1985 Detroit Grand Prix

Last updated
1985 Detroit Grand Prix
Race 6 of 16 in the 1985 Formula One World Championship
Downtown Detroit Street Circuit.svg
Race details
DateJune 23, 1985
Official name 4th Detroit Grand Prix
Location Detroit street circuit
Detroit, Michigan
Course Temporary street course
Course length 4.120 km (2.56 miles)
Distance 63 laps, 259.56 km (161.28 miles)
Weather Clear and cool with temperatures reaching up to 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds up to 23 miles per hour (37 km/h) [1]
Pole position
Driver Lotus-Renault
Time 1:42.051
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Lotus-Renault
Time 1:45.612 on lap 51
Podium
First Williams-Honda
Second Ferrari
Third Ferrari
Lap leaders
  • 1985 Detroit Grand Prix

The 1985 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 23, 1985, in Detroit, Michigan. It was the sixth round of the 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship and the fourth Detroit Grand Prix. The race was held over 63 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 260 kilometres.

Contents

For the first time in ten years, the United States hosted only one Grand Prix. Finland's Keke Rosberg (Williams FW10) took the lead from pole-sitter Ayrton Senna (Lotus 97T) on lap eight, avoided the tire and brake problems that plagued the other front-runners and held off the Ferrari 156/85s of Stefan Johansson and Michele Alboreto to win. Stefan Bellof earned a scintillating fourth place in his Tyrrell 012, scoring the last points for the legendary Cosworth-Ford DFV engine until 1988. It was the fourth Formula One Grand Prix victory for the 1982 World Champion. Alboreto's third place allowed him to expand his points lead over Lotus driver Elio de Angelis to seven points. Eventual 1985 World Champion Alain Prost was now nine points behind Alboreto and as far from the championship as he would get all year.

Summary

The street circuit used for this Grand Prix laid out in the center of Detroit had been modified a little- the inside wall at the left-right sequence of corners on Beaubien Street between Congress Street and the notoriously bumpy Larned Street had been moved closer to the street itself, which made the right hander transitioning between Beaubien and Larned Streets slower than before. A bridge connecting 2 buildings flanking Larned Street had also been built; which actually hid the worst bumps on Larned from camera view- although these bumps were made obvious to viewers by the car's undertrays creating sparks thanks to the cars bouncing over these bumps rather violently.

In Friday qualifying, Senna's nimble Lotus, well suited to the track, and combined with Senna’s raw talent was easily quickest in both sessions, averaging 88.183 mph (141.917 km/h), nearly 1.2 seconds clear of Nigel Mansell's Williams. Still, changes to the course meant that Senna's time was over a second slower than Nelson Piquet's pole-winning time from the previous year. The Ferraris of Alboreto and Johansson were in third and ninth place, as Alboreto said, "Our suspension does not absorb the bumps nearly as well as the Lotus. I have trouble getting the power down, which is necessary between the slow corners." Rain on Saturday meant that the Friday times would determine the grid, and the teams would be without a much-needed second day of practice although Gerhard Berger had to set his qualifying time on the Saturday as he didn't set a time on Friday after crashing twice before he could set a time.

The Williams teammates used different tyre compounds in qualifying and were over a second apart on the grid. Rosberg, on qualifiers, was fifth, while Mansell chose the softer race compound and placed second. This revelation led Rosberg to gamble on using the soft race rubber for the race, while everyone else had the harder compound. Aided by a cool breeze on Sunday, this decision played an important role in the race's outcome.

Sunday was warm, humid, clear and breezy with a large and enthusiastic crowd. Unlike the 1984 race, the drivers made a clean start, as Mansell got away well on the outside and took the first corner ahead of Senna. In Turn 2, however, Senna took the lead back, and by the end of the first lap, Rosberg had also gotten around Mansell. After one lap, Senna and Rosberg were opening a gap to Mansell, Prost, Alboreto, Derek Warwick, Elio de Angelis, Johansson, Piquet and Lauda. The Tyrrells of Bellof and Martin Brundle, down on power to the turbos but always extremely well suited to the tight Detroit circuit, each moved up six places on the first lap to 12th and 13th.

But as the race went on, the track was already beginning to break up, with the worst break up at Turn 2. By lap seven, Senna and Rosberg led Mansell by seven seconds. On lap eight, Senna surrendered the lead when he pitted for tires; regretting his gamble to try to run much of the race on one set of tires, relying on his car's superior performance to all of the other cars. Warwick had dropped back steadily, eventually retiring with a broken driveshaft, while the McLarens of Prost and Lauda quickly experienced brake problems. Lauda made it back to the pits to retire with no brakes on lap 10, but when Prost had the same problem on lap 20, he was unable to slow for Turn 2 and slid into the tyre wall.

De Angelis, on the other hand, was making steady progress. He took fourth when Senna pitted, then passed Alboreto for third and began closing the gap to Mansell, who also was struggling with overheating brakes. On lap 20, with Rosberg's lead at 24 seconds, de Angelis got around Mansell to take second place. Mansell pitted on lap 24 after losing another position to Johansson. He returned in ninth place only to retire immediately when he hit the wall hard in Turn 2.

As he was about to be lapped, Gerhard Berger damaged the nose of de Angelis' Lotus when he closed the door on the Italian. When de Angelis pitted for tires and a new nose, the Tyrrells were nose to tail in fourth and fifth, hounding the Ferrari of Alboreto. Approaching Turn 16 on lap 31, Philippe Alliot moved over to let Alboreto through but didn't see Brundle right behind. When Alliot moved back to the racing line, Brundle had nowhere to go and hit the wall in a shower of sparks.

At the halfway point, Rosberg led Johansson by 33 seconds. Alboreto was another 10 seconds back, followed by Bellof, Senna and de Angelis. Several successive fastest laps by Senna allowed him to overtake Bellof and then quickly close the gap to Alboreto.

Entering Turn 2, where the surface was beginning to break up and where both Prost and Mansell had crashed, Alboreto stayed right, away from the racing line and the bad patch at the apex. Senna charged through on the left, got on the marbles, and hit the wall exactly as the others had done, while Alboreto continued, minus the threat to his third place. Meanwhile, Rosberg, secure in the lead, had noticed his water temperature climbing. When a member of the crew noticed something caught in his radiator, he pitted to have it removed. The crew also gave him new tyres, which he didn't want because Johansson was not far behind. Rosberg blasted out of the pits and just managed to beat the Ferrari to the first corner. Spurred on by the chance for his first win, Johansson hounded the Williams until, with just three laps to go, a brake disc broke up and he began to crawl around the circuit, hoping to make the finish.

Alboreto, in third, had also been trying to save his brakes, but he now had to contend with a charging Bellof. With two laps to go, the West German had the Tyrrell right on Alboreto's tail, waiting for a mistake. Just as he was about to go by, however, Bellof's clutch began slipping, and he had to be content to follow the Ferrari home, scoring the last points for Ford-Cosworth DFV engine in Formula One. De Angelis, the last driver on the lead lap took fifth place, and Piquet brought the Brabham home in sixth.

Classification

Qualifying

PosNoDriverConstructorQ1Q2Gap
112 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Lotus-Renault 1:42.051
25 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda 1:43.249+1.198
327 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Alboreto Ferrari 1:43.748+1.697
42 Flag of France.svg Alain Prost McLaren-TAG 1:44.088+2.037
56 Flag of Finland.svg Keke Rosberg Williams-Honda 1:44.156+2.105
616 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Derek Warwick Renault 1:44.163+2.112
723 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever Alfa Romeo 1:44.2312:05.540+2.180
811 Flag of Italy.svg Elio de Angelis Lotus-Renault 1:44.769+2.718
928 Flag of Sweden.svg Stefan Johansson Ferrari 1:44.921+2.870
107 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW 1:45.194+3.143
118 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Marc Surer Brabham-BMW 1:45.979+3.928
121 Flag of Austria.svg Niki Lauda McLaren-TAG 1:46.266+4.215
1319 Flag of Italy.svg Teo Fabi Toleman-Hart 1:46.546+4.495
1422 Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Alfa Romeo 1:46.592+4.541
1515 Flag of France.svg Patrick Tambay Renault 1:47.028+4.977
1626 Flag of France.svg Jacques Laffite Ligier-Renault 1:47.267+5.216
1725 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea de Cesaris Ligier-Renault 1:47.3932:12.268+5.342
183 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Martin Brundle Tyrrell-Ford 1:47.563+5.512
194 Flag of Germany.svg Stefan Bellof Tyrrell-Ford 1:47.911+5.860
209 Flag of Germany.svg Manfred Winkelhock RAM-Hart 1:47.926+5.875
2118 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen Arrows-BMW 1:48.023+5.978
2224 Flag of Italy.svg Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella-Alfa Romeo 1:48.5462:11.268+6.495
2310 Flag of France.svg Philippe Alliot RAM-Hart 1:50.4552:24.814+8.404
2417 Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger Arrows-BMW 2:05.387+23.336
2529 Flag of Italy.svg Pierluigi Martini Minardi-Motori Moderni 3:04.446+1:22.395

Race

PosNoDriverConstructorTyreLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
16 Flag of Finland.svg Keke Rosberg Williams - Honda G 631:55:39.85159
228 Flag of Sweden.svg Stefan Johansson Ferrari G 63+ 57.54996
327 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Alboreto Ferrari G 63+ 1:03.17034
44 Flag of Germany.svg Stefan Bellof Tyrrell - Ford G 63+ 1:06.225193
511 Flag of Italy.svg Elio de Angelis Lotus - Renault G 63+ 1:26.96682
67 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Nelson Piquet Brabham - BMW P 62+ 1 Lap101
718 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Thierry Boutsen Arrows-BMW G 62+ 1 Lap21 
88 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Marc Surer Brabham-BMW P 62+ 1 Lap11 
923 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever Alfa Romeo G 61+ 2 Laps7 
1025 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea de Cesaris Ligier-Renault P 61+ 2 Laps17 
1117 Flag of Austria.svg Gerhard Berger Arrows-BMW G 60+ 3 Laps24 
1226 Flag of France.svg Jacques Laffite Ligier-Renault P 58+ 5 Laps16 
Ret12 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Ayrton Senna Lotus-Renault G 51Accident1 
Ret3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Martin Brundle Tyrrell-Ford G 30Collision18 
Ret10 Flag of France.svg Philippe Alliot RAM-Hart P 27Collision23 
Ret5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda G 26Accident2 
Ret2 Flag of France.svg Alain Prost McLaren-TAG G 19Accident4 
Ret22 Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Alfa Romeo G 19Electrical14 
Ret16 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Derek Warwick Renault G 18Transmission6 
Ret15 Flag of France.svg Patrick Tambay Renault G 15Accident15 
Ret29 Flag of Italy.svg Pierluigi Martini Minardi-Motori Moderni P 11Engine25 
Ret1 Flag of Austria.svg Niki Lauda McLaren-TAG G 10Brakes12 
Ret19 Flag of Italy.svg Teo Fabi Toleman-Hart P 4Clutch13 
Ret9 Flag of Germany.svg Manfred Winkelhock RAM-Hart P 3Turbo20 
Ret24 Flag of Italy.svg Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella-Alfa Romeo P 0Accident22 
Source: [2] [3]

Championship standings after the race

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Brazilian Grand Prix</span> 1st round of the 1984 Formula One Championship

The 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix, officially known as the XIII Grande Prêmio Brasil de Fórmula 1 was a Formula One motor race held on 25 March 1984 in Rio de Janeiro. The race was contested over 61 laps of Jacarepaguá Circuit and was the first race of the 1984 Formula One World Championship. This race was the 13th edition of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the ninth time that the Jacarepaguá Circuit race held a Grand Prix, and marked the debut of Ayrton Senna in Formula One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 South African Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1984 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 7 April 1984. It was race 2 of 16 in the 1984 Formula One World Championship. The 75-lap race was won by Niki Lauda, driving a McLaren-TAG, with teammate Alain Prost second and Derek Warwick third in a Renault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Belgian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1984 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zolder on 29 April 1984. It was the third race of the 1984 Formula One World Championship. It was the 42nd Belgian Grand Prix, and the tenth and last to be held at Zolder. The race was held over 70 laps of the 4.26-kilometre (2.65 mi) circuit for a race distance of 298.3 kilometres (185.4 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Monaco Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1984 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 3 June 1984. It was race 6 of 16 in the 1984 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was the only race of the 1984 championship that was run in wet weather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1984 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 9 September 1984. It was the fourteenth race of the 1984 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Brazilian Grand Prix</span> 1st round of the 1985 Formula One season

The 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá in Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro on 7 April 1985. It was the first round of the 1985 Formula One World Championship, and marked the 13th edition of the Brazilian Grand Prix as a round of the World Championship since its inception in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Portuguese Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Estoril on 21 April 1985. It was the second round of the 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship and was won by Ayrton Senna from pole position, taking both his first pole position and win in the process. Senna demonstrated his proficiency in wet racing by finishing the race at least one lap ahead of every car except second-place finisher Michele Alboreto.

The 1985 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on 16 June 1985. It was the fifth race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 French Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1985 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on 7 July 1985. It was the seventh race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship. It was the 63rd French Grand Prix and the ninth to be held at Paul Ricard. The race was held over 53 laps of the 5.81-kilometre (3.61 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 307.93 kilometres (191.34 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 British Grand Prix</span> Eighth race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship

The 1985 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 21 July 1985. It was the eighth race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Austrian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1985 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 18 August 1985. It was the tenth race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship. It was the 25th Austrian Grand Prix and the 24th to be held at Österreichring. The race was run over 52 laps of the 5.94-kilometre (3.69 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 308.9 kilometres (191.9 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 European Grand Prix</span> Fourteenth round of the 1985 Formula One World Championship

The 1985 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 6 October 1985. It was the fourteenth race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Australian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on the Adelaide Street Circuit in Adelaide on 3 November 1985. The sixteenth and final race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship, it was the 50th running of the Australian Grand Prix and the first to be held on the streets of Adelaide on a layout specifically designed for the debut of the World Championship in Australia. The race was held over 82 laps of the 3.780 km (2.362 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 310 kilometres. The race was won by Keke Rosberg driving a Williams-Honda; this was the final win for Rosberg, the last race for Alfa Romeo until 2019, and the last by a Finnish driver until Mika Häkkinen won the 1997 European Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Australian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1986 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 October 1986 at the Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide, Australia. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1986 Formula One World Championship. The race decided a three-way battle for the Drivers' Championship between Brit Nigel Mansell, driving a Williams-Honda; his Brazilian teammate Nelson Piquet; and Frenchman Alain Prost, driving a McLaren-TAG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Australian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1987 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on 15 November 1987. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1987 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Formula One World Championship</span> 41st season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1987 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 41st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1987 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1987 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series that commenced on 12 April and ended on 15 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Formula One World Championship</span> 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1986 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1986 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1986 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, both of which commenced on 23 March and ended on 26 October after sixteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Alain Prost, Prost was the first driver to win back-to-back Drivers' Championships since Jack Brabham in 1959 and 1960. Together with Prost, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna dominated throughout the season and formed what was dubbed as the "Gang of Four".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Formula One World Championship</span> 39th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 39th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1985 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1985 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, both of which commenced on 7 April and ended on 3 November after sixteen races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Formula One World Championship</span> 38th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1984 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 38th season of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, both of which commenced on 25 March and ended on 21 October after sixteen races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 Detroit Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1984 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 24, 1984 in Detroit, Michigan. It was the eighth race of the 1984 Formula One World Championship.

References

  1. "1985 Detroit Grand Prix weather information". Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  2. "1985 United States Grand Prix". formula1.com. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  3. "1985 Detroit Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive". GPArchive.com. 23 June 1985. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 "USA 1985 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 15 March 2019.

Further reading

Previous race:
1985 Canadian Grand Prix
FIA Formula One World Championship
1985 season
Next race:
1985 French Grand Prix
Previous race:
1984 Detroit Grand Prix
Detroit Grand Prix Next race:
1986 Detroit Grand Prix