1988 F1 Season

The 1988 Formula One World Championship, the 42nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing, was a year marked by the dominance of McLaren and the emergence of Ayrton Senna as a world champion. The season, which ran from 3 April to 13 November, featured sixteen races. Senna won his first Drivers’ Championship, showcasing his exceptional talent in his first year with McLaren. The Constructors’ Championship was also claimed by McLaren-Honda, with Senna and his teammate Alain Prost winning fifteen of the sixteen races between them. The only race not won by McLaren that season was the Italian Grand Prix, where Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger took an emotional victory shortly after the death of team founder Enzo Ferrari.

The 1988 season was the last in which turbocharged engines were allowed without severe restrictions. McLaren’s MP4/4 car, powered by Honda engines, was particularly dominant, setting a record for the most wins in a season. Senna and Prost engaged in a fierce rivalry, with Senna ultimately prevailing by a narrow margin. The season also saw advancements in car design and aerodynamics, contributing to McLaren’s superiority. Despite the restrictions on turbocharged engines, including a reduced fuel tank size and a limit on turbo boost, the leading teams continued to push the boundaries of speed and performance in Formula One.