1988 F1 World Championship Season
| Season: | 39th World Championship season |
|---|---|
| Drivers’ Champion: |  Ayrton Senna (1st title, 22nd different world champion, 3rd Brazilian champion) |
| Constructors’ Champion: |  McLaren-Honda (4th title for McLaren) |
| Reigning drivers’ champion: | Nelson Piquet |
| Reigning constructors’ champion: | Williams |
| Races: | 16 |
| Winning drivers: | Ayrton Senna (8)  Alain Prost (7)  Gerhard Berger (1) |
| Winning constructors: | McLaren (15)  Ferrari (1) |
| First-time winners (driver): | none |
| First-time winners (constructor): | none |
| Other seasons: |
Jump to: Calendar | Driver & constructor entries | Race winners | Pole positions | Fastest laps | Qualifying results | Driver standings | Constructor standings | Statistics
Calendar
- DT: Drivers’ title decider
- CT: Constructors’ title decider
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date | Race Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | 03 April | 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| 2 |  San Marino | Imola | 01 May | 1988 San Marino Grand Prix |
| 3 |  Monaco | Monte Carlo | 15 May | 1988 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 4 |  Mexico | Mexico City | 29 May | 1988 Mexican Grand Prix |
| 5 |  Canada | Montreal | 12 June | 1988 Canadian Grand Prix |
| 6 |  Detroit | Detroit | 19 June | 1988 Detroit Grand Prix |
| 7 | France | Le Castellet | 03 July | 1988 French Grand Prix |
| 8 | Britain | Silverstone | 10 July | 1988 British Grand Prix |
| 9 |  Germany | Hockenheim | 24 July | 1988 German Grand Prix |
| 10 |  Hungary | Hungaroring | 07 August | 1988 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| 11 |  Belgium CT | Spa-Francorchamps | 28 August | 1988 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 12 | Italy | Monza | 11 September | 1988 Italian Grand Prix |
| 13 |  Portugal | Estoril | 25 September | 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| 14 |  Spain | Jerez | 02 October | 1988 Spanish Grand Prix |
| 15 |  Japan DT | Suzuka | 30 October | 1988 Japanese Grand Prix |
| 16 |  Australia | Adelaide | 13 November | 1988 Australian Grand Prix |
Driver and constructor entries
| Constructor | Driver | Round(s) entered |
|---|---|---|
| AGS | Philippe Streiff | All |
| Arrows | Eddie Cheever | All |
| Derek Warwick | All | |
| Benetton | Thierry Boutsen | All |
| Alessandro Nannini | All | |
| Coloni | Gabriele Tarquini | All |
| Dallara | Alex Caffi | All |
| EuroBrun |  Oscar Larrauri | All |
| Stefano Modena | All | |
| Ferrari | Michele Alboreto | All |
| Gerhard Berger | All | |
| Ligier | Rene Arnoux | All |
 Stefan Johansson | All | |
| Lola | Philippe Alliot | All |
| Yannick Dalmas | 1-14 | |
| Pierre-Henri Raphanel | 16 | |
| Aguri Suzuki | 15 | |
| Lotus | Satoru Nakajima | All |
| Nelson Piquet | All | |
| March | Ivan Capelli | All |
| Mauricio Gugelmin | All | |
| McLaren | Alain Prost | All |
| Ayrton Senna | All | |
| Minardi | Adrian Campos | 1-5 |
| Pierluigi Martini | 6-16 | |
| Luis Perez-Sala | All | |
| Osella | Nicola Larini | All |
| Rial | Andrea de Cesaris | All |
| Tyrrell | Julian Bailey | All |
| Jonathan Palmer | All | |
| Williams | Martin Brundle | 11 |
| Nigel Mansell | 1-10, 13-16 | |
| Riccardo Patrese | All | |
| Jean-Louis Schlesser | 12 | |
| Zakspeed | Piercarlo Ghinzani | All |
| Bernd Schneider | All |
Race winners
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor | Start | Win Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 3 | 9.873s |
| 2 | San Marino | Imola | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 2.334s |
| 3 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 2 | 20.543s |
| 4 | Mexico | Mexico City | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 2 | 7.104s |
| 5 | Canada | Montreal | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 5.934s |
| 6 | Detroit | Detroit | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 38.713s |
| 7 | France | Le Castellet | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 31.752s |
| 8 | Britain | Silverstone | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 3 | 23.344s |
| 9 | Germany | Hockenheim | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 13.609s |
| 10 | Hungary | Hungaroring | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.529s |
| 11 | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 30.470s |
| 12 | Italy | Monza | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 3 | 0.502s |
| 13 | Portugal | Estoril | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 9.553s |
| 14 | Spain | Jerez | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 2 | 26.232s |
| 15 | Japan | Suzuka | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 13.363s |
| 16 | Australia | Adelaide | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 2 | 36.787s |
Polesitters
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor | Race | Pole Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | DSQ | 0.536s |
| 2 | San Marino | Imola | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.771s |
| 3 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | DNF | 1.427s |
| 4 | Mexico | Mexico City | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 2 | 0.629s |
| 5 | Canada | Montreal | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.182s |
| 6 | Detroit | Detroit | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.858s |
| 7 | France | Le Castellet | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.478s |
| 8 | Britain | Silverstone | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 9 | 0.199s |
| 9 | Germany | Hockenheim | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.277s |
| 10 | Hungary | Hungaroring | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.108s |
| 11 | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.410s |
| 12 | Italy | Monza | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 10R | 0.303s |
| 13 | Portugal | Estoril | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.458s |
| 14 | Spain | Jerez | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 4 | 0.067s |
| 15 | Japan | Suzuka | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 0.324s |
| 16 | Australia | Adelaide | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 2 | 0.132s |
Fastest laps
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| 2 | San Marino | Imola | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda |
| 3 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda |
| 4 | Mexico | Mexico City | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda |
| 5 | Canada | Montreal | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda |
| 6 | Detroit | Detroit | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda |
| 7 | France | Le Castellet | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda |
| 8 | Britain | Silverstone | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Judd |
| 9 | Germany | Hockenheim | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton-Ford Cosworth |
| 10 | Hungary | Hungaroring | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda |
| 11 | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| 12 | Italy | Monza | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
| 13 | Portugal | Estoril | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| 14 | Spain | Jerez | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda |
| 15 | Japan | Suzuka | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda |
| 16 | Australia | Adelaide | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda |
Qualifying results
World Drivers’ Championship standings
The top six classified finishers of each race were awarded points on the following basis: 1st (9), 2nd (6), 3rd (4), 4th (3), 5th (2), 6th (1)
Only the best 11 results counted towards the championship. Numbers shown without parentheses are the points scored that counted towards the championship; numbers in parentheses are the total number of points scored.
- Highlight: Rookie
- Bold: pole position
- Underline: fastest lap
- Bold & underline: pole & fastest lap
| Pos | Driver | BRA | SMR | MCO | MEX | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | DEU | HUN | BEL | ITA | PRT | ESP | JPN | AUS | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayrton Senna | DSQ | 1 | R | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10R | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 90 (94) |
| 2 | Alain Prost | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | R | 2 | 2 | 2 | R | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 87 (105) |
| 3 | Gerhard Berger | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | R | R | 4 | 9 | 3 | 4 | R | 1 | R | 6 | 4 | R | 41 |
| 4 | Thierry Boutsen | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 3 | R | R | 6 | 3 | DSQ | 6 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 27 |
| 5 | Michele Alboreto | 5 | 18R | 3 | 4 | R | R | 3 | 17R | 4 | R | R | 2 | 5 | R | 11 | R | 24 |
| 6 | Nelson Piquet | 3 | 3 | R | R | 4 | R | 5 | 5 | R | 8 | 4 | R | R | 8 | R | 3 | 22 |
| 7 | Ivan Capelli | R | R | 10 | 16 | 5 | DNS | 9 | R | 5 | R | 3 | 5 | 2 | R | R | 6 | 17 |
| = | Derek Warwick | 4 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 7 | R | R | 6 | 7 | R | 5 | 4 | 4 | R | R | R | 17 |
| 9 | Nigel Mansell | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | 2 | R | R | R | 2 | R | R | 12 | ||
| = | Alessandro Nannini | R | 6 | R | 7 | R | R | 6 | 3 | 18 | R | DSQ | 9 | R | 3 | 5 | R | 12 |
| 11 | Riccardo Patrese | R | 13 | 6 | R | R | R | R | 8 | R | 6 | R | 7 | R | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 |
| 12 | Eddie Cheever | 8 | 7 | R | 6 | R | R | 11 | 7 | 10 | R | 6 | 3 | R | R | R | R | 6 |
| 13 | Mauricio Gugelmin | R | 15 | R | R | R | R | 8 | 4 | 8 | 5 | R | 8 | R | 7 | 10 | R | 5 |
| = | Jonathan Palmer | R | 14 | 5 | DNQ | 6 | 5 | R | R | 11 | R | 12R | DNQ | R | R | 12 | R | 5 |
| 15 | Andrea de Cesaris | R | R | R | R | 9R | 4 | 10 | R | 13 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 8R | 3 |
| 16 | Satoru Nakajima | 6 | 8 | DNQ | R | 11 | DNQ | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | R | R | R | R | 7 | R | 1 |
| = | Pierluigi Martini | 6 | 15 | 15 | DNQ | R | DNQ | R | R | R | 13 | 7 | 1 | |||||
| Yannick Dalmas | R | 12 | 7 | 9 | DNQ | 7 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 9 | R | R | R | 11 | ||||
| Alex Caffi | DNPQ | R | R | R | DNPQ | 8 | 12 | 11 | 15 | R | 8 | R | 7 | 10 | R | R | ||
| Martin Brundle | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Philippe Streiff | R | 10 | DNS | 12 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 10 | R | 9 | R | 8 | 11R | ||
| Luis Perez-Sala | R | 11 | R | 11 | 13 | R | NC | R | DNQ | 10 | DNQ | R | 8 | 12 | 15 | R | ||
| Gabriele Tarquini | R | R | R | 14 | 8 | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | 13 | NC | DNQ | 11 | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNQ | ||
| Philippe Alliot | R | 17 | R | R | 10R | R | R | 14 | R | 12 | 9 | R | R | 14 | 9 | 10R | ||
| Stefan Johansson | 9 | DNQ | R | 10 | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | 11R | DNQ | R | R | DNQ | 9R | ||
| Julian Bailey | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | 9R | DNQ | 16 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 12 | DNQ | DNQ | 14 | DNQ | ||
| Nicola Larini | DNQ | 9 | DNQ | DNQ | R | R | 19R | R | DNPQ | R | R | 12 | R | R | DNPQ | |||
| Rene Arnoux | R | DNQ | R | R | R | R | DNQ | 18 | 17 | R | R | 13 | 10 | R | 17 | R | ||
| Stefano Modena | R | NC | 12 | R | 14 | 12 | R | 11 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 13 | DNQ | R | ||||
| Jean-Louis Schlesser | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| Bernd Schneider | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | DNQ | 12 | DNQ | 13R | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | DNQ | ||
| Oscar Larrauri | DNS | DNQ | R | 13 | R | R | R | DNQ | 16 | DNQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | ||
| Piercarlo Ghinzani | DNQ | R | R | 15 | 14R | DNQ | DNS | DNQ | 14 | DNQ | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | ||
| Adrian Campos | R | 16 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | |||||||||||||
| Aguri Suzuki | 16 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pierre-Henri Raphanel | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||
| No. | Driver | BRA | SMR | MCO | MEX | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | DEU | HUN | BEL | ITA | PRT | ESP | JPN | AUS | Points |
Race to the title
The Race to the title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season between the top five drivers of 1988. Reigning world champion Nelson Piquet, who finished 6th, is also shown.
World Constructors’ Championship standings
The top six classified finishers of each race were awarded points on the following basis: 1st (9), 2nd (6), 3rd (4), 4th (3), 5th (2), 6th (1)
Every race counted towards the championship.
- Bold: pole position
- Underline: fastest lap
- Bold & underline: pole & fastest lap
| Pos | Constructor | BRA | SMR | MCO | MEX | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | DEU | HUN | BEL | ITA | PRT | ESP | JPN | AUS | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren-Honda | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10R | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 199 |
| DSQ | 2 | R | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | R | 2 | 2 | 2 | R | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 2 | Ferrari | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | R | R | 3 | 9 | 3 | 4 | R | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | R | 65 |
| 5 | 18R | 3 | 4 | R | R | 4 | 17R | 4 | R | R | 2 | R | R | 11 | R | |||
| 3 | Benetton-Ford Cosworth | 7 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 | DSQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 39 |
| R | 6 | R | 8 | R | R | R | R | 18 | R | DSQ | 9 | R | 9 | 5 | R | |||
| 4 | Lotus-Honda | 3 | 3 | R | R | 4 | R | 5 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 4 | R | R | 8 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
| 6 | 8 | DNQ | R | 11 | DNQ | 7 | 10 | R | 8 | R | R | R | R | R | R | |||
| 5 | Arrows-Megatron | 4 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | R | 11 | 6 | 7 | R | 5 | 3 | 4 | R | R | R | 23 |
| 8 | 9 | R | 6 | R | R | R | 7 | 10 | R | 6 | 4 | R | R | R | R | |||
| 6 | March-Judd | R | 15 | 10 | 16 | 5 | R | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 22 |
| R | R | R | R | R | DNS | 9 | R | 8 | R | R | 8 | R | R | R | R | |||
| 7 | Williams-Judd | R | 13 | 6 | R | R | R | R | 2 | R | 6 | 7 | 7 | R | 2 | 6 | 4 | 20 |
| R | R | R | R | R | R | R | 8 | R | R | R | 11 | R | 5 | R | R | |||
| 8 | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth | R | 14 | 5 | DNQ | 6 | 5 | R | 16 | 11 | R | 12R | 12 | R | R | 12 | R | 5 |
| DNQ | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | 9R | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 14 | DNQ | |||
| 9 | Rial-Ford Cosworth | R | R | R | R | 9R | 4 | 10 | R | 13 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 8R | 3 |
| 10 | Minardi-Ford Cosworth | R | 11 | R | 11 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 15 | DNQ | 10 | DNQ | R | 8 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 1 |
| R | 16 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | NC | R | DNQ | R | DNQ | R | R | R | 15 | R | |||
| 11 | Lola-Ford Cosworth | R | 12 | 7 | 9 | 10R | 7 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 9 | 9 | R | R | 11 | 9 | 10R | |
| R | 17 | R | R | DNQ | R | R | 14 | R | 12 | R | R | R | 14 | 16 | DNQ | |||
| 12 | Dallara-Ford Cosworth | DNPQ | R | R | R | DNPQ | 8 | 12 | 11 | 15 | R | 8 | R | 7 | 10 | R | R | |
| 13 | AGS-Ford Cosworth | R | 10 | DNS | 12 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 10 | R | 9 | R | 8 | 11R | |
| 14 | Coloni-Ford Cosworth | R | R | R | 14 | 8 | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | 13 | NC | DNQ | 11 | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNQ | |
| 15 | Ligier-Judd | 9 | DNQ | R | 10 | R | R | DNQ | 18 | 17 | R | 11R | 13 | 10 | R | 17 | 9R | |
| R | DNQ | R | R | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | R | DNQ | R | R | DNQ | R | |||
| 16 | Osella | DNQ | EX | 9 | DNQ | DNQ | R | R | 19R | R | DNPQ | R | R | 12 | R | R | DNPQ | |
| 17 | EuroBrun-Ford Cosworth | R | NC | R | 13 | 12 | R | 14 | 12 | 16 | 11 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 13 | DNQ | R | |
| DNS | DNQ | EX | EX | R | R | R | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | |||
| 18 | Zakspeed | DNQ | R | R | 15 | 14R | DNQ | R | DNQ | 12 | DNQ | 13R | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | R | |
| DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNS | DNQ | 14 | DNQ | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | |||
| No. | Constructor | BRA | SMR | MCO | MEX | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | DEU | HUN | BEL | ITA | PRT | ESP | JPN | AUS | Points |
Race to the title
The Race to the title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season between the top five constructors of 1988. Reigning world champion Williams, who finished 7th, is also shown.