Senna's seventh win of 1988 gave him a three-point championship lead over Prost, with both drivers finishing first and second for McLaren-Honda.
Key Facts
- Race distance
- 43 laps
- Winner
- Ayrton Senna (McLaren-Honda)
- Senna wins in season
- 7
- Consecutive wins for Senna
- 4
- Championship lead after race
- Senna by 3 points over Prost
- Third place
- Ivan Capelli (March-Judd)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1988 Formula One season was dominated by McLaren-Honda, whose pair of drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were locked in a close championship battle entering the Belgian Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the season. Senna had already won six races to Prost's five.
Held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on 28 August 1988, Senna started from pole and led the 43-lap race to victory, with Prost finishing second. Originally third and fourth, Thierry Boutsen and Alessandro Nannini were disqualified for fuel irregularities, promoting Ivan Capelli to the final podium position.
Senna's fourth consecutive victory and seventh of the season gave him a three-point lead over Prost in the Drivers' Championship, tightening the intra-team rivalry as the season moved toward its conclusion. The disqualifications of the Benetton-Ford cars also underscored heightened scrutiny of fuel regulations.