F1 1988 Season 2021 | 2026 Edition |

They were teammates, roommates, and friends. But in Formula One, your teammate is the only man you must beat. He has the same car. If he beats you, it is not the machine’s fault; it is yours.

The 1988 season saw two of the greatest drivers in F1 history, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, competing for the McLaren team. Senna, in his second season with McLaren, was determined to win his first World Championship. Prost, the 1985 and 1986 champion, was seeking his third title. f1 1988 season

Lap 28: Senna dived down the inside at the Casio Triangle chicane. He was past. He took the lead. They were teammates, roommates, and friends

: Slashed to 150 litres per race for turbos, while non-turbo cars enjoyed unlimited fuel. If he beats you, it is not the

Senna | Win: Prost Prost won again. The championship was now incredibly close: Prost 81, Senna 79, with two races left. (Points system: 9 for win, 6 for 2nd, 4 for 3rd, etc.)

Senna | Win: Berger (Ferrari) The only non-McLaren win of the season. In Ferrari’s backyard, Senna led comfortably until he tangled with a backmarker (Jean-Louis Schlesser’s Williams, on his debut no less) at the Lesmo corners. Prost had retired with engine failure. Enzo Ferrari, watching from home, finally saw a red car win. It was also the last win for a turbocharged Ferrari and the last win for a turbo car in F1 history (until the hybrid era). The crowd invaded the track.

Designed by Steve Nichols (not Gordon Murray, though Murray was at McLaren, the MP4/4 was Nichols’ masterpiece), the MP4/4 was a lesson in efficiency. It was extremely low, lightweight, and aerodynamically slick. The monocoque was made of carbon fiber and Kevlar, and the car was built entirely around the compact Honda V6. The result was a car with immense power, exceptional grip, and remarkable fuel efficiency—critical in the turbo era. It is statistically the most dominant F1 car of all time: 15 wins from 16 races, 15 pole positions, and 10 fastest laps.