It was during qualifying at Hockenheim in Germany, the MP4/4 set its top speed record, and the fastest speed trap of the 1988 season when both Senna and Prost achieved on the 1.6 km long straight that took the cars into the forest. This compared favourably to the Ferrari of Berger who trapped at , and the fastest of the non-turbos, the March-Judd of Ivan Capelli which was trapped at . However, with the reduction in engine power from the levels of 1986 and 1987, the McLaren-Honda's top speed was slower than the fastest speed of 1987 (Nelson Piquet in a Williams-Honda at Monza), and slower than had been achieved in 1986 (Gerhard Berger in a Benetton-BMW, also at Monza).