Benetton B190 1990 – Nelson Piquet

An exclusive photo shoot takes us up close and personal with the vibrant colours of Nelson Piquet’s old 1990 Benetton B190.

Photographs: Jayson Fong – Form and Function

Not many can forget the multi-colours of the iconic Benetton cars, and for very good reason. With a range of motorsport personalities such as Berger, Nannini, Piquet, Schumacher, Herbet, Brundle, Patrese, Alesi, Fisichella, piloting a range of the colours through the 80s and 90s, it would be hard to do so.

In 1990, it was Piquet and Nannini attacking the Formula1 scene in the Ford V8 powered B190. Its goal for the season would be to topple the Mclaren-Honda domination of the past 2 years, a goal shared by many others on the grid.

Designed from the pen of the legendary Rory Byrne, the B190 did away with the signature side intakes beside the cockpit in favor of a single overhead intake to the car’s heart.The B190 was powered by Ford’s new HBA4 V8 which produced approximately 650bhp (485kW), a step up from the older DFR powerplants rated at only 620bhp (462kW) supplied to the other teams sourcing Ford power. Comparing to the top teams’ multi-cylinder engines, the Ford V8 lacked outright power but generally made up for it by being a considerably smaller and lighter package.

The Numbers:

1990 Benetton-Ford HBA4 V8: 650bhp (485kW)

1990 Mclaren-Honda V10: 690bhp (492kW)

1990 Ferrari V12: 680bhp (507kW)

1990 Williams-Renault V10: 660bhp (462kW)

The B190 performed generally well throughout the year, narrowly missing a handful of podiums. It would end the 1990 season on a high at the hands of Nelson Piquet, winning the 2 last races of the in Japan (where Senna and Prost collided on the first corner) and Australia after a narrow miss with Nigel Mansell’s Ferrari (Watch it here).

With strong form throughout the season and clinching the last 2 races, Piquet finished a worthy 3rd in the driver’s championship behind Senna and Prost.

Today, the Nelson Piquet car is owned and driven by John Reaks at numerous historic motorsport meetings and events in the UK. It has been pictured here on Motorsport Retro at the 2014 Lotus Festival at Brands Hatch, looking as good as it did during the 1990 season.