1988

By 1988, Formula One was entering the final chapter of the turbo era, but nobody could have predicted the level of dominance McLaren would achieve. Powered by Honda engines and driven by Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, the MP4/4 immediately established itself as one of the greatest Formula One cars ever built, leaving the rest of the grid fighting for the scraps.

McLaren's superiority was almost absolute. Senna and Prost won fifteen of the season's sixteen Grands Prix, led over 97% of all racing laps completed, and transformed the Drivers' Championship into an entirely internal battle. While Prost's trademark consistency saw him score more points over the course of the season, Formula One's dropped-scores system meant every victory became increasingly valuable, allowing Senna's aggressive, uncompromising style to keep him firmly in contention.

The team's pursuit of a perfect season came to an end at Monza. Leading comfortably with just two laps remaining, Senna collided with Jean-Louis Schlesser's Williams while attempting to lap the Frenchman, handing victory to Ferrari only weeks after the death of Enzo Ferrari. It would prove to be the only race McLaren failed to win all season.

Senna ultimately claimed his first World Championship, beginning one of Formula One's greatest rivalries with Prost. More than three decades later, the 1988 McLaren MP4/4 remains the benchmark against which every dominant Formula One car is measured, while its fifteen victories from sixteen races still stand as one of the sport's most extraordinary achievements.