1989 United States Grand Prix

Championship standings

Senna leads the championship after three wins in four races. Prost, whose race in Mexico was undermined when the McLaren team mistakenly fitted the wrong set of tyres at his pit stop — team boss Ron Dennis publicly apologised afterwards — is second. Prost has publicly questioned whether his Honda V10 is producing the same power as Senna’s, pointing to occasions where he was clearly faster through the final Peraltada curve at Mexico yet could not close on his teammate on the main straight.

Previous race

At Mexico, Senna won for the third time in four races. Riccardo Patrese was second for Williams, with Michele Alboreto a surprise third for Tyrrell. Both Ferraris retired — Berger with transmission failure on lap 16, Mansell’s gearbox lasting until lap 43. Prost finished fifth, the last car on the lead lap, eventually lapped by Senna despite having fresher tyres.

Entrants

This is the first United States Grand Prix in Phoenix, Arizona, replacing Detroit on the calendar. In October 1988, Detroit officials refused to invest in bringing the street circuit up to new Formula One regulations, and an attempt to move to Belle Isle failed. Phoenix City Council approved a five-year contract on 13 January 1989. The circuit measures 3,800 metres, slightly longer than Adelaide.

A Formula Atlantic support series ran on the Phoenix street circuit on Thursday, lifting a manhole cover and breaking up the track surface at turn 9; overnight repair work with quick-dry cement patched the surface ahead of Formula One’s arrival.

Milestones

Senna takes his 34th career pole position, breaking Jim Clark’s record of 33 which he equalled in Mexico.