1988 Formula One Season

The **1988 Formula One season** was the 39th season of Formula One motor racing. The championship was contested concurrently over a twelve race series that commenced on 3rd April and ended on 23rd October.

## Season Summary

### **Round 1: Brazil**

Larrousse's Alexsandro Pinho took a surprising pole position and led the race in the early stages until pitting on lap 10, whereafter Fabiano Margheriti took the lead. Pinho had a poor outlap and went off which dropped him back to just in front of Stefan Wolff. After the rest of the leaders pitted, Margheriti led ahead of Ventura and Dingley until Ventura's front suspension failed at the end of lap 17. Dingley collided with Ventura in the process but escaped without heavy damage and started to hunt down Margheriti.

On lap 20, Pinho span after missing a gear shift. Wolff was unable to avoid him and they collided, resulting in both retiring as well as Wolff breaking his leg. This forced him to miss the rest of the season. At the front, Dingley caught Margheriti, who was struggling on the medium tyres, and passed him on lap 20. Dingley pulled away and eventually took his 30th career victory, with Margheriti in second and William O'Connor in third.

### **Round 2: San Marino**

Ventura started from pole position in Imola for the second season in a row and battled Chuck Dingley in the early stages of the race before falling into second. Further back, Soren Vinter and Alexsandro Pinho both retired after colliding with each other moments after the race start. Fabiano Margheriti was also forced to retire early due to an electronics failure.

Ventura took the lead when Chuck Dingley, who was on a two-stop strategy, stopped for new tyres the second time. Dingley's second stop dropped him behind his teammate Jack Wilson. Dingley closed the gap on Wilson in the final laps of the race until passing him into *Tosa.* Ventura coasted at the front to take the win, with Dingley second, and Wilson completing the podium.

### **Round 3: Monaco**

Fabiano Margheriti bounced back from his retirement in the previous race by taking a fantastic pole position in Monaco. He had a good start ahead of Chuck Dingley and Jack Wilson before having a slight collision with the wall at the end of lap 10, forcing him into an unscheduled stop for tyres that his McLaren team were not ready for. He was forced to use the soft tyres for the remainder of the race, an almost impossible task due to tyre wear. Due to his early stop, Dingley took the lead and led for several laps until a gearbox failure on the entry to turn one which forced him to retire.

Margheriti inherited the lead of the race again but was slowly caught by Jack Wilson and Hideki Takeda for several laps. On lap 24 Wilson drew alongside Margheriti out of turn one and Wilson was able to hold his position around the outside of Massenet to take the lead of the race. Margheriti desperately tried to retake the position into the next corner but collided with Wilson and retired from the race. Wilson won, emulating his father who had taken six victories in the Principality. Takeda finished second and William O'Connor took another podium.

### **Round 4: Canada**

Five-time champion Stefan Van Damme returned to the grid to replace the injured Chuck Dingley. He took pole position and had a perfect start, fending off Ventura and Margheriti, before building a gap at the front. Further back, Gyozo Szel lost control through turn six and collided with Soren Vinter. This was the third race in a row that Vinter had retired from, all being caused by collisions with other drivers.

William O'Connor found his way past Jack Wilson on lap three, with Wilson struggling to find grip on the medium tyres. The remainder of the race was fairly processional, with Van Damme leading every lap, until lap 26 when Rhys Sheen span at the hairpin. Sheen was several laps behind and span into the path of Ventura, colliding with the Brazilian driver. Due to this Margheriti moved into second place. Van Damme won on his return, taking the fastest lap and a grand slam, with Margheriti second and Ventura third. O'Connor finished fourth, with Wilson and Takeda fifth and sixth. Due to Dingley's absence, Wilson took the lead of the championship.

### **Round 5: United States**

Chuck Dingley returned to the grid after missing the Canadian Grand Prix due to a broken wrist. He took pole position on Saturday in front of his home fans before going on to dominate the race and win. Margheriti finished second, with Takeda completing the podium.

### **Round 6: Fr**ance

Lotus went into administration just days before the race, leaving Santiago Reyes and Hideka Takeda without seats. However, McLaren driver Eduardo Ventura was involved in a testing crash at Silverstone and Ron Dennis chose to replace him with Reyes.

Qualifying was closely fought between Chuck Dingley, William O'Connor, Alexsandro Pinho, and McLaren's new driver Santiago Reyes. Pole eventually went to Dingley and he dominated the race, securing a grand slam in the process. There was drama further behind in the fight for second place when McLaren asked Fabiano Margheriti to let his teammate Reyes through due to the latter's pace. Margheriti was initially reluctant to follow the request but eventually relented due to the charging William O'Connor.

### **Round 7: Great Britain**

Margheriti started from pole position for the first time since the Monaco Grand Prix and maintained the lead of the race over Dingley and Wilson. The five-time champion Dingley pressured Margheriti throughout the remainder of the race but was unable to find a way past, giving Margheriti his first win of the season. Wilson finished third, with O'Connor fifth.

### **Round 8: Germany**

Pinho took his first pole position since the Brazilian Grand Prix but had a poor start and dropped back. He collided with Fabiano Margheriti at the *Ost-kurve* chicane, resulting in both drivers retiring. It was also a major dent against Margheriti's title hopes. Dingley pulled out a gap in the lead of the race as a battle between the Williams, Jack Wilson, and Javier Navarro emerged for the remaining podium positions. William O'Connor crashed out of the race early whilst he was in second place, allowing Navarro to move into second, but a slow stop dropped him behind Vinter and Wilson. The latter drivers battled for the remainder of the race, with Wilson eventually going on to finish second behind his teammate Dingley. Vinter took his first Formula One podium whilst Navarro recorded his best finish of the year.

### **Round 9: Austria**

Benetton's Danilo Koren took a surprise pole position and controlled the race, despite intense pressure from Chuck Dingley. Williams' Soren Vinter went off at the exit of the chicane and collided with Fabiano Margheriti as he rejoined the circuit, resulting in a huge accident and both drivers getting injured. McLaren's race went even further downhill when their second driver Santiago Reyes was forced to retire after having to avoid William O'Conner's spinning car.

Dingley stuck close to Koren but couldn't find a way past, with Koren taking the victory for Benetton. Jack Wilson finished on the podium.

### **Round 10: Belgi**um

McLaren hired Sid Donnelly to replace the injured Margheriti, whilst Stanley Robson filled in for Soren Vinter. Donnelly's weekend ended early when he was involved in an incident with Brabham's Rhys Sheen at the end of qualifying. Donnelly ran into the back of Sheen at the exit of *Pouhon* at high speed and was immediately taken to hospital with severe leg injuries.

March's Emilie Levesque started from pole position and kept the lead on the first lap. Chuck Dingley was eager to take the lead but ran into the back of Levesque near the end of lap two, resulting in Levesque retiring and Dingley picking up damage. McLaren's replacement for Donnelly, Hideki Takeda, inherited the lead ahead of Jack Wilson. The remainder of the race was filled with incidents and heavy crashes, with few cars remaining by the end. Takeda went on to win the race, despite having missed practice, with Wilson taking second, and Reyes on the podium.

Sid Donnelly passed away in hospital a few days after the race due to a botched surgery, becoming the first driver since Vivaldo Margheriti to die from an accident in a Grand Prix weekend.

### **Round 11: Italy**

With days to go until their home race, Ferrari announced that their founder and owner, Enzo Ferrari, had passed away at his home near Maranello. The atmosphere in the Monza paddock was sombre but the event went ahead in memory of Ferrari as well as McLaren's driver Sid Donnelly, who had died after an accident in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.

McLaren's strong form continued in Italy, with Reyes taking pole position. He controlled the majority of the race ahead of Dingley until the final stages, when Dingley's grip advantage on soft tyres saw him close in on Reyes. With only a few laps to go, he powered past Reyes on the main straight. Reyes attempted to retake the lead but clumsily span at the first chicane. Dingley's win and Wilson's retirement wrapped up Dingley sixth drivers' title with a race to go.

### **Round 12: Japan**

Reyes started on pole position for the second race in a row and held the lead over O'Conner and Takeda. O'Conner crashed just after he pitted for new tyres, relieving the pressure for Reyes for the remaining laps.

Newly crowned champion Chuck Dingley had started from the back of the grid after a qualifying crash but had made his way through the pack until he pulled up to his teammate Jack Wilson in the final laps of the race. The two drivers battled fiercely for fourth place until coming together at the chicane in a controversial incident. Dingley retired but Wilson continued and pitted for repairs. He emerged in fifth and charged through to pass Skylar West on the final lap to take fourth. Reyes won ahead of home favourite and teammate Hideki Takeda, with Javier Navarro taking the final spot of the podium.