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Detail Up Part
The MP4/4 was entrusted to Alain Prost, who had won two World Championships in 1985 and 1986 and held the record for the most wins in F1 history with 28 victories, and Ayrton Senna, who joined McLaren along with Honda’s engine supply.
However, because the car had to be designed and developed just six months after the engine supply contract was announced, the MP4/4’s development was delayed until the final day of pre-season testing.
In the opening race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, Senna won pole position. However, during the formation lap of the final race, he encountered a gearshift issue. He switched to the spare car and restarted, but this resulted in his disqualification. Meanwhile, Prost, who started from third place, won the race.
By the second round, the San Marino Grand Prix, held almost a month later, the MP4/4 had matured. Senna took pole position in qualifying, with Prost securing second place, 0.7 seconds behind. That season, which consisted of 16 races, saw Senna secure 13 pole positions, including Brazil, while Prost, who was less focused on qualifying, still managed three poles, As a result, the MP4/4 claimed pole position in every race except the British Grand Prix. Senna’s pole positions were often achieved with a massive gap to third place, The MIP4/4 dominated the races as well. Senna secured eight victories (San Marino, Canada, Detroit, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, and Japan), while Prost won seven races (Brazil, Monaco, Mexico, France, Portugal, Spain, and Australia). This meant that McLaren-Honda won 15 out of the 16 races, with the only exception being the Italian Grand Prix. Their 15 wins in a single season surpassed McLaren-Porsche’s previous record of 12 wins in 1984. Their 93.75% win rate stood as the highest in Fl history until 2023, when Red Bull broke it with 21 wins in 22 races (95.45%).
Additionally, McLaren-Honda achieved 10 one-two finishes, with Senna securing three second-place finishes and Prost seven.
As intended by its design, the MP4/4 was fast with little air resistance, had effective downforce, and its low center of gravity led to quick movement of the car. The RA168E not only contributed to the speed of the car with its power, but also achieved high fuel efficiency that was unmatched by other turbo engines, as it was able to run most of the race at full power, while other turbo engines were concerned about fuel efficiency and could not use their full power.
With this overwhelming result, McLaren-Honda secured the Constructors’ Championship at the 11th round, the Belgian Grand Prix. At the end of the final round, McLaren-Honda had earned 199 constructors’ points, 134 points ahead of second-place Ferrari (65 points). It was a truly landslide victory.
The Drivers’ Championship also came down to the two McLaren drivers. Under the regulations that year, only the best 11 results from 16 races counted toward the championship. As a result, Senna scored 90 points, while Prost had 87 points, making Senna the Drivers’ Champion for the first time.
1988 was a year of historic achievements in F1, marking a significant milestone for McLaren, Honda, and Senna, and laying the foundation for their future successes. The McLaren MP4/4 and Honda RA168E were the machines that made this legendary season possible.
(Commentator: Shigenori Ogura)