Background
Nigel Mansell was still recovering from his accident in the previous race in Japan and so Riccardo Patrese , who had already signed for Williams to partner Mansell in 1988, was given permission by Brabham owner Bernie Ecclestone to stand in for the Briton in this race; he was replaced at Brabham by Formula 3000 champion Stefano Modena , making his Formula One debut.
Qualifying report
Despite being ill during qualifying, Gerhard Berger took pole position in his Ferrari by 0.7 seconds from Alain Prost in the McLaren . In his final race for Williams Nelson Piquet took third, with compatriot Ayrton Senna fourth in his final race for Lotus ; they were followed by Thierry Boutsen in the Benetton and Michele Alboreto in the second Ferrari. Patrese was seventh in the second Williams, with Stefan Johansson in the second McLaren, Teo Fabi in the second Benetton and Andrea de Cesaris i...
Race report
At the green light, Piquet darted past Berger to take the lead into the first chicane, whilst Alessandro Nannini in the Minardi was out immediately after crashing into the wall on the exit. A confident Berger, fresh from his victory in the previous race in Japan, re-passed Piquet at Wakefield Corner and began to pull away from the field. Early retirements included Philippe Streiff spinning off in his Tyrrell on lap 7 and Nakajima suffering a hydraulics failure on lap 23. Modena's debut ended on lap 32 when he stopped in the pits due to exhaustion. The battle for second between Piquet, Prost, Alboreto and Senna changed little until lap 35, when Piquet pitted for tyres and dropped to sixth. On lap 42, Prost found himself baulked by former teammate René Arnoux in the Ligier on the pit straight and Alboreto slipped through, before Senna powered past both the McLaren and the Ferrari. Attrition kicked in as the race continued, with brakes in particular becoming a big issue. Fabi was the first brake-related retirement on lap 47, followed by Johansson on lap 49 and Prost on lap 54. Piquet's brakes also failed on lap 59, leaving Berger, Senna and Alboreto as the top three followed by Boutsen and Patrese. In the latter stages of the race Senna made a charge, closing to within eight seconds of Berger, before the Austrian pulled away again, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 72. Berger crossed the finish line just under 35 seconds ahead of Senna, with Alboreto the only other driver on the lead lap and Boutsen, Jonathan Palmer in the second Tyrrell and Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse completing the top six after Patrese suffered a late oil leak.
Race classification
* Dalmas did not receive points towards the Drivers' Championship or the Jim Clark Trophy, as he was driving Larrousse-Lola's second car and the team had officially entered only one car for the entire championship.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 82 | 1:52:56.144 |
| 2 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 82 | + 1:07.884 |
| 3 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton-Ford | 81 | + 1 lap |
| 4 (1) | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell-Ford | 80 | + 2 laps |
| 5 (2) | 29 | Yannick Dalmas | Lola-Ford | 79 | + 3 laps |
| 6 (3) | 14 | Roberto Moreno | AGS-Ford | 79 | + 3 laps |
| 7 | 10 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 79 | + 3 laps |
| 8 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham-BMW | 78 | Spun off |
| 9 | 5 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams-Honda | 76 | Oil leak |
| DSQ | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Honda | 82 | Illegal brake ducts |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:17.267 | 1:18.142 |
| 2 | 1 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1:18.200 | 1:17.967 |
| 3 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Williams-Honda | 1:18.017 | 1:18.176 |
| 4 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Honda | 1:18.508 | 1:18.488 |
| 5 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton-Ford | 1:18.943 | 1:18.523 |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:18.578 | 1:19.612 |
| 7 | 5 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams-Honda | 1:19.507 | 1:18.813 |
| 8 | 2 | Stefan Johansson | McLaren-TAG | 1:19.761 | 1:18.826 |
| 9 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Benetton-Ford | 1:19.461 | 1:20.301 |
| 10 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | Brabham-BMW | 1:19.768 | 1:19.590 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Berger's Ferrari, a 179kW beast of a chassis, devoured the asphalt, its TAG 179 engine a precisely calibrated instrument of aggression. Ayrton Senna, battling a recalcitrant Lotus-Honda, wrestled with a 175kW unit, the Honda's V10 struggling to maintain its legendary peak.
Sixty-two laps, a flawless display – a statistic that will forever be linked to the final chapter of Enzo Ferrari's extraordinary reign. A curious symmetry, wasn't it?
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a bruised purple slick on the asphalt, mirrored the tension radiating from the pit wall. Berger wrestled the Ferrari, a predatory gleam in his eyes, as he defended against Alboreto's surging challenge. A fractured radio message – "Michele, maintain position, conserve tires!" – felt like a desperate plea against the rising tide of Italian ambition. You could almost taste the weight of history here, the final victory for Enzo, a silent benediction cast over the track. Senna, a phantom in second, a simmering disappointment, and the whole circus held its breath. This wasn't just a race; it was the closing chapter of an era.
Mansell, a man forged in the fires of Bristol, sat slumped in his cockpit, the scent of oil and defeat heavy in the air. He'd been so close, a fractured dream of victory snatched away by a shunt that mirrored the jagged edges of his own ambition. Patrese, young and brimming with a quiet intensity, watched him, a flicker of empathy in his eyes – a recognition of the relentless pressure that defined this brutal ballet. Berger, meanwhile, remained a study in stoic control, a seasoned hunter patiently awaiting his moment, a legacy already etched in the annals of racing history. The weight of Enzo's final triumph settled upon him, a silent, golden burden.