1988 British Grand Prix

The 1988 British Grand Prix, otherwise advertised as the XLI Shell Oils British Grand Prix, was the eighth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Silverstone Circuit on the 10 July 1988.'British GP, 1988', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr460.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019) The race would see Ayrton Senna claim his fourth win of the season ahead of Nigel Mansell, as the Brazilian's major title rival Alain Prost retired.
Qualifying would see arguably the biggest shock of the season to that point, for managed to lock-out the front row ahead of . Indeed, Gerhard Berger claimed pole ahead of teammate Michele Alboreto in a straight fight between the two, with Senna and Prost half a second off in third and fourth, having claimed pole in all seven of the previous Grand Prix in 1988.
Rain on raceday further unsettled things at the sharp end of the field, with F1 not having had a truly wet race since the 1985 Belgian Grand Prix. Fortunately the rain fell consistently enough to ensure that everyone would start on wet tyres, although that in itself brought its own level on unpredictability.
The start would see the two Ferraris squirm away at the head of the field, with Alboreto briefly getting ahead of Berger before the Austrian seized the lead with the inside line through Copse. Senna went with them but failed to squeeze inside the Italian, while a miserable start from Prost saw him tumble back to ninth.
Senna would elbow his way past Alboreto early on, while Prost fell right to the back of the field complaining of handling issues. Alboreto was left in a healthy third, Alessandro Nannini, Maurício Gugelmin and Nigel Mansell scrapped for fourth amongst themselves, while Senna ducked and weaved behind Berger.
The Brazilian finally pounced on the Austrian on lap fifteen, sending his McLaren skating inside Berger as the pair lapped Prost in the sister car. Senna duly sprinted away with the lead, quickly leaving Berger in a lonely second, while Prost took his lapping as a sign to retire his car.
With Senna clear out front the attention, particularly for the home fans, shifted back to Mansell in the , with the Brit muscling his way up to third on lap 22. He duly spent the better part of the race hunting down Berger, using wetter parts of the track to cool his tyres as he set a succession of fastest laps.
On lap 50 the Williams duly slithered past the Ferrari, prompting roars from the crowd as the Brit sprinted off after Senna. Unfortunately for him, the Brazilian had built a huge lead at the head of the field, which would remain on the larger side of twenty seconds through to the chequered flag.
Indeed, Senna would cruise home to claim a crucial win for himself and McLaren, which left him six off of teammate Prost in the Championship. Mansell was a delighted second ahead of Nannini, with Berger having to back off massively in the closing stages to avoid running out of fuel, a fate that did befall his teammate Alboreto.
==Background==
Alain Prost had once again managed to extend his Championship lead in France, with his fourth victory of the season moving him onto 54 points after seven races. Ayrton Senna was, unsurprisingly, his closest challenger, with the pair split by a fifteen point gap at the head of the field. Indeed, those two truly were in a class of their own, for third placed Gerhard Berger had slipped eighteen points behind Senna in France, and some 33 behind Prost.
In the Constructors' Championship it had been another incredibly good day for in Le Castellet, with their fifth one-two of the campaign leaving them on 93 points. That had translated into a crushing 59 point lead over second placed arriving in Silverstone, with the Italian outfit already looking at finishing the season in second. In truth, the Scuderia were a fairly comfortable second leaving France, with a twenty point lead over third placed .
===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:'Britain 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)
==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 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:10.746 	1:10.133 	—
2 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:10.669 	1:10.332 	+0.199s
3 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	1:10.787 	1:10.616 	+0.483s
4 	11 	Alain Prost 	 	1:11.550 	1:10.736 	+0.603s
5 	15 	Maurício Gugelmin 	 	1:11.766 	1:11.745 	+1.612s
6 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	1:13.030 	1:12.006 	+1.873s
7 	1 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:13.166 	1:12.040 	+1.907s
8 	19 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	1:13.400 	1:12.737 	+2.604s
9 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:12.843 	1:13.287 	+2.710s
10 	2 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	1:13.192 	1:12.862 	+2.729s
11 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	1:14.192 	1:12.865 	+2.732s
12 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	1:12.960 	1:13.287 	+2.827s
13 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:14.247 	1:12.984 	+2.851s
14 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:13.910 	1:13.438 	+3.305s
15 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:31.541 	1:13.677 	+3.544s
16 	14 	Philippe Streiff 	 	1:15.272 	1:14.260 	+4.127s
17 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	1:16.607 	1:14.451 	+4.318s
18 	24 	Luis Pérez-Sala 	 	1:15.590 	1:14.643 	+4.510s
19 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	1:14.732 	1:14.832 	+4.599s
20 	33 	Stefano Modena 	 	1:17.889 	1:14.888 	+4.755s
21 	36 	Alex Caffi 	 	1:15.779 	1:14.924 	+4.791s
22 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	1:15.635 	1:14.992 	+4.859s
23 	29 	Philippe Streiff 	 	1:16.014 	1:15.004 	+4.871s
24 	4 	Julian Bailey 	 	1:16.249 	1:15.135 	+5.002s
25 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	1:16.859 	1:15.374 	+5.241s
26 	21 	Nicola Larini 	 	1:16.780 	1:15.527 	+5.394s
DNQ 	32 	Oscar Larrauri 	 	1:16.691 	1:16.026 	+5.893s
DNQ 	9 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	1:18.359 	1:16.043 	+5.910s
DNQ 	26 	Stefan Johansson 	 	1:17.438 	1:16.110 	+5.977s
DNQ 	10 	Bernd Schneider 	 	1:19.078 	1:18.010 	+7.877s
DNPQ 	31 	Gabriele Tarquini 	 	1:17.028 	1:17.028 	1:17.028
Source:'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Britain 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Britain 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Britain 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Britain 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Britain 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Britain 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Shell Oils British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1988/races/534/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 10/04/2019)'Britain 1988: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)
*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===
** Palmer 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 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	65 	1:33:16.367 	3 	9
2 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	65 	+23.344s 	11 	6
3 	19 	Alessandro Nannini 	 	65 	+51.214s 	8 	4
4 	15 	Maurício Gugelmin 	 	65 	+1:11.378 	5 	3
5 	1 	Nelson Piquet 	 	65 	+1:20.835 	7 	2
6 	17 	Derek Warwick 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	9 	1
7 	18 	Eddie Cheever 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	13 	
8 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	15 	
9 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	1 	
10 	2 	Satoru Nakajima 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	10 	
11 	36 	Alex Caffi 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	21 	
12 	33 	Stefano Modena 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	20 	
13 	29 	Yannick Dalmas 	 	63 	+2 Laps 	23 	
14 	30 	Philippe Alliot 	 	63 	+2 Laps 	22 	
15 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	63 	+2 Laps 	19 	
16 	4 	Julian Bailey 	 	63 	+2 Laps 	24 	
17* 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	62 	Out of fuel 	2 	
18 	25 	René Arnoux 	 	62 	+3 Laps 	25 	
19* 	21 	Nicola Larini 	 	60 	Out of fuel 	26 	
Ret 	20 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	38 	Transmission 	12 	
Ret 	16 	Ivan Capelli 	 	34 	Alternator 	6 	
Ret 	11 	Alain Prost 	 	24 	Handling 	4 	
Ret 	3 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	14 	Engine 	17 	
Ret 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	9 	Clutch 	14 	
Ret 	14 	Philippe Streiff 	 	8 	Wing 	16 	
Ret 	24 	Luis Pérez-Sala 	 	0 	Suspension 	18 	
DNQ 	32 	Oscar Larrauri 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	9 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	26 	Stefan Johansson 	 	 	 	 	
EXC 	10 	Bernd Schneider 	 	 	 	 	
DNPQ 	31 	Gabriele Tarquini 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Britain 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)	Source:'Britain 1988: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Alboreto and Larinin were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* 25th entry for Alex Caffi.'1988 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1988&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 10/04/2019)
* Pierluigi Martini entered his twentieth Grand Prix.
* Gerhard Berger claimed the 75th pole position for as a constructor and engine supplier.
** This was also the 50th pole for Agip as a lubricant supplier.
* Ayrton Senna secured his tenth career victory.'8. Britain 1988', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1988/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 10/04/2019)
* claimed their 63rd win as a constructor.
** claimed their 35th win as an engine supplier.
** This was also the 75th podium for Honda.
* claimed their 100th podium finish.
** Engine suppliers claimed their maiden podium finish.
* Maiden podium finish for Alessandro Nannini.
* Maurício Gugelmin claimed his maiden points finish.
* Mansell recorded his tenth fastest lap.
** This was also the maiden fastest lap recorded by a Judd engine.
==Standings==
Victory for Ayrton Senna saw the Brazilian close the gap to Championship leading teammate Alain Prost, with the Frenchman having failed to score for the first time all season. Indeed, Senna had moved onto 48 points with his fourth win of the season, leaving him six off of Prost's tally at the halfway point of the season. Those two were now the only drivers realistically in the hunt for the crown, with Gerhard Berger having lost even more ground in third.
 ended the first half of the season having passed the century mark in the Constructors' Championship, leaving the UK with 102 points. were still their closest "challengers", although they had slipped 68 points behind, the equivalent of four and a half races worth of points. were even further back in third, a point ahead of in fourth.
 
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Alain Prost 	54 	
2 	Ayrton Senna 	48 	
3 	Gerhard Berger 	21 	
4 	Nelson Piquet 	15 	1
5 	Michele Alboreto 	13 	1
6 	Thierry Boutsen 	11 	
7 	Derek Warwick 	9 	
8 	Nigel Mansell 	6 	22
9 	Alessandro Nannini 	6 	2
10 	Jonathan Palmer 	5 	2
11 	Maurício Gugelmin 	3 	7
12 	Andrea de Cesaris 	3 	3
13 	Ivan Capelli 	2 	3
14 	Eddie Cheever 	1 	2
15 	Satoru Nakajima 	1 	2
16 	Riccardo Patrese 	1 	2
17 	Pierluigi Martini 	1 	2
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	102 	
2 	 	34 	
3 	 	17 	1
4 	 	16 	1
5 	 	10 	
6 	 	7 	2
7 	 	5 	1
8 	 	5 	2
9 	 	3 	2
10 	 	1 	1
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:British Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in the United Kingdom