The 1990 Portuguese Grand Prix marked the first use of an effective traction control system in Formula One, deployed by Ferrari on Alain Prost's car.
Key Facts
- Race date
- 23 September 1990
- Circuit
- Autódromo do Estoril
- Laps completed
- 61 of 71 scheduled
- Race distance
- 265.35 km
- Winning margin (Mansell over Senna)
- 2.8 seconds
- Senna's championship lead after race
- 18 points over Prost
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1990 Formula One season brought Ferrari and McLaren-Honda into close title contention, with Ayrton Senna leading Alain Prost by a narrow margin entering the Portuguese round. Ferrari had secretly developed a traction control system for deployment on Prost's car, while Nigel Mansell chose to disable the same system on his Ferrari for the race.
Held at Autódromo do Estoril on 23 September 1990, the race was stopped after 61 laps following a collision between the Arrows of Alex Caffi and the Lola of Aguri Suzuki. Nigel Mansell, who had taken pole position, was leading at the stoppage and was declared the winner ahead of Senna and Prost, giving Mansell his sole victory of the season and his last for Ferrari.
Senna extended his Drivers' Championship lead over Prost to 18 points with three races remaining, effectively tightening his grip on the title. The race also entered the historical record as the first Formula One event in which an effective traction control system was raced competitively, foreshadowing a major technological shift in the sport.