How Ayrton Senna claimed his maiden F1 world championship - on this day

Ayrton Senna won the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix to win his first of three world driver's championships in Formula 1 on this day 33 years ago.

Ayrton Senna celebrates winning the 1988 Japanese GP - and the F1 world driver's championship. (Image: Twitter/@McLarenF1)
By Shayne Dias | Oct 30, 2021 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

It says a lot about Ayrton Senna that he continues to be revered by Formula 1 as a whole long after his death. There was just something about the Brazilian that endeared him to many.

Whether that was his daredevil racing style or incredible charisma, Senna well and truly had it all. As such, it is little surprise that he is still cited as an inspiration by many.

Incidentally, it was on this very day 33 years ago that he won his first world championship. 1988 was a well and truly dominant year for McLaren. As such, the title came down to Senna and rival/teammate Alain Prost.

The scene of the title-decider was Japan. It was a country that Senna enjoyed plenty of fame in, but that itself was no guarantee of a title win. He needed a win at Suzuka to guarantee the title.

Instead, it took a race for the ages to finally decide who between Senna and Prost would be declared champion. That was a race that truly had it all; drama at the start, rain towards the end and retirements and chaos aplenty.

But in the end, it was Senna who stood tallest – and got to call himself world champion. With 33 years having passed since the day, let us now look back at the events of the day.

The background

The 1988 season had yo-yo’d between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Prost won the first race at Brazil, while Senna claimed the win at San Marino. Prost won the next two races; Senna responded by doing the same.

Prost then won his home race at France but Senna would go on to win the next four races. As such, he was in a more dominant position – despite Prost constantly being among the points.

Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger won the only race by a non-McLaren at that year’s Italian GP. Prost would then win the next two races before Japan and take the lead in the standings.

However, Senna was not yet out of the title hunt. Due to the scoring system present at the time, he needed to only win in Japan to be guaranteed the championship.

He made sure to put himself in the best position for the win too, qualifying in pole. However, with Prost lining up just behind him in second, anything could happen.

Ayrton Senna – a world champion at last

Disaster struck for Senna on the start itself. His car stalled, leaving Prost and a host of others to pass him. However, Suzuka’s natural downward slope at the start-finish line helped him to bump start his car into action.

He was down in 14th by the time he was up to speed. However, he charged through the field in what was easily the fastest car on the grid; by the end of Lap 1, he had already made up six places.

By the end of Lap 4, he was running in fourth. But the thing that influenced the race the most came about by Lap 14 – the rain.

Raindrops began to fall on parts of the circuit. Senna, who had already established a reputation as a maestro in the wet weather, saw his chance.

By Lap 24, he was already closing in on Prost, who was leading. The Frenchman had briefly lost the lead to Ivan Capelli but took it back in the same lap. However, Senna was fast approaching.

Prost was not helped by a faulty gearbox, but Senna finally took the lead on Lap 27. He proceeded to set a succession of fastest laps and build up a three-second lead at the front.

However, the racetrack was now fully wet and Senna was still on slicks. He signalled for the race to be ended but to no avail; the race ended as it was scheduled to.

Not that it mattered; Senna took the chequered flag a full 13 seconds ahead of Prost – and clinched the world championship in the process.

The aftermath

Due to the scoring system in 1988, Prost could only add three more points to his total even if he won in Australia. That would give him 87 points in total.

If Senna then did not score a single point at Adelaide the two drivers would be equal on points. However, Senna would still win the title, having taken more wins (8 to 7).

This would also be the start of Senna’s major successes. He would win two of the next three world championships, with the only other one being won by Prost.

Senna’s win at Japan also saw him break the record for most wins in the season. The record was previously held by Jim Clark (1963) and Prost (1984).





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