The 1988 season featured a shift towards naturally aspirated engines, with regulations restricting turbocharged units in anticipation of a full ban in 1989. The turbo boost was limited at 2.5 bar (36 psi), after it had already been brought down to 4.0 bar (58 psi) for 1987. The fuel limit for turbo engines was set at 155 L (41 US gal), down from 195 L (52 US gal) for 1987, while teams running with a naturally aspirated engine could carry and use unlimited amounts of fuel during a race. This led to teams including Williams, March, and Ligier switching to Judd V8 engines early, hoping to gain an advantage with the new regulations. Benetton used the Ford-Cosworth DFR engine, considered superior, while Minardi also opted for a Cosworth engine. McLaren and Lotus continued to use Honda engines, benefiting from a specifically designed RA168E unit to cope with the turbo limitations.
Several teams saw changes in their line-ups and engine suppliers. Nelson Piquet moved from Williams to Lotus, replacing Ayrton Senna who had transferred to McLaren to partner Alain Prost. Alessandro Nannini replaced Teo Fabi at Benetton, with the change announced ahead of the 1987 Austrian Grand Prix. Julian Bailey became the first British driver to win a Formula 3000 race, earning him a drive with Tyrrell for 1988. Three new teams entered the grid: BMS Scuderia Italia, Rial, and EuroBrun, the latter taking over assets from the Brabham team, which withdrew before the first race.
The 1988 season was dominated by McLaren-Honda. At the opening race in Brazil, Alain Prost won, with Gerhard Berger finishing second for Ferrari. Nigel Mansell qualified on the front row for Williams, despite the team’s underpowered Judd engine. In San Marino, Senna and Prost lapped the entire field, demonstrating the superiority of the McLaren-Honda package. Prost won in Monaco and Mexico, while Senna won in Canada and Detroit.
The British Grand Prix provided a surprise result, with Nigel Mansell finishing second for Williams, marking the first podium finish for an atmospherically-engined car. Prost won in France, while Senna continued his strong form with a victory in Hungary.
At the Italian Grand Prix, Jean-Louis Schlesser crashed into leader Ayrton Senna, paving the way for Ferrari drivers Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto to secure a 1-2 finish on Ferrari’s home soil, a poignant victory following the death of Enzo Ferrari.
The 1988 season saw McLaren achieve a dominant performance, winning fifteen of the sixteen races. Their Constructors' Championship tally was a record until 2002. Ayrton Senna secured his first World Championship title, while Alain Prost finished second. The season highlighted the transition towards naturally aspirated engines, a change that would become mandatory in 1989.
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