1988 Detroit Grand Prix

The 1988 Detroit Grand Prix, otherwise known officially as the Enichem Detroit Grand Prix VII, was the sixth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Detroit Street Circuit on the 19 June 1988.'United States GP, 1988', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr458.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019) The race would see Ayrton Senna claim his third victory of the season ahead of teammate Alain Prost, who had to battle his way back up the order to join his teammate at the head of the field.
Indeed, the Frenchman had had a relatively poor qualifying session, slipping into fourth as Senna swept to his sixth straight pole position. In between the two McLarens would come the two scarlet s, with Gerhard Berger ahead of Michele Alboreto.
Away from the sharp end of the grid and there would be another heavy accident during qualifying, this time involving Ivan Capelli. The Italian's spun wildly exiting the final corner before slamming into the pitwall, resulting in Capelli breaking a bone in his foot, while debris caused cuts and bruises to four bystanders.
The start of the race saw Senna sprint away into an early lead, while a poor getaway from Prost saw him get mugged by Thierry Boutsen. That left the Frenchman in fifth for the rest of the opening lap, as Senna danced his McLaren away at the head of the field.
Indeed, Prost would take several laps to move through to second, completing a series of fairly simple moves to grab second on lap six. He duly powered off in a vain attempt to catch teammate Senna, while Berger and Alboreto were left to fight with Boutsen.
Boutsen duly moved past Alboreto to scrap with Berger, only for the pair to come together and slash the Austrian's tyre. A few moments later and Boutsen's teammate Alessandro Nannini attacked Alboreto, only to bounce off the #27 Ferrari and bury his car into the barriers.
Their various issues allowed Pierluigi Martini and Jonathan Palmer into the top six, the latter having lost almost half a lap at the start after a clash with Stefano Modena. They duly scrapped for fifth during the second half of the race, with the track surface deteriorating severely in the closing stages.
Out front, meanwhile, Senna was able to sweep home almost 40 seconds clear of Prost to claim victory, with the two McLarens the only cars on the lead lap. Boutsen was next ahead of Andrea de Cesaris, claiming the first points for , while Palmer beat Martini to the line to claim fifth.
The results of the race left Prost with a twelve point lead at the head of the Championship, with Senna his closest challenger. Berger completed the top three, some fifteen points behind the Brazilian, while McLaren-Honda had a dominant 51 point lead in the Constructors' Championship after just six races.
==Background==
Victory for Ayrton Senna last time out in Canada had seen the Brazilian ace move into a clear second ahead of Gerhard Berger, and close the gap to Championship leading teammate Alain Prost. Yet, the Frenchman still held a daunting fifteen point lead at the head of the field, meaning Senna was almost two races behind after five races. Elsewhere, Berger himself arrived in a clear third place ahead of Nelson Piquet, while Michele Alboreto completed the top five.
Likewise, Prost and Senna's sparkling form during the early stages of the season had left with a huge lead in the Constructors' Championship, leaving Canada with a 36 point lead. Their closest "challengers" were , although with less than half the number of points of the Anglo-Japanese alliance there seemed little hope of them catching them. Behind them had retained third, and pulled themselves clear of in Canada, while had got on the board and were ahead of the similarly powered squad.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Nelson Piquet 	Camel Team Lotus Honda 	 	100T 	 	RA168E 1.5 V6t 	
2 	Satoru Nakajima 	Camel Team Lotus Honda 	 	100T 	 	RA168E 1.5 V6t 	
3 	Jonathan Palmer 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	017 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
4 	Julian Bailey 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	017 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
5 	Nigel Mansell 	Canon Williams Team 	 	FW12 	 	CV 3.5 V8 	
6 	Riccardo Patrese 	Canon Williams Team 	 	FW12 	 	CV 3.5 V8 	
9 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	881 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
10 	Bernd Schneider 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	881 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
11 	Alain Prost 	Honda Marlboro McLaren 	 	MP4/4 	 	RA168E 1.5 V6t 	
12 	Ayrton Senna 	Honda Marlboro McLaren 	 	MP4/4 	 	RA168E 1.5 V6t 	
14 	Philippe Streiff 	Team El Charro AGS 	 	JH23 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
15 	Maurício Gugelmin 	Leyton House March Racing Team 	 	881 	 	CV 3.5 V8 	
16 	Ivan Capelli 	Leyton House March Racing Team 	 	881 	 	CV 3.5 V8 	
17 	Derek Warwick 	USF&G Arrows Megatron 	 	A10B 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
18 	Eddie Cheever 	USF&G Arrows Megatron 	 	A10B 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
19 	Alessandro Nannini 	Benetton Formula Ltd. 	 	B188 	 	DFR 3.5 V8 	
20 	Thierry Boutsen 	Benetton Formula Ltd. 	 	B188 	 	DFR 3.5 V8 	
21 	Nicola Larini 	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1L 	 	890T 1.5 V8t 	
22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Rial Racing 	 	ARC1 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
23 	Pierluigi Martini 	Lois Minardi Team 	 	M188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
24 	Luis Pérez-Sala 	Lois Minardi Team 	 	M188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
25 	René Arnoux 	Equipe Ligier 	 	JS31 	 	CV 3.5 V8 	
26 	Stefan Johansson 	Equipe Ligier 	 	JS31 	 	CV 3.5 V8 	
27 	Michele Alboreto 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	F187/88C 	 	033E 1.5 V6t 	
28 	Gerhard Berger 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	F187/88C 	 	033E 1.5 V6t 	
29 	Yannick Dalmas 	Larrousse & Camels F1 	 	LC88 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
30 	Philippe Alliot 	Larrousse & Camels F1 	 	LC88 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
31 	Gabriele Tarquini 	Coloni SpA 	 	FC188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
32 	Oscar Larrauri 	EuroBrun Racing 	 	ER188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
33 	Stefano Modena 	EuroBrun Racing 	 	ER188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
36 	Alex Caffi 	BMS Scuderia Italia 	 	188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
Source:'USA 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/engages.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Friday Qualifying===
===Saturday Qualifying===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Time 	Gap
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Q1 	Q2 	Gap
1 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	1:40.606 	1:41.719 	—
2 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:42.283 	1:41.464 	+0.858s
3 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:43.925 	1:41.700 	+1.094s
4 	11 	Alain Prost 	 	1:42.019 	1:43.420 	+1.413
5 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	1:45.718 	1:42.690 	+2.084s
6 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	1:43.458 	1:42.697 	+2.091s
7 	19 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	1:43.117 	1:45.345 	+2.511
8 	1 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:44.352 	1:43.314 	+2.708s
9 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:44.614 	1:43.799 	+3.193s
10 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:43.810 	1:45.016 	+ 3.204s
11 	14 	Philippe Streiff 	 	1:44.204 	1:44.743 	+ 3.598s
12 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:45.866 	1:44.216 	+ 3.610s
13 	15 	Maurício Gugelmin 	 	1:44.474 	1:53.243 	+ 3.868s
14 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	1:44.590 	3:40.532 	+ 3.984s
15 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:45.159 	1:44.948 	+ 4.342s
16 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	1:47.094 	1:45.049 	+ 4.443s
17 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	1:45.268 	1:45.662 	+ 4.662s
18 	26 	Stefan Johansson 	 	1:45.275 	1:47.135 	+ 4.669s
19 	33 	Stefano Modena 	 	1:45.304 	— 	+ 4.698s
20 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	1:45.437 	1:47.483 	+ 4.831s
21* 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	1:45.546 	— 	+ 4.940s
22 	36 	Alex Caffi 	 	1:47.493 	1:45.750 	+ 5.144s
23 	4 	Julian Bailey 	 	1:46.286 	1:47.801 	+ 5.680s
24 	32 	Oscar Larrauri 	 	1:46.390 	1:48.116 	+ 5.784s
25 	29 	Yannick Dalmas 	 	1:46.422 	1:46.447 	+ 5.816s
26 	24 	Luis Pérez-Sala 	 	1:48.186 	1:46.593 	+ 5.987s
27 	21 	Nicola Larini 	 	1:46.623 	1:51.623 	+ 6.017s
DNQ 	2 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	1:47.243 	1:49.353 	+ 6.637s
DNQ 	10 	Bernd Schneider 	 	1:48.423 	1:48.249 	+ 7.643s
DNQ 	9 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	1:48.925 	1:48.990 	+ 8.319s
DNPQ 	31 	Gabriele Tarquini 	 	1:47.312 	1:47.312 	1:47.312
Source:'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'USA 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'USA 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'USA 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'USA 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'USA 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'USA 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'Enichem Grand Prix of USA - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/532/detroit/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 09/04/2019)'USA 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
** Capelli was unable to start the race after an accident during the second qualifying session.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	63 	1:54:56.035 	1 	9
2 	11 	Alain Prost 	 	63 	+ 38.713 	4 	6
3 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	62 	+ 1 Lap 	5 	4
4 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	62 	+ 1 Lap 	12 	3
5 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	62 	+ 1 Lap 	17 	2
6 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	62 	+ 1 Lap 	16 	1
7 	29 	Yannick Dalmas 	 	61 	+ 2 Laps 	24 	
8 	36 	Alex Caffi 	 	61 	+ 2 Laps 	21 	
9* 	4 	Julian Bailey 	 	59 	Spun Off 	22 	
Ret 	24 	Luis Pérez-Sala 	 	54 	Gearbox 	25 	
Ret 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	46 	Halfshaft 	14 	
Ret 	33 	Stefano Modena 	 	46 	Spun Off 	19 	
Ret 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	45 	Collision 	3 	
Ret 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	45 	Overheating 	20 	
Ret 	15 	Maurício Gugelmin 	 	34 	Engine 	13 	
Ret 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	26 	Electrical 	10 	
Ret 	1 	Nelson Piquet 	 	26 	Spun Off 	8 	
Ret 	32 	Oscar Larrauri 	 	26 	Gearbox 	23 	
Ret 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	24 	Spun Off 	9 	
Ret 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	18 	Engine 	6 	
Ret 	14 	Philippe Streiff 	 	15 	Suspension 	11 	
Ret 	19 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	14 	Suspension 	7 	
Ret 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	14 	Electrical 	15 	
Ret 	21 	Nicola Larini 	 	7 	Engine 	26 	
Ret 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	6 	Puncture 	2 	
Ret 	26 	Stefan Johansson 	 	2 	Overheating 	18 	
DNS† 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	2 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	10 	Bernd Schneider 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	9 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	 	 	 	
DNPQ 	31 	Gabriele Tarquini 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'USA 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)	Source:'USA 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis/classement.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Bailey was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
*† Capelli was unable to start the race after an accident during qualifying.
==Milestones==
* Seventh and final Detroit Grand Prix to be staged.'1988 Detroit GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1988&gp=Detroit%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 09/04/2019)
* Ninth career victory for Ayrton Senna.'6. USA 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/etats-unis.aspx, (Accessed 09/04/2019)
* registered their 61st victory as a constructor.
** Engine suppliers secured their 33rd win.
==Standings==
Alain Prost had seen his lead reduced by teammate Ayrton Senna in Motor City, although the Frenchman still held a healthy twelve point advantage. Those two were in a class of their own at the head of the field, with Senna fifteen clear of third placed Gerhard Berger, with the Austrian already an outsider for the Championship. Elsewhere, Thierry Boutsen had moved ahead of Nelson Piquet to claim fifth, with fifteen drivers now on the score board.
It was also pure domination in the Constructors' Championship, with moving onto 78 points after their fourth one-two of the season. They hence left Detroit with a 51 point lead, more than three races worth of points, with still their largest threat in second. Elsewhere, had moved ahead of on count-back, and hence claimed third, while retained their spot in the top five.
 
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Alain Prost 	45 	
2 	Ayrton Senna 	33 	
3 	Gerhard Berger 	18 	
4 	Thierry Boutsen 	11 	3
5 	Nelson Piquet 	11 	1
6 	Michele Alboreto 	9 	1
7 	Derek Warwick 	8 	1
8 	Jonathan Palmer 	5 	
9 	Andrea de Cesaris 	3 	9
10 	Ivan Capelli 	2 	1
11 	Eddie Cheever 	1 	1
12 	Satoru Nakajima 	1 	1
13 	Alessandro Nannini 	1 	1
14 	Riccardo Patrese 	1 	1
15 	Pierluigi Martini 	1 	12
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	78 	
2 	 	27 	
3 	 	12 	2
4 	 	12 	1
5 	 	9 	1
6 	 	5 	
7 	 	3 	6
8 	 	2 	1
9 	 	1 	5
10 	 	1 	2
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
* 
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1988 Grands Prix
Category:Detroit Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in the United States