1988 Belgian Grand Prix

Infobox Grand Prix race report
Type = F1
Country = Belgium
Grand Prix = Belgian
Official name = Champion Belgian Grand Prix
Date = August 28
Year = 1988
Race_No = 11
Season_No = 16


Location = Champion Belgian Grand Prix
Course = Permanent racing facility
Course_mi = 4.312
Course_km = 6.940
Distance_laps = 43
Distance_mi = 185.429
Distance_km = 298.420
Weather = Warm, dry and overcast
Pole_Driver = Ayrton Senna
Pole_Team = McLaren-Honda
Pole_Time = 1:54.128
Pole_Country = Brazil
Fast_Driver = Gerhard Berger
Fast_Team = Ferrari
Fast_Time = 2:00.772
Fast_L

Fast_Country = Austria
First_Driver = Ayrton Senna
First_Team = McLaren-Honda
First_Country = Brazil
Second_Driver = Alain Prost
Second_Team = McLaren-Honda
Second_Country = France
Third_Driver = Ivan Capelli
Third_Team = March-Judd
Third_Country = ItalyThe 1988 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on August 28, 1988 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps. It was the eleventh race of the 1988 Formula One season.

Race summary

This was the first race after the death of Enzo Ferrari. Nigel Mansell was forced to miss the race due to chicken pox, and was replaced by Martin Brundle. The McLarens once again dominated the qualifying sessions, occupying the whole front row for the 7th time in 11 races.

At the start, polesitter Ayrton Senna had too much wheelspin and his teammate Alain Prost was able to take the lead. On the Eau Rouge corner the Brazilian was faster, he slipstreamed Prost on the Kemmel straight, and outbraked him at Les Combes, then went into the lead, which he maintained until the end of the race.

Gerhard Berger managed to get his Ferrari up to 3rd challenging Prost briefly before pitting on lap 3 with electrical problems. He managed to rejoin, setting the fastest lap, before retiring on lap 12. Due to his retirement Thierry Boutsen climbed to 4th behind Michele Alboreto and ahead of a thrilling battle between Alessandro Nannini, Satoru Nakajima, Nelson Piquet, and the two Arrows. Piquet passed teammate Nakajima on lap 17 and the Japanese pitted with an acute misfire from a jammed plug, which caused him to retire. In the meantime Ivan Capelli was putting in a very good performance, climbing from 9th to 6th with great passing manoeuvres.

On lap 36 Alboreto's engine blew up, sendim him out of the race from 3rd. Just 2 laps later Nannini capped his progresses by passing Piquet with a great move at the Source hairpin. The Brazilian was suffering to brake bias problems: attempting to keep the correct balance of the brakes, he wore his tyres, which ultimately caused him to run wide, and in the process grass gathered in the sidepods, overheating the engine. On lap 42, Capelli passed Piquet to seize 5th place.

McLaren's 1-2 sealed the Constructors' Championship for the British team, with Benetton coming home third and fourth; Boutsen's fourth put him in a good place to threaten Berger's 3rd place in the Drivers' Championship. Capelli and Piquet rounded out the points.

Both Benettons were later disqualified for using irregular fuel, so the third podium spot went to Capelli, and the two Arrows of Derek Warwick and Eddie Cheever went into the points.

Classification

Notes

*The disqualification of the Benettons was not made official until long after the season had finished, so many published records list them as having finished 3rd and 4th. The 3 points Arrows gained from the disqualification brought the team to 4th in the Constructors' Championship.

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/1988/273/ |accessdate=2007-07-12

F1 race report
Name_of_race = Belgian Grand Prix
Year_of_race = 1988
Previous_race_in_season = 1988 Hungarian Grand Prix
Next_race_in_season = 1988 Italian Grand Prix
Previous_year's_race = 1987 Belgian Grand Prix
Next_year's_race = 1989 Belgian Grand Prix