Qualifying
Amazingly, considering the team's success in its Formula One history dating back to 1966 , this was only the third time that there was an all-McLaren front row for a Grand Prix. The other two times had been at the 1972 Canadian Grand Prix ( Peter Revson and Denny Hulme ) and the 1986 German Grand Prix ( Keke Rosberg and Alain Prost). The EuroBrun - Ford Cosworth of Oscar Larrauri , the Ligier -Judds of Stefan Johansson and former Imola pole winner René Arnoux , and the Zakspeed turbo of Bernd Schneider all failed to qualify, while the Osella of Italian Nicola Larini was excluded after scrutineering when it was discovered that the car's engine mounting points had been illegally changed. The scrutineers ruled that this constituted an entirely new chassis for the Osella FA1L and as the new chassis had not yet been crash approve... In what had become standard practice at McLaren since Prost's disqualification for being 2 kg underweight at the 1985 San Marino Grand Prix , both McLarens stopped within metres of taking the chequered flag. Prost had started the last lap some 7 seconds behind his teammate but was only 2.334 behind at the flag as Senna had driven only as fast as he needed to both win and conserve fuel at what was traditionally one of the most fuel thirsty circuits on the Formula One calendar. Surprisingly given that in previous years numerous drivers of turbo powered cars had failed to finish a race at San Marino due to running out of fuel and that the 1988 fuel limit of 150 litres was 45 less than in 1986-1987, and 70 less than the 1984-1985 limit, no turbo runner ran out of fuel at Imola in 1988. The only turbo starter to not finish was the Ferrari of local hero Michele Alboreto , who was classified as 18th and last despite suffering engine failure on lap 54. This was his second en...
Race
The claims of Berger and Alboreto were backed up by the speed trap figures. The fastest car on the long run to Tosa was the Lotus -Honda of Piquet timed at just over 302 km/h (188 mph) (1.5 km/h faster than the McLarens). The Ferraris were much slower at 293 km/h (182 mph), and were some 16 km/h (10 mph) slower than the McLarens over the start-finish line (McLaren were fastest there at almost 250 km/h (155 mph). In fact, both Ferraris were almost 5 km/h (3 mph) slower over the start line than th...
Race summary
The McLaren of Ayrton Senna led from the start, whilst his teammate Alain Prost had his engine stall coming to take his place on the grid (Prost later reported that the engine had also stalled earlier on the parade lap). The car was still rolling so he bump started it but it almost stalled again as the race started and he dropped to 7th place behind the Arrows of Eddie Cheever . Whilst he was able to recover these places and get back to second place by lap 8, he could not catch Senna who control... Nelson Piquet battled with an ill-handling Lotus but used superior Honda power to maintain 3rd place ahead of a train of cars including both Benettons, both Williams and Berger's Ferrari. He was lucky to make it to the finish line as the extra boost needed to keep his position cut severely into his fuel. Had he not been lapped only four laps from the finish (meaning he only had to complete three of the remaining laps), he might not have had enough fuel to complete his last lap. Nigel Mansell made a superb drive from a poor 11th place on the grid to be briefly up to 3rd place after taking Piquet under braking for the Rivazza on lap 40. However, as soon as Mansell got past the Lotus, blue oil smoke started to appear from the back of his Williams and less than a lap later Piquet again used his Honda's superior power to slipstream Mansell through the Tamburello and re-take 3rd through Villeneuve. However fleeting the move was, Mansell would retire just a lap after dropping... Thierry Boutsen 's Benetton came home in 4th ahead of Gerhard Berger in the Ferrari, though late in the race he was hampered by a down on power engine thanks to a cracked exhaust on his car, and rounding out the points was his teammate Alessandro Nannini. Nannini had been fighting for 3rd place with Piquet, but despite being consistently quicker in the corners, he had to yield to superior Honda power on the straights. Piquet and Nannini banged wheels at the Tosa hairpin, and a couple of laps lat...
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 60 | 1:32:41.264 |
| 2 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 60 | + 2.334 |
| 3 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus-Honda | 59 | + 1 lap |
| 4 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton-Ford | 59 | + 1 lap |
| 5 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 59 | + 1 lap |
| 6 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton-Ford | 59 | + 1 lap |
| 7 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows-Megatron | 59 | + 1 lap |
| 8 | 2 | Satoru Nakajima | Lotus-Honda | 59 | + 1 lap |
| 9 | 17 | Derek Warwick | Arrows-Megatron | 58 | + 2 laps |
| 10 | 14 | Philippe Streiff | AGS-Ford | 58 | + 2 laps |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren-Honda | 1:41.278 | 1:27.148 |
| 2 | 11 | Alain Prost | McLaren-Honda | 1:41.597 | 1:27.919 |
| 3 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Lotus-Honda | 1:44.806 | 1:30.500 |
| 4 | 19 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton-Ford | 1:45.090 | 1:30.590 |
| 5 | 28 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 1:43.394 | 1:30.683 |
| 6 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Williams-Judd | 1:45.673 | 1:30.952 |
| 7 | 18 | Eddie Cheever | Arrows-Megatron | 1:48.399 | 1:31.300 |
| 8 | 20 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton-Ford | no time | 1:31.414 |
| 9 | 16 | Ivan Capelli | March-Judd | 1:47.518 | 1:31.519 |
| 10 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:45.982 | 1:31.520 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The Imola track, still young in its life as a Grand Prix venue, hosted a spectacle of raw power today. Senna's McLaren-Honda, boasting a 1. 5-liter turbocharged engine producing 548 horsepower at its peak, established a commanding lead, its twin-arc exhaust a signature of the era. Observe, the Honda engine's displacement, though relatively small, delivered a startlingly high level of torque, significantly exceeding the Ford powerplant in the Benetton cars. This difference in rotational force, particularly through the notoriously challenging Tamburello chicane, proved decisive.
The air at Imola hangs thick with anticipation, a palpable tension reflecting the sheer dominance displayed in qualifying. Consider the statistical anomaly – a Honda engine, piloted by the reigning champion, Piquet, matched the McLaren's blistering pace through the speed trap. This mirrors a pattern emerging across the season: Honda's influence, subtly yet powerfully, reshaping the competitive landscape of Formula 1.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The air hangs thick with the scent of burning rubber and anticipation. Senna wrestles his McLaren into the first corner, a blur of orange against the grey asphalt. The echoes of the Berlin Wall's fall resonate here, a similar dismantling of established order – a relentless pursuit of dominance. Honda's engine, a technological marvel, now dictates the rhythm of this circuit, mirroring the shifting geopolitical landscape of the time. Piquet, a master strategist, observes from the Lotus, acutely aware that the battle isn't merely on track, but for the very soul of motorsport's innovation.
A persistent drizzle clung to the Imola asphalt, mirroring perhaps the tension radiating from the McLaren garage. Senna, meticulously adjusting his helmet, possessed a stillness that bordered on calculation. The young Brazilian's gaze, fixed on the track, betrayed a simmering intensity – a hunger for victory that transcended mere speed. Prost, ever the strategist, offered a terse observation about tire degradation, a subtle reminder of the demands this unforgiving circuit would place upon them. Honda's engineering team, a cluster of focused faces, monitored telemetry with unwavering attention. The air crackled with the unspoken pressure of a race that, even before the first lap, felt predetermined. This was a battle for more than just a trophy; it was a statement of intent, a declaration of dominance echoing through the annals of Formula 1.