1990 Italian Grand Prix

Previous race

At Spa, three race starts were required. The first was red-flagged after Piquet pushed Mansell off the road and Nakajima and Modena collided; the second after Barilla crashed his Minardi heavily at Eau Rouge on the opening lap, scattering debris. On the third start Senna won from Prost, with Berger third. Both Williams cars retired with gearbox failures.

Championship standings

Senna leads Prost by 13 points with five races remaining. Berger is third with 33 points, Boutsen fourth with 27, Piquet fifth with 24.

Qualifying

Senna took pole from Prost, with Berger third, Mansell fourth, Alesi fifth. The Life team appeared at their home race for the last time with the W12 engine — the car managed two laps in the pre-qualifying session before a “substantial engine failure.” They switch to a Judd V8 before Portugal.