Detroit Grand Prix 1988 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Ayrton Senna claimed his second consecutive North American street circuit victory at Detroit, demonstrating his mastery of unforgiving urban layouts where barriers punished the slightest mistake. The Brazilian led teammate Alain Prost home for McLaren's fifth one-two finish, with Thierry Boutsen again securing third place for Benetton in a repeat of the Canadian Grand Prix podium. Senna's back-to-back victories in Canada and Detroit established a psychological advantage over Prost, as the Brazilian's superior qualifying pace and street circuit mastery gave him crucial wins.

The Detroit Grand Prix highlighted Senna's exceptional ability on temporary circuits, where his supernatural sensitivity to grip levels and willingness to push closer to the limit than rivals gave him decisive advantages. His consecutive street circuit victories demonstrated why many considered him the fastest driver on the grid, even if Prost possessed superior tactical intelligence and race management skills. McLaren's dominance continued unabated, with the MP4/4 proving virtually unbeatable when reliability cooperated. The result maintained the championship battle's intensity, with Senna closing the gap to Prost through superior speed if not yet superior points accumulation.