1988 Brazilian Grand Prix

Lore & Background

Ayrton Senna qualified on pole for McLaren, but on the parade lap his gear selector mechanism broke and he had to start from the pits in the spare car. Alain Prost led from the start and won the race. Senna made a remarkable charge from the rear, climbing to second place, but was later shown the black flag and disqualified for changing cars after the green flag had been shown. Nelson Piquet finished third in his return to Lotus.

Reader's Guide

The race was held at the Jacarepaguá Circuit in Rio de Janeiro, not Interlagos. Senna did not lead every lap; Prost led from the start. Senna did not win; he was disqualified.

Did You Know?

• Nigel Mansell qualified his naturally aspirated Williams second, approximately 1.951 seconds faster than the next atmospheric car.
• Mansell became the first driver of a naturally aspirated car to start on the front row since Keke Rosberg in 1982.
• Alex Caffi used a modified Formula 3000 chassis because his Formula One chassis was not ready.
• Five drivers made their Formula One debut at this race: Maurício Gugelmin, Luis Pérez-Sala, Oscar Larrauri, Julian Bailey, and Bernd Schneider.