Carlos Sanz placeholder image
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McLaren MP4 / 5 Honda F1 (1989)
Honda V10 engine, 3490cc and 675cv
The relations between Prost and Senna reached a point where it is not that they were bad, it is that they were non-existent, they did not speak to each other. Within the McLaren team, two different teams were made, one for each driver. The Frenchman realized that the situation was untenable and reached an agreement with Ferrari for 1990; From that moment he did not stop adding fuel to the fire, constantly complaining about the team and his partner.
During the season there were two notable events that marked its controversial end. The first was in Estoril, when Mansell (Ferrari driver) was disqualified for having reversed in Pit Lane. Mansell ignored the black flag shown from the wall for several laps and attempted to overtake Senna in a senseless maneuver, knocking them both off the track and taking some much-needed points away from him.
In the penultimate round, Japan, Prost was first in the standings, but Senna had a chance of winning in the championship that happened to win at Suzuka. When he tried to overtake his teammate in the braking of the chicane, the Frenchman took a blatant swerve towards his car, ending the two hooked on the escape route. The paulista was able to return to the track helped by the stewards and, after going to the pits to change the nose of the car, he managed to reach the finish line first.
The incident resulted in the disqualification of Senna and the championship for Prost, who got away with his action in the accident. This outcome and multiple subsequent statements by Balestre and other FISA officials, labeling the Brazilian as a dangerous and unscrupulous driver, were about to convince him to abandon Formula 1 for good.
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Photo: Anchoafoto
