Race and classic pictures

Boutsen resists and gets it done in Hungary

Because of the summer shutdown which has become a cornerstone of the Formula 1 calendar, it's been 35 years since a Grand Prix race was last held on August 12, and it was the 1990 Hungarian Grand Prix.

It was the fifth time the race was held at the Hungaroring, with previous winners having been Nelson Piquet (twice), Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell.

In qualifying, out of the blue, Thierry Boutsen claimed pole position, the Williams charger outpacing his team mate Riccardo by just 0.036s.

Boutsen held his own up front when the lights went out and led the race from start to finish, albeit by a narrow margin from his pursuers.

During the race, Senna suffered a puncture and also collided with Benetton's Alessandro Nannini, but he kept going. Meanwhile Prost retired with gearbox failure, and Berger and Mansell exited after colliding on lap 72.

Senna recovered to second place ahead of Piquet and piled the pressure on Boutsen.

But the Belgian driver valiantly defended his leading position and crossed the line 0.288s ahead of Senna to claim his third and final F1 win. Piquet took the final podium spot ahead of Patrese.

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Two Formula 1 racers born on Christmas day

One driver has a hugely famous name, the other is a special Grand Prix winner,…

24 mins ago

Red with purpose – It’s time for Ferrari to bring it home

As the Ferrari factory in Maranello glows in festive crimson, a sense of anticipation hums…

20 hours ago

Norris reveals the quirky private moment his F1 title finally sunk in

Lando Norris had just done the hardest thing in motorsport – winning the Formula 1…

21 hours ago

Howden Ganley, McLaren's third-ever employee

A veteran of 41 Grands Prix starts, Howden Ganley - seen here above hitting a…

22 hours ago

Leclerc’s ‘naughty’ Christmas gift leaves Russell ‘lost for words’

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc may not have ended the season with a silver trophy in hand,…

23 hours ago

The F1 dinner drama: Why Verstappen didn’t pick up the check

Max Verstappen’s timing out on the race track is surgical, but when it comes to…

24 hours ago