Alain Prost gave McLaren’s new MP4/4 a winning debut at the 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix, while Ayrton Senna’s first race for the team ended in disqualification. Nigel Mansell had split the red-and-white cars in qualifying, but Sunday belonged to Alain Prost as Gerhard Berger and reigning champion Nelson Piquet completed the podium.
Race Guide
Season: 1988 F1 World Championship
Race date: 3 April 1988
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-03:00)
Circuit: Jacarepaguá
Laps: 60 laps (61 laps scheduled)
Circuit length: 5.031 km
1987 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:28.096 | |
| Fastest lap | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:32.943 on lap 45 | |
| First | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| Second | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| Third | Nelson Piquet | Lotus |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April 1988 | Free practice and pre-qualifying | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 1 April 1988 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 2 April 1988 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 2 April 1988 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 3 April 1988 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 3 April 1988 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
The 1988 F1 World Championship opened with an intriguing contest between restricted turbo engines and their naturally aspirated rivals. McLaren paired Alain Prost with Ayrton Senna and Honda power, while Nelson Piquet moved to Lotus and Williams began its season with Judd engines. The pace of those new combinations made this much more than an ordinary season opener.
Race entries
Rial, EuroBrun and the Dallara-equipped Scuderia Italia joined the field. Maurício Mauricio Gugelmin made his debut with March, Luis Pérez-Sala with Minardi, Julian Bailey with Tyrrell, Bernd Schneider with Zakspeed and Oscar Larrauri with EuroBrun. Alex Caffi faced an especially difficult introduction to Scuderia Italia: its Formula 1 car was not ready, leaving him with an adapted Formula 3000 machine.
Pre-qualifying
With 31 cars entered and room for 30 in qualifying, the opening practice session also decided who would clear pre-qualifying. Alex Caffi was eliminated in the stopgap Dallara, ending his weekend before the main contest for the grid began.
Pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Rial | 1:37.033 | — |
| 2 | 33 | Stefano Modena | EuroBrun | 1:37.886 | +0.853 |
| 3 | 32 | Oscar Larrauri | EuroBrun | 1:38.276 | +1.243 |
| 4 | 31 | Gabriele Tarquini | Coloni | 1:43.869 | +6.836 |
| DNPQ | 36 | Alex Caffi | Dallara | 1:46.442 | +9.409 |
Friday Free Practice
McLaren’s race cars began their competitive lives impressively on Friday morning. Despite having barely tested before arriving in Brazil, the MP4/4 immediately put Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna ahead of the field. Alain Prost’s 1:31.234 was the benchmark, with Nigel Mansell close enough in third to suggest that the new Williams-Judd combination could make a fight of qualifying. For the opposition, McLaren’s speed straight out of the garage was an uncomfortable early sign.
Friday Practice Classification
1988 Brazilian Grand Prix Practice, 1 April 1988
Friday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna set the first qualifying target at 1:30.218, with Nigel Mansell second and Alessandro Nannini third. It was a lively start for the naturally aspirated cars, which could not match the Honda turbo’s straight-line speed but were making their presence felt over a full lap. Alain Prost ended the opening session only fifth, leaving work to do on Saturday.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1988 Brazilian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 1 April 1988
Saturday Free Practice
Ayrton Senna increased the pace to 1:29.521 on Saturday morning, leaving Gerhard Berger more than a second behind. Ferrari’s difficulty went beyond finding a clear lap: its drivers were struggling with power delivery and the restricted turbo system. The weekend also exposed the fragility behind McLaren’s speed, with a front-wing failure on Alain Prost’s car on Saturday. Benetton, meanwhile, had to address the time taken by its drivers to climb out of their cockpits before the final qualifying session.
Saturday Practice Classification
1988 Brazilian Grand Prix Practice, 2 April 1988
Saturday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna secured pole with 1:28.096, but Nigel Mansell produced an outstanding lap to keep Williams on the front row. Alain Prost improved to third ahead of Gerhard Berger; the McLarens would start either side of the impressive Williams. Alessandro Nannini slipped to twelfth after Benetton’s cockpit-exit modifications and electrical trouble, while Julian Bailey, both Zakspeed drivers and Nicola Larini missed the grid.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1988 Brazilian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 2 April 1988
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Friday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:30.218 | 1:28.096 | 1:28.096 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:30.928 | 1:28.632 | 1:28.632 | — |
| 3 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:31.975 | 1:28.782 | 1:28.782 | — |
| 4 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:32.123 | 1:29.026 | 1:29.026 | — |
| 5 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus | 1:32.888 | 1:30.087 | 1:30.087 | — |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:32.523 | 1:30.114 | 1:30.114 | — |
| 7 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:32.060 | 1:30.140 | 1:30.140 | — |
| 8 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:34.070 | 1:30.439 | 1:30.439 | — |
| 9 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:33.546 | 1:30.929 | 1:30.929 | — |
| 10 | 2 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:33.293 | 1:31.280 | 1:31.280 | — |
| 11 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:34.323 | 1:31.723 | 1:31.723 | — |
| 12 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 1:31.772 | 1:32.748 | 1:31.772 | — |
| 13 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | March | 1:34.037 | 1:31.833 | 1:31.833 | — |
| 14 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Rial | 1:34.988 | 1:32.275 | 1:32.275 | — |
| 15 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:33.787 | 1:32.843 | 1:32.843 | — |
| 16 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:35.930 | 1:32.933 | 1:32.933 | — |
| 17 | 29 | Yannick Dalmas | Lola | 1:36.382 | 1:33.408 | 1:33.408 | — |
| 18 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 1:37.274 | 1:34.474 | 1:34.474 | — |
| 19 | 14 | Philippe Streiff | AGS | 1:37.601 | 1:34.481 | 1:34.481 | — |
| 20 | 24 | Luis Pérez-Sala | Minardi | 1:36.593 | 1:34.532 | 1:34.532 | — |
| 21 | 26 | Stefan Johansson | Ligier | 1:37.454 | 1:34.579 | 1:34.579 | — |
| 22 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:38.628 | 1:34.686 | 1:34.686 | — |
| 23 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 1:37.164 | 1:34.886 | 1:34.886 | — |
| 24 | 33 | Stefano Modena | EuroBrun | 1:37.506 | 1:34.910 | 1:34.910 | — |
| 25 | 31 | Gabriele Tarquini | Coloni | 1:41.149 | 1:35.407 | 1:35.407 | — |
| 26 | 32 | Oscar Larrauri | EuroBrun | 1:38.347 | 1:35.711 | 1:35.711 | — |
| DNQ | 4 | Julian Bailey | Tyrrell | 1:39.771 | 1:36.137 | 1:36.137 | — |
| DNQ | 9 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Zakspeed | 1:40.431 | 1:37.621 | 1:37.621 | — |
| DNQ | 21 | Nicola Larini | Osella | 1:38.927 | 1:38.371 | 1:38.371 | — |
| DNQ | 10 | Bernd Schneider | Zakspeed | 1:45.540 | 1:38.614 | 1:38.614 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Sunday’s warm-up offered Benetton some encouragement after its disrupted qualifying. Thierry Boutsen and Alessandro Nannini were second and third behind Ayrton Senna, whose 1:45.165 headed the session. Thierry Boutsen had recovered from an undertray problem that had upset his car’s balance the previous day. That improved showing gave Benetton reason to aim beyond its grid positions, although heat and reliability remained formidable obstacles once the race began.
Warm-up Classification
1988 Brazilian Grand Prix Warm-up, 3 April 1988
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:45.165 | — |
| 2 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | +1.295s | — |
| 3 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | +1.720s | — |
| 4 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren | +1.743s | — |
| 5 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | +1.908s | — |
| 6 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | +2.755s | — |
| 7 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | +3.007s | — |
| 8 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | +4.298s | — |
| 9 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | +4.305s | — |
| 10 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +4.319s | — |
| 11 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Rial | +4.511s | — |
| 12 | 2 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | +4.718s | — |
| 13 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | March | +4.735s | — |
| 14 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus | +5.321s | — |
| 15 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | +5.391s | — |
| 16 | 26 | Stefan Johansson | Ligier | +5.897s | — |
| 17 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | +6.120s | — |
| 18 | 29 | Yannick Dalmas | Lola | +6.508s | — |
| 19 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | +6.692s | — |
| 20 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | +6.719s | — |
| 21 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | +6.861s | — |
| 22 | 33 | Stefano Modena | EuroBrun | +7.736s | — |
| 23 | 32 | Oscar Larrauri | EuroBrun | +8.029s | — |
| 24 | 31 | Gabriele Tarquini | Coloni | +8.732s | — |
| 25 | 24 | Luis Perez-Sala | Minardi | +9.714s | — |
| 26 | 14 | Philippe Streiff | AGS | +9.963s | — |
What happened in the 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix?
Ayrton Senna’s home-race hopes unravelled before the start when his gear-selection mechanism failed. After the start was aborted, he took the spare McLaren and joined from the pit lane. Alain Prost seized the initiative when the race got under way, with Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell chasing. The Williams challenge faded when overheating brought Nigel Mansell into the pits and retirement.
Ayrton Senna charged through the field and reached second, briefly turning a disastrous opening into a remarkable recovery. It could not stand: changing cars after the formation lap breached the rules, and he was shown the black flag. Alain Prost made his tyre stop without surrendering control and managed the closing stages as Gerhard Berger reduced the gap.
Alain Prost won by 9.873 seconds, with Gerhard Berger second and Nelson Piquet third on his Lotus debut. Derek Warwick took fourth for Arrows, ahead of Michele Alboreto and Satoru Nakajima. All six points places went to turbo-powered cars, while Thierry Boutsen finished just outside them in seventh. McLaren had delivered the victory its pace promised, but its new partnership had experienced very different Sundays.
After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 9 points, followed by Gerhard Berger on 6. McLaren – Honda led the constructors’ table on 9, with Ferrari on 8.
1988 Brazilian Grand Prix race results
The 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 3 April 1988.
1988 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 45 | 1:32.943 |
| 2 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 39 | 1:33.193 |
| 3 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 57 | 1:33.540 |
| 4 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus | 44 | 1:33.597 |
| 5 | 2 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 47 | 1:33.903 |
| 6 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Rial | 44 | 1:34.440 |
| 7 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 31 | 1:34.457 |
| 8 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 46 | 1:34.632 |
| 9 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 13 | 1:34.657 |
| 10 | 29 | Yannick Dalmas | Lola | 32 | 1:35.003 |
| 11 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 44 | 1:35.020 |
| 12 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 10 | 1:35.346 |
| 13 | 26 | Stefan Johansson | Ligier | 44 | 1:36.429 |
| 14 | 14 | Philippe Streiff | AGS | 34 | 1:36.451 |
| 15 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 31 | 1:36.613 |
| 16 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 3 | 1:36.616 |
| 17 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 38 | 1:36.758 |
| 18 | 24 | Luis Perez-Sala | Minardi | 43 | 1:36.929 |
| 19 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 3 | 1:37.003 |
| 20 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 6 | 1:37.024 |
| 21 | 31 | Gabriele Tarquini | Coloni | 34 | 1:37.112 |
| 22 | 33 | Stefano Modena | EuroBrun | 15 | 1:38.401 |
| 23 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 21 | 1:38.556 |
| 24 | 23 | Adrian Campos | Minardi | 3 | 1:41.641 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1988 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix.
1988 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 9 |
| 2 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | Ferrari | 6 |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Lotus | 4 |
| 4 | Derek Warwick | British | Arrows | 3 |
| 5 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Ferrari | 2 |
| 6 | Satoru Nakajima | Japanese | Lotus | 1 |
| – | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Benetton | 0 |
| – | Eddie Cheever | American | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Stefan Johansson | Swedish | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Rial | 0 |
| – | Jonathan Palmer | British | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Luis Pérez-Sala | Spanish | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Philippe Alliot | French | Lola | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | Coloni | 0 |
| – | Philippe Streiff | French | AGS | 0 |
| – | Yannick Dalmas | French | Lola | 0 |
| – | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | McLaren | 0 |
| – | René Arnoux | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Stefano Modena | Italian | EuroBrun | 0 |
| – | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 0 |
| – | Alessandro Nannini | Italian | Benetton | 0 |
| – | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Williams | 0 |
| – | Ivan Capelli | Italian | March | 0 |
| – | Adrián Campos | Spanish | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Maurício Gugelmin | Brazilian | March | 0 |
| – | Oscar Larrauri | Argentine | EuroBrun | 0 |
1988 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren – Honda | 9 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 8 |
| 3 | Lotus – Honda | 5 |
| 4 | Arrows – Megatron | 3 |
| — | Benetton – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ligier – Judd | 0 |
| — | Rial – Ford | 0 |
| — | Tyrrell – Ford | 0 |
| — | Minardi – Ford | 0 |
| — | Lola – Ford | 0 |
| — | Coloni – Ford | 0 |
| — | AGS – Ford | 0 |
| — | EuroBrun – Ford | 0 |
| — | Williams – Judd | 0 |
| — | March – Judd | 0 |
| — | Zakspeed | 0 |
| — | Osella | 0 |
| — | Dallara – Ford | 0 |
Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.
1988 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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