There was a rumor circulating behind the scenes, in Monza, that Ayrton Senna was in negotiations with Ferrari to replace Nigel Mansell the following . The only sure thing, however, was that the forthcoming duel between Ferrari and McLaren was going to be epic. There was no favorite to win.
In the qualifying sessions, the teams alternated in the first two rows: Ayrton Senna did the pole position, next to Alain Prost. Berger and Mansell started in the second row. After the start, Ayrton Senna was quicker and walked away with another “grand chelem”, by scoring the pole-position, the fastest lap and the victory – holding the first position from start to finish.
Despite a heated dispute, the first four cars finished the race in the same order they started it, with Prost in second place, Berger in third and Mansell in fourth.
At the start, McLaren’s Austrian driver overtook the Frenchman, while the Brazilian held on to the lead. Berger tried to catch up to Senna, but Berger’s aggressive style, with sudden brakings and constant use of the chicanes, took a toll on his McLaren’s performance. Senna, meanwhile, opted for a smoother pace and was faster when exiting corners.
Prost took advantage of the Austrian’s dwindling performance and passed him on the 21st lap, chasing Senna up until the final lap, but to no avail. It was Senna’s sixth win in the season, the 26th in his career and his first in Monza, spoiling Ferrari’s party at their home-turf – something that would happen again two years later.
It was an important achievement to the Brazilian, because Senna was intent on breaking the “Monza curse” that tormented him since 1987 – he always came close of winning, but something got in the way.
In 1987, he spun-out at the Parabolica Turn, almost at the end of the race, handing the victory over to Piquet. The following year, two laps before the end, Senna got involved in a crash with Frenchman Schlesser, which cost him the victory – it was the only race McLaren didn’t win during the 1988 season.
In 1989, more than 20 seconds ahead of Alain Prost, Senna’s engine blew up – a rare occurrence when it came to Honda’s ultra-reliable motors.
The path towards the second world title was already in sight. After the podium, Ayrton Senna added fuel to the rumor fires when, due to the insistence of an Italian reporter, he confirmed his move to Ferrari – but only after his contract with McLaren ended.
Another curious fact about the race: Ron Dennis didn’t believe that a victory in Ferrari’s turf was possible. Senna then made a bet that if he won the race he would take the car home as a gift. The #27 McLaren can be found today at the headquarters of the Ayrton Senna Institute in São Paulo,
ITALIAN GP
1º
Ayrton Senna
2º
A. Prost
3º
G. Berger
4º
N. Mansell
5º
J. Alesi
6º
T. Boutsen
7º
R. Patrese
8º
A. Nannini
9º
N. Piquet
10º
M. Gugelmin
11º
M. Donnelly
12º
D. Warwick
13º
E. Bernard
14º
S. Nakajima
15º
P. Martini
16º
I. Capelli
17º
S. Modena
18º
A. Suzuki
19º
E. Pirro
20º
P. Alliot
21º
A. Caffi
22º
M. Alboreto
23º
O. Grouillard
24º
Y. Dalmas
25º
A. de Cesaris
26º
N. Larini
53
laps
26
cars
12
Retirements
1’26”254
fastest lap
1º
sunny weather
podium
1º
Ayrton Senna
2º
A. Prost
3º
G. Berger
1º
final position
1º
position in championship following the race
1º
starting place
9
championship points accumulated
1’26”254
best lap
I’ll remain in the fight for the championship title until the final race of the season.
