F1 1989 Round 07 French GP Race

The 1989 French Grand Prix arrived at the Circuit Paul Ricard already carrying a heavy dose of drama before a wheel had even turned in anger. 📌 Visit our Racing & Beyond Blog for more stories: https://racingbeyond.com/ On Friday morning, hours ahead of the opening practice session, Alain Prost called an unexpected press conference alongside Ron Dennis and Mansour Ojjeh, revealing that he would be leaving McLaren at the end of the season after six years and three World Championships. The announcement cast an unmistakable shadow over the weekend, coloring the increasingly tense relationship between Prost and reigning champion Ayrton Senna. The grid itself had a noticeably different look. Jean Alesi made his Formula One debut at Tyrrell after Michele Alboreto's abrupt departure amid a sponsorship dispute, while Martin Donnelly stepped in for the injured Derek Warwick at Arrows, and Emanuele Pirro filled in for Benetton's recovering Johnny Herbert. For the first time, both Onyx entries also made it through to a Grand Prix, a small triumph for the fledgling team. On a hot, dry Sunday under the southern French sun, the race got underway with the two McLaren-Hondas once again locking out the front row. But the opening seconds produced one of the most spectacular images in the sport's history: Mauricio Gugelmin's Leyton House March locked its front wheels, speared left, and launched spectacularly into the air over the cars of Gerhard Berger and Thierry Boutsen, landing upside down in the middle of the circuit. The race was immediately red-flagged, and remarkably, despite the violence of the accident, none of the drivers involved suffered serious injuries. With the debris cleared in impressively quick time, the field regrouped for a second start, setting up a very different complexion to the 80-lap battle that followed. 📌 If you’re passionate about untold racing stories, forgotten heroes, and iconic Grand Prix moments that shaped the sport, please, consider subscribing to the channel, so you don’t miss future content. Your support means a lot! 👉 Watch more races, highlights and videos from this incredible 1989 season:    • Formula 1 1989 Season Races and Highlights   👉 Watch more legendary F1 Races, F1 Highlights and F1 Documentaries in our full historic playlist here:    • Formula 1   #F1 #Formula1 #F1History #ClassicF1 #FrenchGP #PaulRicard #LeCastellet #AlainProst #AyrtonSenna #NigelMansell #MauricioGugelmin #GerhardBerger #ThierryBoutsen #McLarenHonda #ScuderiaFerrari #LeytonHouse #F1Crash