1988 season in Formula 1: Senna above all!
1988 in Formula 1 begins a fairy tale. Ayrton Senna moves from Lotus to McLaren. A decision that ultimately turns out to be a win-win. The young pilot has been in the battle for the top positions for several seasons in a row, and McLaren needs his freshness to make a triumphant return to the constructors' battle. In 1988, Ayrton Senna rewrote the history of this sport and gave his team everything it had ever dreamed of. Of course not without the help of his teammate, the two-time world champion Alain Prost.
With his triumphant success and his first career world title, Senna cemented Brazil's strong position in building and discovering talented drivers. Although last year the victory in the world championship went to one of his great competitors - Nelson Piquet, the joy was also then for the Brazilians. In 1988 Senna's only competitor for the title, however, is none other than his team-mate Alain Prost, who, however, finishes second. The two have won a total of 15 of the 16 starts. The only race in which a British driver is not on the top step of the podium is the Italian Grand Prix. At his home track, Monza, Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger took the triumph to the delight of the fans of the "black horses". Thus, the Austrian guaranteed third place in the general ranking in 1988.
Amid internal rivalries between McLaren drivers, the British are back on top in the battle for the world constructors' title. Berger's triumph guaranteed Ferrari second place. The constructors from Benetton-Ford finished third. Williams remain outside the main contenders in the team race. The team has had a shaky performance since Piquet's departure and the end of the relationship with Honda.
The Jim Clark Drivers' Cup and the Colin Chapman Constructors' Cup have already been removed from Formula 1 regulations for the 1988 season.