1990 Spanish Grand Prix

1990 Spanish Grand Prix
Race 14 of 16 in the 1990 Formula One World Championship
Race details
Date 30 September 1990
Official name XXXI Gran Premio Tio Pepe de España
Location Circuito Permanente de Jerez
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.218 km (2.6209 miles)
Distance 73 laps, 307.918 km (191.328 miles)
Weather Dry, hot, sunny
Pole position
Driver McLaren-Honda
Time 1:18.387
Fastest lap
Driver Italy Riccardo Patrese Williams-Renault
Time 1:24.513 on lap 53
Podium
First Ferrari
Second Ferrari
Third Benetton-Ford
Lap leaders

The 1990 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jerez on 30 September 1990. It was the fourteenth race of the 1990 Formula One World Championship, and the fifth and last Spanish Grand Prix to be held at Jerez (though the circuit would host the European Grand Prix in 1994 and 1997).

The 73-lap race was won by Alain Prost, driving a Ferrari, with teammate Nigel Mansell second and Alessandro Nannini third in a Benetton-Ford. Prost's Drivers' Championship rival, Ayrton Senna, took the 50th pole position of his career in his McLaren-Honda, but retired with a failed radiator, allowing Prost to close to within nine points of him in the championship with two races remaining.

The event was marred by a serious incident during Friday practice, when Martin Donnelly crashed his Lotus at the high-speed Turn 14. Donnelly was thrown from the wreckage, suffering serious injuries that ended his Formula One career. This also turned out to be the last F1 race and podium for Nannini, who severed his right arm in a helicopter crash the following week (though he would return to racing as a touring car driver), as well as the last race for the back-marking EuroBrun and Life teams.