Sunday 11th September 1988
Gerhard Berger led home Michele Alboreto for a timely Ferrari 1-2 at the Italian Grand Prix as McLaren failed to win for the only time in the season. As usual, the two McLarens lined up on the front row with Ayrton Senna on pole, the Ferrari duo behind. The order did not change until Prost uncharacteristically retired with an engine failure on lap 35, leaving Senna to close in on another easy victory in the closing laps. But coming up to lap Jean-Louis Schlesser’s Williams, Senna left the Frenchman with precious little space and the pair collided, leaving the Brazilian beached and out of the race.
