1989 Belgian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Prost leads Senna by 14 points after Hungary, where a resurgent Mansell drove from twelfth on the grid to take Ferrari’s second win of the season.

Previous race

At the Hungaroring, Mansell charged from twelfth on the grid — using his race setup to compensate for a poor qualifying — to reach the lead with an overtake on Senna as the pair lapped Stefan Johansson’s Onyx. He dedicated the win to Enzo Ferrari, one year after the Old Man’s death. Mansell compared it to his 1987 British Grand Prix victory. Senna finished 26 seconds back in second. Boutsen was third, Prost fourth. Patrese had taken a surprise pole — the first non-McLaren pole of the season, and the first for the Renault V10 engine — and led until retiring with a holed radiator.

Entrants

Both Stefan Johansson and Bertrand Gachot have re-signed with Onyx for 1990. Gregor Foitek has left EuroBrun after Belgium, replaced by their 1988 driver Oscar Larrauri. Volker Weidler quit Rial; Pierre-Henri Raphanel has moved across to replace him. Enrico Bertaggia makes his Formula One debut for Coloni, replacing Raphanel.

Notably, both Nelson Piquet and Satoru Nakajima failed to qualify at Spa — the first time in the Lotus team’s history that neither of its cars qualified for a race.

Johnny Herbert makes his first appearance for Tyrrell, replacing Jean Alesi who is away competing in the Formula 3000 Championship.