1985 F1 World Championship Season
| Season: | 36th World Championship season |
|---|---|
| Drivers’ Champion: |  Alain Prost (1st title, 21st different world champion, 1st French champion) |
| Constructors’ Champion: |  McLaren-TAG (4th title for McLaren) |
| Reigning drivers’ champion: |  Niki Lauda |
| Reigning constructors’ champion: | McLaren |
| Races: | 16 |
| Winning drivers: | Alain Prost (5)  Michele Alboreto (2)  Ayrton Senna (2) Nigel Mansell (2)  Keke Rosberg (2) Elio de Angelis (1) Nelson Piquet (1) Niki Lauda (1) |
| Winning constructors: | McLaren (6) Williams (4) Lotus (3) Ferrari (2) Brabham (1) |
| First-time winners (driver): | Ayrton Senna Nigel Mansell |
| First-time winners (constructor): | none |
| Other seasons: |
Jump to: Calendar | Driver & constructor entries | Race winners | Pole positions | Fastest laps | Qualifying results | Driver standings | Constructor standings | Statistics
Calendar
- DT: Drivers’ title decider
- CT: Constructors’ title decider
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date | Race Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | 07 April | 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| 2 |  Portugal | Estoril | 21 April | 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| 3 |  San Marino | Imola | 05 May | 1985 San Marino Grand Prix |
| 4 |  Monaco | Monte Carlo | 19 May | 1985 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 5 |  Canada | Montreal | 16 June | 1985 Canadian Grand Prix |
| 6 |  Detroit | Detroit | 23 June | 1985 Detroit Grand Prix |
| 7 | France | Le Castellet | 07 July | 1985 French Grand Prix |
| 8 | Britain | Silverstone | 21 July | 1985 British Grand Prix |
| 9 |  Germany | Nurburgring | 04 August | 1985 German Grand Prix |
| 10 | Austria | Osterreichring | 18 August | 1985 Austrian Grand Prix |
| 11 |  Netherlands | Zandvoort | 25 August | 1985 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 12 | Italy | Monza | 08 September | 1985 Italian Grand Prix |
| 13 |  Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps | 15 September | 1985 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 14 |  Europe DT | Brands Hatch | 06 October | 1985 European Grand Prix |
| 15 |  South Africa | Kyalami | 19 October | 1985 South African Grand Prix |
| 16 |  Australia CT | Adelaide | 03 November | 1985 Australian Grand Prix |
Driver and constructor entries
| Constructor | Driver | Round(s) entered |
|---|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo | Eddie Cheever | All |
| Riccardo Patrese | All | |
| Arrows | Gerhard Berger | All |
| Thierry Boutsen | All | |
| Brabham | Francois Hesnault | 1-4 |
| Nelson Piquet | All | |
 Marc Surer | 5-16 | |
| Ferrari | Michele Alboreto | All |
| Rene Arnoux | 1 | |
 Stefan Johansson | 2-16 | |
| Ligier | Andrea de Cesaris | 1-11 |
| Jacques Laffite | 1-14, 16 | |
| Philippe Streiff | 12-14, 16 | |
| Lola | Alan Jones | 12, 14-16 |
| Lotus | Elio de Angelis | All |
| Ayrton Senna | All | |
| McLaren | Niki Lauda | 1-13, 15-16 |
| Alain Prost | All | |
| John Watson | 14 | |
| Minardi | Pierluigi Martini | All |
| Osella | Piercarlo Ghinzani | 1-8 |
| Huub Rothengatter | 9-16 | |
| RAM | Kenny Acheson | 10-12 |
| Philippe Alliot | 1-14 | |
| Manfred Winkelhock | 1-9 | |
| Renault | Francois Hesnault | 9 |
| Patrick Tambay | 1-14, 16 | |
| Derek Warwick | 1-14, 16 | |
| Spirit | Mauro Baldi | 1-3 |
| Toleman | Teo Fabi | 4-16 |
| Piercarlo Ghinzani | 10-16 | |
| Tyrrell | Stefan Bellof | 2-11 |
| Martin Brundle | All | |
| Ivan Capelli | 14, 16 | |
| Stefan Johansson | 1 | |
| Philippe Streiff | 15 | |
| Williams | Nigel Mansell | All |
| Keke Rosberg | All | |
| Zakspeed | Christian Danner | 13-14 |
| Jonathan Palmer | 2-4, 7-11 |
Race winners
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor | Start | Win Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 6 | 3.259s |
| 2 | Portugal | Estoril | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 1 | 1m 02.978s |
| 3 | San Marino | Imola | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 3 | 1 lap |
| 4 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 5 | 7.541s |
| 5 | Canada | Montreal | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 3 | 1.957s |
| 6 | Detroit | Detroit | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 5 | 57.549s |
| 7 | France | Le Castellet | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 5 | 6.660s |
| 8 | Britain | Silverstone | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 3 | 1 lap |
| 9 | Germany | Nurburgring | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 8 | 11.661s |
| 10 | Austria | Osterreichring | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1 | 30.002s |
| 11 | Netherlands | Zandvoort | Niki Lauda | McLaren-TAG | 10 | 0.232s |
| 12 | Italy | Monza | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 5 | 51.635s |
| 13 | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 2 | 28.422s |
| 14 | Europe | Brands Hatch | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 3 | 21.396s |
| 15 | South Africa | Kyalami | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 1 | 7.572s |
| 16 | Australia | Adelaide | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 3 | 46.130s |
Polesitters
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor | Race | Pole Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 2 | 0.096s |
| 2 | Portugal | Estoril | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 1 | 0.413s |
| 3 | San Marino | Imola | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 7R | 0.027s |
| 4 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | DNF | 0.086s |
| 5 | Canada | Montreal | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 5 | 0.249s |
| 6 | Detroit | Detroit | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | DNF | 1.198s |
| 7 | France | Le Castellet | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 2 | 0.373s |
| 8 | Britain | Silverstone | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | DNF | 0.658s |
| 9 | Germany | Nurburgring | Teo Fabi | Toleman-Hart | DNF | 1.187s |
| 10 | Austria | Osterreichring | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1 | 0.562s |
| 11 | Netherlands | Zandvoort | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 8 | 0.573s |
| 12 | Italy | Monza | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 3 | 0.146s |
| 13 | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 3 | 0.097s |
| 14 | Europe | Brands Hatch | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | 2 | 0.313s |
| 15 | South Africa | Kyalami | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda | 1 | 0.124s |
| 16 | Australia | Adelaide | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault | DNF | 0.694s |
Fastest laps
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG |
| 2 | Portugal | Estoril | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault |
| 3 | San Marino | Imola | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
| 4 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari |
| 5 | Canada | Montreal | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault |
| 6 | Detroit | Detroit | Ayrton Senna | Lotus-Renault |
| 7 | France | Le Castellet | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda |
| 8 | Britain | Silverstone | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG |
| 9 | Germany | Nurburgring | Niki Lauda | McLaren-TAG |
| 10 | Austria | Osterreichring | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG |
| 11 | Netherlands | Zandvoort | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG |
| 12 | Italy | Monza | Nigel Mansell | Williams-Honda |
| 13 | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG |
| 14 | Europe | Brands Hatch | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Renault |
| 15 | South Africa | Kyalami | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda |
| 16 | Australia | Adelaide | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda |
Qualifying results
World Drivers’ Championship standings
The top six classified finishers of each race were awarded points on the following basis: 1st (9), 2nd (6), 3rd (4), 4th (3), 5th (2), 6th (1)
Only the best 11 results counted towards the championship. Numbers shown without parentheses are the points scored that counted towards the championship; numbers in parentheses are the total number of points scored.
- Highlight: Rookie
- Bold: pole position
- Underline: fastest lap
- Bold & underline: pole & fastest lap
| Pos | Driver | BRA | PRT | SMR | MCO | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | BEL | EUR | ZAF | AUS | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alain Prost | 1 | R | DSQ | 1 | 3 | R | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | R | 73 (76) |
| 2 | Michele Alboreto | 2 | 2 | R | 2 | 1 | 3 | R | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13R | R | R | R | R | 53 |
| 3 | Keke Rosberg | R | R | R | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | R | 12R | R | R | R | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 40 |
| 4 | Ayrton Senna | R | 1 | 7R | R | 16 | R | R | 10R | R | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | R | R | 38 |
| 5 | Elio de Angelis | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | NC | R | 5 | 5 | 6 | R | 5 | R | DSQ | 33 |
| 6 | Nigel Mansell | R | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | R | DNS | R | 6 | R | 6 | 11R | 2 | 1 | 1 | R | 31 |
| 7 | Stefan Johansson | 7 | 8 | 6R | R | 2 | 2 | 4 | R | 9 | 4 | R | 5R | R | R | 4 | 5 | 26 |
| 8 | Nelson Piquet | R | R | 8R | R | R | 6 | 1 | 4 | R | R | 8 | 2 | 5 | R | R | R | 21 |
| 9 | Jacques Laffite | 6 | R | R | 6 | 8 | 12 | R | 3 | 3 | R | R | R | 11R | R | 2 | 16 | |
| 10 | Niki Lauda | R | R | 4 | R | R | R | R | R | 5 | R | 1 | R | DNS | R | R | 14 | |
| 11 | Thierry Boutsen | 11 | R | 2 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | R | 4 | 8 | R | 9 | 10R | 6 | 6 | R | 11 |
| = | Patrick Tambay | 5 | 3 | 3 | R | 7 | R | 6 | R | R | 10R | R | 7 | R | 12 | R | 11 | |
| 13 | Marc Surer | 15 | 8 | 8 | 6 | R | 6 | 10R | 4 | 8 | R | R | R | 5 | ||||
| = | Derek Warwick | 10 | 7 | 10 | 5 | R | R | 7 | 5 | R | R | R | R | 6 | R | R | 5 | |
| 15 | Philippe Streiff | 10 | 9 | 8 | R | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||
| = | Stefan Bellof | 6 | R | DNQ | 11 | 4 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7R | R | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | Rene Arnoux | 4 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| = | Ivan Capelli | R | 4 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| = | Andrea de Cesaris | R | R | R | 4 | 14 | 10 | R | R | R | R | R | 3 | |||||
| = | Gerhard Berger | R | R | R | R | 13 | 11 | R | 8 | 7 | R | 9 | R | 7 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Martin Brundle | 8 | R | 9R | 10 | 12 | R | R | 7 | 10 | DNQ | 7 | 8 | 13 | R | 7 | NC | ||
| Huub Rothengatter | R | 9 | NC | R | NC | DNQ | R | 7 | ||||||||||
| John Watson | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pierluigi Martini | R | R | R | DNQ | R | R | R | R | 11R | R | R | R | 12 | R | R | 8 | ||
| Riccardo Patrese | R | R | R | R | 10 | R | 11 | 9 | R | R | R | R | R | 9 | R | R | ||
| Eddie Cheever | R | R | R | R | 17 | 9 | 10 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 11 | R | R | ||
| Piercarlo Ghinzani | 12 | 9 | NC | DNQ | R | R | 15 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | ||||
| Philippe Alliot | 9 | R | R | DNQ | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | ||||
| Jonathan Palmer | R | DNS | 11 | R | R | R | R | |||||||||||
| Manfred Winkelhock | 13 | NC | R | DNQ | R | R | 12 | R | R | |||||||||
| Teo Fabi | R | R | R | 14R | R | R | R | R | 12 | R | R | R | R | |||||
| Francois Hesnault | R | R | R | DNQ | R | |||||||||||||
| Alan Jones | R | R | DNS | R | ||||||||||||||
| Mauro Baldi | R | R | R | |||||||||||||||
| Christian Danner | R | R | ||||||||||||||||
| Kenny Acheson | R | DNQ | R | |||||||||||||||
| No. | Driver | BRA | PRT | SMR | MCO | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | BEL | EUR | ZAF | AUS | Points |
Race to the title
The Race to the title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season between the top five drivers of 1985. Reigning world champion Niki Lauda, who finished 10th, is also shown.
World Constructors’ Championship standings
The top six classified finishers of each race were awarded points on the following basis: 1st (9), 2nd (6), 3rd (4), 4th (3), 5th (2), 6th (1)
Every race counted towards the championship.
- Bold: pole position
- Underline: fastest lap
- Bold & underline: pole & fastest lap
| Pos | Constructor | BRA | PRT | SMR | MCO | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | BEL | EUR | ZAF | AUS | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren-TAG | 1 | R | 4 | 1 | 3 | R | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | R | 90 |
| R | R | DSQ | R | R | R | R | R | 5 | R | 2 | R | DNS | 7 | R | R | |||
| 2 | Ferrari | 2 | 2 | 6R | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5R | R | R | 4 | 5 | 82 |
| 4 | 8 | R | R | 2 | 3 | R | R | 9 | 4 | R | 13R | R | R | R | R | |||
| 3 | Williams-Honda | R | 5 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | R | 6 | R | 6 | 11R | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 71 |
| R | R | R | 8 | 6 | R | DNS | R | 12R | R | R | R | 4 | 3 | 2 | R | |||
| 4 | Lotus-Renault | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10R | R | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | R | R | 71 |
| R | 4 | 7R | R | 16 | R | R | NC | R | 5 | 5 | 6 | R | 5 | R | DSQ | |||
| 5 | Brabham-BMW | R | R | 8R | R | 15 | 6 | 1 | 4 | R | 6 | 8 | 2 | 5 | R | R | R | 26 |
| R | R | R | DNQ | R | 8 | 8 | 6 | R | R | 10R | 4 | 8 | R | R | R | |||
| 6 | Ligier-Renault | 6 | R | R | 4 | 8 | 10 | R | 3 | 3 | R | R | 10 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 23 | |
| R | R | R | 6 | 14 | 12 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 11R | R | 3 | ||||
| 7 | Renault | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | R | 6 | 5 | R | 10R | R | 7 | 6 | 12 | R | 16 | |
| 10 | 7 | 10 | R | R | R | 7 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | ||||
| R | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Arrows-BMW | 11 | R | 2 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 14 |
| R | R | R | R | 13 | 11 | R | R | 7 | R | R | R | 10R | 10 | 6 | R | |||
| 9 | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth | 7 | 6 | 9R | 10 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 11 | 10 | DNQ | 4 | ||||||
| 8 | R | R | DNQ | 12 | R | |||||||||||||
| 10 | Tyrrell-Renault | R | 7 | 8 | 7R | 7 | 8 | 13 | R | 7 | 4 | 3 | ||||||
| R | R | R | NC | |||||||||||||||
| 11 | Osella-Alfa Romeo | 12 | 9 | NC | DNQ | R | R | 15 | R | R | 9 | NC | R | NC | DNQ | R | 7 | |
| 12 | Minardi-Motori Moderni | R | DNQ | R | R | R | R | 11R | R | R | R | 12 | R | R | 8 | |||
| 13 | Alfa Romeo | R | R | R | R | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | R | R | R | R | R | 9 | R | R | |
| R | R | R | R | 17 | R | 11 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 11 | R | R | |||
| 14 | RAM-Hart | 9 | NC | R | DNQ | R | R | 12 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | |||
| 13 | R | R | DNQ | R | R | R | R | R | R | DNQ | R | |||||||
| 15 | Zakspeed | R | DNS | 11 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | |||||||
| 16 | Toleman-Hart | R | R | R | 14R | R | R | R | R | 12 | R | R | R | R | ||||
| R | R | R | R | R | R | R | ||||||||||||
| 17 | Lola-Hart | R | R | DNS | R | |||||||||||||
| 18 | Spirit-Hart | R | R | R | ||||||||||||||
| 19 | Minardi-Ford Cosworth | R | R | |||||||||||||||
| No. | Constructor | BRA | PRT | SMR | MCO | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | BEL | EUR | ZAF | AUS | Points |
Race to the title
The Race to the title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season between the top five constructors of 1985.