but the incident raised questions about the integrity of the sport.

Additionally, there were tensions between the Williams and Benetton teams, with Williams accusing Benetton of stealing their technical secrets. This led to a legal dispute between the two teams, which was eventually settled out of court.

Formula One's 11-6 rule

During the 1990 Formula One season, both Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet failed to receive their full total points due to a rule known as the "11-6 rule." This rule stated that only the best 11 results out of the 16 races would count towards a driver's championship total, with the worst 5 results being dropped.

Prost had actually won more races than his championship rival Ayrton Senna, but because of the 11-6 rule, he was unable to count all of his victories. Similarly, Piquet had finished in the points in more races than his teammate Roberto Moreno, but still fell short in the championship standings due to the rule.

The 11-6 rule was controversial and seen by some as arbitrary and unfair, and it was eventually abolished at the end of the 1990 season. From 1991 onwards, all results counted towards a driver's championship total, with no dropped races.