1985 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Alain Prost began the 1985 F1 World Championship with victory in Brazil, making McLaren’s race pace count after Ferrari and Lotus had starred in qualifying. Michele Alboreto finished second, with Elio de Angelis completing the podium at Jacarepaguá.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari
Pole time	1:27.768
Fastest lap	Alain Prost	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:36.702 on lap 34
First	Alain Prost	McLaren
Second	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari
Third	Elio de Angelis	Lotus

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
5 April 1985	Practice 1	Morning; start unconfirmed
5 April 1985	Qualifying 1	Start time unconfirmed
6 April 1985	Practice 2	Morning; start unconfirmed
6 April 1985	Qualifying 2	Start time unconfirmed
7 April 1985	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
7 April 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

Niki Lauda began his title defence alongside Alain Prost, who had missed the previous championship by just half a point. Narrower rear wings changed the aerodynamic challenge, while Michelin’s withdrawal left Goodyear and Pirelli supplying the field. The race fuel limit remained 220 litres, with no refuelling permitted.

Race entries

Ayrton Senna joined de Elio de Angelis at Lotus, Nigel Mansell moved to Williams and Jacques Laffite returned to Ligier. François Francois Hesnault joined Nelson Piquet at Brabham, while Minardi made its debut with Pierluigi Martini. Toleman was absent without a tyre contract, but Stefan Johansson raced for Tyrrell in place of Stefan Bellof, whose contract dispute kept him out of the opener.

Friday Free Practice

Lotus immediately looked competitive as the new season began in intense heat. Most teams had brought new cars, and the revised rear-wing dimensions meant fresh work on aerodynamic balance. McLaren had changed tyre supplier, while Brabham’s preparations with Pirelli had concentrated heavily on race durability rather than outright qualifying speed.

Friday Qualifying

De Elio de Angelis set Friday’s fastest time at 1:28.081, with Ayrton Senna second and Michele Alboreto third. Lotus’s new pairing had made an impressive first competitive appearance together.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1985 Brazilian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 5 April 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:28.081	—
2	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:28.705	—
3	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:28.899	—
4	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:30.253	—
5	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:30.254	—
6	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:30.716	—
7	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	1:30.813	—
8	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:31.211	—
9	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:31.364	—
10	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:31.533	—
11	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:32.107	—
12	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:32.135	—
13	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:32.207	—
14	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:33.094	—
15	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	1:33.718	—
16	8	Francois Hesnault	Brabham	1:34.742	—
17	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:34.919	—
18	10	Philippe Alliot	RAM	1:35.726	—
19	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:36.225	—
20	9	Manfred Winkelhock	RAM	1:36.239	—
21	4	Stefan Johansson	Tyrrell	1:37.799	—
22	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:37.803	—
23	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:38.272	—
24	21	Mauro Baldi	Spirit	1:41.330	—
25	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:44.046	—

Saturday Free Practice

Keke Rosberg lost time to a blown turbo on Saturday morning, but Williams recovered well enough to challenge at the front later in the day. McLaren struggled to make its engines work satisfactorily at high qualifying boost. Those problems left Alain Prost and Niki Lauda hoping their cars would be more convincing once race settings and tyre life became decisive.

Saturday Qualifying

Michele Alboreto took pole on Saturday with 1:27.768, narrowly ahead of Keke Rosberg. De Elio de Angelis retained third on his Friday time, with Ayrton Senna fourth and Nigel Mansell fifth. Alain Prost qualified sixth, leaving the eventual winner with work to do at the start.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1985 Brazilian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 6 April 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:27.768	—
2	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:27.864	—
3	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:28.389	—
4	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:28.848	—
5	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:29.117	—
6	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	1:29.612	—
7	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:29.855	—
8	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:29.984	—
9	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:30.100	—
10	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:30.516	—
11	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:30.953	—
12	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	1:31.411	—
13	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:31.790	—
14	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:32.021	—
15	9	Manfred Winkelhock	RAM	1:32.560	—
16	8	Francois Hesnault	Brabham	1:32.904	—
17	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:33.091	—
18	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:34.773	—
19	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:36.152	—
20	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:36.743	—
21	4	Stefan Johansson	Tyrrell	1:37.293	—
22	10	Philippe Alliot	RAM	1:37.409	—
23	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	20:00.480	—

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	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:28.899	1:27.768	1:27.768	—
2	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:32.135	1:27.864	1:27.864	—
3	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:28.081	20:00.480	1:28.081	—
4	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:28.705	1:28.389	1:28.389	—
5	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:31.211	1:28.848	1:28.848	—
6	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:30.253	1:29.117	1:29.117	—
7	28	René Arnoux	Ferrari	1:30.813	1:29.612	1:29.612	—
8	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:31.364	1:29.855	1:29.855	—
9	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:30.716	1:29.984	1:29.984	—
10	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:31.533	1:30.100	1:30.100	—
11	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:30.254	1:30.516	1:30.254	—
12	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:32.207	1:30.953	1:30.953	—
13	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	1:33.718	1:31.411	1:31.411	—
14	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:32.107	1:31.790	1:31.790	—
15	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:37.803	1:32.021	1:32.021	—
16	9	Manfred Winkelhock	RAM	1:36.239	1:32.560	1:32.560	—
17	8	François Hesnault	Brabham	1:34.742	1:32.904	1:32.904	—
18	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:33.094	1:33.091	1:33.091	—
19	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:34.919	1:34.773	1:34.773	—
20	10	Philippe Alliot	RAM	1:35.726	1:37.409	1:35.726	—
21	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:36.225	1:36.152	1:36.152	—
22	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:38.272	1:36.743	1:36.743	—
23	4	Stefan Johansson	Tyrrell	1:37.799	1:37.293	1:37.293	—
24	21	Mauro Baldi	Spirit	1:41.330		1:41.330	—
25	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:44.046		1:44.046	—

Sunday warm-up

Alain Prost led the warm-up ahead of Michele Alboreto and Niki Lauda, confirming that McLaren’s race pace was stronger than its grid positions suggested. There was still last-minute work elsewhere: de Elio de Angelis changed engines and Gerhard Berger switched to the spare Arrows after a fire. The heat and abrasive surface made tyre preservation a major concern for the afternoon.

Warm-up Classification

1985 Brazilian Grand Prix Warm-up, 7 April 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:36.481	—
2	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	+0.356s	—
3	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	+0.570s	—
4	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	+0.756s	—
5	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	+1.233s	—
6	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	+1.583s	—
7	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	+1.686s	—
8	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	+1.713s	—
9	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	+2.126s	—
10	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	+2.360s	—
11	8	Francois Hesnault	Brabham	+2.670s	—
12	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	+3.353s	—
13	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	+3.796s	—
14	10	Philippe Alliot	RAM	+4.346s	—
15	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	+4.536s	—
16	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	+4.683s	—
17	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	+5.143s	—
18	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	+5.393s	—
19	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	+5.583s	—
20	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	+6.333s	—
21	4	Stefan Johansson	Tyrrell	+6.423s	—
22	9	Manfred Winkelhock	RAM	+7.160s	—
23	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+8.476s	—
24	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	+8.546s	—
25	21	Mauro Baldi	Spirit	+12.836s	—

What happened in the 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Keke Rosberg led away, while Nigel Mansell’s contact with Michele Alboreto sent the other Williams off at the first corner. Keke Rosberg later retired with turbo trouble, leaving Michele Alboreto ahead of Alain Prost. The McLaren driver stayed close before passing the Ferrari and establishing control.

Niki Lauda moved forward before electronic trouble ended his challenge. Ayrton Senna was heading for a podium on his Lotus debut until an ignition failure stopped him late in the race, promoting de Elio de Angelis to third. Alain Prost and Michele Alboreto remained comfortably clear of the rest.

Alain Prost won the opener, with Michele Alboreto second and de Elio de Angelis a lap down in third. Rene Arnoux recovered to fourth, followed by Patrick Tambay and Jacques Laffite. Stefan Johansson finished seventh in his one-off Tyrrell appearance, just outside the points.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 9 points, followed by Michele Alboreto on 6. McLaren – TAG led the constructors’ table on 9, with Ferrari on 9.

1985 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 7 April 1985.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	61	1:41:26.115	9
2	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	61	+ 3.259	6
3	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	60	+ 1 Lap	4
4	28	René Arnoux	Ferrari	59	+ 2 Laps	3
5	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	59	+ 2 Laps	2
6	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	59	+ 2 Laps	1
7	4	Stefan Johansson	Tyrrell	58	+ 3 Laps	0
8	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	58	+ 3 Laps	0
9	10	Philippe Alliot	RAM	58	+ 3 Laps	0
10	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	57	+ 4 Laps	0
11	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	57	+ 4 Laps	0
12	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	57	+ 4 Laps	0
13	9	Manfred Winkelhock	RAM	57	+ 4 Laps	0
Ret	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	51	Suspension	0
Ret	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	48	Electrical	0
Ret	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	42	Engine	0
Ret	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	41	Engine	0
Ret	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	27	Fuel System	0
Ret	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	26	Accident	0
Ret	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	20	Puncture	0
Ret	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	10	Turbo	0
Ret	8	François Hesnault	Brabham	9	Accident	0
Ret	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	8	Exhaust	0
Ret	21	Mauro Baldi	Spirit	7	Turbo	0
Ret	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	2	Transmission	0

1985 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	34	1:36.702
2	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	37	1:36.925
3	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	15	1:38.098
4	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	39	1:38.349
5	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	32	1:38.440
6	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	2	1:38.678
7	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	31	1:39.080
8	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	32	1:39.715
9	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	2	1:39.996
10	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	7	1:40.008
11	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	49	1:40.459
12	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	2	1:40.558
13	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	24	1:40.572
14	8	Francois Hesnault	Brabham	5	1:41.151
15	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	30	1:41.809
16	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	2	1:41.812
17	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	24	1:41.855
18	4	Stefan Johansson	Tyrrell	36	1:41.926
19	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	43	1:42.234
20	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	39	1:42.588
21	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	17	1:42.606
22	10	Philippe Alliot	RAM	23	1:43.115
23	9	Manfred Winkelhock	RAM	8	1:44.236
24	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	27	1:45.662
25	21	Mauro Baldi	Spirit	2	1:47.046

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 Brazilian Grand Prix.

1985 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	McLaren	9
2	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Ferrari	6
3	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Lotus	4
4	René Arnoux	French	Ferrari	3
5	Patrick Tambay	French	Renault	2
6	Jacques Laffite	French	Ligier	1
–	Stefan Johansson	Swedish	Tyrrell	0
–	Martin Brundle	British	Tyrrell	0
–	Philippe Alliot	French	RAM	0
–	Derek Warwick	British	Renault	0
–	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Arrows	0
–	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Italian	Osella	0
–	Manfred Winkelhock	German	RAM	0
–	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Arrows	0
–	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	Lotus	0
–	Eddie Cheever	American	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Niki Lauda	Austrian	McLaren	0
–	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Ligier	0
–	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	Williams	0
–	François Hesnault	French	Brabham	0
–	Nigel Mansell	British	Williams	0
–	Mauro Baldi	Italian	Spirit	0
–	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Brabham	0

1985 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren – TAG	9
2	Ferrari	9
3	Lotus – Renault	4
4	Renault	2
5	Ligier – Renault	1
—	Tyrrell – Ford	0
—	RAM – Hart	0
—	Arrows – BMW	0
—	Osella – Alfa Romeo	0
—	Alfa Romeo	0
—	Minardi – Ford	0
—	Williams – Honda	0
—	Brabham – BMW	0
—	Spirit – 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