The 1984 FIA Formula One World Championship began on 25 March and concluded on 21 October, over 16 race weekends.
Season
The championship is remembered for one of the closest title battles in Formula One history, fought between McLaren teammates Alain Prost and Niki Lauda. Prost won seven races during the season, equalling the long-standing record set by Jim Clark in 1963, while Lauda secured five victories. Despite Prost’s higher win tally, the championship ultimately went to Lauda, who finished the season ahead by just half a point, the smallest margin ever recorded in F1 history.
Lauda’s triumph marked the third World Drivers’ Championship of his career and his first title since 1977. The victory also broke the record for the longest gap between championships, surpassing the six-year interval achieved by Jack Brabham before his 1966 title. Meanwhile, the defending World Champion Nelson Piquet endured a more difficult campaign and finished fifth in the final standings.
The season also marked the Formula One debut of Ayrton Senna, who would go on to become a three-time World Champion and one of the sport’s most influential drivers.
Before the season began, many expected Brabham, Renault, and Ferrari to be the leading teams. Instead, McLaren emerged as the dominant force throughout the championship. The team’s success was driven by a combination of factors: the strong driver pairing of Prost and Lauda, the advanced aerodynamics of the John Barnard-designed MP4/2, and the efficiency of the TAG-Porsche engines, which were particularly effective under the era’s strict fuel economy limits. McLaren won twelve of the sixteen races during the season and secured the Constructors’ Championship by a record margin, claiming the team’s first title since 1974.
Looking back historically, the 1984 season holds several unique distinctions. As of 2026, it remains the most recent Formula One World Championship won by an Austrian driver, following Lauda’s success. It is also the last season in which the Drivers’ Champion failed to score a pole position during the year, a feat previously achieved only by Denny Hulme in 1967.
The season was also notable for tyre competition within the sport. Three different tyre manufacturers competed during the championship, making it the last Formula One season to feature three tyre suppliers simultaneously. Additionally, the year marked Michelin’s final involvement in Formula One for nearly two decades, as the company withdrew from the sport at the end of the season before eventually returning in 2001.
1984 Formula 1 Race Calendar
1984 Formula 1 Race Results
1984 Formula 1 Standings
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niki Lauda | AUT | McLaren TAG | 72 |
| 2 | Alain Prost | FRA | McLaren TAG | 71.5 |
| 3 | Elio de Angelis | ITA | Lotus Renault | 34 |
| 4 | Michele Alboreto | ITA | Ferrari | 30.5 |
| 5 | Nelson Piquet | BRA | Brabham BMW | 29 |
| 6 | Rene Arnoux | FRA | Ferrari | 27 |
| 7 | Derek Warwick | GBR | Renault | 23 |
| 8 | Keke Rosberg | FIN | Williams Honda | 20.5 |
| 9 | Ayrton Senna | BRA | Toleman Hart | 13 |
| 10 | Nigel Mansell | GBR | Lotus Renault | 13 |
| 11 | Patrick Tambay | FRA | Renault | 11 |
| 12 | Teo Fabi | ITA | Brabham BMW | 9 |
| 13 | Riccardo Patrese | ITA | Alfa Romeo | 8 |
| 14 | Jacques Laffite | FRA | Williams Honda | 5 |
| 15 | Thierry Boutsen | BEL | Arrows BMW | 5 |
| 16 | Eddie Cheever | USA | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 17 | Stefan Johansson | SWE | Toleman Hart | 3 |
| 18 | Andrea de Cesaris | ITA | Ligier Renault | 3 |
| 19 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | ITA | Osella Alfa Romeo | 2 |
| 20 | Marc Surer | SUI | Arrows BMW | 1 |
Team standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren TAG | 143.5 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 57.5 |
| 3 | Lotus Renault | 47 |
| 4 | Brabham BMW | 38 |
| 5 | Renault | 34 |
| 6 | Williams Honda | 25.5 |
| 7 | Toleman Hart | 16 |
| 8 | Alfa Romeo | 11 |
| 9 | Arrows BMW | 3 |
| 10 | Ligier Renault | 3 |
| 11 | Arrows Ford | 3 |
| 12 | Osella Alfa Romeo | 2 |
