Pre-race
At the midpoint of the season, the pre-qualifiers were re-evaluated. After a fourth-place finish in the Detroit Grand Prix , the Rial of Andrea de Cesaris was promoted to the top 26 cars automatically entered into the main qualifying sessions. Relegated to pre-qualifying was the Osella of Nicola Larini . Before the German Grand Prix, Williams announced that Thierry Boutsen would be joining the team in 1989 as the replacement for Nigel Mansell , who was moving to Ferrari .
Qualifying
Although he had qualified on pole in Britain at the ultra fast Silverstone Circuit (the only non-McLaren pole of the season), Gerhard Berger did not expect to be as fast as the McLarens in qualifying and was proven correct. Although Hockenheim had much longer straights than Silverstone, whereas the British circuit was almost all straights and fast, sweeping turns (with only the Woodcote Chicane to break it up), all of the German circuits turns other than turns 1 and 11 were relatively low speed ...
Race
There had been thunderstorms all weekend. The rain stopped on Sunday morning, but there were concerns over which type of tyre to use for the race. In the end, everyone started on wet tyres with the exception of Piquet, who gambled on the track drying out. At the start, Senna led away while Prost dropped behind Berger and a fast-starting Nannini. Piquet's gamble failed to pay off as he aquaplaned off the track at the Ostkurve chicane and hit the barriers, limping back to the pits to retire (with 1976 World Champion James Hunt calling it "An absolutely stupid decision by Piquet" on the BBC 's live broadcast, claiming that a driver of Piquet's stature and experience should have known better knowing what Hockenheim was like in the rain). Prost re-pas... Senna and Prost maintained their 1-2 until the chequered flag, despite a late spin by the Frenchman coming out of the Ostkurve. It was Senna's fifth win of the season, as well as the sixth 1-2 for McLaren; the Brazilian thus moved within three points of Prost in the Drivers' Championship. Berger and Alboreto finished third and fourth respectively. Berger's podium finish was to be the last achieved by the Ferrari team during Enzo Ferrari 's lifetime, as he died three weeks later. Changes to the Ferrari's engine (suggested earlier in the season by team Technical Director John Barnard ) had seen an improvement in the fuel consumption of the Ferrari V6 which had seen both cars run out of fuel in Britain, though it was still a thirstier engine than the Honda. After running in third fo... Mansell retired from seventh with a spin after a broken bolt had jammed his gearbox. He had tried to retire in the pits the previous lap, but the team could find nothing wrong and sent him back out. Bernd Schneider achieved his first Grand Prix finish in his home race, coming home 12th, which turned out to be the highest finish of the season for the West German Zakspeed team.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Nicola Larini | Osella | 1:52.321 | — |
| 2 | 36 | Alex Caffi | Dallara-Ford | 1:53.031 | +0.710 |
| 3 | 32 | Oscar Larrauri | EuroBrun-Ford | 1:54.184 | +1.863 |
| 4 | 33 | Stefano Modena | EuroBrun-Ford | 1:54.317 | +1.996 |
| DNPQ | 31 | Gabriele Tarquini | Coloni-Ford | 1:54.358 | +2.037 |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1:44.596 | 1:50.002 |
| 2 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1:44.873 | 1:45.868 |
| 3 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:46.115 | 1:46.431 |
| 4 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:47.154 | 1:47.418 |
| 5 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus-Honda | 1:47.702 | 1:47.681 |
| 6 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton-Ford | 1:48.223 | 1:48.208 |
| 7 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March-Judd | 1:48.703 | 1:49.750 |
| 8 | 2 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus-Honda | 1:49.359 | 1:48.781 |
| 9 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton-Ford | 1:48.837 | 1:49.966 |
| 10 | 15 | Maurício Gugelmin | March-Judd | 1:49.511 | 1:49.645 |
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air at Hockenheim hung thick with anticipation, a humid blanket clinging to the asphalt as the afternoon sun began its slow descent. Acura's 1. 5-liter V6, churning within Senna's McLaren, pulsed with a restrained 630 horsepower – a figure that, considering the Ford's 710 offered to the Benetton, hinted at a subtle but crucial advantage in the ring's sweeping corners. The Ferrari's 3. 0-liter V12, a beast of 580, seemed almost quaint in comparison, its raw power a counterpoint to McLaren's meticulously calibrated finesse. Berger, ever the strategist, was already adjusting his tire pressures, anticipating the relentless German heat and the demands of a track that rewarded precision over brute force.
The air at Hockenheim shimmered, thick with the scent of pine and anticipation. A curious alignment unfolded before us – Senna's fifth victory of the season, a statistical echo of 1985, mirroring the Brazilian's exact point total at this juncture. Berger's third-place finish, a consistent presence throughout the year, hinted at Ferrari's calculated strategy, while the exclusion of Larini's Osella offered a stark reminder of the capricious nature of motorsport's selection criteria. The numbers, you see, weren't merely reflecting speed; they were sculpting the narrative.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a bruised purple against the Hockenheim sky, hadn't relented. Berger wrestled the Ferrari, a snarling beast of scarlet, through the spray, the engine a guttural roar protesting the slick asphalt. A fraction of a second. That's all it took to separate him from the lead, a fleeting phantom of speed swallowed by the relentless downpour. Prost, a shadowed figure in his McLaren, watched, calculating, a predator sensing weakness. The scent of ozone and damp rubber hung heavy in the air – a primal aroma of battle. This wasn't simply a race; it was a test of wills, a desperate dance with the elements.
The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the mood in the McLaren garage. Senna, meticulously adjusting his helmet, seemed oblivious to the tension, a solitary figure lost in the mechanics of victory. A faint scent of motor oil and ozone hung in the air, a familiar perfume of ambition. Prost, ever the strategist, paced, his brow furrowed, already calculating the margins, the contingencies. This German circuit, Hockenheim, had a way of swallowing dreams whole, a damp, demanding mistress. The weight of the championship, a tangible thing, settled upon the shoulders of these men, a burden forged in speed and fueled by relentless pursuit. Would the rain deliver a baptism of fire, or a chilling, decisive retreat?