The Senna/Prost accident that shocked the world

A day like this 33 years ago remained in the retina of all Formula 1 fans. On lap 47 of the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna and his McLaren teammate and rival for the championship, Alain Prost , met they touched What happened next would not only cause great controversy at the time, and define that year’s title, but it would also cause a fire that would last for a long time.

The simple explanation for what happened is that Prost was not going to let Senna pass, and what he did at the chicane was as rude a move as the Brazilian himself – or Michael Schumacher in later years – would have made at the chicane. same situation.

The tension between the two had been burning for a long time. A controversy over a pre-race deal at Imola in May, aired by Senna, had been preceded by the Paulista’s attempt to defend his lead at Estoril a year earlier.

By today’s standards it would have been a minor thing, but in 1988 Senna’s move to Prost was far above the mark, especially when the move was against a teammate.

Fast-forward the movie to 1989 Suzuka . At the time, Prost was comfortably leading the championship, but the regulations meant that the worst results were eliminated. Senna had several zeros, due to mechanical problems and the accident with Mansell in Estoril. That left him with title options, but he couldn’t afford to give up any more, while Prost could…

Senna beat the Frenchman in qualifying, as expected, by a resounding 1.7sec margin. Still, Prost would come out at his side, having worked all weekend on the race setup and made a last minute decision to have the Gurney flap removed from his rear wing, thereby increasing his top speed.

Senna started on the dirty side of the track and Prost catapulted into the lead, asserting his setup with a full tank, at least until the pit stops. Although the Brazilian was much slower, he managed to threaten the Frenchman’s lead, putting intense pressure on him as they approached the end of the race.

But Prost’s MP4-5 had less drag and that made life difficult even for Senna. Just six laps from the end, with his patience running out, the Paulista tried it from far away, looking like he would catch his rival by surprise.

Once he had his front wheels next to the Frenchman’s cockpit, the braking speed of both seemed almost identical, but Prost closed the gate into the chicane too soon. However, the Frenchman remained true to his word, having declared: “There is no way I am going to open the door anymore.”

The accident caused both cars to stall. Prost got out, certain his suspension or steering was broken, while Senna urged the stewards to push him. It was an unedifying scene.

What happened next was a brilliant re-entry from Senna, who managed to get off the ground in the breakaway and, despite needing to pit for a new front wing, overtook Alessandro Nannini ‘s Benetton to win the race.

But the stewards disqualified Senna for shortening the chicane (despite standing much longer than any advantage he might have gained) and not completing the full race distance.

“CIVIL WAR FOR THE WORLD TITLE,” Autosport headlined that week. “Japan GP Chaos: Will Prost Keep His Crown?” And inside was Nigel Roebuck’s wonderful chronicle, masterfully titled “Malice in Honda Land.”

When McLaren appealed the penalty, as a race win was at stake, rather than take sides with their drivers, it came as a shock . Senna’s alleged “indiscretions” were previously presented as evidence that not only led to Prost being confirmed as champion, but also to a $ 100,000 fine and a six-month suspended ban for Senna.

The affair would go on for months, as the Brazilian publicly called it a “manipulation of the championship” and his war with FIA President Jean-Marie Balestre almost ended in him not being granted a Super License for 1990.

Of course, that was a year in which Suzuka would witness another even more incredible crash between the two drivers that shook the world of motorsport once again… But that’s another story.