"Worst piece of sportsmanship I've ever seen": F1 pundit's blunt verdict on Ayrton Senna's infamous crash into Alain Prost in the 1990 Japanese GP

F1 pundit Andrew van de Burgt has claimed that Ayrton Senna's infamous crash into Alain Prost in the 1990 F1 Japanese Grand Prix is one of "the worst pieces of sportsmanship" in F1 history. This infamous incident secured a second F1 world championship for Senna, as both rivals were out of the race.

One of the most infamous moments in F1 history occurred at the 1990 Japanese GP, when championship rivals Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost collided on the first corner of the first lap. The former had collided into the latter, in a move that he later revealed was deliberate.

Speaking on The Race's Bring Back V10s podcast, F1 pundit Andrew van de Burgt has labeled this moment as one of the worst pieces of sportsmanship in F1 history.

"It's one of the worst pieces of sportsmanship I've ever seen. It's petulant, petty, it's a horrendous piece of driving," said van de Burgt. "And the fact that he effectively got away with it, I think is a bit of a stain on F1 in general, to be honest with you," he added.

At the 1990 Japanese GP, Ayrton Senna qualified on pole but was unhappy that P1 had to start on the dirty side of the track. He went to the race stewards to request a change, which was initially granted. But FISA president Jean Marie Balestre rejected the decision.

Senna believed the French president was favoring the French driver. He was also infuriated because the FIA mandated that he could not move across the yellow line of the pit exit on the right to better position himself. This ended in "absolutely predictable" fashion, as famously called by commentator Murray Walker, with Senna colliding into Prost after the latter had overtaken him off the line.

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Ayrton Senna's famous quote came after accident with Alain Prost at 1990 Japanese GP

Ayrton Senna at the 1989 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty

Ayrton Senna's most famous quote about not being a racing driver if you don't go for a gap on track came in reference to his accident with Alain Prost at the 1990 Japanese GP. He justified his actions during an interview with Sir Jackie Stewart in 1990.

In 1990, Sir Jackie Stewart sat down with Ayrton Senna to interview him. He showed the Brazilian a clip of his accident with Prost, questioning the safety of the move.

"By being a racing driver, you are under risks all of the time. By being a racing driver means, you are racing with other people and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver," said Senna.

Senna and Prost had collided during the 1989 Japanese GP as well when they were both teammates at McLaren, with this ending in heartbreak for the former. Senna, who had to win the race to keep his championship hopes alive, won the race, but was later disqualified for cutting the final chicane during the incident.

Edited by Mitali