1988 Portuguese Grand Prix
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| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 16 in the 1988 Formula One season. | ||
| Date | September 25, 1988 | |
| Official name | XXII Grande Premio de Portugal | |
| Location | Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril, Portugal | |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.703 mi / 4.350 km |
|
| Distance | 71 laps, 189.207 mi / 304.500 km | |
| Weather | Sunny and hot | |
| Pole position | ||
| Driver |  Alain Prost |
McLaren-Honda |
| Time | 1:17.411 | |
| Fastest lap | ||
| Driver |  Gerhard Berger |
Ferrari |
| Time | 1:21.961 on lap 31 | |
| Podium | ||
| First | Alain Prost |
McLaren-Honda |
| Second |  Ivan Capelli |
March-Judd |
| Third | .svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} Thierry Boutsen |
Benetton-Ford |
The 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 25, 1988 at the Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril. It was the thirteenth race of the 1988 Formula One season.
[edit] Race summary
McLaren gained their 9th front row of the year, ahead of an incredible Ivan Capelli in the nonturbo March. The first start was aborted when Andrea de Cesaris stalled on the grid. The second start was aborted after Derek Warwick stalled and was hit by de Cesaris, tangling with Luis Perez Sala and Satoru Nakajima. Ayrton Senna led off at the third start, to the delight of the Portuguese crowd. At the start of lap 2, Alain Prost pulled out of Senna's slipstream to pass him. Senna moved violently over on Prost and forced him towards the pit wall. The Frenchman nonetheless maintained the throttle open and passed him on the first corner.
This led to angry words in the McLaren camp after the race. Prost's lead built up to 7 seconds and would last until the flag, while Senna was being troubled by an erratic fuel readout, which allowed Capelli to close right up on him. On lap 22 the Italian outbraked Senna to excited acclaim and opened up a gap on him. Soon after Gerhard Berger passed the McLaren, leaving him exposed to the attacks of Nigel Mansell's Williams. The Briton was closer on the corners, but the Honda engine was superior in the fast sectors of the track.
Berger had claimed the fastest lap in his pursuit of Capelli, but spun off on lap 36. He had accidentally set off his fire extinguisher, with the resultant freezing of his leg with carbon dioxide causing his foot to slip off the pedals. On lap 55, Mansell and Senna attempted to lap Jonathan Palmer: during this manoeuvre Mansell hit the back off the McLaren and spun into the barriers. Mauricio Gugelmin, Nelson Piquet, Michele Alboreto, Riccardo Patrese and Thierry Boutsen were hotly contesting the last point place in 6th. On lap 29 Patrese retired with a split radiator and the next lap Piquet retired with clutch and gearbox problems. On lap 55, Senna, still having problems with his fuel readout was passed by Alboreto for 4th and on lap 57 Boutsen and Derek Warwick passed him.
Prost won convincing from a stunning Capelli; the gap at the line was just 9.5 seconds and Prost himself was marginal on fuel. Fuel problems were a notable feature of this race: on the very last corner of the race Alboreto's engine stuttered-his car was running out of fuel despite the gauge indicating he had plenty left. Boutsen passed him to get his 5th podium of the year and Warwick claimed 4th place. The dry Ferrari of Alboreto and McLaren of Senna were classified 5th and 6th.
[edit] Classification
[edit] References
- Unless otherwise indicated, all race results are taken from The Official Formula 1 website. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
| Previous race: 1988 Italian Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1988 season |
Next race: 1988 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1987 Portuguese Grand Prix |
Portuguese Grand Prix | Next race: 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix |
