Reliability was found in the second half of the season, which allowed Piquet to eventually finish fifth in the title hunt. The saddest aspect was that the BT53 was, in Piquet and Teo Fabi's hands, regularly faster than the McLarens, as Piquet's nine pole positions throughout the season attested (Prost was the only McLaren driver to qualify on pole during 1984, doing so three times). The car was very quick in qualifying on light fuel loads, but its race pace was negatively affected particularly on full fuel loads. More reliability from the BMW turbo might have given Piquet a realistic chance of defending his championship. Indeed, in the first seven races before scoring his win in Canada, Piquet retired with engine, electrical (as in Monaco) or turbo failure. Often early in the season when he retired, Piquet had either leading the race or was in a position to challenge for the lead.