1988 Australian Grand Prix
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Results from the 1988 Formula One Australian Grand Prix held at Adelaide on November 13, 1988.
[edit] Classification
[edit] Race summary
McLaren notched up yet another front row, with Ayrton Senna taking his 13th pole of the season after a fascinating qualifying duel. Alain Prost led off the start from Senna, Gerhard Berger, Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell - by lap 4 the lead had stretched to 5.5 seconds. Michele Alboreto's Ferrari was an early retirement after being hit by Alex Caffi's Dallara.
Berger passed Senna that lap at the second-gear Racetrack Hairpin and began a determined drive, passing Prost at the same place on lap 14. By lap 23 he had a 3 second lead coming up to lap Stefano Modena and René Arnoux. The Ligier turned in and took both drivers off in a violent collision.
This left the McLarens in their usual 1-2 position although Senna was battling a faulty gearbox. Piquet was maintaining 3rd ahead of the Williams of Riccardo Patrese and Mansell. The Italian made several attempts to pass Piquet, but was hampered by a lack of power on the straights.
On lap 53 Patrese spun, letting Mansell past, but he was equally unsuccessful in passing Piquet and eventually retired when his brakes failed and he hit the wall on lap 66.
By lap 59 Prost was putting in a succession of superb laps, gaining a lead of over 30 seconds and lapping the whole field up to 5th placed Andrea de Cesaris' Rial who had superbly driven up from 15th in an underpowered car.
The circuit's demanding nature was obvious - Satoru Nakajima and Mauricio Gugelmin collided, Alessandro Nannini spun, Jonathan Palmer retired with transmission problems, whilst engine problems claimed Derek Warwick and Eddie Cheever and driveshaft failures accounted for Stefano Modena and Oscar Larrauri. Alex Caffi succumbed to clutch failure and Philippe Alliot ran out of fuel.
At the finish, only 11 cars were classified of which just 7 were running. Prost led home Senna in yet another McLaren 1-2, Piquet claimed 3rd and Patrese 4th.
De Cesaris' Rial - which had the smallest fuel tank in the field - ran dry just four laps from home, handing 5th place to Thierry Boutsen despite a spin and a stuttering engine, whilst Ivan Capelli came home 6th nursing a puncture.
This was the last race in which turbocharged cars - introduced in 1977 - would be permitted to compete as new regulations were on the cards for 1989.
There was also some criticism of the scoring system. Prost scored 105 points during the season and finished 1st or 2nd in each race he completed. However Senna had scored 94 points, including a 4th and a 6th.
This was due to the 'best 11 from 16' clause which permitted drivers only to count their best 11 results of the year toward their Championship total - which meant that Prost ended the season with 87 and Senna with 90. Senna become only the second champion after John Surtees to win the Championship without having scored the largest number of points.
[edit] Notes
- Fastest Lap: Alain Prost 1:21.216
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