1990 Australian Grand Prix - Pre-race Controversy

Pre-race Controversy

As part of a television interview with Ayrton Senna after qualifying, former triple World Champion Jackie Stewart caused a stir when he claimed that Senna was part of too many race accidents for a driver of his ability compared to all the World Champions of the past. A visibly annoyed Senna stated he couldn't believe that someone of Stewart's racing experience, someone who knew first hand that accidents are a part of motor racing, would say that he was a dangerous driver, and challenged the Scotsman to go back and check his facts.

As per normal practice, the annual end-of-season drivers photo shoot took place prior to the race, but there was also a photo shoot taken with several World Champions who were in attendance, including legendary five time Champion Juan Manuel Fangio. Alain Prost, still angry over the events at Suzuka, did not appear in either by his own choice as he didn't want to appear with Ayrton Senna. This, and his public statements about his former team mate following the Japanese Grand Prix were he claimed Senna deliberately took him out at the first corner in the race to win the World Championship, lead to criticism of his mental state of mind by such as former World Champion turned BBC commentator James Hunt, who at the time believed the crash at Suzuka was just an accident and that Senna had not taken Prost out on purpose (Senna revealed at Suzuka a year later that he did indeed deliberately take Prost out as payback for their crash at the track in 1989 that gave Prost the title over Senna). Hunt, who as the 1976 Champion was in the photo shoot along with the Fangio, Sir Jack Brabham, Stewart, Alan Jones, Niki Lauda, as well as current drivers Senna and Nelson Piquet, claimed during the race commentary that Prost had been beaten down by Senna after losing the championship to him in controversial circumstances and seemed to be "a driver who was under a form of mental collapse".