1985 British Grand Prix

The 1985 British Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the XXXVIII Marlboro British Grand Prix, was the eighth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship staged at the Silverstone Circuit on the 21 July 1985.'British GP, 1985', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr412.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019) The race would see Alain Prost claim victory for , battling his way up from third on the grid after a record breaking qualifying session.
Indeed, qualifying had seen Keke Rosberg grab pole with the then fastest ever average lap speed, the Finn having lapped Silverstone at 160.9 mph (259 km/h) to record a 1:05.591. That record would stand until the 2002 Italian Grand Prix, with Rosberg sharing the front row with Nelson Piquet, while Prost and Ayrton Senna shared the second.
The start would see Senna's storm into the lead, leaving Rosberg, Prost and Piquet to fend off Nigel Mansell and Andrea de Cesaris. They were instantly given means to escape the rest of the field, as a four car accident through Copse eliminated Patrick Tambay, Stefan Johansson, Piercarlo Ghinzani and Philippe Alliot.
Senna and Rosberg would ease away during the early stages, while Prost and Mansell fell behind a charging de Cesaris as the Italian claimed third. Unfortunately for the pilot his race was to be immediately hampered by tyre wear, meaning he soon fell back behind both the McLaren and the .
The two Williams-Hondas would not last much longer, however, with clutch and exhaust failures for Mansell and Rosberg respectively ending their afternoons before half-distance. That left Prost with a clear run onto the back of Senna, while Lauda moved into third after a simple move on de Cesaris.
Indeed, de Cesaris' race was to come to an end with a clutch failure just after the halfway point, while Lauda's race was ended by an electrical failure. Prost, meanwhile, would have to wait until lap 42 before he could catch Senna, although the Frenchman found the young Brazilian a very difficult obstacle to pass.
For twelve laps the duel between the Frenchman's McLaren and the Brazilian's Lotus would rage, with Senna placing his car perfectly to block Prost's lunges. It was therefore a cruel and disappointing end to the fight when Senna's Lotus developed a fault in the fuel system and lost power, handing the lead to Prost.
Senna's race was over a couple of laps later, the engine ultimately getting starved of fuel when the injection system failed completely. Prost was left to cruise home a lap ahead of the rest of the field, the chequered flag having been show a lap earlier than scheduled, with Championship leader Michele Alboreto and Jacques Laffite completing the podium.
The results of the race meant that Alboreto had retained the lead in the Championship, although his advantage over Prost had been cut to just two points. In contrast, had managed to extend their lead in the Constructors Championship, moving eighteen clear of the now second placed McLaren-TAG Porsche effort.
==Background==
Into the Championship and Michele Alboreto had retained the lead despite failing to score at all in France last time out, although his advantage had been cut to five points by his two nearest challengers. Indeed, Alain Prost had moved back into second with 26 points, once again overhauling Elio de Angelis courtesy of his two wins to the Italian's one, although both remained serious title contenders. Keke Rosberg, meanwhile, had moved into fourth after his podium finish, while victory in France had catapulted Nelson Piquet up into seventh.
Likewise, there had been very little movement in the Constructors Championship after the battle in Le Castellet, with eking out their lead to fifteen points. had remained their closest challengers in second, while had closed to within six points of their Norfolk based rivals. had also made ground in fourth, while ended the weekend just outside the top five after Piquet's winning performance.
===Entry List===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Niki Lauda 	Marlboro McLaren International 	 	MP4/2B 	 	TTE PO1 1.5 V6t 	
2 	Alain Prost 	Marlboro McLaren International 	 	MP4/2B 	 	TTE PO1 1.5 V6t 	
3 	Martin Brundle 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	014 	 	EF4B 1.5 V6t 	
4 	Stefan Bellof 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	012 	 	DFY 3.0 V8 	
5 	Nigel Mansell 	Canon Williams Honda Team 	 	FW10 	 	RA163E 1.5 V6t 	
6 	Keke Rosberg 	Canon Williams Honda Team 	 	FW10 	 	RA163E 1.5 V6t 	
7 	Nelson Piquet 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT54 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
8 	Marc Surer 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT54 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
9 	Manfred Winkelhock 	Skoal Bandit F1 Team 	 	03 	 	415T 1.5 L4t 	
10 	Philippe Alliot 	Skoal Bandit F1 Team 	 	03 	 	415T 1.5 L4t 	
11 	Elio de Angelis 	John Player Special Team Lotus 	 	97T 	 	EF4 1.5 V6t 	
12 	Ayrton Senna 	John Player Special Team Lotus 	 	97T 	 	EF4 1.5 V6t 	
15 	Patrick Tambay 	Equipe Renault Elf 	 	RE60B 	 	EF15 1.5 V6t 	
16 	Derek Warwick 	Equipe Renault Elf 	 	RE60B 	 	EF15 1.5 V6t 	
17 	Gerhard Berger 	Barclay Arrows BMW 	 	A8 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
18 	Thierry Boutsen 	Barclay Arrows BMW 	 	A8 	 	M12/13 1.5 L4t 	
19 	Teo Fabi 	Toleman Group Motorsport 	 	TG185 	 	415T 1.5 L4t 	
22 	Riccardo Patrese 	Benetton Team Alfa Romeo 	 	185T 	 	890T 1.5 V8t 	
23 	Eddie Cheever 	Benetton Team Alfa Romeo 	 	184TB 	 	890T 1.5 V8t 	
24 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1F 	 	890T 1.5 V8t 	
25 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Equipe Ligier Gitanes 	 	JS25 	 	EF4B 1.5 V6t 	
26 	Jacques Laffite 	Equipe Ligier Gitanes 	 	JS25 	 	EF4B 1.5 V6t 	
27 	Michele Alboreto 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	156/85 	 	031 1.5 V6t 	
28 	Stefan Johansson 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	156/85 	 	031 1.5 V6t 	
29 	Pierluigi Martini 	Minardi Team SpA 	 	M185 	 	615-90 1.5 V6t 	
30 	Jonathan Palmer 	West Zakspeed Racing 	 	841 	 	1500/4 1.5 L4t 	
Source:'Britain 1985: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Friday Qualifying===
===Saturday Qualifying===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Time 	Gap
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Q1 	Q2 	Gap
1 	6 	Keke Rosberg 	 	1:06.107 	1:05.591 	—
2 	7 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:08.933 	1:06.249 	+0.658s
3 	2 	Alain Prost 	 	1:06.308 	1:08.532 	+0.717s
4 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	1:06.324 	1:06.794 	+0.733s
5 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	1:09.080 	1:06.675 	+1.084s
6 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:06.793 	1:07.427 	+1.202s
7 	25 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:11.082 	1:07.448 	+1.857s
8 	11 	Elio de Angelis 	 	1:07.581 	1:07.696 	+1.990s
9 	19 	Teo Fabi 	 	1:07.678 	1:07.871 	+2.087s
10 	1 	Niki Lauda 	 	1:07.743 	1:09.001 	+2.152s
11 	28 	Stefan Johansson 	 	1:08.169 	1:07.887 	+2.296s
12 	16 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:08.238 	1:08.604 	+2.647s
13 	15 	Patrick Tambay 	 	1:09.898 	1:08.240 	+2.649s
14 	22 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:08.384 	1:10.110 	+2.793s
15 	8 	Marc Surer 	 	1:09.572 	1:08.587 	+2.996s
16 	26 	Jacques Laffite 	 	1:10.756 	1:08.656 	+3.065s
17 	17 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:09.870 	1:08.672 	+3.081s
18 	9 	Manfred Winkelhock 	 	1:10.299 	1:09.114 	+3.523s
19 	18 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	1:09.413 	1:09.131 	+3.540s
20 	3 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:10.718 	1:09.242 	+3.651s
21 	10 	Philippe Alliot 	 	1:11.162 	1:09.609 	+4.018s
22 	23 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:11.072 	1:10.345 	+4.754s
23 	29 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	1:13.645 	1:15.363 	+8.054s
24 	30 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	1:17.856 	1:13.713 	+8.122s
25 	24 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	1:16.400 	— 	+10.809s
26 	4 	Stefan Bellof 	 	1:17.009 	1:16.596 	+11.005s
Source:'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Britain 1985: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Britain 1985: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Britain 1985: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Britain 1985: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Britain 1985: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Britain 1985: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Malboro British Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1985/races/489/great-britain/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 25/03/2019)'Britain 1985: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
===Grid===
** Brundle would start from the pit lane after an issue on the formation lap.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	2 	Alain Prost 	 	65 	1:18:10.436 	3 	9
2 	27 	Michele Alboreto 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	6 	6
3 	26 	Jacques Laffite 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	16 	4
4 	7 	Nelson Piquet 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	2 	3
5 	16 	Derek Warwick 	 	64 	+1 Lap 	12 	2
6 	8 	Marc Surer 	 	63 	+2 Laps 	15 	1
7 	3 	Martin Brundle 	 	63 	+2 Laps 	20 	
8 	17 	Gerhard Berger 	 	63 	+2 Laps 	17 	
9 	22 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	62 	+3 Laps 	14 	
10* 	12 	Ayrton Senna 	 	60 	Fuel injection 	4 	
11 	4 	Stefan Bellof 	 	59 	+6 Laps 	26 	
Ret 	1 	Niki Lauda 	 	57 	Electrical 	10 	
Ret 	18 	Thierry Boutsen 	 	57 	Spin 	19 	
Ret 	25 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	41 	Clutch 	7 	
Ret 	29 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	38 	Transmission 	23 	
NC† 	11 	Elio de Angelis 	 	37 	+28 Laps 	8 	
Ret 	9 	Manfred Winkelhock 	 	28 	Turbo 	18 	
Ret 	6 	Keke Rosberg 	 	21 	Exhaust 	1 	
Ret 	5 	Nigel Mansell 	 	17 	Clutch 	5 	
Ret 	23 	Eddie Cheever 	 	17 	Turbo 	22 	
Ret 	30 	Jonathan Palmer 	 	6 	Engine 	24 	
Ret 	19 	Teo Fabi 	 	4 	Transmission 	9 	
Ret 	28 	Stefan Johansson 	 	1 	Damage 	11 	
Ret 	15 	Patrick Tambay 	 	0 	Collision 	13 	
Ret 	10 	Philippe Alliot 	 	0 	Collision 	21 	
Ret 	24 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	0 	Collision 	25 	
Source:'Britain 1985: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)	Source:'Britain 1985: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Senna was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
*† de Angelis was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90 of the race distance.
==Milestones==
* Marc Surer entered his 75th Grand Prix.'1985 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1985&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 20/03/2019)
* 50th Grand Prix for Derek Warwick.'8. Britain 1985', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1985/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 25/03/2019)
* Keke Rosberg recorded the fastest ever average lap speed for a qualifying lap - 160.9 mph (259 km/h).
** This would stand until Juan Pablo Montoya recorded an average lap speed of 161.449 mph (259.827 km/h) at the 2002 Italian Grand Prix.
* Nineteenth victory for Alain Prost.
* secured their 45th victory as a constructor.
** Prost also claimed McLaren's 30th fastest lap.
* earned their fifteenth victory as an engine supplier.
** Also TAG Porsche's tenth fastest lap.
==Standings==
The gap at the top of the Championship had been cut to just two points as a result of Alain Prost's victory, the Frenchman ending the weekend on 35 points to Michele Alboreto's 37. Indeed, they also now had clear air between themselves and third placed Elio de Angelis, who slipped nine behind the aforementioned Prost, although he was still eight ahead of fourth placed Keke Rosberg. Elsewhere, Stefan Johansson had retained fifth ahead of Nelson Piquet, while Jacques Laffite moved into the top ten after his trip onto the podium.
, in contrast, had extended their lead in the Constructors' Championship, moving eighteen clear of their nearest challengers. Those challengers were now defending Champions , who jumped three ahead of as the season hit its halfway point. Elsewhere, had remained in fourth ahead of , while moved ahead of and .
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michele Alboreto 	37 	
2 	Alain Prost 	35 	
3 	Elio de Angelis 	26 	
4 	Keke Rosberg 	18 	
5 	Stefan Johansson 	16 	
6 	Nelson Piquet 	13 	1
7 	Patrick Tambay 	11 	1
8 	Ayrton Senna 	9 	
9 	Thierry Boutsen 	6 	
10 	Jacques Laffite 	6 	6
11 	Nigel Mansell 	5 	1
12 	Stefan Bellof 	4 	1
13 	Derek Warwick 	4 	2
14 	Niki Lauda 	3 	2
15 	Andrea de Cesaris 	3 	2
16 	René Arnoux 	3 	2
17 	Marc Surer 	1 	
World Championship for Manufacturers	World Championship for Manufacturers	World Championship for Manufacturers	World Championship for Manufacturers
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	56 	
2 	 	38 	1
3 	 	35 	1
4 	 	23 	
5 	 	15 	
6 	 	14 	
7 	 	9 	1
8 	 	6 	1
9 	 	4 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1985 Grands Prix
Category:British Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in the United Kingdom