Alain Prost superbly fought back from 13th on the grid to win the 1990 Mexican Grand Prix and reinvigorate his title challenge, but it was team-mate Nigel Mansell who stole the headlines with one of the most spectacular overtakes in Formula 1 history.
The weekend also saw Ayrton Senna celebrate his 100th Grand Prix, but a puncture in the closing stages of the race saw the Brazilian’s championship lead slashed to just eight points.
Prost would go on to take victory at Paul Ricard and Silverstone to nudge ahead of Senna, paving the way for a dramatic duel for glory in the latter half of the campaign – the latest chapter of a rivalry which belongs in the realms of legend.
Qualifying:
Few would dispute the claim that Senna was untouchable when on top form, so often blitzing the field in qualifying. In Mexico, however, his streak of four consecutive pole positions was brought to a shuddering halt as team-mate Gerhard Berger beat him to top spot by more than four tenths of a second.
To make matters worse, Williams driver Ricardo Patrese produced a fantastic lap at the death to snatch second place, demoting an out-of-sorts Senna to third.
The unique challenge posed by the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with its bumpy surface and eye-watering altitude, caught Ferrari out. While Mansell took a solid fourth on the grid, Prost slumped to 13th – his worst qualifying performance since 1984.
Thierry Boutsen wound up fifth alongside Jean Alesi, who led the Ford-powered group of Pierluigi Martini, three-time world champion Nelson Piquet and Saturo Nakajima, while Stefano Modena completed the top ten for Brabham.
Both Senna and Prost, then, had work to do on Sunday.
Race:
Having jumped the start at the previous race in Canada, and felt the wrath of the stewards with a one-minute penalty, Berger was perhaps a touch cautious off the line, allowing Patrese and Senna to pass him on the run towards turn one.
Patrese, however, quickly lost ground. Senna eased past on lap two, with Berger, Boutsen and Piquet all following suit, and the McLarens proceeded to streak clear.
After a sluggish start, Mansell got the better of the Williams duo to climb to third as Berger pitted, but Prost was on his tail after slicing his way through the pack with a low-drag set-up.
The leaders’ plan to make the chequered flag without pitting began to unravel, with Piquet forced to come in for fresh rubber on lap 42 after being passed by the two Ferraris, who continued to battle for second place.
On lap 55, Prost finally found a way past on the straight as Mansell encountered traffic, and he then set about catching the struggling Senna. The race leader was losing grip rapidly, reeled in by Prost at a rate of two seconds per lap, but McLaren instructed him to stay out.
As the race entered its closing stages, Prost smelled blood. On lap 61, he powered past into the first corner, with team-mate Mansell following him through a lap later before the Briton’s hopes of victory went up in a smoke as he spun at turn two.
He was back in second moments later, though, when Senna’s right-rear tyre finally gave up and he was forced to retire, but he found himself under pressure from a charging Berger in a dramatic climax to the race.
The Austrian barged past at turn one, but Mansell refused to throw in the towel and, in a manoeuvre which was as brave as it was perilous, sensationally swept past around the outside of the fearsome Peraltada corner after spending the lap on Berger’s gearbox.
YouTube: Nigel Mansell V’s Gerhard Berger Mexico 1990
Prost led a home a Ferrari 1-2, with Mansell winding up 25 seconds adrift, ahead of Berger and Benetton’s Alessandro Nannini.
Two years later, Mansell would take the top step himself, this time in Williams colours, with the venue earning a special place in the Englishman’s heart. To commemorate his iconic overtake, organisers chose to name the final corner after the 1992 world champion upon the circuit’s return to the calendar in 2015 following the 23-year hiatus.
After a somewhat lacklustre affair 12 months ago, the capacity crowd expected for this weekend’s race will be hoping for a memorable race akin to the 1990 classic.
