The crash video of Martin Donnelly at the F1 Spanish GP in 1990 has once again gone viral
The newly released trailer for F1: The Movie showed Brad Pitt’s character, Sonny Hayes, undergoing a tragic car crash inspired by real-life F1 driver Martin Donnelly’s crash.
Donnelly underwent a tragic halt in his career in 1990 following a high-speed crash that left him fighting for his life.
Video of Martin Donnelly F1 Spanish GP 1990 Lotus 102 crash as real accident inspires F1 The Movie’s story
F1: The Movie is a new and upcoming documentary-style movie that features Brad Pitt as the main star.
The film uses one harrowing piece of real-world Formula 1 footage to frame Hayes’ backstory, Martin Donnelly’s horrific crash at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix, which left the Ulsterman lying on the track, having been thrown from the car. The accident has been retconned to 1993, with Donnelly replaced by Pitt’s character and is framed as the one that ended his promising career and led to decades in the racing wilderness.
That explains some of Hayes’ quirks including a prerace ritual he does before stepping into the car.
I’m just curious to see the F1 “movie” lore since the car that Brad Pitt’s character climbing in is the Camel Lotus from 1990.
That means in their timeline, he probably replaced Martin Donnelly after his awful crash in Jerez (instead of Johnny Herbert).
Just a morbid theory. pic.twitter.com/U8kpiXDvxa
— Danial Hasri (@Fl4ky) March 14, 2025
The new movie painstakingly recreates the incident, with director Joe Kosinski looking to let audiences feel the raw danger of F1 racing.
Martin Donnelly’s Lotus 102 speared off into the barrier at 140mph (225kmh) as it exploded into pieces and the chassis tore in two and Martin Donnelly was thrown into the air and he sustained severe, life-threatening injuries in his 1990 Formula One crash at Jerez. He suffered brain and lung contusions, severe leg fractures that nearly required amputation, and nerve damage in his left toes and his condition was critical, requiring a medically induced coma for seven weeks and his heart stopped twice.
Despite the severity of his injuries, he survived the crash, though he still experiences some lasting effects.
Martin Donnelly’s terrifying career-ending crash
Back on September 28, 1990, during a practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, Martin Donnelly suffered a tragic crash in his Lotus 102. The accident took place following a catastrophic suspension failure, which caused the car to slam into the barriers at high speed and disintegrate on impact. It left Donnelly flinging onto the track despite still being strapped to his seat.
Savor every moment as if it's your last
Martin Donnelly, a promising Formula 1 driver, saw his career abruptly halted by a devastating crash at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix. The incident not only ended his time in the sport but also marked a profound turning point in his life.… pic.twitter.com/ZZqj07OVYM
— Paul Æ Blundell (@PAUL__BLUNDELL) February 18, 2025
Miraculously, Donnelly survived the accident, with professor Sid Watkins, the FIA’s chief medical officer, keeping him alive on the scene. However, Donnelly suffered devastating injuries on the field, with fellow driver Ayrton Senna sharing how he was visibly shaken after witnessing the crash up close. Senna admitted to being reminded about how fragile life in motorsport really is.
F1: The Movie
F1: The Movie features Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt playing the role of Sonny Hayes, a veteran driver who returns to Formula 1. Hayes makes a return to F1 following a career-derailing crash in the 1990s. Hayes’ backstory mirrored the near-fatal incident that ended Martin Donnelly’s career. The trailer also confirms this, as Pitt’s character appears in a pit garage alongside a Camel-liveried Lotus 102 replica.
Thirty years after the crash, the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team convinces Sonny to return to racing. Hayes drives alongside the team’s hotshot rookie and soon has to overcome all kinds of obstacles.
Martin Donnelly Monza 1990
Lotus – Lamborghini pic.twitter.com/ZeJWRgoOgh
— F1pics (@F1Pics10) May 21, 2025
Martin Donnelly biography
Martin Donnelly was a former F1 driver who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Donnelly initially rose through the junior racing ranks and had a one-off Formula 1 start with Arrows at the 1989 French Grand Prix. He later landed a full-time seat with Lotus in 1990, partnering alongside veteran Derek Warwick. Despite Lotus’s uncompetitive and unreliable machinery, Donnelly managed a seventh-place finish, but his promising F1 career came to a fatal end following a life-threatening near-death accident.
Good morning y'all 🌞
1990 Spanish Grand Prix,Jerez.
Onboard with Alain Prost/Ferrari 641/2 3.5 V12.
The 73-lap race was won by Alain Prost, driving a Ferrari, with teammate Nigel Mansell second and Alessandro Nannini third in a Benetton-Ford.
Martin Donnelly crashed his… pic.twitter.com/qEWT7xU0ur
— kris van Ditshuizen (@KrisVanD2) June 1, 2025