1989 F1 Season

The 1989 Formula One World Championship, the 43rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing, was a year marked by intense rivalry and controversy. Alain Prost won his third Drivers’ Championship, driving for McLaren, in a season that began on 26 March and ended on 5 November. Prost’s teammate, Ayrton Senna, finished as the runner-up, 16 points behind. The championship was decided under controversial circumstances at the penultimate race in Japan, where Prost and Senna collided in the closing laps. Prost retired from the race, while Senna rejoined the track and crossed the line first, only to be disqualified for not rejoining the track correctly. This incident handed Prost the title in his last season with McLaren before joining Ferrari in 1990.

The 1989 season also saw an unprecedented number of entries, with 20 constructors fielding a total of 39 cars. McLaren-Honda won the Constructors’ Championship with their MP4/5 car. The season was notable for the introduction of new regulations that standardized engine displacement to 3.5 litres and the ban on turbocharged engines, leading to a more level playing field. The championship featured several memorable races and marked the end of an era of turbo dominance in Formula One, ushering in a new phase of competition and technological development.