1985 Formula One Season - Season Summary

Season Summary

The 1985 Formula One season saw continued success for the McLaren-TAG team. After missing out on the Drivers Championship by just half a point the previous year, Alain Prost would ultimately secure his first of four titles by a 23-point margin. The Formula One writer Koen Vergeer remarks 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 1983 to Nelson Piquet and in 1984 to Niki Lauda.

The reigning Drivers Champion Lauda competed in his final season of Formula One but was unable to match Prost for results, winning just once at Zandvoort despite being close to his team-mate in terms of pace. 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.

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 initially seemed justified when Senna took a superb win in the wet at Estoril in Round 2. However Mansell fought back with Williams, and chalked up two victories near the season's end, including his famous breakthrough win at Brands Hatch. Mansell would go on to mount a serious title challenge in 1986. Perhaps the fastest combination of the year was 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 - becoming the first man to lap at an average speed of over 160 mph (257 km/h). He finished third in the standings after wins on the street circuits of Detroit and Adelaide, but 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 DFV 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 was reportedly putting out over 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 Zolder in 1984. Although shortened from its dangerous 1947-1978 14 kilometer form, it remained a challenge for the drivers. 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.

The Dutch Grand Prix was the last Grand Prix for Stefan Bellof, who died in the World Endurance Championship race at Spa Francorchamps at Eau Rouge corner. He was the reigning World Endurance Champion, but decided against driving for the Porsche factory team in 1985, to concentrate on Formula 1, but was still driving in various WEC races for the private Brun team. Until his death Stefan Bellof was one of the rising stars in racing, being rumored to having an offer to drive for Ferrari in 1986. The summer of 1985 was remembered as the saddest weeks for German racing, as both German formula one drivers, Manfred Winkelhock and Stefan Bellof died within three weeks in WEC races.

1985 also saw the Australian Grand Prix added to the Formula One World Championship. 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 and event won the Formula One Promotional Trophy for Race Promoter as the best race meeting of the year.

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. In a season full of excitement, it was the first and last of many things. The 1985 season was affirmation of Senna as one of the best drivers in the world in only his 2nd season of Formula One, the first championship win of 4 for Prost and the first and second race wins of 31 for Mansell and first and second race wins of 41 for Senna. This season was also the last full season for Alfa Romeo as a factory effort, 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, 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 at Spa-Francorchamps and Mosport (Canada), it was still a season to remember.