1988 Italian Grand Prix

The 59° Coca-Cola Gran Premio d'Italia, otherwise known as the 1988 Italian Grand Prix, was the twelfth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on the 11 September 1988.'Italian GP, 1988', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr464.html, (Accessed 11/04/2019) The race would see Gerhard Berger end 's dominant run of victories at the wheel of his , a win that was also the first for the Scuderia since the death of founder Enzo Ferrari.
Qualifying would see Ayrton Senna record his tenth pole of the season, once again beating teammate Alain Prost in a straight fight for the top position. The two scarlet Ferraris were best of the rest, Berger ahead of teammate Michele Alboreto, while the two s shared the third row.
Senna and Prost would duly sprint away from the back at the start of the race, with the Brazilian ahead of the Frenchman. Berger was hence left to the lead the rest of the field on the opening lap, fending off a challenge from Alboreto into the Rettifilo.
The two McLarens soon disappeared out of sight, although Prost's engine was suffering from a noticeable misfire that had appeared shortly after the start. Prost, however, was determined to disprove his critics for simply giving up (as he reportedly had at the 1988 British Grand Prix), and so turned up the boost pressure to attack Senna.
Unfortunately for Prost his race was effectively over on lap 30, for his misfire worsened drastically and caused him to slip from the back of Senna. Five laps later and the #11 McLaren had been overtaken by the two Ferraris, amid a huge roar from the tifosi, prompting Prost to retire at the end of lap 35.
That move seemed to motivate Berger, who duly sprinted after Senna as Alboreto briefly eased off to cool his gearbox oil. After a brief respite he too would go chasing off after Senna, with the two Ferraris steadily making ground as the race wore on.
Yet, Senna appeared to have everything in hand, with the gains that the Ferraris were making written off as the Brazilian pacing himself. That was, until Senna tried to lap Jean-Louis Schlesser at the Rettifilo, only to be collected by the Frenchman as he tried to avoid sliding off into the gravel.
The smashed into the right rear of the McLaren-Honda, breaking the suspension and leaving Senna beached on the kerb. A few seconds later and the two Ferraris swept through the scene, prompting more cheers from the tifosi as they realised that they were to witness a fabled victory.
Indeed, a little over three minutes later and Berger charged across the line to claim the win, fending off a last lap challenge from Alboreto to do so. Eddie Cheever was best of the rest in third, having kept teammate Derek Warwick at bay throughout the race, while Ivan Capelli and Riccardo Patrese completed the points.
There would be some controversy after the race, however, for Berger's Ferrari would fail three fuel tank capacity checks during post-race scrutineering. Indeed, it was only on the fourth attempt of checking the Austrian's fuel tank that FISA cleared the car, with a similar issue on Cheever's car suggesting that there was an issue with their testing equipment.
==Background==
Ayrton Senna had moved three points clear of Alain Prost at the head of the Championship, with the Frenchman set to hit the eleven race points limit with his next point score. Those two were the only two drivers mathematically in the title fight, for Gerhard Berger had slipped 47 points off the lead with just 45 left to fight for. He was hence leading his own fight for third, ten points ahead of Nelson Piquet.
In the Constructors' Championship, meanwhile, had already secured the crown, their eleventh straight win of the season, and eighth one-two, putting them onto 147 points. Incredibly, that translated into a 103 point lead with a third of the season still to go, with only able to score 75 points across the rest of the season. They were now officially in a fight to finish the season in second, with double the points of in third.
===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 	Jean-Louis Schlesser 	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 	 	881B 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
10 	Bernd Schneider 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	881B 	 	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 	Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives 	 	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 	 	B188 	 	DFR 3.5 V8 	
20 	Thierry Boutsen 	Benetton Formula 	 	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 SpA 	 	M188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
24 	Luis Pérez-Sala 	Lois Minardi Team SpA 	 	M188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
25 	René Arnoux 	Ligier Loto 	 	JS31 	 	CV 3.5 V8 	
26 	Stefan Johansson 	Ligier Loto 	 	JS31 	 	CV 3.5 V8 	
27 	Michele Alboreto 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	F1/87/88C 	 	033E 1.5 V6t 	
28 	Gerhard Berger 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	F1/87/88C 	 	033E 1.5 V6t 	
29 	Yannick Dalmas 	Larrousse Camels 	 	LC88 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
30 	Philippe Alliot 	Larrousse Camels 	 	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 	 	F188 	 	DFZ 3.5 V8 	
Source:'Italy 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)
==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 	 	1:26.160 	1:25.974 	—
2 	11 	Alain Prost 	 	1:26.277 	1:26.428 	+0.303s
3 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:28.082 	1:26.654 	+0.680s
4 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:27.618 	1:26.988 	+1.014s
5 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:28.101 	1:27.660 	+1.686s
6 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:28.258 	1:27.815 	+1.841s
7 	1 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:28.440 	1:28.044 	+2.070s
8 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	1:29.607 	1:28.870 	+2.896s
9 	19 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	1:28.969 	1:28.958 	+2.984s
10 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:30.214 	1:29.435 	+3.461s
11 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	1:29.513 	1:29.696 	+3.539s
12 	2 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	1:29.541 	1:30.570 	+3.567s
13 	15 	Maurício Gugelmin 	 	1:30.145 	1:30.035 	+4.061s
14 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	1:30.734 	1:30.125 	+4.151s
15 	10 	Bernd Schneider 	 	1:30.773 	1:30.161 	+4.187s
16 	9 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	1:31.182 	1:30.476 	+4.502s
17 	21 	Nicola Larini 	 	1:31.721 	1:30.481 	+4.507s
18 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:31.263 	1:30.560 	+4.586s
19 	24 	Luis Pérez-Sala 	 	1:30.944 	1:30.698 	+4.724s
20 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	1:31.168 	1:30.962 	+4.988s
21 	36 	Alex Caffi 	 	1:30.989 	1:31.009 	+5.015s
22 	5 	Jean-Louis Schlesser 	 	1:31.548 	1:31.620 	+5.574s
23 	14 	Philippe Streiff 	 	1:31.676 	1:31.687 	+5.702s
24 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	1:32.049 	1:32.316 	+6.075s
25 	29 	Yannick Dalmas 	 	1:32.164 	1:32.686 	+6.190s
26 	4 	Julian Bailey 	 	1:32.573 	1:32.290 	+6.316s
DNQ 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	1:32.405 	1:33.067 	+6.431s
DNQ 	26 	Stefan Johansson 	 	1:33.272 	1:32.438 	+6.464s
DNQ 	31 	Gabriele Tarquini 	 	1:32.829 	1:35.805 	+6.855s
DNQ 	33 	Stefano Modena 	 	1:34.727 	1:33.226 	+7.252s
DNPQ 	32 	Oscar Larrauri 	 	1:34.044 	1:34.044 	1:34.044
Source:'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)	Source:'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)'Brazilian Grand Prix 1985 - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/482/brazil/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 01/04/2019)
*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.
===Grid===
** Nannini would start the race from the pit lane.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	51 	1:17:39.744 	3 	9
2 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	51 	+0.502s 	4 	6
3 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	51 	+35.532s 	5 	4
4 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	51 	+36.114s 	6 	3
5 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	51 	+52.522s 	11 	2
6 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	51 	+59.878s 	8 	1
7 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	51 	+1:14.743 	10 	
8 	15 	Maurício Gugelmin 	 	51 	+1:32.566 	13 	
9 	19 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	50 	+1 Lap 	9 	
10* 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	49 	Collision 	1 	
11 	5 	Jean-Louis Schlesser 	 	49 	+2 Laps 	22 	
12 	4 	Julian Bailey 	 	49 	+2 Laps 	26 	
13 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	49 	+2 Laps 	14 	
Ret 	11 	Alain Prost 	 	34 	Engine 	2 	
Ret 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	33 	Engine 	20 	
Ret 	14 	Philippe Streiff 	 	31 	Clutch 	23 	
Ret 	10 	Bernd Schneider 	 	28 	Engine 	15 	
Ret 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	27 	Chassis 	18 	
Ret 	9 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	25 	Engine 	16 	
Ret 	36 	Alex Caffi 	 	24 	Engine 	21 	
Ret 	29 	Yannick Dalmas 	 	17 	Radiator 	25 	
Ret 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	15 	Engine 	14 	
Ret 	2 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	14 	Engine 	12 	
Ret 	24 	Luis Pérez-Sala 	 	12 	Gearbox 	19 	
Ret 	1 	Nelson Piquet 	 	11 	Clutch/Spin 	7 	
Ret 	21 	Nicola Larini 	 	2 	Engine 	17 	
DNQ 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	26 	Stefan Johansson 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	31 	Gabriele Tarquini 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	33 	Stefano Modena 	 	 	 	 	
DNPQ 	32 	Oscar Larrauri 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Italy 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/04/2019)	Source:'Italy 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 12/04/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Senna was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* attended their 300th Grand Prix as an engine supplier.'12. Italy 1988', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/italie.aspx, (Accessed 11/04/2019)
* 75th entries for Ayrton Senna and Stefan Johansson.'1988 Italy GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1988&gp=Italian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 11/04/2019)
* 50th race entry for Philippe Streiff.
* Jean-Louis Schlesser made his debut.
** It was also Schlesser's only Grand Prix start, and first entry since the 1983 French Grand Prix.
* Senna claimed his tenth pole position of the season.
** This was also a new record for most poles in a single season.
* Fourth career victory for Gerhard Berger.
** This was also Berger's tenth podium finish.
* claimed their 94th win as both a constructor and engine supplier.
** This was Ferrari's only victory and 1-2 finish of the year, and also the only Grand Prix of the 1988 Season that was not won by McLaren-Honda. It is also the only Grand Prix in 1988 where both McLaren-Honda drivers did not finish on the podium, and also the first win for Ferrari following the death of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Scuderia Ferrari.
* Eddie Cheever earned the first (and only) podium finish for as an engine supplier.
* Michele Alboreto recorded his fifth and final fastest lap.
==Standings==
With both Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost retiring there had been no changes to the order at the head of the Championship, with Senna remaining three points ahead. Behind, Gerhard Berger had tightened his grip on third after his first victory of the campaign, moving fifteen clear of teammate Michele Alboreto. The Italian had leapt past Nelson Piquet and Thierry Boutsen to claim fourth, but remained an outsider to finish in the top three.
In the Constructors' Championship, meanwhile, the Italian Grand Prix had proved to be a very positive race for , with their one-two further bolstering their hold on second. Indeed, with already declared as Champions the Scuderia were fighting for second, but had opened a significant 36 point gap to third placed . Whether the British squad would overcome that gap would largely depend on how reliable the two McLaren-Hondas remained for the rest of the season, for Senna and Prost were still expected to win all of the remaining four races.
 
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Ayrton Senna 	75 	
2 	Alain Prost 	72 	
3 	Gerhard Berger 	37 	
4 	Michele Alboreto 	22 	2
5 	Nelson Piquet 	18 	1
6 	Thierry Boutsen 	17 	1
7 	Derek Warwick 	14 	
8 	Ivan Capelli 	10 	
9 	Nigel Mansell 	6 	
10 	Eddie Cheever 	6 	5
11 	Alessandro Nannini 	6 	1
12 	Maurício Gugelmin 	5 	1
13 	Jonathan Palmer 	5 	1
14 	Andrea de Cesaris 	3 	1
15 	Riccardo Patrese 	2 	1
16 	Satoru Nakajima 	1 	
17 	Pierluigi Martini 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	147 	
2 	 	59 	
3 	 	23 	
4 	 	20 	2
5 	 	19 	1
6 	 	15 	1
7 	 	8 	
8 	 	5 	
9 	 	3 	
10 	 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
* 
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1988 Grands Prix
Category:Italian Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Italy