The festive welcome which Senna had received in Italy was not the case at the 1989 Grand Prix. There had been some controversy between the driver and Ferrari, but it didn’t seem to be solely about this.
The Brazilian driver had become the enemy of the day and was booed when he won pole position, with Ferrari members Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell between himself and Alain Prost. The opposite from other races, it was Prost who the fans preferred. On the eve of the race, Ferrari had announced that they would be contracting him for the 1990 season.
And so Monza was in a frenzy when, while in the lead, Senna’s engine blew at lap 44, nine to the end.
If it was too much to hope for a Berger victory, they were happy enough with Prost’s triumph. He was now one of theirs, and they felt vindicated for Senna having refused to sign with the Maranello team.
ITALIAN GP
1º
Ayrton Senna
2º
G. Berger
3º
N. Mansell
4º
A. Prost
5º
R. Patrese
6º
T. Boutsen
7º
P. Alliot
8º
A. Nannini
9º
E. Pirro
10º
J. Alesi
11º
N. Piquet
12º
M. Brundle
13º
M. Alboreto
14º
J. Palmer
15º
P. Martini
16º
D. Warwick
17º
A. de Cesaris
18º
I. Capelli
19º
S. Nakajima
20º
A.Caffi
21º
O. Grouillard
22º
B. Gachot
23º
R. Arnoux
24º
N. Larini
25º
M. Gugelmin
26º
L. Perez-Sala
53
laps
26
cars
15
Retirements
1’28”107
fastest lap
1º
sunny weather
podium
1º
A. Prost
2º
G. Berger
3º
T. Boutsen
–
final position (retired on lap 44)
2º
position in championship following the race
1º
starting place
0
championship points accumulated
1’28”179
best lap
I’ll remain in the fight for the championship title until the final race of the season.
