1988 Italian Grand Prix
Going Into This Race
Pre-Race Report
Championship standings
McLaren has won all eleven races this season. No other team has stood on the top step of the podium.
Between-race developments
Nigel Mansell remains unfit after chickenpox. Martin Brundle, who replaced him in Belgium, is unavailable for Monza — his Jaguar Sportscar team boss Tom Walkinshaw refused to release him. Test driver Jean-Louis Schlesser takes the second Williams seat alongside Riccardo Patrese.
The Arrows team’s Megatron turbos arrive at Monza transformed. Engineer Heini Mader traced a persistent pop-off valve problem that had hampered the team since 1987 to the valve’s position on the engine. Relocated, it freed up an additional 30 to 50 horsepower, making the Arrows competitive on Monza’s long straights for the first time.
Milestones
This is the first Italian Grand Prix since the death of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari. For the tifosi, the emotional weight of this race at the team’s home circuit is unlike any Monza in recent memory.
Weather
Conditions are sunny and hot.
Adapted by AI summarisation from “1988 Italian Grand Prix” on Wikipedia . This adapted text is licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0 . Modifications: summarised and spoiler-trimmed.
Last 5 Races
Full season →| # | Date | Grand Prix | Pole | P1 | P2 | P3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 Jul | 🇫🇷 French Grand Prix | Prost | Prost | Senna | Alboreto |
| 8 | 10 Jul | 🇬🇧 British Grand Prix | Berger | Senna | Mansell | Nannini |
| 9 | 24 Jul | 🇩🇪 German Grand Prix | Senna | Senna | Prost | Berger |
| 10 | 7 Aug | 🇭🇺 Hungarian Grand Prix | Senna | Senna | Prost | Boutsen |
| 11 | 28 Aug | 🇧🇪 Belgian Grand Prix | Senna | Senna | Prost | Capelli |
Drivers' Championship
Full standings →| Pos | Driver | Team | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayrton Senna | McLaren | 75 | 7 |
| 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 72 | 4 |
| 3 | Gerhard Berger | Ferrari | 28 | 0 |
| 4 | Nelson Piquet | Team Lotus | 18 | 0 |
| 5 | Thierry Boutsen | Benetton | 16 | 0 |
| 6 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 16 | 0 |
| 7 | Derek Warwick | Arrows | 11 | 0 |
| 8 | Ivan Capelli | March | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | Nigel Mansell | Williams | 6 | 0 |
| 10 | Alessandro Nannini | Benetton | 6 | 0 |
Constructors' Championship
Full standings →| Pos | Team | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | 147 | 11 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 44 | 0 |
| 3 | Benetton | 22 | 0 |
| 4 | Team Lotus | 19 | 0 |
| 5 | March | 13 | 0 |