At its core, the season pitted two titans—Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost—against each other within the same team, while the rest of the grid fought for the remaining scraps. It was also Honda’s ultimate vindication and Enzo Ferrari’s last full season as team principal before his death.
: It was powered by the Honda RA168E V6 turbo engine , which was more fuel-efficient and powerful (roughly 675–700 bhp) than its rivals.
While McLaren as a team was untouchable, the internal battle between teammates turned into a "civil war". The history of F1: the 1980s | GRR - Goodwood f1 1988
October 26, 2023 Subject: A Retrospective on the 1988 FIA Formula One World Championship
Despite McLaren’s dominance, the intra-team rivalry was ferocious. The championship came down to the from the 16 races (a dropped-score system still in use). At its core, the season pitted two titans—Ayrton
The only blot on McLaren's perfect record was the at Monza. Just weeks after the death of Enzo Ferrari, Gerhard Berger led home a Ferrari 1-2. This victory was emotionally charged, seen as a tribute to the founder. It occurred largely due to reliability issues on the McLarens (Prost retired, Senna crashed while leading).
Driven by Senna and Prost, the McLaren MP4/4 is often cited as the most dominant car in F1 history. While McLaren as a team was untouchable, the
The 1988 championship was decided by a rule that was only in effect for that specific season: only the best 11 results counted toward the final standings. This rule ultimately decided the champion.