Japanese Grand Prix

Date & Time
Sun 30th October 1988 12:00am Local
Sun 30th October 1988 12:00am UTC

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League
Formula 1

Season
1988

Round
15

Status

Location
Suzuka International Racing Course

Video Highlights

Event Statistics

Description

The 1988 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka Circuit on 30 October 1988. It was the fifteenth and penultimate race of the 1988 season.

The all-McLaren front row was the 11th of the year, but its drivers had contrasting fortunes. Prost led away from Berger and Capelli, while Senna stalled on the grid. However, Suzuka had the only sloping grid of the year and so the Brazilian was able to bump start his car into action. He had dropped to 14th place, but immediately made a charge through the field, gaining six places by the end of the first lap and then passing Riccardo Patrese, Thierry Boutsen, Alessandro Nannini and Michele Alboreto to run fourth on lap 4.
On lap 14 the weather started to come into contention as rain began on parts of the circuit, benefiting Senna.
The race ran out its entire distance, however, with Senna finishing 13 seconds ahead of Prost.
With victory in the race, Senna clinched the World Championship. Due to the scoring system in 1988, Prost could only add three more points to his total even if he won in Australia, which would give him 87 points in total. If Senna then failed to score they would be equal on points, but Senna would still win the title, having taken more wins (8 to 7). Victory in Japan was also Senna's eighth win of the season, which beat the record for total wins in a single season, previously held by Jim Clark (1963) and Prost (1984).

Reports

Result List

01	Ayrton Senna	McLaren Formula 1 Team	1:33:26.173
02	Alain Prost	McLaren Formula 1 Team	+0:13.363
03	Thierry Boutsen	Benetton Formula	+0:36.109
04	Gerhard Berger	Scuderia Ferrari HP	+1:26.714
05	Alessandro Nannini	Benetton Formula	+1:30.603
06	Riccardo Patrese	Williams Racing	+1:37.615
07	Satoru Nakajima	Lotus F1	+1 Lap
08	Philippe Streiff	AGS	+1 Lap
10	Maurício Gugelmin	March Engineering	+1 Lap
11	Michele Alboreto	Scuderia Ferrari HP	+1 Lap
12	Jonathan Palmer	Tyrrell Racing	+1 Lap
13	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+2 Laps
14	Julian Bailey	Tyrrell Racing	+2 Laps
15	Sergio Perez	Minardi	+2 Laps
17	René Arnoux	Ligier	+3 Laps
18	Andrea De Cesaris	Rial Racing	DNF
19	Eddie Cheever	Arrows Grand Prix International	DNF
20	Nicola Larini	Osella	DNF
21	Nelson Piquet	Lotus F1	DNF
22	Nigel Mansell	Williams Racing	DNF
23	Alex Caffi	Dallara	DNF
24	Ivan Capelli	March Engineering	DNF
25	Derek Warwick	Arrows Grand Prix International	DNF
26	Bernd Schneider	Zakspeed	DNF
27	Stefan Johansson	Ligier	Did not qualify
29	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Zakspeed	Did not qualify