: The team secured 15 pole positions and led 97.3% of all laps throughout the season. At the San Marino Grand Prix , they qualified three seconds faster than the rest of the field and lapped every other car during the race. The Rivalry: "The Professor" vs. "Magic"
The is legendary for the absolute dominance of the McLaren-Honda team , which won 15 out of 16 races. It served as the final chapter of the original turbo era and the starting point of the sport's most famous and explosive rivalry: Ayrton Senna vs. Alain Prost . The Unbeatable Machine: McLaren MP4/4
The sole non-McLaren victory came at the at Monza, on Ferrari’s home turf. Enzo Ferrari was mourning the recent death of his son, Dino, and the team was desperate. After Senna collided with the Williams of Jean-Louis Schlesser (a late substitute for the injured Nigel Mansell), Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger took the win, with teammate Michele Alboreto second. It was a bittersweet, emotional triumph for the Tifosi.
At Estoril (Portugal), Senna attempted to squeeze Prost against the pit wall at high speed, nearly causing a collision. This incident solidified the deep animosity between the two. Prost won the race and the following round in Spain, setting up a climactic finale.
