1985 European Grand Prix
Race details | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 14 of 16 in the 1985 Formula One season | |||
Date | October 6, 1985 | ||
Official name | XXXVII European Grand Prix | ||
Location | Brands Hatch, Kent, United Kingdom | ||
Course | Permanent Racing Facility | ||
Course length | 4.206 km (2.61 mi) | ||
Distance | 75 laps, 315.5 km (195.8 mi) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Lotus-Renault | ||
Time | 1:07.169[1] | ||
Fastest lap | |||
Driver | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Renault | |
Time | 1:11.526 on lap 55[2] | ||
Podium | |||
First | Williams-Honda | ||
Second | Lotus-Renault | ||
Third | Williams-Honda | ||
|
The 1985 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on October 6, 1985. It was the fourteenth round of the 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Ayrton Senna got pole position for the 6th time in the season, averaging 140.106 mph (225.479 km/h), the first time anyone had lapped the circuit faster than 140 mph. Second was Nelson Piquet, followed by the Williams-Hondas of Nigel Mansell and Keke Rosberg.
McLaren's defending World Champion Niki Lauda was still unfit to race due to the wrist injury he suffered in Belgium and was replaced by former driver John Watson in what would be his last start in Formula One. Watson qualified 21st and in his first F1 race since the 1983 season ending South African Grand Prix finished 7th, only 2 laps down and less than a second behind 6th placed Thierry Boutsen. Tyrrell were back to a two car team for the race with Italian rookie Ivan Capelli replacing the late Stefan Bellof for his first start in Formula One.
After a very poor start that dropped him to 14th, Alain Prost climbed 8 places in 10 laps, went down the field again to 9th, and climbed another 5 places, breaking the lap record 3 times in the process. He eventually went up to 4th place and in the process, clinched his first World Drivers' Championship, and Nigel Mansell took his first race win. Keke Rosberg took 3rd despite losing a full lap after a collision with Nelson Piquet caused by Ayrton Senna, who finished 2nd. Marc Surer was in second position for Brabham until a late, and dramatic turbo failure.
Michele Alboreto saw his World Championship dream go up in flames on lap 13. After stopping to replace a flat-spotted tyre on lap 11, his Ferrari blew its turbo halfway through lap 13. Alboreto, frustrated that Ferrari's late season reliability had cost him the World Championship (he led the points table until Round 11 at Zandvoort) drove his Ferrari 156/85 back to the pits with the rear of the car on fire. He (dangerously) drove the on-fire car into the pits and straight to his Ferrari pit. Many observers saw this as Alboreto's way of showing that the Ferrari's unreliability had cost him the World Championship, which Prost won by finishing 4th.
Senna's pole position is often cited as one of his greatest moments.[3]
Classification
Qualifying
Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 1:08.020 | 1:07.169 | — |
2 | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 1:09.204 | 1:07.482 | +0.313 |
3 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 1:10.537 | 1:08.059 | +0.890 |
4 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 1:09.277 | 1:08.197 | +1.028 |
5 | 25 | Philippe Streiff | Ligier-Renault | 1:10.396 | 1:09.080 | +1.911 |
6 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1:10.345 | 1:09.429 | +2.260 |
7 | 8 | Marc Surer | Brabham-BMW | 1:09.762 | 1:09.913 | +2.593 |
8 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:11.014 | 1:09.904 | +2.735 |
9 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 1:11.530 | 1:10.014 | +2.845 |
10 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Renault | 1:11.312 | 1:10.081 | +2.912 |
11 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 1:10.963 | 1:10.251 | +3.082 |
12 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows-BMW | 1:10.918 | 1:10.323 | +3.154 |
13 | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 1:11.309 | 1:10.517 | +3.348 |
14 | 20 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Toleman-Hart | 1:13.517 | 1:10.570 | +3.401 |
15 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:10.877 | 1:10.659 | +3.490 |
16 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell-Renault | 1:11.296 | 1:10.731 | +3.562 |
17 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 1:13.048 | 1:10.934 | +3.765 |
18 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 1:12.766 | 1:11.500 | +4.331 |
19 | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows-BMW | 1:11.608 | 1:11.638 | +4.439 |
20 | 19 | Teo Fabi | Toleman-Hart | 1:13.024 | 1:12.090 | +4.921 |
21 | 1 | John Watson | McLaren-TAG | 1:12.496 | 1:12.516 | +5.327 |
22 | 33 | Alan Jones | Lola-Hart | 1:14.050 | 1:13.084 | +5.915 |
23 | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM-Hart | 1:14.355 | 1:13.537 | +6.368 |
24 | 4 | Ivan Capelli | Tyrrell-Renault | 1:16.879 | 1:13.721 | +6.552 |
25 | 30 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 1:15.947 | 1:15.054 | +7.885 |
26 | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi-Motori Moderni | 1:16.642 | 1:15.127 | +9.473 |
DNQ | 24 | Huub Rothengatter | Osella-Alfa Romeo | 1:16.994 | 1:18.022 | +9.825 |
Race
Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 75 | 1:32:58.109 | 3 | 9 |
2 | 12 | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 75 | + 21.396 | 1 | 6 |
3 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 75 | + 58.533 | 4 | 4 |
4 | 2 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 75 | + 1:06.121 | 6 | 3 |
5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 74 | + 1 Lap | 9 | 2 |
6 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows-BMW | 73 | + 2 Laps | 12 | 1 |
7 | 1 | John Watson | McLaren-TAG | 73 | + 2 Laps | 21 | |
8 | 25 | Philippe Streiff | Ligier-Renault | 73 | + 2 Laps | 5 | |
9 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 73 | + 2 Laps | 11 | |
10 | 17 | Gerhard Berger | Arrows-BMW | 73 | + 2 Laps | 19 | |
11 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 73 | + 2 Laps | 18 | |
12 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 72 | + 3 Laps | 17 | |
13 | 8 | Marc Surer | Brabham-BMW | 62 | Turbo | 7 | |
Ret | 28 | Stefan Johansson | Ferrari | 59 | Electrical | 13 | |
Ret | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Renault | 58 | Engine | 10 | |
Ret | 30 | Christian Danner | Zakspeed | 55 | Engine | 25 | |
Ret | 4 | Ivan Capelli | Tyrrell-Renault | 44 | Accident | 24 | |
Ret | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell-Renault | 40 | Water leak | 16 | |
Ret | 19 | Teo Fabi | Toleman-Hart | 33 | Engine | 20 | |
Ret | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM-Hart | 31 | Engine | 23 | |
Ret | 20 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Toleman-Hart | 16 | Engine | 14 | |
Ret | 33 | Alan Jones | Lola-Hart | 13 | Radiator | 22 | |
Ret | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 13 | Turbo | 15 | |
Ret | 7 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 6 | Collision | 2 | |
Ret | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 4 | Injection | 8 | |
Ret | 29 | Pierluigi Martini | Minardi-Motori Moderni | 3 | Accident | 26 | |
Source:[4] |
Notes
- First Win: Nigel Mansell
- First Race: Ivan Capelli
- Last Race: John Watson
- Alain Prost's 4th place took him the Driver's Championship with two races left.
- Having been brought in to replace the injured Niki Lauda, John Watson raced at this event with the number 1 usually reserved for the reigning world champion. This is the only occasion that a non-champion has used the number since Ronnie Peterson during the 1973 season.[5]
Championship standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
- ↑ Hamilton, Maurice (ed.) (1985). AUTOCOURSE 1985-86. Hazleton Publishing. p. 256. ISBN 0-905138-38-4.
- ↑ Hamilton, Maurice (ed.) (1985). AUTOCOURSE 1985-86. Hazleton Publishing. p. 257. ISBN 0-905138-38-4.
- ↑ http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/05/12/gran-turismo-6-relive-sennas-legendary-moments/
- ↑ "1985 European Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ↑ Williamson, Martin. "ESPN F1//Drivers/John Watson". ESPN.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
External links
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FIA Formula One World Championship 1985 season |
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