On lap 2, Berger missed a gear selection allowing Mansell to get ahead. While defending from Prost, he held up Prost allowing Piquet to get ahead of him. Piquet soon passed Berger for third and the order settled down. Senna and Mansell continued to pull away from the rest, none of them able to keep up. Soon Patrese got past Alesi with Boutsen following suit.
Then, on lap 43, Mansell went up an escape road, giving Senna a good lead. Mansell was caught and passed by Piquet and pitted for tyres soon after. At the stops, Boutsen got ahead of Patrese. Berger then ran wide entering the Brabham straight, allowing Prost to take third. Mansell passed Berger on lap 57 and soon passed Prost on his new tyres. Senna had a gearbox glitch on lap 62 and went straight on into the wall and retired. Mansell closed in on Piquet, breaking the lap record 3 times towards the finish, taking 2 seconds a lap out of his lead. Piquet made an error with 4 laps to go, allowing Mansell to close right up. Mansell attacked on the last lap with a desperate passing attempt at the end of the straight, was too far behind to make the pass. Thus, Piquet won from Mansell, Prost, Berger, Boutsen and Patrese.
At the end of the season, Senna was world champion with 78 points with Prost second with 71 (he got 73 but had to drop 2 points), Piquet third with 43 (he got 44 but had to drop 1 point), Berger fourth with 43 (he was behind Piquet because Piquet had more wins), Mansell fifth with 37, Boutsen sixth with 34, Patrese seventh with 23 and Nannini eighth with 21. In the constructors, McLaren were champions with 121 points with Ferrari second with 110, Benetton third with 71 and Williams fourth with 55.
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Points towards the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six places at each round. Only the best eleven round results were retained, any other points being discarded.
Points towards the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship for Constructors were awarded on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first six places at each round. All results were counted (not just best eleven rounds).
1950 Formula One season
The 1950 Formula One season was the first edition of the championship. The champion was Giussepe Farina in a close battle.
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1950 FIA World Championship of Drivers.
Other Formula One races, which did not count towards the World Championship, also held in 1950.
1951 Formula One season
The 1951 Formula One season was the second edition of the championship. The champion was Juan Manuel Fangio in a close battle.
Other Formula One races, which did not count towards the World Championship, also held in 1951.
1952 Formula One season
The 1952 Formula One season was the third of the championship. The champion was Alberto Ascari in a close battle.
Formula One/Two Grand Prix races, which did not count towards the World Championship, also held in 1952.
1953 Formula One season
The 1953 Formula One season was the 4th of the championship. The champion was Alberto Ascari in a close battle.
Formula One/Two races also held in 1953, which did not count towards the World Championship.
1954 Formula One season
The 1954 Formula One season was the 5th edition of the championship. The champion was Juan Manuel Fangio in a close battle.
Other Formula One races also held in 1954, which did not count towards the World Championship.
1955 Formula One season
The 1955 Formula One season was the 6th of the championship. The champion was Juan Manuel Fangio in a close battle.
Other Formula One races also held in 1955, which did not count towards the World Championship.
1956 Formula One season
The 1956 Formula One season was the 7th of the championship. The champion was Juan Manuel Fangio in a close battle.
1957 Formula One season
The 1957 Formula One season was the 8th of the championship. The champion was Juan Manuel Fangio in a close battle.
1958 Formula One season
The 1958 Formula One season was the 9th of the championship. The champion was Mike Hawthorn in a close battle.
1959 Formula One season
The 1959 Formula One season was the 9th of the championship. The champion was Jack Brabham in a close battle.
1960 Formula One season
The 1960 Formula One season was the 10th of the championship. The champion was Jack Brabham in a close battle.
1961 Formula One season
The 1961 Formula One season saw Phil Hill crowned as champion.
1962 Formula One season
The 1962 Formula One season saw Graham Hill crowned as champion.
1963 Formula One season
The 1963 Formula One season crowned as champion Jim Clark.
1964 Formula One season
The 1964 Formula One season crowned as champion John Surtees.
1965 Formula One season
The 1965 Formula One season crowned as champion Jim Clark.
1966 Formula One season
The 1966 Formula One season crowned as champion Jack Brabham.
1967 Formula One season
The 1967 Formula One season crowned as champion Denny Hulme.
1968 Formula One season
The 1968 Formula One season crowned as champion Graham Hill.
1969 Formula One season
The 1969 Formula One season crowned as champion Jackie Stewart.
1970 Formula One season
The 1970 Formula One season crowned as champion Jochen Rindt.
1971 Formula One season
The 1971 Formula One season crowned as champion Jackie Stewart.
1972 Formula One season
The 1972 Formula One season crowned as champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
1973 Formula One season
The 1973 Formula One season crowned as champion Jackie Stewart.
1974 Formula One season
The 1974 Formula One season crowned as champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
1975 Formula One season
The 1975 Formula One season saw Niki Lauda crowned as champion.
1976 Formula One season
The 1976 Formula One season crowned James Hunt as champion.
The following teams and drivers contested the 1976 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1976 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers.
The Driver's championship was won by James Hunt from Niki Lauda, who had to miss several races as a result of an injury sustained in a crash at the German Grand Prix.
1977 Formula One season
The 1977 Formula One season crowned as champion Niki Lauda.
The following drivers and constructors contested the World Championship of Drivers and the International Cup for Formula 1 Constructors:
1978 Formula One season
The 1978 Formula One season crowned as champion Mario Andretti.
1979 Formula One season
The 1979 Formula One season crowned as champion Jody Scheckter.
1980 Formula One season
The 1980 Formula One season was the 31st of the championship. The champion was Alan Jones.
1981 Formula One World Championship
The 1981 Formula One season was the 32nd of the championship. The champion was Nelson Piquet in a close battle.
1982 Formula One World Championship
The 1982 Formula One season was the 33rd championship. The champion was Keke Rosberg in a close battle.
The early races of the season were disrupted by politics. At the first race of the season, the South African Grand Prix, Niki Lauda led a drivers' strike against the "superlicences", newly required for participation in the championship, which included clauses that Lauda believed would unfairly tie drivers to their teams. Most of the drivers locked themselves in a conference room overnight before agreement was reached that the relevant clauses could be re-visited and the race was reinstated. The six factory turbocharged cars, including the Brabham-BMWs on this occasion, had their inherent power advantage exaggerated by the low air density at the high altitude Kyalami circuit and took the first six places on the grid. Alain Prost won the race in his Renault. Despite the pre-race agreement, the race stewards issued a statement during the race indicating that the licences of those drivers who had taken part in the strike were suspended.