Alain Prost's victory at the 1990 French Grand Prix secured Ferrari's 100th Formula One race win and tightened the championship standings.
Key Facts
- Race distance
- 305 km over 80 laps
- Circuit length
- 4 km
- Ferrari milestone
- 100th Formula One race victory
- Championship gap after race
- Senna led Prost by 3 points
- Winning margin
- 8 seconds over Ivan Capelli
- Last race at Paul Ricard until
- 2018 French Grand Prix
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1990 Formula One World Championship was tightly contested between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Prost, driving for Ferrari, needed strong results to close the gap on championship leader Senna, while the underdog Leyton House Racing team entered the race with competitive pace that had not previously translated into podium finishes.
Held on 8 July 1990 at Paul Ricard, the race saw Leyton House drivers Ivan Capelli and Maurício Gugelmin lead for a prolonged period, threatening a major upset. Late in the race, local hero Alain Prost overtook Capelli to win in his Ferrari 641 by eight seconds, with Ayrton Senna finishing third in his McLaren MP4/5B.
Prost's win, his third of the season, delivered Ferrari's landmark 100th Formula One victory. It also narrowed Senna's championship lead to just three points, setting up a tense second half of the season. The Leyton House team's near-victory remained one of the most memorable near-upsets in the sport's history.
Result
at Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France