The 1988 Monaco Grand Prix was an unprecedented demonstration of power by Formula 1 icon Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian drove his opponents into the ground and reduced the entire field to extras. In the end, the motorsport icon was left with (almost) empty hands.
The Monaco Grand Prix is now just one of many street circuits on the Formula 1 calendar. In contrast to Baku, Miami, Las Vegas or Singapore, the race in the principality still exudes a very special magic. It is a race that every driver, without exception, wants to win at least once in their life, perhaps even has to, in order to be one of the greats.
Ayrton Senna fulfilled this dream for the first time in the 1987 season. This victory in itself was something special. The Brazilian was in a class of his own in his Lotus. After 78 laps he had only not lapped two drivers. His lead over second-placed Nelson Piquet was an incredible 33 seconds. His best lap was a full second faster than his competition’s fastest lap. A class difference.
Just a year later, Senna proved that it could be even more dominant. His performance at the Monaco GP in 1988 went beyond all known dimensions and is still considered one of the greatest brilliant achievements in the history of the premier class.
Senna 1.4 seconds faster than second
In the so-called pre-qualifying on Friday, Senna set the clear best time in wet conditions in his dominant MP4/4 McLaren. While the other drivers swerved through the guardrails on the right and left and produced accidents on the assembly line, the Brazilian steered his technically superior car across the course as if on rails. It was a harbinger of what was to come.
In qualifying, Senna stepped up another gear and pushed his car to the limit lap after lap. His final attempt amounted to the perfect lap. A clean line through Sainte Devot, full throttle up to the casino, sensitively through the hairpin bend, into the tunnel, half sliding, half flying through the chicane, past the swimming pool, back to the start-finish. Error-free, of course. After his last crossing of the finish line, the pole time was 1:23.998 minutes! A mythical value.
In qualifying, Senna took an incredible 1.427 seconds off his teammate Alain Prost alone, already a two-time world champion. Gerhard Berger (Ferrari) was third, 2.687 seconds behind. For comparison: This is how big the gap in modern Formula 1 is between first and last.
Senna was “in another dimension”
After these two days it was clear that there could only be one winner in the race on May 15, 1988: Ayrton Senna.
From the first round on, the Brazilian outclassed the competition. Senna pulled away from the start and showed the fans a truly masterful performance. After just six laps, the pole man was 7.6 seconds ahead of his first pursuer. After ten laps he had increased his lead to 13 seconds. In between, Senna set new lap records.
It was more than just a class difference. What Senna conjured up on the asphalt in those minutes was out of this world. “That day I realized that I was no longer conscious while driving. I was in another dimension. The track was like a tunnel for me that I just drove along,” Senna later recalled of his magical imagination.
The alien lands in reality
By lap 64, Senna had increased his lead over the rest of the field to an incredible 55 seconds. At times it even looked as if he was lapping all the other drivers.
But then the Brazilian received a radio message with serious consequences. Ron Dennis, McLaren team boss, ordered him to ease off the accelerator so as not to jeopardize the secure double victory. Senna followed the instructions – and became careless.
“I took my foot off the accelerator, just like Dennis told me. I became relaxed and distracted,” Senna later explained what happened on the 67th lap. In the portier curve before the tunnel he suddenly lost his tail and rushed into the barrier. His suspension broke and the race was lost. The alien that day had landed brutally in reality.
Ayrton Senna disappears without a trace
The frustrated Senna disappeared from the cameras’ field of vision within seconds and was not seen by anyone again until late in the evening. “I kept calling his apartment, but he wouldn’t pick up,” recalled McLaren co-coordinator Jo Ramirez.
It wasn’t until 10 p.m. that he finally reached Senna. “I don’t know what happened. The steering wheel slipped out of my hands,” the Brazilian is said to have reported disappointedly.
“I can’t drive any better”
But as depressed as Senna was that Sunday, the strength he drew from the race was just as great: “It was the turning point. This mistake woke me up. It gave me the mental strength to stay cool in critical situations. That was the biggest step in my career, as a racing driver and as a person. […] It wasn’t just a driving error. It was the consequence of problems that I carried with me and that made me vulnerable.”
From a sporting perspective, he reached his personal maximum that day and knew: “I can’t drive any better. I’ve never achieved this feeling again,” Senna said later.