Niki Lauda denied Renault a home victory in the 1984 French Grand Prix, taking his McLaren past Patrick Tambay to win at Dijon-Prenois. Nigel Mansell finished third, while championship leader Alain Prost lost time to a loose wheel and came home outside the points.
Race Guide
Season: 1984 F1 World Championship
Race date: 20 May 1984
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Dijon-Prenois
Laps: 79 laps
Circuit length: 3.801 km
1983 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Patrick Tambay | Renault |
| Pole time | 1:02.200 | |
| Fastest lap | Alain Prost | McLaren |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:05.257 on lap 59 | |
| First | Niki Lauda | McLaren |
| Second | Patrick Tambay | Renault |
| Third | Nigel Mansell | Lotus |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18 May 1984 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 18 May 1984 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 19 May 1984 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 19 May 1984 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 20 May 1984 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 20 May 1984 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Alain Prost arrived at round 5 leading the 1984 F1 World Championship on 24 points, with Derek Warwick on 13. McLaren – TAG headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 33 points.
Race entries
Toleman introduced its new TG184 and switched to Michelin tyres. Thierry Boutsen again drove the turbocharged Arrows while Marc Surer used the Cosworth car. Ligier ultimately withdrew Francois Hesnault to make room for de Andrea de Cesaris after the Italian’s qualifying time was disallowed.
Friday Free Practice
Friday morning brought another round of engine trouble. Derek Warwick lost his Renault’s engine and had to prepare for qualifying in a spare car whose cockpit did not fit him properly. Fabi also suffered a turbo failure, while Brabham hurried through an engine change for Nelson Piquet before the timed session.
Friday Qualifying
Patrick Tambay took provisional pole on Friday with 1:02.200 before a turbo failure ended his running. De Elio de Angelis came close but lost his final opportunity in traffic. Nelson Piquet was third, while Niki Lauda’s engine problems left him ninth.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1984 French Grand Prix first qualifying session, 18 May 1984
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 1:02.200 | — |
| 2 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:02.336 | — |
| 3 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:02.806 | — |
| 4 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:02.908 | — |
| 5 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:02.982 | — |
| 6 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:03.200 | — |
| 7 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:03.540 | — |
| 8 | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:03.865 | — |
| 9 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:04.419 | — |
| 10 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:04.459 | — |
| 11 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:04.917 | — |
| 12 | 5 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1:05.410 | — |
| 13 | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman | 1:05.744 | — |
| 14 | 25 | Francois Hesnault | Ligier | 1:05.850 | — |
| 15 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:05.972 | — |
| 16 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 1:06.172 | — |
| 17 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 1:06.281 | — |
| 18 | 2 | Teo Fabi | Brabham | 1:06.370 | — |
| 19 | 20 | Johnny Cecotto | Toleman | 1:08.189 | — |
| 20 | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:08.457 | — |
| 21 | 10 | Jonathan Palmer | RAM | 1:09.047 | — |
| 22 | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | 1:09.447 | — |
| 23 | 21 | Mauro Baldi | Spirit | 1:09.629 | — |
| 24 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:11.625 | — |
Saturday Free Practice
Heavy rain dominated Saturday, preventing the teams from building on their dry-weather preparation. The focus shifted to finding grip on a drenched circuit, with the Lotus drivers particularly convincing. For anyone whose Friday had gone wrong, the weather also removed the opportunity to recover a competitive dry qualifying time.
Saturday Qualifying
Saturday’s rain preserved the Friday grid. Nigel Mansell was quickest in the wet, but Patrick Tambay retained pole. De Andrea de Cesaris could not recover after his dry time was deleted for an empty fire extinguisher; Ligier withdrew the qualified Francois Hesnault so that de Andrea de Cesaris could start last.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1984 French Grand Prix second qualifying session, 19 May 1984
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:20.061 | — |
| 2 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:20.859 | — |
| 3 | 25 | Francois Hesnault | Ligier | 1:22.272 | — |
| 4 | 26 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | 1:22.388 | — |
| 5 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:22.707 | — |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:22.749 | — |
| 7 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:23.363 | — |
| 8 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 1:23.770 | — |
| 9 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 1:24.855 | — |
| 10 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:25.252 | — |
| 11 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:25.397 | — |
| 12 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:25.567 | — |
| 13 | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:26.943 | — |
| 14 | 5 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1:27.917 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 1:28.124 | — |
| 16 | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman | 1:28.225 | — |
| 17 | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:28.393 | — |
| 18 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:30.872 | — |
| 19 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:30.893 | — |
| 20 | 21 | Mauro Baldi | Spirit | 1:31.021 | — |
| 21 | 20 | Johnny Cecotto | Toleman | 1:31.359 | — |
| 22 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:32.541 | — |
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Friday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 1:02.200 | 1:24.855 | 1:02.200 | — |
| 2 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:02.336 | 1:20.859 | 1:02.336 | — |
| 3 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:02.806 | 1:30.893 | 1:02.806 | — |
| 4 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:02.908 | 1:30.872 | 1:02.908 | — |
| 5 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:02.982 | 1:25.397 | 1:02.982 | — |
| 6 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:03.200 | 1:20.061 | 1:03.200 | — |
| 7 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:03.540 | 1:23.363 | 1:03.540 | — |
| 8 | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:03.865 | 1:28.393 | 1:03.865 | — |
| 9 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:04.419 | 1:25.567 | 1:04.419 | — |
| 10 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:04.459 | 1:22.749 | 1:04.459 | — |
| 11 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:04.917 | 1:22.707 | 1:04.917 | — |
| 12 | 5 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1:05.410 | 1:27.917 | 1:05.410 | — |
| 13 | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman | 1:05.744 | 1:28.225 | 1:05.744 | — |
| 14 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:05.972 | 1:25.252 | 1:05.972 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 1:06.172 | 1:28.124 | 1:06.172 | — |
| 16 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 1:06.281 | 1:23.770 | 1:06.281 | — |
| 17 | 2 | Teo Fabi | Brabham | 1:06.370 | no time | 1:06.370 | — |
| 18 | 20 | Johnny Cecotto | Toleman | 1:08.189 | 1:31.359 | 1:08.189 | — |
| 19 | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:08.457 | 1:26.943 | 1:08.457 | — |
| 20 | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell | 1:08.608 | 1:29.539 | — | — |
| 21 | 10 | Jonathan Palmer | RAM | 1:09.047 | no time | 1:09.047 | — |
| 22 | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | 1:09.447 | no time | 1:09.447 | — |
| 23 | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 1:09.554 | 1:28.555 | — | — |
| 24 | 21 | Mauro Baldi | Spirit | 1:09.629 | 1:31.021 | 1:09.629 | — |
| 25 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:11.625 | 1:32.541 | 1:11.625 | — |
| 26 | 26 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | no time | 1:22.388 | 1:22.388 | — |
| — | 25 | François Hesnault | Ligier | 1:05.850 | 1:22.272 | 1:05.850 | — |
Sunday warm-up
De Elio de Angelis suffered an engine failure in the warm-up and switched to the spare Lotus for the race. McLaren had brought in fresh engines after its earlier problems, and Niki Lauda’s prospects looked better in race trim than his ninth place on the grid suggested. The return to dry conditions made tyre choice another important judgement.
Warm-up Classification
1984 French Grand Prix Warm-up, 20 May 1984
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:06.371 | — |
| 2 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | +0.160s | — |
| 3 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren | +0.196s | — |
| 4 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | +0.306s | — |
| 5 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | +1.273s | — |
| 6 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | +1.650s | — |
| 7 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | +2.050s | — |
| 8 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | +2.390s | — |
| 9 | 5 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | +2.476s | — |
| 10 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | +2.620s | — |
| 11 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | +2.670s | — |
| 12 | 2 | Teo Fabi | Brabham | +3.020s | — |
| 13 | 26 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | +3.113s | — |
| 14 | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman | +3.160s | — |
| 15 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | +3.813s | — |
| 16 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | +4.040s | — |
| 17 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | +4.403s | — |
| 18 | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | +4.533s | — |
| 19 | 21 | Mauro Baldi | Spirit | +4.540s | — |
| 20 | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows | +4.573s | — |
| 21 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | +4.636s | — |
| 22 | 20 | Johnny Cecotto | Toleman | +5.423s | — |
| 23 | 10 | Jonathan Palmer | RAM | +7.603s | — |
| 24 | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | +7.846s | — |
What happened in the 1984 French Grand Prix?
Patrick Tambay led the early stages, but Niki Lauda steadily worked forward from the fifth row. Alain Prost’s challenge was compromised by a loose wheel that forced an additional stop. Nelson Piquet’s Brabham suffered another turbo failure, removing a potential rival.
Niki Lauda closed on Patrick Tambay and took the lead, then controlled the remaining distance. Nigel Mansell put Lotus into third, while Rene Arnoux recovered to fourth. De Elio de Angelis brought the spare Lotus home fifth after his morning setback.
Niki Lauda secured his second victory of the season, with Patrick Tambay second and Nigel Mansell third. Keke Rosberg completed the points in sixth, while Alain Prost finished seventh. McLaren had now won four of the first five races, although the contest between its own drivers was becoming increasingly significant.
After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 24 points, followed by Niki Lauda on 18. McLaren – TAG led the constructors’ table on 42, with Ferrari on 22.
1984 French Grand Prix race results
The 1984 French Grand Prix was held on 20 May 1984.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 79 | 1:31:11.951 | 9 |
| 2 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 79 | + 7.154 | 6 |
| 3 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 79 | + 23.969 | 4 |
| 4 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 79 | + 43.706 | 3 |
| 5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 79 | + 1:06.125 | 2 |
| 6 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 78 | + 1 Lap | 1 |
| 7 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 78 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 8 | 5 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 78 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 9 | 2 | Teo Fabi | Brabham | 78 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 10 | 26 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | 77 | + 2 Laps | 0 |
| 11 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 77 | + 2 Laps | 0 |
| 12 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 74 | + 5 Laps | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | Jonathan Palmer | RAM | 72 | + 7 Laps | 0 |
| DSQ | 3 | Martin Brundle | Tyrrell | 76 | Disqualified | 0 |
| Ret | 21 | Mauro Baldi | Spirit | 61 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 53 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 51 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 51 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman | 35 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 33 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 20 | Johnny Cecotto | Toleman | 22 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 15 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 11 | Turbo | 0 |
| DSQ | 4 | Stefan Bellof | Tyrrell | 11 | Disqualified | 0 |
| Ret | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 5 | Clutch | 0 |
| Ret | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | 4 | Electrical | 0 |
1984 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 59 | 1:05.257 |
| 2 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 59 | 1:06.100 |
| 3 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 54 | 1:06.876 |
| 4 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 67 | 1:07.286 |
| 5 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 51 | 1:07.293 |
| 6 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 77 | 1:07.448 |
| 7 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 76 | 1:07.490 |
| 8 | 2 | Teo Fabi | Brabham | 61 | 1:07.838 |
| 9 | 5 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 64 | 1:07.861 |
| 10 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 31 | 1:08.400 |
| 11 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 70 | 1:08.608 |
| 12 | 18 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 73 | 1:09.177 |
| 13 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 11 | 1:09.186 |
| 14 | 26 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier | 77 | 1:09.779 |
| 15 | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman | 32 | 1:10.100 |
| 16 | 23 | Eddie Cheever | Alfa Romeo | 42 | 1:10.253 |
| 17 | 21 | Mauro Baldi | Spirit | 41 | 1:10.692 |
| 18 | 20 | Johnny Cecotto | Toleman | 21 | 1:10.999 |
| 19 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 10 | 1:11.047 |
| 20 | 24 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 44 | 1:11.179 |
| 21 | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 5 | 1:11.394 |
| 22 | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 25 | 1:11.783 |
| 23 | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM | 4 | 1:13.476 |
| 24 | 10 | Jonathan Palmer | RAM | 31 | 1:13.713 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1984 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1984 French Grand Prix.
1984 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 24 |
| 2 | Niki Lauda | Austrian | McLaren | 18 |
| 3 | Derek Warwick | British | Renault | 13 |
| 4 | René Arnoux | French | Ferrari | 13 |
| 5 | Elio de Angelis | Italian | Lotus | 12 |
| 6 | Keke Rosberg | Finnish | Williams | 10 |
| 7 | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Ferrari | 9 |
| 8 | Patrick Tambay | French | Renault | 8 |
| 9 | Nigel Mansell | British | Lotus | 4 |
| 10 | Eddie Cheever | American | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 11 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 12 | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Ligier | 3 |
| 13 | Thierry Boutsen | Belgian | Arrows | 3 |
| 14 | Ayrton Senna | Brazilian | Toleman | 2 |
| – | Marc Surer | Swiss | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Mauro Baldi | Italian | Spirit | 0 |
| – | Jonathan Palmer | British | RAM | 0 |
| – | Jacques Laffite | French | Williams | 0 |
| – | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Teo Fabi | Italian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | François Hesnault | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Martin Brundle | British | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Stefan Bellof | German | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Philippe Alliot | French | RAM | 0 |
| – | Johnny Cecotto | Venezuelan | Toleman | 0 |
| – | Manfred Winkelhock | German | ATS | 0 |
| – | Jo Gartner | Austrian | Osella | 0 |
1984 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren – TAG | 42 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 22 |
| 3 | Renault | 21 |
| 4 | Lotus – Renault | 16 |
| 5 | Williams – Honda | 10 |
| 6 | Alfa Romeo | 6 |
| 7 | Arrows – Ford | 3 |
| 8 | Ligier – Renault | 3 |
| 9 | Toleman – Hart | 2 |
| — | Spirit – Hart | 0 |
| — | RAM – Hart | 0 |
| — | Brabham – BMW | 0 |
| — | Arrows – BMW | 0 |
| — | Osella – Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| — | Tyrrell – Ford | 0 |
| — | ATS – BMW | 0 |
Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race. These results and points include Tyrrell’s retrospective exclusion from the entire season. Contemporary standings before the redistribution differ.
1984 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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