During the season the Judd V8 was commonly the fastest of the non-turbo engines, and the Marches of Ivan Capelli and Maurício Gugelmin regularly recorded higher speeds through the speed trap than the Cosworth DFR- and DFZ-powered cars with Gugelmin recording the fastest 'atmo' speed trap of the season when he hit during qualifying for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim (though this was still considerably slower than the turbo powered McLaren-Hondas which were timed at ). At the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix Capelli's Judd powered March 881 became the first naturally aspirated car to lead a lap of a Grand Prix since , when he briefly passed the McLaren of two time World Drivers' champion Alain Prost for the lead on lap 16 of the 51 lap race.