1988 French Grand Prix

Infobox Grand Prix race report
Type = F1
Country = France
Grand Prix = French
Official name = Rhône-Poulenc Grand Prix de France
Date = July 3
Year = 1988
Race_No = 7
Season_No = 16
Location = Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France
Course = Permanent racing facility
Course_mi = 2.369
Course_km = 3.813
Distance_laps = 80
Distance_mi = 189.543
Distance_km = 305.040
Weather = Sunny and hot
Pole_Driver = Alain Prost
Pole_Team = McLaren-Honda
Pole_Time = 1:07.589
Pole_Country = France
Fast_Driver = Alain Prost
Fast_Team = McLaren-Honda
Fast_Time = 1:11.737
Fast_L

Fast_Country = France
First_Driver = Alain Prost
First_Team = McLaren-Honda
First_Country = France
Second_Driver = Ayrton Senna
Second_Team = McLaren-Honda
Second_Country = Brazil
Third_Driver = Michele Alboreto
Third_Team = Ferrari
Third_Country = ItalyThe 1988 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on July 3, 1988 at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet. It was the seventh race of the 1988 Formula One season.

Race summary

The two McLarens lined up in their usual front row places, ahead of the two Ferraris, the two normally aspirated Benettons (a great performance at a fast circuit like Paul Ricard) and two Lotuses. Ligier had a disastrous weekend, with both René Arnoux and Stefan Johansson failing to qualify.

For the first time in the season there was a genuine battle for the lead - between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, with Prost managing to maintain a 2 second advantage despite worries in the McLaren pit about overly high fuel consumption. The Benetton challenge faltered with Thierry Boutsen's retirement due to electrical problems on lap 17. On lap 22 Gerhard Berger spun to let his teammate Michele Alboreto through to 3rd place. On lap 34 Senna pitted for tyres, followed 3 laps later by Prost whilst Riccardo Patrese's brakes failed. By lap 45, following traffic problems for Senna and a streak of fast laps, Prost had caught his teammate and on lap 61 passed him at the inside at the Signes corner, while the Brazilian was having trouble in lapping Alex Caffi and Pierluigi Martini. Senna eased off after suffering a gear linkage problem, due to which he lost gears, to follow his teammate to the line. The Ferraris came home in 3rd and 4th - Berger had regained his 3rd place, but lost it again in the subsequent pit stop.

Nelson Piquet maintained 5th place throughout the race, holding it in the last 15 laps despite having lost the 2nd gear, with Alessandro Nannini collecting the final point. Nigel Mansell's retirement from 8th, with suspension problems, the seventh in a row, promoted the March team to 8th and 9th - a great achievement, especially in the case of Ivan Capelli who was racing with a fractured left foot after his crash in Detroit.

Classification

Notes

*Piercarlo Ghinzani was excluded for missing a weight check.

References

* "Unless otherwise indicated, all race results are taken from cite web |title=The Official Formula 1 website |url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1988/269/ |accessdate=2007-07-12

F1 race report
Name_of_race = French Grand Prix
Year_of_race = 1988
Previous_race_in_season = 1988 United States Grand Prix East
Next_race_in_season = 1988 British Grand Prix
Previous_year's_race = 1987 French Grand Prix
Next_year's_race = 1989 French Grand Prix