Era 06 · Turbo · season 39

1988

McLaren won 15 races out of 16, and the world title went to Ayrton Senna.

The title was decided in round 15 – Japanese Grand Prix.

In 1988 McLaren-Honda, with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, won 15 of the 16 races. Their only defeat came at Monza, where Senna collided with a backmarker while leading and Gerhard Berger won for Ferrari — less than a month after Enzo Ferrari’s death.

Prost scored more points over the season — 105 to 94 — but only the best 11 results counted, and Senna became champion with eight wins to Prost’s seven: he won at Suzuka despite dropping far down the order at the start. Senna started from pole 13 times, a record at the time.

Written from the facts · checked by our editors
Drivers’ standings · championship points
01Ayrton SennaMcLaren90
02Alain ProstMcLaren87
03Gerhard BergerFerrari41
04Thierry BoutsenBenetton27
05Michele AlboretoFerrari24
06Nelson PiquetLotus22
07Ivan CapelliMarch17
08Derek WarwickArrows17
09Nigel MansellWilliams12
10Alessandro NanniniBenetton12
11Riccardo PatreseWilliams8
12Eddie CheeverArrows6
13Maurício GugelminMarch5
14Jonathan PalmerTyrrell5
15Andrea de CesarisRial3
16Satoru NakajimaLotus1
16Pierluigi MartiniMinardi1
Constructors’ championship
01McLaren199
02Ferrari65
03Benetton39
04Lotus23
05Arrows23
06March22

The season’s 16 races

Senna 8Prost 7Berger 1