Brazilian Grand Prix 1988 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Alain Prost opened the 1988 season with a commanding victory at Rio's Jacarepagua circuit, signaling the beginning of McLaren-Honda's most dominant campaign in Formula 1 history. The Frenchman controlled the race from pole position while new teammate Ayrton Senna could only manage sixth after an early spin, giving Prost the perfect start in their nascent rivalry. Gerhard Berger delivered Ferrari's best result with second place, while Nelson Piquet completed the podium for Lotus in what would be a difficult season for the former champion.

The Brazilian Grand Prix established the competitive order that would define 1988 - McLaren-Honda utterly dominant when reliability cooperated, with Ferrari and the rest fighting for scraps behind the scarlet and white MP4/4s. Prost's victory demonstrated his tactical maturity and smooth driving style, extracting maximum performance from the Honda V10 powered car. The race marked the beginning of the Prost-Senna dynamic at McLaren, with both drivers knowing they faced their greatest challenge from the teammate in identical machinery rather than external competitors.