1984 Formula 1.5 Season

The 1984 Formula 1.5 season was the 35th running of the Formula 1.5 World Championship. Defending champion Keke Rosberg claimed his second and last F1.5 title, scoring 45 points, whilst his team Williams-Honda claimed the Constructors' Championship on 67.5 points. The title fight would come down to the wire, with Rosberg barely defeating rookie Ayrton Senna to the crown by a margin of just 3.5 points.

## Entries

### Excluded teams

* Marlboro McLaren International, Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC, John Player Team Lotus, Olivetti Brabham BMW Organisation, and Equipe Renault Elf

### Team/Constructor Changes

* Reigning champions Williams Grand Prix Engineering purchased Honda V6 engines for the 1984 season in lieu of the quintessential Ford Cosworths. The unproven Hondas had been used only once, in the penultimate race of 1983. The move also marked Honda's return to the sport as an engine supplier, following their departure after the 1968 season.

* After competing in varied levels of capacity between 1977 and 1983, and facing largely unsuccessful results, Theodore Racing Team had shut down, pulling out of the sport entirely to focus on their efforts in IndyCar and the Macau GP national event.

* For the Detroit Grand Prix, Spirit Racing entered a single car with updated chassis to accommodate a Ford-Cosworth engine, birthing the constructor of Spirit-Ford. However, the entry failed to qualify, and the team made no other attempts to utilise Ford engines.

* Following a disappointing Constructors' Championship result in '83, Ligier dumped their Ford Cosworth engines, instead utilising the turbocharged Renault outfit to rebrand as Ligier-Renault.

* RAM would also do away with the Fords, taking on the four-cylinder Hart engines as they ended their collaboration with March Grand Prix. The team officially ran as Skoal Bandit Formula 1 Team but used RAM-built chassis.

* Barclay Nordica Arrows would switch between engines multiple times throughout the season, birthing a second constructor of Arrows-BMW to join Arrows-Ford. One of each constructor was entered, or both of the same, until the BMW-powered cars fully replaced the latter following the Detroit Grand Prix.

### Driver Changes

* Ligier would replace both their drivers, removing Jean-Pierre Jarier and Raul Boesel despite the former managing to finish a respectable 9th in 1983. They would be replaced by French rookie François Hesnault and Andrea de Cesaris, who achieved a P5 in final standings and two wins driving for Alfa Romeo the season previous.

* Alfa Romeo would also undertake a double driver swap. The departed Cesaris was replaced with fellow countryman and F1.5 mainstay Riccardo Patrese, whilst Mauro Baldi would be booted in favour of American Eddie Cheever, returning to Formula 1.5 after a stint in F1 with Renault.

* Toleman would be yet another team to replace both drivers. With Derek Warwick departing the sport for F1 and Bruno Giacomelli being released without a ride, the recently displaced Johnny Cecotto was signed to partner the reigning British Formula 3 champion- rookie Ayrton Senna. Additionally, Stefan Johansson and Pierluigi Martini ran one-offs for the team.

* Osella would replace Corrado Fabi with Formula 2 hopeful Jo Gartner, signing the Austrian to a partial schedule alongside full-time compatriot Piercarlo Ghinzani.

* After running nine races amongst multiple entries for Arrows' second full-time car in 1983 and finishing P11 in the final standings, Thierry Boutsen was signed to drive the complete season.

* ATS would open up a second part-time entry, running three races with Austrian rookie Gerhard Berger. Berger also entered the Portuguese GP in the car of team mainstay Manfred Winkelhock.

* Releasing Stefan Johansson, Spirit Racing's single entry attempted all races in the 1984 season, with seat time being split between Mauro Baldi from Alfa Romeo and rookie Huub Rothengatter.

* RAM were the next team to initiate a complete driver swap, as newcomer Philippe Alliot was signed full-time- replacing the multiple drivers that had formerly filled his revolving-door seat. Additionally, British driver Jonathan Palmer (who ran the European GP for Williams in 1983) was signed for the majority of 1984, being replaced by Mike Thackwell for the Canadian GP.

* Tyrrell signed two rookies for 1984: West German sports car ace Stefan Bellof; and the man who finished a close runner-up to Ayrton Senna in British F3, Martin Brundle. Brundle would suffer badly broken ankles and feet after a crash in practice for the Dallas Grand Prix, necessitating he miss the remainder of the season. Stefan Johansson would fill his seat, that was until Tyrrell were banned from competing after the Dutch Grand Prix. A couple races earlier, Bellof's sports car commitments with the Rothmans Porsche squad meant he missed his home race, the German Grand Prix. Kiwi, Mike Thackwell would fill in but fail to qualifying the underpowered Tyrrell at the notoriously power dependant Hockenheimring.

## Calendar

### Calendar Changes

* The Spanish Grand Prix was scheduled to return to F1.5 after a 3-year absence, at a brand-new street circuit in the town of Fuengirola, but the event was prematurely cancelled due to safety concerns.

* For the second year in a row, the planned New York Grand Prix was cancelled, being replaced by the European Grand Prix which was held at the Nürburgring.

* A new race was added to the calendar - the Dallas Grand Prix, held at the Fair Park street circuit in the city of Dallas, U.S.A.

* The Belgian Grand Prix was moved from Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps to Circuit Zolder.

* The French Grand Prix was moved from Circuit Paul Ricard to Dijon-Prenois, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.

* The British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.

## Results and Standings

### World Drivers' Championship Standings

The 1984 Drivers' Championship awarded points to the top six classified drivers, with points being scored on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis, respectively. Only a driver's best eleven results were retained in the final standings. Emboldened results signify a pole position, whilst italicised results denote the setter of the fastest lap.

###### Notes:

\*Both Gartner and Berger were ineligible to receive World Championship points, as their teams (Osella and ATS, respectively) had only officially entered a single car.

\* - Half points were awarded as less than 75% of the scheduled distance was completed.

### World Constructors' Championship Standings

The 1984 Constructors' Championship awarded points in the same manner as the Drivers' Championship - on a 9-6-4-3-2-1 basis. All points earned by a constructor were retained towards their final total. As above, emboldened results signify a pole position, whereas italicised results denote the setter of the fastest lap.

On 18 July, prior to the British Grand Prix, Tyrrell were disqualified from the championship due to a technical infringement, which had been discovered at the Detroit Grand Prix. They continued racing under appeal but were ineligible to score points towards the championship. On 29 August, the FIA rejected the team's appeal and banned them from the final three races of the season. All points they had scored prior to the disqualification were subsequently reallocated.

###### Notes:

\* - Half points were awarded as less than 75% of the scheduled distance was completed.