.
's third win of the season made it six out of six for McLaren in 1988, on the way to an unprecedented 15 wins and ten 1-2 finishes in 16 races. Senna's victory matched the season total of teammate
, who finished 38 seconds behind the Brazilian in second place, and still had never won in North America.
scored the first points ever for the Rial team by finishing fourth.
Detroit's tight 90-degree turns and short straight sections had given the underpowered "atmo" cars a chance at several times during the turbo era, and some teams were hoping the quirky circuit might give them a bit of a chance. Senna took the twenty-second pole of his career by more than eight-tenths, but the Ferraris of
both lined up ahead of Prost, who was fourth. The teams were all hoping for cooler temperatures for the race on Sunday, after the track had begun to break up during qualifying (expedited by a
on Saturday). Hasty concrete repairs made the surface extremely abrasive for the soft compound tires most teams had brought, and teams were forced to reconsider their plans for a non-stop race. On Sunday morning, Berger said, "Really, I think today is a lottery...." Then, recalling how the first five races had gone, added, "...which probably gives us our best chance of the season."
In front of 61,000 fans on race day, Senna took the lead off the grid and was uncontested into the first corner. The Ferraris followed, with Prost beginning to challenge them already. He took a look around the outside of Alboreto in Turn 2, but had no room. For the first three laps, the four leaders hung quite close together, but by the end of lap four, Senna's lead was more than two seconds. Prost got by Alboreto on lap five, and Berger on lap six, but by that time, Senna was over six seconds ahead.
It seemed, at first, as if Nannini had escaped the contact unharmed, but on lap 15, he pitted with a damaged right front suspension and failing brakes. The brake problem "was really the cause of the problem with Michele," he explained. "Almost from the start, I was having to pump the pedal. If the brakes had been okay, I think I could have avoided him."
Instead, any hope of a threat to the McLarens was gone with the race one-quarter over. The red and white cars, with Senna eight seconds ahead, seemed to be carefree. In fact, Prost had been struggling the entire race with an uncooperative gearchange. "It was strange– the gearbox felt as though it was seizing up. The worst change was from fourth to fifth, which I think I missed at least once a lap right the way through."
took up fourth spot for Williams. The
had suffered all season with overheating problems, and with the temperature in the mid-90s, he didn't like his chances of finishing the race. Sure enough, on lap 19, "the red light came on, and that was the end– the engine just cut." Teammate
assumed fourth position until lap 27, when the same thing happened to him. He pulled off and parked alongside the barrier, right behind Mansell.
Senna and Prost both had time to make leisurely stops for new tires, and Senna went on to lead all 63 laps. Prost had set the race's fastest lap on Lap four, but he could never really challenge the Brazilian for the lead, and knew he would have to settle for second place, finishing 38.7 seconds behind. Prost said, "Over the years I've developed a style of driving which involves braking into the apex of a corner. I don't think most of the guys do that, but it works for me. On this surface today, though, it was impossible to do it without simply sliding straight on. So I had to change my whole way of driving, brake carefully in a straight line, then turn in. No excuse, you understand, but it meant adapting, doing something which isn't my natural style." None of the other seven finishers was on the lead lap at the end.
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
| 1 |
12 |
Ayrton SennaAyrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
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McLaren-Honda Honda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
|
63 |
1:54:56.035 |
1 |
9 |
| 2 |
11 |
Alain ProstAlain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
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McLaren-Honda Honda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
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63 |
+ 38.713 |
4 |
6 |
| 3 |
20 |
Thierry BoutsenThierry Marc Boutsen is a former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One.-Career:thumb|left|Boutsen driving for [[Arrows]] at the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix]]....
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BenettonBenetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
62 |
+ 1 Lap |
5 |
4 |
| 4 |
22 |
Andrea de CesarisAndrea de Cesaris is an Italian former race car driver. He started 208 races but never won; his is the longest career without a race victory. A string of accidents early in his career earned him the nickname 'Andrea de Crasheris',...
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Rial-Ford Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
62 |
+ 1 Lap |
12 |
3 |
| 5 |
3 |
Jonathan Palmer Dr. Jonathan Charles Palmer is an entrepreneur and former racing driver from England. Educated at Brighton College, he won the 1981 British Formula Three Championship and the 1983 European Formula Two Championship. He participated in 87 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 25, 1983...
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TyrrellThe Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
62 |
+ 1 Lap |
17 |
2 |
| 6 |
23 |
Pierluigi MartiniPierluigi Martini is an Italian former racing driver.He participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 9, 1984 substituting for Ayrton Senna at the Toleman team...
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MinardiMinardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
62 |
+ 1 Lap |
16 |
1 |
| 7 |
29 |
Yannick DalmasYannick Dalmas is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 49 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 18 October 1987, but qualified for only 24 of them. His best result in F1 was a 5th place at the 1987 Australian Grand Prix, but he was not eligible for World Championship points at...
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LarrousseLarrousse Formula One was a motorsports racing team founded in 1987 by Didier Calmels and former racer Gérard Larrousse, originally under the name Larrousse & Calmels. It was based in Antony, in the southern suburbs of Paris. It was renamed Larrousse after the departure of Calmels for legal reasons... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
61 |
+ 2 Laps |
24 |
|
| 8 |
36 |
Alex CaffiAlessandro "Alex" Caffi is a former Formula One driver from Italy. He participated in 75 Grands Prix, debuting on September 7, 1986...
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Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
61 |
+ 2 Laps |
21 |
|
| 9 |
4 |
Julian Bailey Julian Bailey is a former Formula One driver who raced for the Tyrrell and Lotus teams.Although born in the United Kingdom, he was raised in Menorca, Spain, and became an accomplished Formula Ford 1600 racer in Britain, winning the important Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch...
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TyrrellThe Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
59 |
Spun Off |
22 |
|
| Ret |
24 |
Luis Perez-SalaLuis Pérez-Sala Valls-Taberner is a Spanish former racing driver who competed in Formula One, Formula 3, Formula 3000 and Touring Cars....
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MinardiMinardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
54 |
Gearbox |
25 |
|
| Ret |
30 |
Philippe AlliotPhilippe Alliot is a former racing driver who participated in Formula One from to and from to . He raced for RAM, Ligier, Larrousse and McLaren....
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LarrousseLarrousse Formula One was a motorsports racing team founded in 1987 by Didier Calmels and former racer Gérard Larrousse, originally under the name Larrousse & Calmels. It was based in Antony, in the southern suburbs of Paris. It was renamed Larrousse after the departure of Calmels for legal reasons... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
46 |
Halfshaft |
14 |
|
| Ret |
33 |
Stefano ModenaStefano Modena is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 81 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on November 15, 1987. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 17 championship points....
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EuroBrunEuroBrun Racing was a Formula One constructor from Senago, Milan, Italy, with an Italo-Swiss ownership. They participated in 46 grands prix, entering a total of 76 cars.... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
46 |
Spun Off |
19 |
|
| Ret |
27 |
Michele AlboretoMichele Alboreto was an Italian racing driver. He is famous for finishing runner up to Alain Prost in the 1985 Formula One World Championship, as well as winning the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2001 12 Hours of Sebring sports car races...
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Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
|
45 |
Collision |
3 |
|
| Ret |
25 |
René ArnouxRené Alexandre Arnoux is a retired French racing driver who is a veteran of 12 Formula One seasons...
|
Ligier-Judd Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
|
45 |
Overheating |
20 |
|
| Ret |
15 |
Maurício GugelminMaurício Gugelmin is a former racing driver from Brazil. He took part in both Formula One and the Champ Car World Series. He participated in 80 Formula One grands prix, debuting in 1988 for the March team. He achieved one top-three finish and scored a total of ten championship points in the series...
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MarchMarch Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... -JuddJudd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
|
34 |
Engine |
13 |
|
| Ret |
6 |
Riccardo PatreseRiccardo Gabriele Patrese is an Italian former racing driver, who raced in Formula One from to .He became the first Formula One driver to achieve 200 Grand Prix starts when he appeared at the 1990 British Grand Prix, and the first to achieve 250 starts at the 1993 German Grand Prix...
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Williams Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head... -JuddJudd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
|
26 |
Electrical |
10 |
|
| Ret |
1 |
Nelson PiquetNelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in , and . He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna , Alain Prost , Juan...
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Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -HondaHonda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
|
26 |
Spun Off |
8 |
|
| Ret |
32 |
Oscar LarrauriOscar Rubén Larrauri is a racing driver from Argentina. He participated in 21 Formula One Grands Prix, all with the struggling EuroBrun team, debuting on April 3, 1988...
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EuroBrunEuroBrun Racing was a Formula One constructor from Senago, Milan, Italy, with an Italo-Swiss ownership. They participated in 46 grands prix, entering a total of 76 cars.... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
26 |
Gearbox |
23 |
|
| Ret |
17 |
Derek WarwickDerek Stanley Arthur Warwick is a British former racing driver from England. He raced for many years in Formula One, but never won a Grand Prix. During the early 1980s he was thought more likely to achieve World Championship success than his contemporary Nigel Mansell, but a series of wrong...
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Arrows Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :... -MegatronThe BMW M12/13 turbo 1500 cc 4-cylinder turbocharged Formula One engine, based on the standard BMW M10 engine introduced in 1961, powered the F1 cars of Brabham, Arrows and Benetton and won the world championship in 1983....
|
24 |
Spun Off |
9 |
|
| Ret |
5 |
Nigel Mansell Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
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Williams Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head... -JuddJudd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
|
18 |
Engine |
6 |
|
| Ret |
14 |
Philippe StreiffPhilippe Streiff is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 55 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on October 21, 1984...
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AGS Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives was a small French racecar constructor that competed in various racing categories over a period of thirty years, including Formula One from to .... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
15 |
Suspension |
11 |
|
| Ret |
19 |
Alessandro NanniniAlessandro "Sandro" Nannini is a former racing driver from Italy. He is the younger brother of rock-singer Gianna Nannini.-Biography:...
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BenettonBenetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
14 |
Suspension |
7 |
|
| Ret |
18 |
Eddie CheeverEdward "Eddie" McKay Cheever, Jr. is an American racing driver who raced for almost thirty years in Formula One, Sports cars, CART and the Indy Racing League. Cheever participated in 143 World Championship Formula One races and started 132, more than any other American, driving for nine different...
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Arrows Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :... -MegatronThe BMW M12/13 turbo 1500 cc 4-cylinder turbocharged Formula One engine, based on the standard BMW M10 engine introduced in 1961, powered the F1 cars of Brabham, Arrows and Benetton and won the world championship in 1983....
|
14 |
Electrical |
15 |
|
| Ret |
21 |
Nicola LariniNicola Larini is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 6, 1987. He finished second in the tragic 1994 San Marino Grand Prix on a substitute outing for Ferrari, but only scored points once more in his career...
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OsellaOsella is an Italian racing car manufacturer and former Formula One team based in Volpiano near Turin, Italy. They participated in 132 Grands Prix between 1980 and 1990...
|
7 |
Engine |
26 |
|
| Ret |
28 |
Gerhard BergerGerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....
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Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
|
6 |
Puncture |
2 |
|
| Ret |
26 |
Stefan JohanssonStefan Nils Edwin Johansson is a former Formula One driver from who drove for among others both Ferrari and McLaren during his Grand Prix career. Since leaving Formula One he has raced in a number of categories, including CART, various kinds of Sports car racing, and Grand Prix Masters...
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Ligier-Judd Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
|
2 |
Overheating |
18 |
|
| DNS |
16 |
Ivan CapelliIvan Franco Capelli is an Italian former Formula One driver. He participated in 98 Grands Prix, debuting on October 6, 1985. He achieved 3 podiums, and scored a total of 31 championship points...
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MarchMarch Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... -JuddJudd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
|
0 |
Injured |
0 |
|
| DNQ |
2 |
Satoru NakajimaSatoru Nakajima is a former racing driver from Japan.-Career:Nakajima was born into a farming family living just outside Okazaki, Japan. He began driving cars in his early teens in the family's garden with his older brother giving him tips, careful that they were not caught by their father...
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Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -HondaHonda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
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|
|
0 |
|
| DNQ |
10 |
Bernd SchneiderBernd Schneider is a retired racing driver from Germany.-Early years:Schneider was named after legendary driver Bernd Rosemeyer, winner of the 1936 European Drivers Championship. Introduced to karting at an early age, he displayed an obvious talent for racing...
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Zakspeed Zakspeed is a motor racing team from Germany, founded in 1968 by Erich Zakowski and nowadays run by his son Peter Zakowski. Their home town of Niederzissen is located not far away from the Nürburgring race track.-1973 to 1981: Saloon and sports car racing:...
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|
|
0 |
|
| DNQ |
9 |
Piercarlo GhinzaniPiercarlo Ghinzani is a former racing driver from Italy. He currently manages his own racing team, Team Ghinzani, which was created in 1992 and is currently involved in several Formula Three championships....
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Zakspeed Zakspeed is a motor racing team from Germany, founded in 1968 by Erich Zakowski and nowadays run by his son Peter Zakowski. Their home town of Niederzissen is located not far away from the Nürburgring race track.-1973 to 1981: Saloon and sports car racing:...
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|
|
0 |
|
| DNQ |
31 |
Gabriele TarquiniGabriele Tarquini is a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 78 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on May 3, 1987. He scored 1 championship point, and holds the record for the most failed attempts to qualify...
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ColoniEnzo Coloni Racing Car Systems, commonly referred to simply as Coloni, is an Italian motor racing team and former Formula One racing car constructor. While it has been successful in Formula Three and Formula 3000, the team was one of the least successful in Formula One history... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
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0 |
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