The 1989 season

The Year the McLaren Truce Broke

The turbos were gone but McLaren's grip was not, and the partnership of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna turned into open hostility.

Turbochargers had been outlawed, and in 1989 every car on the grid breathed through a normally aspirated 3.5 liter engine. Renault returned to supply Williams. Ferrari's new 640 introduced a semi automatic gearbox, something no Formula One car had carried before. Thirty nine drivers arrived for twenty six places on the grid, so pre qualifying sent the smallest teams home before most of the field had finished unpacking.

The calendar

Scroll to Top