1988 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1988 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 28th August 1988. It was the tenth race in both the 1988 Drivers' Championship and the 1988 Constructors' Championship.
== Background ==
Sid Donnelly replaced the injured Fabiano Margheriti at McLaren. Margheriti had crashed heavily in the previous race after and incident with Soren Vinter and was recovering from a broken leg. Stanley Robson replaced Vinter for this event.
== Qualifying ==
March's Emilie Levesque took pole position ahead of Dingley and O'Conner. March had brought significant upgrades to their car in Austria which had brought them up the grid in an attempt to fight the midfield.
McLaren's Sid Donnelly was in a rush to start another qualifying lap at the end of the session when he crashed into the back of Rhys Sheen at the exit of Pouhon. Sheen was recovering from a half-spin and was travelling at a much lower speed than Donnelly expected, resulting in an inevitable collision. Sheen was unhurt in the crash whilst Donnelly had severe leg injuries. Donnelly was rushed to hospital and was initially expected to recover from his injuries, but a botched surgery resulted in his condition deteriorating and he passed away days later. He was the first Formula One driver to pass away from a crash since Vivaldo Margheriti's fatal crash in the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. McLaren flew in Hideki Takeda to replace Donnelly and he would start from fourth place on the grid.
== Race Summary ==
Polesitter Levesque kept his lead for the first lap until coming under attack from Dingley, who was in a rush to overtake the March. On the entry to Stavelot One, Dingley and Levesque collided. Levesque retired due to rear suspension damage whilst Dingley was able to continue, albeit with major damage. Takeda got into the lead, followed by Wilson.
The remainder of the race was filled with attrition, with many drivers retiring due to accidents or crashes. Race leader Takeda even went off the circuit after dipping a wheel onto the grass, almost losing the lead in the process. Just moments later, Jack Wilson span at Blanchimont but avoided the walls. He limped to the finish on completely flatspotted tyres, with Takeda taking the race win. Reyes finished in third, whilst Dingley recovered to fourth place.
Dingley and Levesque both blamed each other for causing the accident when they spoke to media, but ultimately the race stewards saw it as a racing incident.
== Classification ==
== Championship Standings ==
Pos	Driver 	Points
1 	Chuck Dingley 	104
2 	Jack Wilson 	87
3 	Fabiano Margheriti	61
4 	Danilo Koren 	50
5 	William O'Conner 	50
Pos	Constructor	Points
1 	Ferrari 	206
2 	McLaren 	117
3 	Williams 	65
4 	Lotus 	54
5 	Benetton 	40
== Lap Leaders ==
Chuck Dingley (Lap 1)
Hideki Takeda (Laps 2-20)
Category:Races