1985 Dutch Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Niki Lauda held off Alain Prost to take his 25th and final Grand Prix victory at Zandvoort in 1985. Just 0.232 seconds separated the McLarens at the finish, with Ayrton Senna third after another closely fought contest with Michele Alboreto.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Nelson Piquet	Brabham
Pole time	1:11.074
Fastest lap	Alain Prost	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:16.538 on lap 57
First	Niki Lauda	McLaren
Second	Alain Prost	McLaren
Third	Ayrton Senna	Lotus

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
23 August 1985	Practice 1	Morning; start unconfirmed
23 August 1985	Qualifying 1	Start time unconfirmed
24 August 1985	Practice 2	Morning; start unconfirmed
24 August 1985	Qualifying 2	Start time unconfirmed
25 August 1985	Warm-up	12:00–12:30
25 August 1985	Race	15:00

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 11 leading the 1985 F1 World Championship on 50 points, with Michele Alboreto on 50. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 72 points.

Race entries

Tyrrell now had Renault-powered cars for both Martin Brundle and Stefan Bellof, ending its use of the Cosworth chassis. Piercarlo Ghinzani continued in the second Toleman, so 27 drivers competed for 26 places. De Andrea de Cesaris remained at Ligier for what would be his final race with the team.

Friday Free Practice

Warm sunshine and a strong tailwind greeted Friday morning running. Alain Prost and Niki Lauda were already quicker than the previous year’s pole time as teams explored the circuit’s grip. Kenny Acheson had a much less productive session when his RAM’s engine failed, leaving him dependent on Philippe Alliot’s car for qualifying.

Friday Qualifying

Nelson Piquet took provisional pole on Friday with 1:11.074, ahead of Keke Rosberg and Alain Prost. Kenny Acheson had only a brief opportunity in Philippe Alliot’s repaired RAM and was left twenty-seventh. Niki Lauda qualified tenth, with a substantial recovery required on race day.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1985 Dutch Grand Prix first qualifying session, 23 August 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:11.074	—
2	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:11.647	—
3	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:11.801	—
4	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:11.837	—
5	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	1:12.310	—
6	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:12.486	—
7	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:12.614	—
8	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:12.746	—
9	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	1:12.856	—
10	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:13.059	—
11	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:13.078	—
12	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:13.289	—
13	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:13.435	—
14	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:13.680	—
15	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	1:13.705	—
16	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:13.725	—
17	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:13.768	—
18	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	1:13.797	—
19	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:14.240	—
20	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:14.912	—
21	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:14.920	—
22	4	Stefan Bellof	Tyrrell	1:15.236	—
23	30	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:16.257	—
24	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:17.919	—
25	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM	1:18.525	—
26	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	1:19.410	—
27	10	Kenny Acheson	RAM	1:20.429	—

Saturday Free Practice

Saturday brought persistent rain and a completely different task. Dry grid times were out of reach, so the teams used the available running to prepare for the possibility of a wet race. Brief signs of improvement in the weather came to nothing, leaving Friday’s preparations to carry much of the burden for Sunday.

Saturday Qualifying

Rain prevented any improvement on Saturday. Jacques Laffite was quickest in the wet session, but Nelson Piquet retained pole and Kenny Acheson remained outside the grid. The championship contenders faced a dry race with relatively limited preparation in those conditions.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1985 Dutch Grand Prix second qualifying session, 24 August 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:28.393	—
2	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:29.507	—
3	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:30.123	—
4	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:32.003	—
5	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:32.544	—
6	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:32.572	—
7	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:32.740	—
8	30	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:34.316	—
9	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	1:34.638	—
10	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:34.857	—
11	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM	1:36.270	—
12	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	1:38.149	—
13	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:38.227	—

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	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:11.074		1:11.074	—
2	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:11.647		1:11.647	—
3	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	1:11.801	1:29.507	1:11.801	—
4	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	1:11.837		1:11.837	—
5	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	1:12.310		1:12.310	—
6	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:12.486		1:12.486	—
7	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	1:12.614	1:32.740	1:12.614	—
8	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:12.746		1:12.746	—
9	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	1:12.856		1:12.856	—
10	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:13.059		1:13.059	—
11	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:13.078	1:30.123	1:13.078	—
12	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:13.289		1:13.289	—
13	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:13.435	1:28.393	1:13.435	—
14	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	1:13.680	1:34.857	1:13.680	—
15	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	1:13.705		1:13.705	—
16	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:13.725		1:13.725	—
17	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	1:13.768	1:32.544	1:13.768	—
18	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	1:13.797	1:34.638	1:13.797	—
19	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:14.240		1:14.240	—
20	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:14.912	1:32.572	1:14.912	—
21	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	1:14.920	1:32.003	1:14.920	—
22	4	Stefan Bellof	Tyrrell	1:15.236		1:15.236	—
23	30	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	1:16.257	1:34.316	1:16.257	—
24	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1:17.919	1:38.227	1:17.919	—
25	10	Philippe Alliot	RAM	1:20.429	1:36.270	1:20.429	—
26	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	1:19.410	1:38.149	1:19.410	—
DNQ	9	Kenny Acheson	RAM	1:18.525	1:36.270	1:18.525	—

Sunday warm-up

Noise restrictions meant the warm-up ran at midday. Patrick Tambay suffered a huge accident after a suspension failure on the straight, escaping injury but needing the spare Renault. Niki Lauda narrowly led Alain Prost in the times, giving McLaren a strong indication of its race pace before the afternoon start.

Warm-up Classification

1985 Dutch Grand Prix Warm-up, 25 August 1985

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:17.172	—
2	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	+0.076s	—
3	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	+0.390s	—
4	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	+0.440s	—
5	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	+0.473s	—
6	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	+0.570s	—
7	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	+0.823s	—
8	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	+1.213s	—
9	4	Stefan Bellof	Tyrrell	+1.930s	—
10	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	+1.990s	—
11	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	+2.030s	—
12	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	No time	—
13	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	+2.236s	—
14	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	+2.390s	—
15	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	+2.453s	—
16	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	+2.503s	—
17	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM	+2.700s	—
18	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	+2.723s	—
19	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	+2.750s	—
20	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	+2.756s	—
21	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	+2.960s	—
22	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	No time	—
23	30	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	+3.030s	—
24	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	+4.240s	—
25	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	+7.230s	—
26	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	+14.843s	—

What happened in the 1985 Dutch Grand Prix?

Nelson Piquet stalled at the start, leaving Keke Rosberg to lead Ayrton Senna and the McLarens. Keke Rosberg later retired with engine trouble, while Niki Lauda’s early tyre stop proved effective. Alain Prost’s own stop was delayed by a wheel nut, handing his team-mate an advantage.

Alain Prost passed Ayrton Senna and steadily closed on Niki Lauda. The two McLarens fought over the closing laps, but Niki Lauda placed his car precisely and gave Alain Prost no clean route through. Behind them, Michele Alboreto pressed Ayrton Senna just as hard for third.

Niki Lauda won by 0.232 seconds, with Ayrton Senna narrowly holding off Michele Alboreto for the final podium place. De Elio de Angelis finished fifth and Nigel Mansell sixth. Alain Prost moved ahead in the championship, while Niki Lauda celebrated his last victory and Zandvoort hosted its final Grand Prix until 2021.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 56 points, followed by Michele Alboreto on 53. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 75, with McLaren – TAG on 70.

1985 Dutch Grand Prix race results

The 1985 Dutch Grand Prix was held on 25 August 1985, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	70	1:32:29.263	9
2	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	70	+ 0.232	6
3	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	70	+ 48.491	4
4	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	70	+ 48.837	3
5	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	69	+ 1 lap	2
6	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	69	+ 1 lap	1
7	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	69	+ 1 lap	0
8	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	69	+ 1 lap	0
9	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	68	+ 2 laps	0
10	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	65	Exhaust	0
NC	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	56	+ 14 laps	0
Ret	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	54	Suspension	0
Ret	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM	52	Engine	0
Ret	4	Stefan Bellof	Tyrrell	39	Engine	0
Ret	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	27	Gearbox	0
Ret	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	25	Turbo	0
Ret	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	22	Transmission	0
Ret	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	20	Engine	0
Ret	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	18	Wheel bearing	0
Ret	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	17	Electrical	0
Ret	30	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	13	Oil pressure	0
Ret	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	12	Engine	0
Ret	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	9	Engine	0
Ret	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1	Accident	0
Ret	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1	Turbo	0
Ret	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1	Turbo	0

1985 Dutch Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	2	Alain Prost	McLaren	57	1:16.538
2	1	Niki Lauda	McLaren	60	1:17.054
3	5	Nigel Mansell	Williams	44	1:17.286
4	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	16	1:17.335
5	7	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	51	1:17.577
6	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	43	1:17.710
7	12	Ayrton Senna	Lotus	31	1:17.835
8	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	39	1:18.229
9	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	4	1:18.230
10	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams	3	1:18.369
11	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	47	1:18.730
12	4	Stefan Bellof	Tyrrell	31	1:18.878
13	19	Teo Fabi	Toleman	16	1:19.043
14	3	Martin Brundle	Tyrrell	47	1:19.259
15	17	Gerhard Berger	Arrows	45	1:19.294
16	28	Stefan Johansson	Ferrari	5	1:19.385
17	8	Marc Surer	Brabham	9	1:19.400
18	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	5	1:19.549
19	25	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier	14	1:19.980
20	30	Jonathan Palmer	Zakspeed	12	1:20.505
21	20	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Toleman	4	1:20.920
22	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM	19	1:20.928
23	24	Huub Rothengatter	Osella	51	1:23.102
24	29	Pierluigi Martini	Minardi	1	1:41.482
25	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1	1:50.408
26	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1	2:11.271

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 Dutch Grand Prix.

1985 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	McLaren	56
2	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Ferrari	53
3	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Lotus	30
4	Ayrton Senna	Brazilian	Lotus	19
5	Stefan Johansson	Swedish	Tyrrell / Ferrari	19
6	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	Williams	18
7	Niki Lauda	Austrian	McLaren	14
8	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Brabham	13
9	Patrick Tambay	French	Renault	11
10	Jacques Laffite	French	Ligier	10
11	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Arrows	9
12	Nigel Mansell	British	Williams	7
13	Stefan Bellof	German	Tyrrell	4
14	Derek Warwick	British	Renault	4
15	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Ligier	3
16	René Arnoux	French	Ferrari	3
17	Marc Surer	Swiss	Brabham	2
–	Martin Brundle	British	Tyrrell	0
–	Gerhard Berger	Austrian	Arrows	0
–	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Eddie Cheever	American	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Italian	Osella / Toleman	0
–	Huub Rothengatter	Dutch	Osella	0
–	Philippe Alliot	French	RAM	0
–	Pierluigi Martini	Italian	Minardi	0
–	Jonathan Palmer	British	Zakspeed	0
–	Manfred Winkelhock	German	RAM	0
–	Teo Fabi	Italian	Toleman	0
–	Kenny Acheson	British	RAM	0
–	Mauro Baldi	Italian	Spirit	0
–	François Hesnault	French	Brabham / Renault	0

1985 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	75
2	McLaren – TAG	70
3	Lotus – Renault	49
4	Williams – Honda	25
5	Brabham – BMW	15
6	Renault	15
7	Ligier – Renault	13
8	Arrows – BMW	9
9	Tyrrell – Ford	4
—	Tyrrell – Renault	0
—	Alfa Romeo	0
—	Osella – Alfa Romeo	0
—	RAM – Hart	0
—	Zakspeed	0
—	Minardi – Motori Moderni	0
—	Toleman – Hart	0
—	Minardi – Ford	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