Ayrton Senna produced a qualifying lap for the ages at the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix, but victory went to Alain Prost after the Brazilian crashed out of a commanding lead. Ferrari collected second and third through Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto, while Derek Warwick and Jonathan Palmer made the most of an eventful afternoon on the streets.
Race Guide
Season: 1988 F1 World Championship
Race date: 15 May 1988
Race start time: 15:30 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit de Monaco
Laps: 78 laps
Circuit length: 3.328 km
1987 winner: Ayrton Senna
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:23.998 | |
| Fastest lap | Ayrton Senna | McLaren |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:26.321 on lap 59 | |
| First | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| Second | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari |
| Third | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1988 | Free practice and pre-qualifying | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 12 May 1988 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 14 May 1988 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 14 May 1988 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 15 May 1988 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 15 May 1988 | Race | 15:30 |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Alain Prost arrived at round 3 leading the 1988 F1 World Championship on 15 points, with Ayrton Senna on 9. McLaren – Honda headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 24 points.
Race entries
Nicola Larini returned with an Osella revised after its exclusion at Imola. Honda supplied different engine developments for its McLaren and Lotus drivers to assess, while Tyrrell brought suspension changes to help its cars around the tight streets. The entry again stood at 31 cars, leaving one elimination before main qualifying.
Pre-qualifying
The pre-qualifying contest took place during Thursday morning’s practice. Stefano Modena was excluded after missing a mandatory weighing check, so the other contenders survived the initial cut. It was a costly administrative error for the EuroBrun driver on a circuit where keeping the car intact was already difficult enough.
Thursday Free Practice
Rain made Thursday morning treacherous and interrupted the usual process of cleaning up the street circuit. Gerhard Berger set the fastest time before his Ferrari stopped in the tunnel; Andrea de Cesaris then struck the stranded car. Gabriele Tarquini and Alex Caffi also damaged their cars against the barriers. Derek Warwick was second in the session, ahead of Ayrton Senna, but the accidents made survival as important as speed for several smaller teams.
Thursday Practice Classification
1988 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, 12 May 1988
Thursday Qualifying
Ayrton Senna was already in a class of his own during Thursday qualifying, setting 1:26.464 as the surface improved. Alain Prost followed in 1:28.375, only just ahead of Nigel Mansell. The weather left plenty of scope for Saturday improvements, but the gap between the McLaren drivers was striking even before the decisive session.
Thursday Qualifying Classification
1988 Monaco Grand Prix first qualifying session, 12 May 1988
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday brought a much better opportunity to work in dry conditions. Ayrton Senna led with 1:25.385, almost a second ahead of Alain Prost, while Nigel Mansell put the Williams third. Honda’s engine experiments were part of the weekend’s setup work: Alain Prost returned to the earlier specification after trying the revised version. The clearer conditions let the drivers approach qualifying with a more representative feel for grip than Thursday’s rain had allowed.
Saturday Practice Classification
1988 Monaco Grand Prix Practice, 14 May 1988
Saturday Qualifying
On Saturday Ayrton Senna went faster still, securing pole in 1:23.998 and beating Alain Prost by 1.427 seconds. Gerhard Berger was a further 1.260 seconds behind in third, alongside Michele Alboreto, with Nigel Mansell fifth. Satoru Nakajima missed the cut in his Honda-powered Lotus; Bernd Schneider, Adrián Adrian Campos and Julian Bailey also failed to qualify.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1988 Monaco Grand Prix second qualifying session, 14 May 1988
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Thursday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:26.464 | 1:23.998 | 1:23.998 | — |
| 2 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:28.375 | 1:25.425 | 1:25.425 | — |
| 3 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:29.001 | 1:26.685 | 1:26.685 | — |
| 4 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:29.931 | 1:27.297 | 1:27.297 | — |
| 5 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 1:28.475 | 1:27.665 | 1:27.665 | — |
| 6 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 1:29.093 | 1:27.869 | 1:27.869 | — |
| 7 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 1:29.928 | 1:27.872 | 1:27.872 | — |
| 8 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 1:29.130 | 1:28.016 | 1:28.016 | — |
| 9 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 1:32.889 | 1:28.227 | 1:28.227 | — |
| 10 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 1:30.679 | 1:28.358 | 1:28.358 | — |
| 11 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus | 1:30.924 | 1:28.403 | 1:28.403 | — |
| 12 | 14 | Philippe Streiff | AGS | 1:29.597 | 1:28.527 | 1:28.527 | — |
| 13 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 1:31.375 | 1:28.536 | 1:28.536 | — |
| 14 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | March | 1:32.148 | 1:28.610 | 1:28.610 | — |
| 15 | 24 | Luis Pérez-Sala | Minardi | 1:31.662 | 1:28.625 | 1:28.625 | — |
| 16 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 1:29.539 | 1:28.640 | 1:28.640 | — |
| 17 | 36 | Alex Caffi | Dallara | 1:33.691 | 1:29.075 | 1:29.075 | — |
| 18 | 32 | Oscar Larrauri | EuroBrun | 1:31.861 | 1:29.093 | 1:29.093 | — |
| 19 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Rial | 1:33.183 | 1:29.298 | 1:29.298 | — |
| 20 | 25 | René Arnoux | Ligier | 1:31.964 | 1:29.480 | 1:29.480 | — |
| 21 | 29 | Yannick Dalmas | Lola | 1:35.158 | 1:29.601 | 1:29.601 | — |
| 22 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 1:35.256 | 1:29.603 | 1:29.603 | — |
| 23 | 9 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Zakspeed | 1:33.005 | 1:30.121 | 1:30.121 | — |
| 24 | 31 | Gabriele Tarquini | Coloni | 1:32.792 | 1:30.252 | 1:30.252 | — |
| 25 | 21 | Nicola Larini | Osella | 1:36.705 | 1:30.335 | 1:30.335 | — |
| 26 | 26 | Stefan Johansson | Ligier | 1:36.036 | 1:30.505 | 1:30.505 | — |
| DNQ | 2 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus | 1:30.611 | 1:31.573 | 1:30.611 | — |
| DNQ | 10 | Bernd Schneider | Zakspeed | 1:33.585 | 1:30.613 | 1:30.613 | — |
| DNQ | 23 | Adrián Campos | Minardi | 1:32.627 | 1:30.793 | 1:30.793 | — |
| DNQ | 4 | Julian Bailey | Tyrrell | 1:34.192 | 1:30.816 | 1:30.816 | — |
Sunday warm-up
Rain returned for Sunday’s warm-up, limiting its value for the dry race that followed. Ayrton Senna was quickest again, with Alain Prost and Derek Warwick close behind, but the teams had to make their final decisions without a normal dry race-morning rehearsal. Williams also worked on its cooling arrangements after the overheating difficulties that had troubled the opening races. Keeping the car healthy in traffic would be especially important here.
Warm-up Classification
1988 Monaco Grand Prix Warm-up, 15 May 1988
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 1:44.159 | — |
| 2 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren | +0.818s | — |
| 3 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | +0.969s | — |
| 4 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | +1.663s | — |
| 5 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | +2.507s | — |
| 6 | 26 | Stefan Johansson | Ligier | +3.099s | — |
| 7 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | +3.308s | — |
| 8 | 24 | Luis Perez-Sala | Minardi | +3.481s | — |
| 9 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | +3.977s | — |
| 10 | 14 | Philippe Streiff | AGS | +4.214s | — |
| 11 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | +4.219s | — |
| 12 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | March | +4.269s | — |
| 13 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | +4.752s | — |
| 14 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | +4.981s | — |
| 15 | 9 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Zakspeed | +5.011s | — |
| 16 | 21 | Nicola Larini | Osella | +5.218s | — |
| 17 | 29 | Yannick Dalmas | Lola | +6.142s | — |
| 18 | 31 | Gabriele Tarquini | Coloni | +6.697s | — |
| 19 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | +7.171s | — |
| 20 | 32 | Oscar Larrauri | EuroBrun | +7.892s | — |
| 21 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus | +9.094s | — |
| 22 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | +11.729s | — |
| 23 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | +12.355s | — |
| 24 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Rial | +15.714s | — |
| 25 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | +18.202s | — |
| 26 | 36 | Alex Caffi | Dallara | +22.487s | — |
What happened in the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix?
Ayrton Senna escaped at the start while Gerhard Berger slipped ahead of Alain Prost, leaving the second McLaren trapped behind the Ferrari. The opening lap brought trouble for several others, including Alex Caffi and Nelson Piquet. Nigel Mansell’s attempt to keep the leading cars in sight ended after contact with Michele Alboreto, while Ayrton Senna steadily built an enormous advantage.
Alain Prost finally passed Gerhard Berger on lap 54, but the leader was far up the road. McLaren asked its drivers to ease their pace. Then, on lap 67, Ayrton Senna hit the barrier at Portier and retired. An afternoon that had appeared firmly under his control suddenly belonged to his team-mate.
Alain Prost took the win ahead of Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto. Derek Warwick brought Arrows home fourth, Jonathan Palmer earned fifth for Tyrrell, and Riccardo Patrese recovered to sixth after an earlier collision and pit stop. Ayrton Senna’s qualifying brilliance remained one of the weekend’s defining memories, but Alain Prost left with the nine points that mattered for the championship.
After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 24 points, followed by Gerhard Berger on 14. McLaren – Honda led the constructors’ table on 33, with Ferrari on 20.
1988 Monaco Grand Prix race results
The 1988 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 15 May 1988, with a scheduled start of 15:30 local time.
1988 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 59 | 1:26.321 |
| 2 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 57 | 1:26.714 |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams | 75 | 1:28.411 |
| 4 | 29 | Yannick Dalmas | Lola | 74 | 1:28.465 |
| 5 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 56 | 1:28.899 |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 36 | 1:28.931 |
| 7 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 25 | 1:28.975 |
| 8 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 38 | 1:29.618 |
| 9 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March | 25 | 1:29.642 |
| 10 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 13 | 1:29.693 |
| 11 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 62 | 1:29.831 |
| 12 | 15 | Mauricio Gugelmin | March | 32 | 1:29.934 |
| 13 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell | 34 | 1:30.171 |
| 14 | 24 | Luis Perez-Sala | Minardi | 26 | 1:30.226 |
| 15 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Rial | 21 | 1:30.397 |
| 16 | 30 | Philippe Alliot | Lola | 22 | 1:30.749 |
| 17 | 21 | Nicola Larini | Osella | 49 | 1:31.635 |
| 18 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows | 7 | 1:31.757 |
| 19 | 9 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Zakspeed | 41 | 1:32.308 |
| 20 | 32 | Oscar Larrauri | EuroBrun | 7 | 1:32.320 |
| 21 | 25 | Rene Arnoux | Ligier | 8 | 1:32.797 |
| 22 | 31 | Gabriele Tarquini | Coloni | 4 | 1:33.570 |
| 23 | 26 | Stefan Johansson | Ligier | 5 | 1:34.016 |
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 Monaco Grand Prix.
1988 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 24 |
| 2 | Gerhard Berger | Austrian | Ferrari | 14 |
| 3 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | McLaren | 9 |
| 4 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Lotus | 8 |
| 5 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Ferrari | 6 |
| 6 | Derek Warwick | British | Arrows | 6 |
| 7 | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Benetton | 3 |
| 8 | Jonathan Palmer | British | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 9 | Satoru Nakajima | Japanese | Lotus | 1 |
| 10 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Williams | 1 |
| 11 | Alessandro Nannini | Italian | Benetton | 1 |
| – | Eddie Cheever | American | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Yannick Dalmas | French | Lola | 0 |
| – | Stefan Johansson | Swedish | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Nicola Larini | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Philippe Streiff | French | AGS | 0 |
| – | Ivan Capelli | Italian | March | 0 |
| – | Luis Pérez-Sala | Spanish | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Maurício Gugelmin | Brazilian | March | 0 |
| – | Adrián Campos | Spanish | Minardi | 0 |
| – | Philippe Alliot | French | Lola | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Rial | 0 |
| – | Gabriele Tarquini | Italian | Coloni | 0 |
| – | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Italian | Zakspeed | 0 |
| – | Nigel Mansell | British | Williams | 0 |
| – | René Arnoux | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Stefano Modena | Italian | EuroBrun | 0 |
| – | Oscar Larrauri | Argentine | EuroBrun | 0 |
| – | Julian Bailey | British | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Alex Caffi | Italian | Dallara | 0 |
1988 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren – Honda | 33 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 20 |
| 3 | Lotus – Honda | 9 |
| 4 | Arrows – Megatron | 6 |
| 5 | Benetton – Ford | 4 |
| 6 | Tyrrell – Ford | 2 |
| 7 | Williams – Judd | 1 |
| — | Lola – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ligier – Judd | 0 |
| — | Osella | 0 |
| — | March – Judd | 0 |
| — | AGS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Minardi – Ford | 0 |
| — | Rial – Ford | 0 |
| — | Coloni – Ford | 0 |
| — | EuroBrun – Ford | 0 |
| — | Zakspeed | 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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