1985 Formula One season

1985 FIA Formula One
World Championship
Drivers' Champion: Alain Prost
Constructors' Champion: McLaren-TAG
Previous: 1984 Next: 1986

The 1985 Formula One season was the 36th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1985 Formula One World Championship [1] which commenced on 7 April and ended on 3 November after sixteen races. The Formula 1 World Championship for Drivers was awarded to Alain Prost,[1] and the Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers was awarded to McLaren.[1] Prost fended off a title challenge from runner-up Michele Alboreto and Ferrari, that faded away from mid-season, leaving the path clear for Prost to win his first career title at the age of 30 following several near-misses. Alboreto led the championship after winning the ninth race of the season in Germany, but then did not score a single point in the final five races, denying him his only career title challenge.

Drivers and constructors

Alain Prost (pictured in 1984) won his first of four titles by a 23-point margin.
Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyres No Driver Rounds
United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren International McLaren-TAG MP4/2B TAG/Porsche TTE PO1 1.5 V6t G 1 Austria Niki Lauda 1–13, 15–16
United Kingdom John Watson 14
2 France Alain Prost All
United Kingdom Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell-Ford 012 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 G 3 United Kingdom Martin Brundle 1–6
4 Sweden Stefan Johansson 1
West Germany Stefan Bellof 2–8
United Kingdom Martin Brundle 9–10
Tyrrell-Renault 014 Renault EF4B 1.5 V6t 3 7–8, 11–16
West Germany Stefan Bellof 9–10
4 11
Italy Ivan Capelli 14, 16
France Philippe Streiff 15
United Kingdom Canon Williams Honda Team Williams-Honda FW10 Honda RA164E 1.5 V6t G 5 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell All
6 Finland Keke Rosberg All
United Kingdom Motor Racing Developments Brabham-BMW BT54 BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t P 7 Brazil Nelson Piquet All
8 France François Hesnault 1–4
Switzerland Marc Surer 5–16
United Kingdom Skoal Bandit Formula 1 Team RAM-Hart 03 Hart 415T 1.5 L4t P 9 West Germany Manfred Winkelhock 1–9
France Philippe Alliot 10–14
10 1–9
United Kingdom Kenny Acheson 10–12
United Kingdom John Player Special Team Lotus Lotus-Renault 97T Renault EF15 1.5 V6t G 11 Italy Elio de Angelis All
12 Brazil Ayrton Senna All
France Equipe Renault Elf Renault RE60
RE60B
Renault EF4B 1.5 V6t
Renault EF15 1.5 V6t
G 14 France François Hesnault 9
15 France Patrick Tambay 1–14, 16
16 United Kingdom Derek Warwick 1–14, 16
United Kingdom Barclay Arrows BMW Arrows-BMW A8 BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t G 17 Austria Gerhard Berger All
18 Belgium Thierry Boutsen All
United Kingdom Toleman Group Motorsport Toleman-Hart TG185 Hart 415T 1.5 L4t P 19 Italy Teo Fabi 4–16
20 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani 10–16
United Kingdom Spirit Enterprises Ltd Spirit-Hart 101D Hart 415T 1.5 L4t P 21 Italy Mauro Baldi 1–3
Italy Benetton Team Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 184TB
185T
Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 V8t G 22 Italy Riccardo Patrese All
23 United States Eddie Cheever All
Italy Osella Squadra Corse Osella-Alfa Romeo FA1F Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 V8t P 24 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani 1–8
Netherlands Huub Rothengatter 9–16
France Equipe Ligier
France Equipe Ligier Gitanes
Ligier-Renault JS25 Renault EF4B 1.5 V6t P 25 Italy Andrea de Cesaris 1–11
France Philippe Streiff 12–14, 16
26 France Jacques Laffite 1–14, 16
Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 156/85 Ferrari Tipo 031 1.5 V6t G 27 Italy Michele Alboreto All
28 France René Arnoux 1
Sweden Stefan Johansson 2–16
Italy Minardi Team SpA Minardi-Ford M185 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 P 29 Italy Pierluigi Martini 1–2
Minardi-Motori Moderni Motori Moderni Tipo 615-90 1.5 V6t 3–16
West Germany West Zakspeed Racing Zakspeed 841 Zakspeed 1500/4 1.5 L4t G 30 United Kingdom Jonathan Palmer 2–4, 7–11
West Germany Christian Danner 13–14
United States Team Haas (USA) Ltd Lola-Hart THL1 Hart 415T 1.5 L4t G 33 Australia Alan Jones 12, 14–16

Season report

Summary

The 1985 Formula One season saw continued success for the McLaren-TAG team. After losing the Drivers' Championship by just two points in 1983 to Nelson Piquet, and by just half a point the previous year to teammate Niki Lauda, Alain Prost would ultimately secure his first of four titles by a 23-point margin. The Formula One writer Koen Vergeer remarked that "it was about time, everyone knew he was the best", reflecting a general feeling that Prost had been unlucky to finish runner-up in the previous two years, even though he had won more races than Piquet in 1983 and Lauda in 1984.

The reigning Drivers' Champion Lauda competed in his final season of Formula One, but he was unable to match Prost for results; despite maintaining a close pace with his teammate, Lauda only won once at Zandvoort. Seated next to an unhappy McLaren team boss, Ron Dennis, who had unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to continue driving, Lauda announced his decision to retire for good at the season's end in a press conference before practice for his home Grand Prix in Austria.

For most of the season, the points table was headed by Ferrari's Michele Alboreto, who enjoyed his best season in F1. He won the Canadian and German Grands Prix, and was on the podium eight times. Ferrari's results faded badly in the second half of the season as other emerging drivers took the fight to Prost.[1]

Among these were Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell, both of whom scored their first victories in 1985. Lotus team manager Peter Warr had replaced Mansell with Senna going into the season, a decision which seemed justified when Senna took a superb win in the wet at Estoril in Round 2. Despite only scoring a mere 7 championship points up until Round 13 in Belgium, Mansell fought back with Williams, and chalked up two victories near the season's end, including his famous breakthrough win in the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. In winning at Brands Hatch, Mansell made Peter Warr eat his words as the Lotus boss had declared that Mansell would "never win a Grand Prix as long as I have a hole in my arse" after he crashed his Lotus 95T out of the lead in the wet 1984 Monaco Grand Prix. Mansell, now knowing that he had not only the ability but also the car he needed in order to win races, would go on to mount a serious title challenge in 1986.

Perhaps the fastest combination of the year was Mansell's teammate Keke Rosberg in the other Williams, who used the powerful Honda engine to set a new lap record around Silverstone in qualifying for the British Grand Prix and becoming the first man to lap at an average speed of more than 160 mph (257 km/h). He finished third in the standings after wins on the street circuits of Detroit and Adelaide, but he lacked the reliability to overcome Prost.

1.5-litre turbocharged engines had become universal during 1985, heralding the extinction of the 3.0-litre naturally aspirated Ford Cosworth DFY engine. Between 1985 and 1986, Formula One engines would achieve the highest levels of power ever seen in the sport. The specially-built Renault qualifying engine reportedly put out more than 1,150 bhp (858 kW; 1,166 PS) by the end of 1985, before serious restrictions and their 'phasing out' began in 1987. The power output of the engines was controlled in racing conditions by means of a strict fuel limit; however, in qualifying trim teams were commonly able to increase the boost of their engines for optimum power. This fuel economy was key to successful race strategy in 1985; Mansell recalls the added interest of planning his fuel use in his autobiography. It also proved costly for Ayrton Senna, who lost victory just four laps from home at Imola when he ran out of fuel. After Prost was disqualified for an underweight McLaren, victory fell to Senna's Lotus team mate Elio de Angelis in what would prove to be his second and last Grand Prix win.

1985 also saw a return to the calendar of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium after the Belgian Grand Prix had been held there in 1983 and at the unpopular Zolder in 1984. Although shortened from its dangerous 1947–1970 14 kilometre form, it remained a challenge for the drivers who universally liked it despite the circuit now being only 6 km long, it remained a fast, flowing circuit in the true Spa tradition. It also caused one of the few cancellations of Grands Prix in the sport's history, when the new all-weather track surface melted during the summer conditions in practice. The race was originally scheduled between Monaco and Canada, and extensive repairs were needed and the race was rescheduled for later in the year; Senna was the winner, with Prost finishing on the podium again to take a big step towards his first championship.

Bellof at the 1985 German Grand Prix.

The Dutch Grand Prix was the last Grand Prix for German driver Stefan Bellof, who died in the World Endurance Championship race at Spa at the high speed Eau Rouge corner. Bellof had won the 1984 World Endurance Championship driving for the Rothmans-Porsche team, but decided against driving for the factory in 1985 to concentrate on Formula One. He did however still drive in various WEC races for the private Brun team in a Porsche 956. Until his death Stefan Bellof was one of the rising stars in racing and was rumored to have an offer to drive for Ferrari in 1986. The summer of 1985 was remembered as the saddest weeks for German motor sport, as both German Formula One drivers, Manfred Winkelhock and Stefan Bellof died within three weeks in WEC races. Winkelhock, who drove for the Skoal Bandit Formula 1 Team, died at Mosport in Canada when his Kremer Racing Porsche 962C crashed head on into the turn 2 wall at high speed. His co-driver for that race had been Brabham's Marc Surer.

The Australian Grand Prix was added to the Formula One World Championship in 1985. The race was held in Adelaide, South Australia on a street circuit on 3 November as the last race of the season. The Adelaide Street Circuit was praised by the Formula One fraternity, most of whom arrived down under fully expecting another bad street circuit like Las Vegas, Detroit and Dallas, but instead found a fast, open circuit with a 900-metre long straight where the faster cars reached over 200 mph (322 km/h). The 50th running of the Australian Grand Prix won the Formula One Promotional Trophy for Race Promoter as the best race meeting of the year. FOCA boss and Brabham team owner Bernie Ecclestone shocked a press conference when he declared that he believed that the standard of the organisation and the circuit itself was bad news for Formula One. He then explained to the shocked media that Adelaide had raised the standards of what would be expected in the future and that several tracks in Europe already on the calendar, or hoping to be, would have to lift their own games in order to match it.

The 1985 season is widely considered by the F1 community to be one of the best and most exciting Formula One seasons of all time.[2] In a season full of excitement, it was the first and last of many things. The 1985 season was affirmation that Senna was one of the best drivers in the world in only his second season of Formula One. It was the first championship win out of four for Prost, the first two race wins (out of 31) for Mansell, and the first two race wins (out of 41) for Senna. The season also enhanced Keke Rosberg's reputation as a "street fighter". Of the 1982 World Champion's five career wins, the last four had been on the streets of Monaco, Dallas, Detroit and Adelaide (his only other win, his first ever, came at the Dijon-Prenois in 1982). Rosberg's win in Adelaide was his final race for Williams as he was moving to McLaren in 1986, and would prove to be the final win of his career.

This season was also the last full season for Alfa Romeo as a factory effort (although the team was actually run by EuroRacing on behalf of Alfa Romeo, and had been since the beginning of 1982). It was also the last for Renault as a factory effort until 2002, and the last to include a Dutch Grand Prix, which was the last ever Formula One race at Zandvoort. It also saw the last race at the original Kyalami circuit, and the last South African Grand Prix until 1992. 1985 Also saw the last race at the full Paul Ricard Circuit with its 1.8 km long Mistral Straight, the longest on the calendar. It was the last European Grand Prix to be held at Brands Hatch, the last race with Monaco's infamous dog leg corner and the last British Grand Prix at Silverstone with the Woodcote chicane, and the permanent addition of the Spa-Francorchamps as the venue for the Belgian Grand Prix, and the last win of 25 for Niki Lauda in his final season in Formula One.

Even though Formula One had tragically lost rising stars Stefan Bellof and Manfred Winkelhock in separate World Endurance Championship races, it was still a season to remember.

Race by race

Race 1: Brazil

The first race of the season was the Brazilian Grand Prix in April, at the Autodromo De Jacarepagua in Rio de Janeiro; the very tough circuit being overlooked by the spectacular Sugarloaf Mountains. Italian Michele Alboreto took pole in his Ferrari ahead of Keke Rosberg in a Williams-Honda and the two Lotuses of Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Italian Elio de Angelis. The oppressively hot and humid weather, combined with the Rio-located track's abrasive surface and banked corners took its toll on the cars. Rosberg fell out with turbo failure, and McLaren-TAG/Porsche driver Alain Prost took 2nd after taking advantage of an accident involving Briton Nigel Mansell at the start. Prost chased Alboreto during the first half, unable to pass because of the Ferrari's superior straight-line speed. But on the pit straight, Alboreto missed a gear, Prost pounced on this mistake and took the lead from Alboreto, which he kept until the end, followed by Alboreto and Elio de Angelis.

Race 2: Portugal

The 4 12-month-long European tour started with the news that Ferrari driver Rene Arnoux was dropped from the team, and was replaced by Swede Stefan Johannson. The next race took place in another Portuguese-speaking country, the language's country of origin – Portugal. This race was held at the Estoril Circuit near the capital of Lisbon. Although the practice sessions were held in pleasant weather, it rained heavily for the race. Conditions were extremely difficult, and it saw Ayrton Senna display his mastery of wet-weather conditions. The Brazilian led the race from start to finish, and by the time he had finished, he had lapped everyone except 2nd-placed Alboreto. It was Senna's first victory – which was already very impressive considering the appalling conditions that caused drivers including Prost to aquaplane off the circuit.

Race 3: San Marino (Imola, Italy)

The first of 2 Italian races held at the fast Autodromo Dino Ferrari near Bologna was an incredibly exciting race. Ayrton Senna took pole again, and led until the final laps when his car ran out of fuel, and the lead was taken by Stefan Johannson – who had started 15th and had dropped to 17th. On a circuit that was definitely the toughest test of fuel consumption of the year, Johannson too ran out of fuel after an electronics failure. Prost then took the lead, and he too just barely made it over the start finish line after having run out of fuel. Although Prost crossed the line first, he was disqualifed for his car being underweight, and victory was handed to Elio de Angelis driving a Lotus-Renault.

Race 4: Monaco

The historic Monaco Grand Prix was originally supposed to be cancelled due to political wrangling, but it took place as scheduled. This race, like all the others before it proved to be another incredibly exciting race: after pole-sitter Senna went out with engine problems, Alboreto took the lead, followed by Prost. Alboreto then slid on some oil at the first corner which had been dropped from the gearbox of Italian Riccardo Patrese's Alfa Romeo after it crashed there along with Brazilian Nelson Piquet's Brabham-BMW. Prost took the lead after Alboreto's slip-up, and the Italian took the lead again from the Frenchman at the same place where he had gone off. But then, Patrese and Piquet's accident caused more problems – Alboreto then punctured a tire, came into the pits to get his tires changed and dropped to 4th place, behind Prost, and Italians de Angelis and Andrea de Cesaris. He passed his fellow countrymen, but was not able to catch Prost, who won ahead of Alboreto and de Angelis.

Race 5: Canada

There was a 4-week gap between the Monaco and Canadian GP's as the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps was postponed after the newly-laid track surface, to help deal with wet weather melted under weather that was actually hot there. The drivers found it impossible to race with such a dreadful surface, so the Belgian GP would be held in September. The drivers hopped over to the other side of the Atlantic to do a 2-round North American tour. The Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal produced a Ferrari 1–2, with Alboreto and Johannson taking top honors in that order, ahead of Prost.

Race 6: USA (Detroit)

The slowest and toughest race of the year was in the United States, at the angular Detroit street circuit in the center of Detroit, Michigan. Ayrton Senna took pole, 1.2 seconds ahead of the next fastest qualifier, Nigel Mansell. The nimble Lotus proved to be well-suited to slow tracks; and Senna decided to gamble by using harder tires than the rest of the field. Keke Rosberg passed Prost, Mansell and Senna to take the lead – a lead he kept from start to finish on a circuit that, under the intense heat and humidity, broke up and made half the field retire – which was actually far less than usual at Detroit, which was a real car-breaking circuit. Behind Rosberg were the two Ferraris of Johannson and Alboreto, the former pushing Rosberg hard for the lead.

Race 7: France

F1 returned to Europe to start the 2nd European tour – made up almost entirely of fast circuits. The French Grand Prix at the very fast Circuit Paul Ricard with its long 1.1 mile Mistral Straight (where the cars were reaching 215+ mph) came after the North American tour – where pole-sitter Keke Rosberg averaged more than 140 mph in qualifying, ahead of Senna, Alboreto, Prost and Nelson Piquet. The weather was hot, and after making an excellent start, double world champion Piquet made the most of his BMW engine's superior power (this engine was the most powerful in F1 at the time) and Pirelli tires that for once, seemed to work properly. After making an excellent start that propelled him to 3rd, Piquet passed Senna on the Mistral Straight, and then he passed the leader Rosberg on Lap 10. Senna went into the pits and fell down the order; while driving hard to make up places he crashed massively at the very fast Signes corner after the Mistral Straight after the Renault engine in his Lotus failed and dropped oil on the rear tires, causing him to spin off while turning into the right hand corner. Rosberg had wrecked his tires early on, and was harried by Prost and his teammate, defending champion Niki Lauda. After a long battle where Rosberg held up the two McLarens and allowed Piquet to get away, Lauda went out with gearbox failure (the Austrian so far had only finished once this season), Prost eventually took Rosberg, who went into the pits to have his tires changed. Rosberg stormed after Prost, who was putting considerable pressure on Piquet. The Finn eventually passed the French Prost for 2nd, behind Piquet.

Race 8: Great Britain

F1 went to England for the British Grand Prix, this year being held at Silverstone, which was the fastest Grand Prix circuit in the world at the time. Rosberg outlined this by averaging 160.9 mph in qualifying – more than 7 mph faster than the pole time set for the 1983 British GP. The race was, as expected, very fast – Senna, after starting 4th, took the lead at the start after an excellent start. He led for most of the race distance – after Rosberg and others fell out with mechanical trouble. Not Prost, however – the Frenchman had dropped back to save fuel, and he then climbed through the field to catch Senna. Prost's McLaren was well suited to fast circuits, and he pressured Senna and the two battled for a while. In an effort to stay in front of Prost, Senna turned the Renault's engine's turbo boost up, and this caused him to run out of fuel and retire from the race; and after that, Prost was never bothered – he had lapped the rest of the field, including Alboreto, who had finished 2nd.

Race 9: Germany

The German Grand Prix was held, for the first time since 1976, at the Nürburgring. Although instead of the historic Nordschleife being used, the new GP track was utilized and after Senna and Rosberg fell out while being harried by Alboreto, Prost and Frenchman Jacques Laffite in a Ligier-Renault, Alboreto in his Ferrari took advantage of a rare spin by Prost to take his last ever F1 victory.

Race 10: Austria

The extremely fast and scenic Österreichring was the scene for the Austrian Grand Prix, which was dominated by McLaren drivers Prost and Lauda. Prost took pole at an average speed of more than 155 mph (250 km/h). The McLaren car was superior to all the others on this track, and after Lauda fell out with turbo failure, Prost took victory ahead of Senna and Alboreto. Ligier-Renault driver Andrea de Cesaris crashed massively after making a driving error and losing his car at the Texaco bends, and emerged unscathed, thanks to the grassy surface made soft thanks to rain from the night before – but he was fired from the Ligier team after team boss Guy Ligier decided not to keep paying for car rebuilds after the Italian de Cesaris kept crashing Ligier's cars all the time – something the Rome-born had been notorious for during his whole F1 career.

Race 11: Netherlands

The beach-side Circuit Park Zandvoort near Amsterdam was the scene for a very exciting race. After pole-sitter Piquet stalled at the start, Rosberg took the lead, but the McLarens were to show their high-speed circuit superiority once again: after Rosberg retired with engine failure, Prost took the lead, ahead of Senna and Lauda. Lauda eventually passed the Brazilian, and took the lead from Prost while the Frenchman was in the pits. With a car that was not entirely set-up to his liking, Lauda won by a car's length from Prost, who drove very hard to catch the Austrian. This was the triple-world champion's 25th and last ever Grand Prix victory, and it was also the last ever Dutch Grand Prix – the track owners went bankrupt, and most of the Zandvoort circuit's land was sold to redevelopers.

Race 12: Italy

The historic Italian Grand Prix at the very fast Autodromo Nazionale Monza saw Williams-Honda driver Rosberg dominate the race, but he went out with engine failure, and Prost took victory, ahead of Brazilians Piquet and pole-sitter Senna.

Race 13: Belgium

The rescheduled Belgian Grand Prix returned to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, a track relished by drivers, even in the wet. Niki Lauda crashed his McLaren in practice, and injured his wrist; he would not take part in this weekend or the upcoming European GP. This race was a rarity in that it was a wet-dry race: Prost took pole ahead of Senna, but Senna took an immediate lead into La Source, ahead of Piquet and Prost. Piquet then spun, and Senna started to break away. After most of the drivers changed onto slick tires after the conditions were found to be too dry for wet tires, Senna led most of the race, but was challenged by Nigel Mansell most of the way. Senna won his 2nd GP from Mansell and Prost. Prost, the championship leader, now had a firm lead over his closest challenger Alboreto – if Prost gained more points in the next race, he would be Drivers' Champion.

Race 14: Europe

The European Grand Prix was a filler race – Grands Prix in New York City and Rome did not materialize and were cancelled; this race came 3 weeks after the Belgian event. This race was held at the fast southern English Brands Hatch circuit, normally used for the British Grand Prix on even numbered years. This race was a very exciting one: Senna took his 6th pole position at an average speed of more than 140 mph (228 km/h). There had been some concerns about racing these very powerful cars at the small, very fast Brands Hatch circuit: Niki Lauda and a few other drivers felt the cars were too fast for a short circuit like Brands, and if the power of the engines increased over time, the circuit would have to be modified in order to accommodate the cars. Senna led from pole position and was harried by Rosberg. Going into Surtees Rosberg tried to get past Senna, but Senna took his line forcefully and Rosberg spun to avoid contact. Piquet hit Rosberg and retired, but Rosberg was able to get to the pits and returned to the track right in front of Senna who was then being harried by Mansell. Rosberg then held Senna up whilst going into Surtees, which enabled Mansell to overtake into the lead. Mansell led the rest of the race distance, while Marc Surer in a Brabham-BMW got up to 2nd, but retired at Stirling's corner after a fire broke out on the back of his car. Meanwhile, Alboreto's car failed and caught fire; he drove it back to the Ferrari pit while up in flames, in an effort to get the message across to his team about his car's most recent unreliability that cost him the championship. Prost, however, made a very bad start, dropped to 15th and finished in 4th, which was enough for him to become world Drivers' Champion for the first time. He finished behind Mansell, Senna, and Rosberg, who drove a storming race to finish 3rd.

Race 15: South Africa

The South African Grand Prix, held at the very fast Kyalami circuit had been a point of contention all throughout the year: South Africa, ruled by a pro-Caucasian government, had declared a state of emergency and controversy had swirled all throughout this race whether or not it would take place. No one wanted to go there, but governing body president Jean-Marie Balestre announced that the race would take place. Despite the Renault and Ligier teams pulling out due to French governmental pressure and only 20 cars starting, the race was an exciting one – Nigel Mansell took pole at an average speed of 147 mph (235 km/h). Rosberg took the lead, but then went off on some oil at Crowthorne which had been dropped by Italian Piercarlo Ghinzani's Toleman, whose Hart engine had failed. Mansell took the lead from the Finn – a lead which he was to keep to the end. Rosberg drove hard and caught 2nd-placed Prost before the finish, who ran out of fuel – but was still classified 3rd to make it a Williams 1–2; Williams was the third team this year to finish a race 1–2, the others being Ferrari and McLaren. A few days later, it was announced that the South African GP was struck off the calendar for 1986, and this would be the last South African GP until 1992, which was won again by Mansell in a Williams-Renault.

Race 16: Australia

The first ever world championship Australian Grand Prix was held on a street circuit in the city of Adelaide. The race proved to be popular – and Senna took his 7th pole position of the season by some margin on his superior-handling Lotus-Renault. He, however, ran into difficulties – after missing the pit entrance twice, he eventually got his tires changed, and drove very hard to catch leader Niki Lauda, who had taken the lead from Rosberg. Lauda and Senna battled hard, and Senna eventually pulled away from Lauda – who crashed on the main straight in what was his last ever Grand Prix. Senna, however, retired with a very badly misfiring engine, and Rosberg took the lead and won, ahead of the two Ligier drivers Jacques Laffite and Phillippe Streiff, whom both crashed on the main straight on the last lap.

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Rnd Race Date Location Pole Position Fastest Lap Race Winner Constructor Report
1 Brazil Brazilian Grand Prix 7 April Jacarepaguá Italy Michele Alboreto France Alain Prost France Alain Prost United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Report
2 Portugal Portuguese Grand Prix 21 April Estoril Brazil Ayrton Senna Brazil Ayrton Senna Brazil Ayrton Senna United Kingdom Lotus-Renault Report
3 Italy San Marino Grand Prix 5 May Imola Brazil Ayrton Senna Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Elio de Angelis United Kingdom Lotus-Renault Report
4 Monaco Monaco Grand Prix 19 May Monaco Brazil Ayrton Senna Italy Michele Alboreto France Alain Prost United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Report
5 Canada Canadian Grand Prix 16 June Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Italy Elio de Angelis Brazil Ayrton Senna Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Ferrari Report
6 United States Detroit Grand Prix 23 June Detroit Brazil Ayrton Senna Brazil Ayrton Senna Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom Williams-Honda Report
7 France French Grand Prix 7 July Paul Ricard Finland Keke Rosberg Finland Keke Rosberg Brazil Nelson Piquet United Kingdom Brabham-BMW Report
8 United Kingdom British Grand Prix 21 July Silverstone Finland Keke Rosberg France Alain Prost France Alain Prost United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Report
9 West Germany German Grand Prix 4 August Nürburgring Italy Teo Fabi Austria Niki Lauda Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Ferrari Report
10 Austria Austrian Grand Prix 18 August Österreichring France Alain Prost France Alain Prost France Alain Prost United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Report
11 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix 25 August Zandvoort Brazil Nelson Piquet France Alain Prost Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Report
12 Italy Italian Grand Prix 8 September Monza Brazil Ayrton Senna United Kingdom Nigel Mansell France Alain Prost United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Report
13 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix 15 September Spa-Francorchamps France Alain Prost France Alain Prost Brazil Ayrton Senna United Kingdom Lotus-Renault Report
14 United Kingdom European Grand Prix 6 October Brands Hatch Brazil Ayrton Senna France Jacques Laffite United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom Williams-Honda Report
15 South Africa South African Grand Prix 19 October Kyalami United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom Williams-Honda Report
16 Australia Australian Grand Prix 3 November Adelaide Brazil Ayrton Senna Finland Keke Rosberg Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom Williams-Honda Report

World Drivers' Championship final standings

Pos [1] Driver [1] BRA
Brazil
POR
Portugal
SMR
San Marino
MON
Monaco
CAN
Canada
DET
United States
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
BEL
Belgium
EUR
United Kingdom
RSA
South Africa
AUS
Australia
Points[3]
1 France Alain Prost 1 Ret DSQ 1 3 Ret 3 1 2 1 2 1 3 (4) 3 Ret 73 (76)
2 Italy Michele Alboreto 2 2 Ret 2 1 3 Ret 2 1 3 4 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret 53
3 Finland Keke Rosberg Ret Ret Ret 8 4 1 2 Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret 4 3 2 1 40
4 Brazil Ayrton Senna Ret 1 7 Ret 16 Ret Ret 10 Ret 2 3 3 1 2 Ret Ret 38
5 Italy Elio de Angelis 3 4 1 3 5 5 5 NC Ret 5 5 6 Ret 5 Ret DSQ 33
6 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Ret 5 5 7 6 Ret DNS Ret 6 Ret 6 11 2 1 1 Ret 31
7 Sweden Stefan Johansson 7 8 6 Ret 2 2 4 Ret 9 4 Ret 5 Ret Ret 4 5 26
8 Brazil Nelson Piquet Ret Ret 8 Ret Ret 6 1 4 Ret Ret 8 2 5 Ret Ret Ret 21
9 France Jacques Laffite 6 Ret Ret 6 8 12 Ret 3 3 Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret 2 16
10 Austria Niki Lauda Ret Ret 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 1 Ret DNS Ret Ret 14
11 Belgium Thierry Boutsen 11 Ret 2 9 9 7 9 Ret 4 8 Ret 9 10 6 6 Ret 11
12 France Patrick Tambay 5 3 3 Ret 7 Ret 6 Ret Ret 10 Ret 7 Ret 12 Ret 11
13 Switzerland Marc Surer 15 8 8 6 Ret 6 10 4 8 13 Ret Ret 5
14 United Kingdom Derek Warwick 10 7 10 5 Ret Ret 7 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret 5
15 France Philippe Streiff 10 9 8 Ret 3 4
16 West Germany Stefan Bellof 6 Ret DNQ 11 4 13 11 8 7 Ret 4
17 [1] Italy Ivan Capelli [1] Ret 4 3
= [1] France René Arnoux [1] 4 3
= [1] Italy Andrea de Cesaris [1] Ret Ret Ret 4 14 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 3
20 Austria Gerhard Berger Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 11 Ret 8 7 Ret 9 Ret 7 10 5 6 3
United Kingdom Martin Brundle 8 Ret 9 10 12 Ret Ret 7 10 DNQ 7 8 13 Ret 7 NC 0
Netherlands Huub Rothengatter Ret 9 NC Ret NC DNQ Ret 7 0
United Kingdom John Watson 7 0
Italy Pierluigi Martini Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret 8 0
Italy Riccardo Patrese Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 Ret 11 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret 0
United States Eddie Cheever Ret Ret Ret Ret 17 9 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret 0
Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani 12 9 NC DNQ Ret Ret 15 Ret DNS Ret DNS Ret Ret Ret Ret 0
France Philippe Alliot 9 Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 0
United Kingdom Jonathan Palmer Ret DNS 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 0
West Germany Manfred Winkelhock 13 NC Ret DNQ Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret 0
Italy Teo Fabi Ret Ret Ret 14 Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0
France François Hesnault Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret 0
Australia Alan Jones Ret Ret DNS Ret 0
Italy Mauro Baldi Ret Ret Ret 0
West Germany Christian Danner Ret Ret 0
United Kingdom Kenny Acheson Ret DNQ Ret 0
Pos Driver BRA
Brazil
POR
Portugal
SMR
San Marino
MON
Monaco
CAN
Canada
DET
United States
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
BEL
Belgium
EUR
United Kingdom
RSA
South Africa
AUS
Australia
Points
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)

Bold – Pole position
Italics – Fastest lap

Drivers did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.

Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six positions at each race.[4] The best eleven results could be retained.[5]

Only drivers who scored points were classified by the FIA in the final championship results.[1]

World Manufacturers' Championship final standings

McLaren won the 1985 Manufacturers' Championship
Ferrari placed 2nd in the 1985 Manufacturers' Championship
Williams finished 3rd in the 1985 Manufacturers' Championship
Pos Manufacturer [6] Car
no.
BRA
Brazil
POR
Portugal
SMR
San Marino
MON
Monaco
CAN
Canada
DET
United States
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
BEL
Belgium
EUR
United Kingdom
RSA
South Africa
AUS
Australia
Pts
1 United Kingdom McLaren-TAG 1 Ret Ret 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 1 Ret DNS 7 Ret Ret 90
2 1 Ret DSQ 1 3 Ret 3 1 2 1 2 1 3 4 3 Ret
2 Italy Ferrari 27 2 2 Ret 2 1 3 Ret 2 1 3 4 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret 82
28 4 8 6 Ret 2 2 4 Ret 9 4 Ret 5 Ret Ret 4 5
3 United Kingdom Williams-Honda 5 Ret 5 5 7 6 Ret DNS Ret 6 Ret 6 11 2 1 1 Ret 71
6 Ret Ret Ret 8 4 1 2 Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret 4 3 2 1
4 United Kingdom Lotus-Renault 11 3 4 1 3 5 5 5 NC Ret 5 5 6 Ret 5 Ret DSQ 71
12 Ret 1 7 Ret 16 Ret Ret 10 Ret 2 3 3 1 2 Ret Ret
5 United Kingdom Brabham-BMW 7 Ret Ret 8 Ret Ret 6 1 4 Ret Ret 8 2 5 Ret Ret Ret 26
8 Ret Ret Ret DNQ 15 8 8 6 Ret 6 10 4 8 13 Ret Ret
6 France Ligier-Renault 25 Ret Ret Ret 4 14 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 9 8 3 23
26 6 Ret Ret 6 8 12 Ret 3 3 Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret 2
7 France Renault 14 Ret 16
15 5 3 3 Ret 7 Ret 6 Ret Ret 10 Ret 7 Ret 12 Ret
16 10 7 10 5 Ret Ret 7 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret
8 United Kingdom Arrows-BMW 17 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 11 Ret 8 7 Ret 9 Ret 7 10 5 6 14
18 11 Ret 2 9 9 7 9 Ret 4 8 Ret 9 10 6 6 Ret
9 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford 3 8 Ret 9 10 12 Ret 4
4 7 6 Ret DNQ 11 4 13 11 10 DNQ
10 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Renault 3 Ret 7 8 7 7 8 13 Ret 7 NC 3
4 Ret Ret Ret 4
Italy Osella-Alfa Romeo 24 12 9 NC DNQ Ret Ret 15 Ret Ret 9 NC Ret NC DNQ Ret 7 0
Italy Minardi-Motori Moderni 29 Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret 8 0
Italy Alfa Romeo 22 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 Ret 11 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret 0
23 Ret Ret Ret Ret 17 9 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret
United Kingdom RAM-Hart 9 13 NC Ret DNQ Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 0
10 9 Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret WD
West Germany Zakspeed 30 Ret DNS 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 0
United Kingdom Toleman-Hart 19 Ret Ret Ret 14 Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0
20 DNS Ret DNS Ret Ret Ret Ret
Italy Minardi-Ford 29 Ret Ret 0
United Kingdom Spirit-Hart 21 Ret Ret Ret 0
United Kingdom Lola-Hart 33 Ret Ret DNS Ret 0
Pos Manufacturer Car
no.
BRA
Brazil
POR
Portugal
SMR
San Marino
MON
Monaco
CAN
Canada
DET
United States
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
BEL
Belgium
EUR
United Kingdom
RSA
South Africa
AUS
Australia
Pts

Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six positions at each race.[4]

Only manufacturers that scored points were classified by the FIA in the final championship results.[1]

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1986 FIA Yearbook, Red Section, Results of 1985 FIA International Championships, pages 78–79
  2. "F1 1985 FIA Review 16 Adelaide End Credits"
  3. Only the best 11 results counted towards the Drivers' Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
  4. 1 2 Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 6
  5. Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 117
  6. Official results for the 1985 Formula 1 World Championship for Manufacturers as published in the 1986 FIA Yearbook, Red Section, Results of 1985 FIA International Championships, pages 78–79, listed the ten manufacturers as McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, JPS, Brabham, Ligier, Renault, Arrows, Tyrrell Ford and Tyrrell Renault.

External links

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