Qualifying
Gabriele Tarquini was fifth in his AGS , his sixth successive failure to pre-qualify. Stefan Johansson was down in sixth in the other Onyx after an engine failure, failing to pre-qualify after his podium achievement at the previous race. Roberto Moreno was seventh in the Coloni , with the other Larrousse-Lola of Michele Alboreto down in eighth, his lowest placing thus far. The usual suspects were in the lower positions, with ninth-placed Bernd Schneider notching up his thirteenth consecutive fai... Ayrton Senna blasted around the 4.218 km (2.6209 mi) Jerez circuit in 1:20.291 to take his pole position record to 40. Gerhard Berger was second in his Ferrari 640 , only 0.274 seconds behind the man who would be his 1990 teammate at McLaren . Over a second behind Senna in third was world championship leader Alain Prost in his McLaren , with the surprise of late season qualifying, Pierluigi Martini , fourth in his Minardi , the Pirelli qualifying tyres once again coming to the fore. Martini had ... Philippe Alliot snared a career best fifth place on the grid in his Larrousse , proving that both the Lola chassis and the Lamborghini V12 designed by Mauro Forghieri was starting to come good. It also enhanced Alliot's reputation as a demon qualifier. Williams - Renault entered two different model cars for their drivers Thierry Boutsen and Riccardo Patrese . Boutsen qualified 21st the new Williams FW13 that had debuted in Portugal, while Patrese with an eye on possibly finishing 3rd in the Drivers' Championship, reverted to the older model FW12C and ended up sixth on the grid ahead his former Brabham teammate Nelson Piquet in a surprisingly fast Lotus . René Arnoux ( Ligier ) and the Rial pair of Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Gregor Foitek all failed to qualify for the race.
Race
Rounding out the points were the 'find of the season' Jean Alesi in his Tyrrell in fourth, the older model Williams-Renault of Patrese in fifth in what would be the FW12C's final race, and giving the Lamborghini V12 its first ever points finish in Formula One was Alliot in what would be the best drive of his Grand Prix career.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Nicola Larini | Osella-Ford | 1:23.566 | — |
| 2 | 37 | JJ Lehto | Onyx-Ford | 1:23.958 | +0.392 |
| 3 | 18 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella-Ford | 1:24.586 | +1.020 |
| 4 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola-Lamborghini | 1:24.610 | +1.044 |
| 5 | 40 | Gabriele Tarquini | AGS-Ford | 1:24.847 | +1.281 |
| 6 | 36 | Stefan Johansson | Onyx-Ford | 1:24.944 | +1.378 |
| 7 | 31 | Roberto Moreno | Coloni-Ford | 1:25.074 | +1.508 |
| 8 | 29 | Michele Alboreto | Lola-Lamborghini | 1:25.646 | +2.080 |
| 9 | 34 | Bernd Schneider | Zakspeed-Yamaha | 1:25.673 | +2.107 |
| 10 | 41 | Yannick Dalmas | AGS-Ford | 1:26.131 | +2.565 |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1:21.855 | 1:20.291 |
| 2 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:22.276 | 1:20.565 |
| 3 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1:23.113 | 1:21.368 |
| 4 | 23 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi-Ford | 1:22.243 | 1:21.479 |
| 5 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola-Lamborghini | 1:23.597 | 1:21.708 |
| 6 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams-Renault | 1:24.033 | 1:21.777 |
| 7 | 11 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus-Judd | 1:23.235 | 1:21.922 |
| 8 | 7 | Martin Brundle | Brabham-Judd | 1:23.761 | 1:22.133 |
| 9 | 4 | Jean Alesi | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:24.615 | 1:22.363 |
| 10 | 20 | Emanuele Pirro | Benetton-Ford | 1:24.647 | 1:22.567 |
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air at Jerez hung thick with anticipation, a metallic tang of high-octane fuel mingling with the scent of sun-baked earth. A Tyrrell-Ford, a marvel of 3. 5-liter V8 engineering, clocked a pre-qualifying lap exceeding 185 mph – a testament to Ford's relentless pursuit of power. Berger's Ferrari, a near-700 horsepower beast, sat poised on pole, its engine's guttural roar a promise of speed. Senna, however, wrestled with the McLaren-Honda's 718 cubic centimeter V6, a configuration demanding precise throttle control, seeking that elusive tenth of a second to maintain his championship stranglehold.
Qualifying figures alone whisper a story – Senna, a flawless 17. 4 seconds, establishing a dominance rarely seen, while Berger, a mere 1. 6 seconds behind. Such a disparity, a chasm of nearly two seconds, foreshadowed a race defined not just by speed, but by the calculated risk of a master strategist.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The air hung thick with the scent of burning rubber and anticipation – a palpable tension radiating from the Jerez track. A fractured gearbox whine, a mechanical scream echoing across the pitlane, signaled Berger's valiant effort; a desperate gamble to seize control. Senna, focused, relentless, responded with the measured aggression of a predator, the engine's deep rumble a promise of victory. The championship, fractured by a collision in Portugal, rested entirely on his shoulders, a weight felt in every calculated turn. This wasn't merely a race; it was a reckoning.
The rain in Jerez… it always seemed to carry a particular weight, didn't it? Like a sigh from the old tracks, a melancholic reminder of battles fought and lost beneath a grey sky. Berger, meticulously adjusting his Ferrari's dampers, possessed a stillness, a quiet focus that spoke volumes about his dedication. A man who understood the delicate dance between man and machine, a philosophy rarely seen in this era. He was a craftsman, a sculptor of speed. To watch him prepare was to witness a ritual, a profound respect for the raw power he commanded. The championship, of course, hung precariously in the balance, a tension coiled tighter than the braided steel of a Formula 1 spring.