paulsimery: F1 fans’ classic Grand Prix videos: 1990

F1 fans’ classic Grand Prix videos: 1990 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Smartphones and video sharing websites have made filming footage at race weekends and letting others see it easier than ever before.

And now fans who filmed videos in the days before YouTube and DailyMotion have begun digitising and uploading their old clips as well.

This new series of articles will showcase some of these classic F1 race videos shot by fans.

We’ll begin with a look at the 1990 season, which includes footage of Ayrton Senna losing victory in Mexico, Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell colliding in Hungary – and some of F1′s worst cars.

Alain Prost tests for Ferrari

The big change on the driver market for 1990 saw world champion Alain Prost depart McLaren for Ferrari, taking the coveted number one with him.

Here he is testing the team’s V12-engined car at Fiorano.

Canadian Grand Prix: Pre-qualifying

At the opposite end of the grid was the pre-qualifying brigade, seen here in some rare footage of them in action during the fifth round of the season in Canada. Nine drivers took part in the session bidding for a place in the top four which granted them a chance to participate in the rest of the weekend – the other five were eliminated.

The entries shown in this video are as follows: Bruno Giacomelli, Life L190; Gabriele Tarquini, AGS-Ford JH25; Yannick Dalmas, AGS-Ford JH25; Bertrand Gachot, Coloni-Subari C3B; Olivier Grouillard, Osella FA1M; Roberto Moreno, Eurobrun-Judd ER189B. The two Larrousse-Lamborghinis of Aguri Suzuki and Eric Bernard are also seen very briefly on the track.

Moreno, Grouillard, Suzuka and Bernard all made it into qualifying proper. Tarquini was first to miss out by just 0.011s and Dalmas was half a second slower.

The rest posted times that were truly hopeless. Gachot managed just five laps and his 1’44.185 was 15.9 seconds slower than Moreno. Claudio Langes in the second Eurobrun was another three seconds slower but only did two laps before his car stopped.

And Giacomelli in the infamously dreadful Life was a shocking 21.985 seconds off the pace. Read more about this comically bad Grand Prix entry here:

Life L190 – the worst F1 car ever – to run at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Mexican Grand Prix: Practice

Most of the regular field can be seen during these videos from practice for the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Keep an eye out for the Ferrari of Nigel Mansell on a tow rope two-and-a-half minutes into the second video. Reliability was a persistent problem for Mansell that year, though not in this race.

Mexican Grand Prix: Final laps

The dramatic final ten laps of the race, as seen from the hairpin.

Ayrton Senna led until lap 60 but dropped back into the clutches of Prost as he struggled with his tyres. Prost moved ahead of Senna, who dropped out with a puncture on lap 63 – which you can see at 4:01.

Next the focus switches to their team mates. Mansell headed Gerhard Berger at first but the swapped places twice off-camera, first when Berger muscled his way through at the first corner.

Mansell struck back with an audacious pass around the outside of the fearsomely fast Peraltada. Unfortunately for this spectator, that all happened out of his view. But he did see a joyous Prost pass by at 7:20 – and the crowd seem very appreciative of his efforts.

French Grand Prix: Paddock

Footage of drivers in the paddock in Hungary including Prost, Thierry Boutsen, Alessandro Nannini, Mansell and Saturo Nakajima – one of the favourites of these Japanese fans.

French Grand Prix: Victory lap

The fans train their camera first on Prost, then Nakajima as they head to the grid. They kept a close eye on the Tyrrell driver to begin with but turned their attention to the battle for the lead later in the race.

For many laps Ivan Capelli looked set to cause a major upset as he led in the Adrian Newey-designed Leyton House CG901 (from 5:30). But Capelli’s oil bump broke with three laps to go, and Prost seized an opportunity to pass. Capelli nonetheless claimed an excellent second.

Silverstone testing

This video of testing at Silverstone begins with footage of the other Leyton House belonging to Mauricio Gugelmin. There’s also some close-up footage of Senna and Berger in their McLaren MP4-5Bs, and Mark Blundell testing for Williams. Fast-forward to the end of the video for some track footage.

Hungarian Grand Prix: Mansell and Berger collide

The final video from this season shows frustration getting the better of Berger at the Hungaroring as he tips former team mate Mansell out of the race at the chicane.

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F1 fans’ classic Grand Prix videos: 1990 is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.