1985 Australian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Keke Rosberg won an eventful first World Championship Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide in 1985. Jacques Laffite and Philippe Streiff brought both Ligiers onto the podium, while Niki Lauda’s final Formula 1 race ended after he had briefly taken the lead.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Ayrton Senna	Lotus
Pole time	1:19.843
Fastest lap	Keke Rosberg	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:23.758 on lap 57
First	Keke Rosberg	Williams
Second	Jacques Laffite	Ligier
Third	Philippe Streiff	Ligier

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
31 October 1985	Familiarisation testing	10:00; end time unconfirmed
1 November 1985	Practice 1	Morning; start unconfirmed
1 November 1985	Qualifying 1	Start time unconfirmed
2 November 1985	Practice 2	Morning; start unconfirmed
2 November 1985	Qualifying 2	Start time unconfirmed
3 November 1985	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
3 November 1985	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 16 leading the 1985 F1 World Championship on 73 points, with Michele Alboreto on 53. McLaren – TAG headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 90 points.

Race entries

Philippe Streiff returned to Ligier and Ivan Capelli rejoined Tyrrell. With RAM and Zakspeed absent, all 25 entrants had places available on the grid. Niki Lauda was making his final start, while Renault, Alfa Romeo and Toleman were also approaching the end of their current identities as Formula 1 constructors.

Thursday familiarisation

An additional session on 31 October 1985 allowed the drivers to learn Adelaide. Alan Jones was given the honour of completing the first lap before the rest of the field joined him. The new street circuit received a warm welcome, although its slippery surface quickly made finding grip the central task.

Friday Free Practice

Friday’s running highlighted the difficulty of bringing the tyres into their working range on the new surface. The cars slid and the tyres grained, forcing teams to reconsider their combinations rather than simply fit the softest available rubber. Alan Jones also encountered engine and turbo problems, interrupting his preparation for the home race.

Friday Qualifying

Keke Rosberg edged Ayrton Senna by just one thousandth of a second on Friday, setting 1:22.402. Nigel Mansell was close behind, making Williams and Lotus the leading contenders as the drivers learned how much time the new circuit would yield.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1985 Australian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 1 November 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:22.402	—
2	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:22.403	—
3	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:22.564	—
4	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:23.018	—
5	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:23.597	—
6	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:23.758	—
7	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:23.943	—
8	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:23.960	—
9	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:24.372	—
10	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	1:24.404	—
11	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:24.543	—
12	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:24.666	—
13	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:24.691	—
14	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:24.732	—
15	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	1:25.021	—
16	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:25.173	—
17	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:25.362	—
18	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:25.646	—
19	33	Alan Jones	Lola	1:25.780	—
20	25	Philippe Streiff	Ligier	1:26.618	—
21	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:26.972	—
22	4	Ivan Capelli	Tyrrell	1:27.120	—
23	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:27.196	—
24	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	1:28.261	—
25	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	1:30.319	—

Saturday Free Practice

The search for grip continued on Saturday as the drivers grew more familiar with Adelaide’s mixture of slow corners and long straights. Tyrrell had repairs to manage after Martin Brundle’s accident, while several teams still struggled to balance traction against outright speed. The developing circuit meant that Friday’s times offered only a starting point for final qualifying.

Saturday Qualifying

Ayrton Senna delivered the decisive lap on Saturday: 1:19.843, the only time below eighty seconds. Nigel Mansell qualified second and Keke Rosberg third, with Alain Prost, Michele Alboreto and Marc Surer completing the first three rows. Niki Lauda started sixteenth after electrical trouble, while Alan Jones was nineteenth.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1985 Australian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 2 November 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:19.843	—
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:20.537	—
3	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:21.887	—
4	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:21.889	—
5	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:22.337	—
6	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	1:22.561	—
7	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:22.592	—
8	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:22.683	—
9	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:22.718	—
10	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:23.077	—
11	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:23.196	—
12	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:23.426	—
13	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:23.902	—
14	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:23.941	—
15	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:24.128	—
16	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:24.241	—
17	25	Philippe Streiff	Ligier	1:24.286	—
18	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:24.295	—
19	33	Alan Jones	Lola	1:24.369	—
20	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:24.830	—
21	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	1:26.630	—
22	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:27.402	—
23	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	1:28.110	—

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	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:22.403	1:19.843	1:19.843	—
2	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:22.564	1:20.537	1:20.537	—
3	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:22.402	1:21.887	1:21.887	—
4	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:23.943	1:21.889	1:21.889	—
5	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:24.666	1:22.337	1:22.337	—
6	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	1:24.404	1:22.561	1:22.561	—
7	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:25.362	1:22.592	1:22.592	—
8	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:25.173	1:22.683	1:22.683	—
9	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:23.018	1:22.718	1:22.718	—
10	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:24.543	1:23.077	1:23.077	—
11	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:23.960	1:23.196	1:23.196	—
12	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:24.372	1:23.426	1:23.426	—
13	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:23.597	1:24.295	1:23.597	—
14	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:23.758	1:24.128	1:23.758	—
15	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:24.732	1:23.902	1:23.902	—
16	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:24.691	1:23.941	1:23.941	—
17	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:25.646	1:24.241	1:24.241	—
18	25	Philippe Streiff	Ligier	1:26.618	1:24.286	1:24.286	—
19	33	Alan Jones	Lola	1:25.780	1:24.369	1:24.369	—
20	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:26.972	1:24.830	1:24.830	—
21	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	1:25.021	1:26.630	1:25.021	—
22	4	Ivan Capelli	Tyrrell	1:27.120		1:27.120	—
23	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:27.196	1:27.402	1:27.196	—
24	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	1:28.261	1:28.110	1:28.110	—
25	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	1:30.319		1:30.319	—

Sunday warm-up

Ayrton Senna headed Sunday’s warm-up, with Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet close behind. Race preparation now centred on the heat, tyre degradation and the heavy braking demands, all of which would put reliability under pressure. Keke Rosberg’s Williams used cast-iron brake discs, a choice that would help him sustain his pace through the long afternoon.

Warm-up Classification

1985 Australian Grand Prix Warm-up, 3 November 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:23.854	—
2	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	+0.263s	—
3	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	+0.370s	—
4	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	+0.936s	—
5	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	+1.063s	—
6	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	+1.330s	—
7	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	+1.726s	—
8	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	+1.780s	—
9	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	+1.950s	—
10	33	Alan Jones	Lola	+2.743s	—
11	25	Philippe Streiff	Ligier	+2.863s	—
12	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	+2.883s	—
13	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	+2.940s	—
14	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	+2.960s	—
15	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	No time	—
16	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	+3.176s	—
17	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	+3.250s	—
18	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	+3.433s	—
19	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	+3.460s	—
20	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	No time	—
21	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	+3.633s	—
22	4	Ivan Capelli	Tyrrell	+4.710s	—
23	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	+5.013s	—
24	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+5.776s	—
25	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	+10.433s	—

What happened in the 1985 Australian Grand Prix?

Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna disputed the lead on the opening lap, but contact damaged the Williams and allowed Keke Rosberg through. Alan Jones stalled before charging back into contention, only to retire with electrical trouble. Alain Prost also went out with engine failure.

Ayrton Senna damaged his front wing against Keke Rosberg as the Williams slowed to pit, then lost further time before replacing it. The sequence of stops briefly put Niki Lauda in front, but failing brakes ended his farewell drive in the barriers. Ayrton Senna’s engine then failed, leaving Keke Rosberg with enough room to make a further tyre stop.

Keke Rosberg took his fifth and final Grand Prix victory. Behind him, Philippe Streiff damaged his suspension while challenging team-mate Jacques Laffite, but limped home third behind the other Ligier. Ivan Capelli finished fourth, followed by Stefan Johansson and Gerhard Berger. McLaren retained the constructors’ championship despite neither of its cars finishing.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 73 points, followed by Michele Alboreto on 53. McLaren – TAG led the constructors’ table on 90, with Ferrari on 82.

1985 Australian Grand Prix race results

The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was held on 3 November 1985.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	82	2:00:40.473	9
2	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	82	+ 43.130	6
3	25	Philippe Streiff	Ligier	82	+ 1:28.536	4
4	4	Ivan Capelli	Tyrrell	81	+ 1 lap	3
5	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	81	+ 1 lap	2
6	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	81	+ 1 lap	1
7	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	78	+ 4 laps	0
8	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	78	+ 4 laps	0
Ret	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	62	Engine	0
Ret	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	61	Transmission	0
Ret	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	57	Brakes	0
Ret	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	57	Transmission	0
NC	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	49	+ 33 laps	0
Ret	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	42	Engine	0
Ret	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	42	Exhaust	0
Ret	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	40	Engine	0
Ret	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	37	Oil Leak	0
Ret	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	28	Clutch	0
Ret	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	26	Engine	0
Ret	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	20	Transmission	0
Ret	33	Alan Jones	Lola	20	Electrical	0
DSQ	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	18	Illegal start	0
Ret	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	14	Fire	0
Ret	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	5	Engine	0
Ret	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1	Transmission	0

1985 Australian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	57	1:23.758
2	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	37	1:24.140
3	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	74	1:24.337
4	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	54	1:24.498
5	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	57	1:24.642
6	25	Philippe Streiff	Ligier	62	1:25.032
7	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	26	1:25.388
8	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	41	1:25.469
9	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	24	1:25.751
10	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	74	1:26.216
11	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	56	1:26.313
12	4	Ivan Capelli	Tyrrell	47	1:26.497
13	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	14	1:26.668
14	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	20	1:26.819
15	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	8	1:27.155
16	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	25	1:27.223
17	33	Alan Jones	Lola	6	1:27.504
18	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	5	1:27.744
19	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	52	1:28.366
20	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	30	1:28.535
21	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	8	1:28.675
22	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	6	1:28.809
23	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	52	1:28.942
24	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1	2:23.614

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1985 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1985 Australian Grand Prix.

1985 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	McLaren	73
2	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Ferrari	53
3	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	Williams	40
4	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	Lotus	38
5	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Lotus	33
6	Nigel Mansell	British	Williams	31
7	Stefan Johansson	Swedish	Tyrrell / Ferrari	26
8	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Brabham	21
9	Jacques Laffite	French	Ligier	16
10	Niki Lauda	Austrian	McLaren	14
11	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Arrows	11
12	Patrick Tambay	French	Renault	11
13	Marc Surer	Swiss	Brabham	5
14	Derek Warwick	British	Renault	5
15	Philippe Streiff	French	Ligier / Tyrrell	4
16	Stefan Bellof	German	Tyrrell	4
17	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Ligier	3
18	Ivan Capelli	Italian	Tyrrell	3
19	René Arnoux	French	Ferrari	3
20	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Arrows	3
–	Martin Brundle	British	Tyrrell	0
–	Huub Rothengatter	Dutch	Osella	0
–	John Watson	British	McLaren	0
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Eddie Cheever	American	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Italian	Osella / Toleman	0
–	Philippe Alliot	French	RAM	0
–	Jonathan Palmer	British	Zakspeed	0
–	Manfred Winkelhock	German	RAM	0
–	Teo Fabi	Italian	Toleman	0
–	Christian Danner	German	Zakspeed	0
–	Kenny Acheson	British	RAM	0
–	Mauro Baldi	Italian	Spirit	0
–	Alan Jones	Australian	Lola	0
–	François Hesnault	French	Brabham / Renault	0

1985 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren – TAG	90
2	Ferrari	82
3	Williams – Honda	71
4	Lotus – Renault	71
5	Brabham – BMW	26
6	Ligier – Renault	23
7	Renault	16
8	Arrows – BMW	14
9	Tyrrell – Ford	4
10	Tyrrell – Renault	3
—	Osella – Alfa Romeo	0
—	Minardi – Motori Moderni	0
—	Alfa Romeo	0
—	RAM – Hart	0
—	Zakspeed	0
—	Toleman – Hart	0
—	Minardi – Ford	0
—	Spirit – Hart	0
—	Lola – Hart	0

Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.

1985 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1985 Brazilian Grand Prix	Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro	7 April
2	1985 Portuguese Grand Prix	Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril	21 April
3	1985 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola	5 May
4	1985 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	19 May
5	1985 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	16 June
6	1985 Detroit Grand Prix	Detroit Street Circuit, Detroit, Michigan	23 June
7	1985 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	7 July
8	1985 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	21 July
9	1985 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	4 August
10	1985 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	18 August
11	1985 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	25 August
12	1985 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	8 September
13	1985 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	15 September
14	1985 European Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown	6 October
15	1985 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	19 October
16	1985 Australian Grand Prix	Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide	3 November