Senna vs Prost: Suzuka '88 – Ayrton against everyone

The 1988 season was a McLaren monologue. The Senna-Prost duo monopolized the front row of the grid for the entire season on Saturdays and the top two steps of the podium on Sundays. To avoid breakdowns or accidents there was no hope for the other cars. On the other hand, it was a perfect combination: the two strongest drivers with the fastest cars. Situations that rarely arise again.

It was Senna's first year at McLaren, and the two drivers were really close and ready to work together to triumph. So they did, and found themselves alone at the top of the championship, forced either to win or to submit to their teammate. This was just the beginning of a long rivalry.

The fact is that the Brazilian's first chance to win the world championship came in Japan. Senna arrived with 75 points while Prost had 72. By winning, Senna would have triumphed and won the championship.

On Saturday the front row was all McLaren, with Senna first and Prost second. But the Brazilian was not at all calm. His pole was only thanks to a mistake by Prost, and this showed that the two cars were completely on par, and the result was by no means a given. On the other hand, Prost did not sleep soundly: he necessarily had to precede Senna, otherwise not even the last race would have been useful for winning the title. The pressure was incredible.

On Sundays you could breathe the same tense air. Furthermore, there was the unknown of the weather: large clouds full of rain were approaching the circuit, and at times they seemed to be advancing quickly, and at other times they seemed to be leaving. In short, before departure everyone was with their noses turned upwards scanning the sky, looking for a clue that would make them understand how the situation would evolve.

There was no shortage of twists and turns right from the start. At the start the engine of Senna's McLaren left him stationary, shutting down immediately after the traffic lights went out. While the Brazilian waved his arms among the cars whizzing past him, Prost took the lead trying to gain from the start. Taking advantage of the slope of the Suzuka straight, Senna managed to restart his car's engine and desperately got back into the race in fourteenth position. At that point the race seemed compromised, but the Brazilian showed off the grit and tenacity of a lion, and all those qualities that made his race truly fantastic. On the fourth lap he overtook three cars, sending the crowd in the stands and all the Brazilian people into raptures.

When it started to rain, the meteorological conditions that Senna preferred occurred. And at that moment it was just a driving lesson for everyone. He threw himself into overtaking and overtaking every lap, and for some laps he managed to recover a good 4 seconds per lap on Prost. For his part, the Frenchman had tried to take off, but the March driver, Ivan Capelli, had kept pace with him and had engaged in a duel with him, making him lose time.

“And Senna tries to go through on the inside!!!”[Murray Walker]
“Senna inside, Prost outside! Ayron Senna do Brasil!!!”

On the twenty-eighth pass on the main straight, taking advantage of the traffic caused by the lapped cars, Senna took Prost's wake and slipped inside, into a space that was decreasing due to the Frenchman's defensive maneuver. The two almost touched but in the end the Brazilian prevailed, passing first at the first corner. For about 10 laps it was still a battle of nerves between the two drivers of the English team, who battled with fast laps. In the end, however, a gearbox problem betrayed Prost and forced him to slow down, while the track became increasingly wet. In the end even the rain wizard, leading the race, raised his arm asking for the race to be stopped, but the race continued for the remaining 5 laps.

“I saw God and he guided me. I had clear signals of his desires and his power. Some people won't believe me now and maybe they will laugh about it, but I can't help but tell the truth. I drove knowing that He wanted me to be world champion and when, with maximum concentration, I faced a 180 degree bend, I saw the image of him in the sky and I understood that I could do it. This contact with God was wonderful.”[Ayrton Senna]

Ayrton Senna became Formula 1 world champion for the first time, becoming an idol and a national hero in Brazil, and a phenomenon in the eyes of all the spectators who watched that Grand Prix.

“Today I won something more than a Formula 1 race. I am very happy, but I believe I deserve this title for all the sacrifices I have made during my career. I thank God for giving me the strength to get where I always wanted.”[Ayrton Senna]

Senna VS Prost

Matteo Bramati.