The rivalry between Senna and Prost became more heated with each race. At the French Grand Prix, one small detail could make all the difference.
In the fight for pole position in qualifying, Prost came out in the lead, in his “home” race, with a difference of 25 thousandths of a second.
When the race began, Senna came out in the lead. However, an accident involving Maurício Gugelmin (March) and five other cars interrupted the race.
On the restart, Senna’s McLaren broke down after going 50 meters (164 ft). At the end of the race, Alain Prost won with little difficulty.
But the day was also good for Senna: his friend Maurício Gugelmin, with whom he shared a house in Esher, England, had set, for the first and last time in his career, the best lap of the race.
french Gp
1º
A. Prost
2º
Ayrton Senna
3º
N. Mansell
4º
A. Nanini
5º
T. Boutsen
6º
G. Berger
7º
P. Alliot
8º
R. Patrese
9º
J. Palmer
10º
M. Gugelmin
11º
B. Gachot
12º
I.Capelli
13º
S. Johansson
14º
M. Donnelly
15º
E. Bernardo
16º
J. Alesi
17º
O. Grouillard
18º
R. Arnoux
19º
S. Nakajima
20º
N. Piquet
21º
S. Módena
22º
p. Martini
23º
E. Pirro
24º
E. Cheever
25º
A. Caffi
80
laps
26
cars
12
Retirements
1’12”090
Fastest Lap
1º
Sunny weather
Podium
1º
A. Prost
2º
N. Mansell
3º
R. Patrese
–
final position
2º
position in championship following the race
2º
starting place
0
championship points accumulated
–
best lasp
“One of the shortest races in my entire career.”