1989 Brazilian Grand Prix

Entrants

39 cars are entered by 20 constructors for the opening round of the new 3.5-litre naturally aspirated formula. FIRST Racing withdrew before the event — their chassis had been injected with material to pass the mandatory FIA crash test, making it significantly overweight, so the team refocused on Formula 3000. Because AGS driver Philippe Streiff is not being replaced following his pre-season testing accident, five cars rather than the usual four are allowed through from Friday’s pre-qualifying session.

Several teams run updated versions of their 1988 machinery: Williams fields the FW12C alongside one newly-constructed chassis; Benetton and Tyrrell run their 1988 cars. McLaren debuts the MP4/5 with Honda V10, Lotus the 101 (now Judd-powered after losing its Honda supply), Arrows the A11, Brabham the BT58 on its return to Formula One after missing 1988, and new entrant Onyx Grand Prix the ORE-1. The centrepiece of the entry is Ferrari’s new 640 — the first Formula One car with a semi-automatic electronic gearbox, and Ferrari’s first twelve-cylinder engine since 1980. The car has suffered severe reliability problems throughout testing, and Nigel Mansell has booked an early flight home given its history.

Milestones

Riccardo Patrese makes his 177th Grand Prix start, a new Formula One record, and lines up on the front row alongside Ayrton Senna. Johnny Herbert (Benetton) makes his Formula One debut competing with a sore ankle from his Formula 3000 crash at Brands Hatch in August 1988. Olivier Grouillard (Ligier) also makes his debut.

Weather

Temperatures during qualifying reached 41°C (106°F), with similar conditions expected on race day.