Formula 1 historical archive

Ayrton Senna won the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix

Ayrton Senna won the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix for McLaren, ahead of Alain Prost and Thierry Boutsen at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Browse the full classification, related season, driver, team, circuit, and championship history.

Race recap

Winner
Ayrton Senna
Team
McLaren
Top listed
Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Thierry Boutsen
Race date
June 12, 1988
Pole
Ayrton Senna
Fastest lap
Ayrton Senna
Classified drivers
31
Circuit
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

The decisive result

Ayrton Senna finished first for McLaren. Alain Prost is listed 2 for McLaren, with Thierry Boutsen 3 for Benetton.

Grid to finish

Gabriele Tarquini from P26 to P8 (+18), Jonathan Palmer from P19 to P6 (+13), and Ivan Capelli from P14 to P5 (+9) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. Ayrton Senna started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 5 Engine, 4 DNQ, 3 +2 laps, 3 Finished, and 2 +1 lap. Ayrton Senna holds the fastest-lap entry at 1:24.973 on lap 53. It records the result without speculating about incidents or strategy.

This summary sticks to the classification and does not speculate about incidents, strategy, weather, or causes. Source: F1DB (CC BY 4.0) · updated Jul 26, 2026.

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Race classification
PosDriverConstructorTime / statusPoints
1Ayrton SennaMcLaren1:39:46.6189
2Alain ProstMcLaren1:39:52.5526
3Thierry BoutsenBenetton1:40:38.0274
4Nelson PiquetTeam Lotus+1 lap3
5Ivan CapelliMarch+1 lap2
6Jonathan PalmerTyrrell+2 laps1
7Derek WarwickArrows+2 laps0
8Gabriele TarquiniColoni+2 laps0
9Andrea de CesarisRialOut of fuel0
10Philippe AlliotLolaElectrical0
11Satoru NakajimaTeam Lotus+3 laps0
12Stefano ModenaEuroBrun+3 laps0
13Luis Pérez-SalaMinardi+5 laps0
14Piercarlo GhinzaniZakspeedEngine0
DNFMaurício GugelminMarchGearbox0
DNFPhilippe StreiffAGSSuspension0
DNFRené ArnouxLigierTransmission0
DNFMichele AlboretoFerrariEngine0
DNFRiccardo PatreseWilliamsEngine0
DNFEddie CheeverArrowsThrottle0