Although Michael Schumacher is by far the most successful Formula 1 driver of all time with 91 race wins and seven world championship titles, Ayrton Senna, who died in an accident in 1994, is still considered by many to be the best driver in F1 history. A look back at the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix shows why the Brazilian quickly achieved legendary status with many fans.
The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the highlights of the sporting year, just as it is today. Winning the race in the Principality is considered a kind of accolade in the F1 circus. Anyone who manages to get through the narrow street canyons of the elite small town at 300 km/h is without a doubt one of the great racing drivers of his time.
Since 1987, Ayrton Senna was also one of the pilots who were allowed to receive the winner’s trophy from the prince. However, what Senna conjured up on the streets of Monaco on the 1988 race weekend blew all known dimensions and is still considered one of the greatest feats in the history of the premier class.
Senna in a class of its own in qualifying
In the pre-qualifying session on Friday, Senna set the clear best time in wet conditions in his dominant MP4/4 McLaren. While the other pilots flipped through the crash barriers to the right and left and caused accidents on the assembly line, the Brazilian steered his technically superior car as if on rails over the course.
In qualifying, Senna continued his dominance. The McLaren driver pushed his car to the limit lap after lap. The final attempt equaled the perfect orbit. 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 start-finish. Error-free, of course. After crossing the finish line for the last time, he was on pole: 1:23.998 minutes! A fabulous value.
In qualifying alone, Senna took an unbelievable 1.427 seconds off his teammate Alain Prost, who had already been a two-time world champion up to that point. Gerhard Berger (Ferrari) was third, 2.687 seconds behind. For comparison: in 2017 there was only 1.435 seconds between the pole time and 9th place – Senna put this cushion between himself and P2.
“I was in another dimension”
After these two days at the latest, it was clear that there can only be one winner in the race on May 15, 1988: Ayrton Senna.
The Brazilian outclassed the competition from the first lap. Senna pulled away from the start and gave the fans a truly masterful performance. After just six laps, the pole man was an unbelievable 7.6 seconds ahead of the closest 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 seemed 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 his magic Performance.
Ron Dennis and a momentous radio call
By the 64th lap, Senna had extended his lead over the rest of the field to an incredible 55 seconds. In between it even looked as if he would lap all the other drivers.
But then the Brazilian received a momentous radio message. Ron Dennis, McLaren’s team manager, gave him the order to slow down so as not to jeopardize the sure double victory. Senna followed the instructions – and became careless.
“I went off the gas, just like Dennis told me. I was relaxed and distracted,” Senna later explained what happened on the 67th lap. In the porter curve before the tunnel, he suddenly lost his rear and crashed into the gang. His suspension broke and the race was lost.
>>> the classification of the Monaco GP 1988
Senna disappears without a trace
The frustrated Senna disappeared from the field of view of the cameras within seconds and was not seen by anyone until late in the evening. “I kept calling his apartment but he wouldn’t pick up,” recalled McLaren co-coordinator Jo Ramirez.
He finally reached Senna at 10 p.m. “I don’t know what happened. The steering wheel slipped out of my hands,” said the disappointed Brazilian.
“I never got that feeling again”
But as dejected as Senna was that Sunday, so great was the strength he drew from the race: “It was the turning point. This mistake shook me up. It gave me the mental strength to stay cool in critical situations. That was the biggest step in my career, as a racer and as a person. […] It wasn’t just a driving error. It was the consequence of problems I carried around with me that made me vulnerable.”
From a sporting point of view, he reached his personal maximum that day and knew: “I can’t drive any better. This feeling,” said Senna later, “I’ve never reached it again”.
>>> the drivers’ standings of the 1988 World Championship
Christian Schenzel