Race
At the start, Senna led away, while Berger overtook Prost when the Frenchman momentarily could not engage second gear. Behind them, a variety of accidents occurred at Sainte-Dévote: Alex Caffi hit the wall in his Dallara ; Philippe Streiff , who had started 12th in his AGS , retired when an accelerator cable broke; and World Champion Nelson Piquet collided with Cheever, which forced the Brazilian to retire at the end of the first lap and thus end a disastrous weekend for the Lotus team. The running order of Senna, Berger, Prost, Mansell, Alboreto and Nannini was maintained until lap 33 when Alboreto took Mansell off at the Swimming Pool, ending the Englishman's race. Nannini then suffered a gearbox failure on lap 39. On lap 51, Patrese collided with Philippe Alliot 's Lola while trying to lap him; Alliot retired immediately. On lap 54, Prost passed Berger for second on the run to Sainte-Dévote, though he was some 50 seconds behind Senna. In an effort to put some pressure on his team-mate, he started trading fastest laps with him. With 11 laps remaining, McLaren team boss Ron Dennis radioed Senna to slow down to ensure a safe 1-2 finish, allowing Prost to gain six seconds. On lap 67, Senna lost concentration at Portier, causing him to crash his McLaren into the barrier and damage the car's front suspension. Immediately afterwards, he went to his home in Monaco to contemplate losing a race that he had dominated from the first time he took to the track for free practice on Thursday morning; the McLaren team did not even hear from him until that evening, when he walked into the pits as they were packing up. Prost thus took his fourth Monaco win in five years, with Berger some 20 seconds behind and Alboreto a further 21 seconds back. Warwick finished fourth after a race-long battle with Palmer, while Patrese recovered from his collision with Alliot to take the final point, passing the other Lola of Yannick Dalmas on the last lap. Patrese's point was also the first-ever World Championship point scored by a Judd-powered car and his first point for Williams.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 78 | 1:57:17.077 |
| 2 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 78 | + 20.453 |
| 3 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 78 | + 41.229 |
| 4 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows-Megatron | 77 | + 1 lap |
| 5 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell-Ford | 77 | + 1 lap |
| 6 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams-Judd | 77 | + 1 lap |
| 7 | 29 | Yannick Dalmas | Lola-Ford | 77 | + 1 lap |
| 8 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton-Ford | 76 | + 2 laps |
| 9 | 21 | Nicola Larini | Osella | 75 | + 3 laps |
| 10 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March-Judd | 72 | + 6 laps |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1:26.464 | 1:23.998 |
| 2 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1:28.375 | 1:25.425 |
| 3 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:29.001 | 1:26.685 |
| 4 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:29.931 | 1:27.297 |
| 5 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Judd | 1:28.475 | 1:27.665 |
| 6 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton-Ford | 1:29.093 | 1:27.869 |
| 7 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows-Megatron | 1:29.928 | 1:27.872 |
| 8 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams-Judd | 1:29.130 | 1:28.016 |
| 9 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows-Megatron | 1:32.889 | 1:28.227 |
| 10 | 3 | Jonathan Palmer | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:30.679 | 1:28.358 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung thick with the scent of burning rubber and the insistent whine of the McLaren-Honda MP4/4's Cosworth 2. 0-litre V6. A truly remarkable engine, delivering 630 horsepower – a figure that, considering the notoriously tight confines of the principality, demanded an almost preternatural level of control from Alain Prost. The Ferrari team, employing Goodyear tires, wrestled with a consistent 608 bhp, a disparity that highlighted the subtle but crucial advantages gained through engine refinement and tire management. This Monaco circuit, as always, dictated a brutal calculus.
The rain, a persistent, sullen guest throughout qualifying, yielded a curious distribution of pole positions. McLaren, predictably, dominated, securing its third front-row lock-up this season—a figure that, considering the prevailing aerodynamic turbulence of the era, represents a statistically significant advantage. Benetton, conversely, remained the sole challenger, holding only a single front-row slot, a disparity reflecting the team's ongoing struggle to fully harness its Ford engine's potential. The number three, it seems, was a recurring theme on the Monaco grid.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
Berger wrests a vital half-second from Alboreto! The tension here, a palpable thing, mirrors the anxieties gripping Europe as the Soviet Union's grip tightens. This narrow margin, a mere whisper of speed, echoes the precarious balance of power during those years – a reminder that victory, in both racing and the world, is rarely assured. Senna, of course, remains a threat, but the Brazilian's late-race gamble seems to have evaporated with the spray from the tyres. The Ferrari team, attempting to capitalize on the situation, is struggling to maintain their position. This Monaco circuit, a crucible of fortunes, continues to test the mettle of these drivers.
The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the mood in the Parc Fermé. Berger, a man of quiet calculation, meticulously adjusted the Ferrari's suspension, a subtle shift born of hours spent dissecting the track's treacherous nuances. A flicker of frustration crossed his face – a momentary lapse in concentration, perhaps, considering the potential of this circuit. Monaco, as always, demanded absolute precision, a respect earned through countless failures. Senna, observing from a distance, radiated a contained intensity, a coiled spring ready to unleash. The air hung thick with anticipation, a palpable tension preceding the drama to unfold. This wasn't simply a race; it was a test of wills, a battle against the very asphalt itself.