HONDA The Power of Dreams

In 1988, McLaren, with its new Honda engines and driver Ayrton Senna, demonstrated overwhelming speed and strength from the start. By Round 12, Italy, Senna had won seven races, while teammate Alain Prost had won four, and the team clocked eight 1-2 finishes. Although an unfortunate accident in the Italian GP broke this winning streak, McLaren Honda’s domination remained unshaken.

In Round 15, Japan, Prost led by 5 points with 79 points to Senna’s 84, but because of the points system in place at the time, Prost’s numerous points-finishes made it difficult for him to gain more points, while Senna on the other hand would have 87 points if he won. Even if Prost then won the final race, he would not be able to win the title. In effect, the Japanese Grand Prix would determine the champion.

Senna was in great form, setting the top lap times from qualifying to warm-up, and expectations were high for the new champion to be crowned. At the start of the race, two cars stalled: Pole-sitter Senna and 6th-grid Nakajima. Screams went up from the packed grandstands. Thanks to the gentle downward slope, both cars managed to join the race, but were engulfed by the cars behind. Senna’s furious chase began, completing the first lap in 8th, then 6th on Lap 2, 5th on Lap 3, 4th on Lap 4, 3rd on Lap 11 (overtaking Berger’s Ferrari), and 2nd on Lap 20 when Ivan Capelli (March Judd), who had briefly led the race, dropped out due to mechanical issues. Prost was 11 seconds ahead of Senna at this point. Light rain began to fall, an encouraging sign for Senna, who excelled in wet conditions. The gap between the two teammates shrank rapidly.

On the main straight entering Lap 28, Senna finally caught Prost, and by the time they reached the first turn, he had taken the lead. Then, as light rain began to fall again, Senna extended his gap to 13 seconds, and took the checkered flag for the 51-lap race. Senna, claiming his first F1 title at Suzuka, was so jubilant that he pumped his fist in the air and leaned out of the car throughout the cool-down lap, sharing his jubilation with the fan-filled Suzuka Circuit. It was also a 1-2 finish for Honda, which had eluded the company the previous year, at its home race. Back in the paddock, Senna firmly shook hands with Soichiro Honda, sharing the joy, gratitude and relief.

Looking back at the season, McLaren Honda was overwhelmingly strong, winning 15 of the 16 grands prix (Senna: 8, Prost: 7). In the constructors’ standings, McLaren Honda was the champion by far with 199 points, three times more than the 65 points earned by closest-contender Ferrari.

The era of the 1.5-liter turbo-charged engine, mainstream in F1 during the 1980s, came to an end in 1988. The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) had decided that the enormous power, which was said to reach 1,300 horsepower (qualifying specs depending on boost pressure) was too dangerous. Turbocharged engines were banned in 1989, opening a new era of naturally-aspirated (NA) 3.5 liter engines.