Heading into the final round in Australia, the points were tight. Because of the "best 11 results" rule (where drivers dropped their worst scores), Prost had actually scored more total points than Senna, but Senna led the championship due to the discard rule.
Key technical rules:
Prost actually scored more total points across the 16 races (105 to Senna's 94). However, Senna's tally of eight victories meant he maximized the dropped-score rule, capturing his first World Drivers' Championship. 🇮🇹 The Miracle at Monza 1988 formula 1 season
The season opened in Brazil with a Senna win (later disqualified over a technicality), followed by a Prost victory in San Marino. It quickly became apparent that while Prost was arguably the faster over a race distance—often better at managing traffic and tires—Senna had an otherworldly ability to produce a single, perfect lap in qualifying. Senna took a record 13 pole positions that year, a testament to his "one-lap" genius. Heading into the final round in Australia, the