1984 European Grand Prix
Race 15 of 16 in the 1984 Formula One World Championship
Race details
Date	7 October 1984
Official name	XXXVI Großer Preis von Europa
Location	Nürburgring Nürburg, West Germany
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	4.542 km (2.822 miles)
Distance	67 laps, 304.314 km (189.091 miles)
Weather	Sunny
Pole position
Driver	Nelson Piquet	Brabham- BMW
Time	1:18.871
Fastest lap
Drivers	Nelson Piquet (lap 62)	Brabham- BMW
Fastest lap	Michele Alboreto (lap 62)	Ferrari
Time	1:23.146
Podium
First	Alain Prost	McLaren- TAG
Second	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari
Third	Nelson Piquet	Brabham- BMW
Lap leaders

The 1984 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 7 October 1984. It was the fifteenth race of the 1984 Formula One World Championship. It was also the first Formula One race to be held at the Nürburgring since 1976, and the first to be run on the new 4.54 km (2.82 mi) GP-Strecke circuit, rather than the historic 20.892 km (12.982 mi) Nordschleife, which after new pit facilities and layout modifications had been shortened so that both circuits could be used at the same time.

The 67-lap race was won by Frenchman Alain Prost, driving a McLaren- TAG. Italian Michele Alboreto finished second in a Ferrari, with Brazilian Nelson Piquet third in a Brabham- BMW, having started from pole position.

Prost's Austrian teammate Niki Lauda, who nearly lost his life in the last F1 race at the Nürburgring in 1976, finished fourth. With the reallocation of the disqualified Tyrrell team's points two days after the race and Prost thus gaining an extra point, Lauda's lead in the Drivers' Championship was reduced to 3.5 points with one race remaining.

Report

During the race morning warm-up session, Alain Prost spun his McLaren- TAG and hit a course car parked at the side of the circuit.

Young Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna triggered a first corner accident which took out the cars of Keke Rosberg, Marc Surer, Gerhard Berger, and Piercarlo Ghinzani. Senna's Toleman (which had started 12th) had run into the back of Rosberg's Williams under braking at the end of the main straight which caused the accident. Rosberg had started fourth (after blowing his Honda engine coming out of the final corner of his qualifying lap), but was slow off the line as his engine had suddenly developed a misfire.

After qualifying second on the grid, Alain Prost won the race in his McLaren from the Ferrari of Michele Alboreto and the Brabham- BMW of defending World Champion Nelson Piquet, with both the Ferrari and Brabham running out of fuel as they crossed the finish line. When they got out of their cars which stopped at the pit exit, Alboreto and Piquet raised their arms to each other in a gesture of frustration at FISA's 220 litre fuel limit for turbos which had reduced races to economy runs.

Niki Lauda, who had almost lost his life in a fiery crash during the 1976 German GP, started 15th and finished 4th in his McLaren. In stark contrast to the lack of safety of the Nordschleife, Lauda gave the new GP-Strecke the thumbs up as a very safe Grand Prix circuit, saying that it was "the perfect place to hold a Grand Prix".

Classification

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2	Gap
1	1	Nelson Piquet	Brabham- BMW	1:18.871	1:43.988
2	7	Alain Prost	McLaren- TAG	1:19.175	1:40.693	+0.304
3	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	1:19.499	no time	+0.628
4	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams- Honda	1:20.652	1:43.619	+1.781
5	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	1:20.910	1:41.878	+2.039
6	28	René Arnoux	Ferrari	1:21.180	1:42.457	+2.309
7	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	1:21.571	1:44.289	+2.700
8	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus- Renault	1:21.710	1:40.705	+2.839
9	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	1:21.937	1:41.724	+3.066
10	2	Teo Fabi	Brabham- BMW	1:22.206	1:45.075	+3.335
11	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows- BMW	1:22.248	1:44.642	+3.377
12	19	Ayrton Senna	Toleman- Hart	1:22.439	1:43.747	+3.568
13	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	1:22.525	1:41.285	+3.654
14	5	Jacques Laffite	Williams- Honda	1:22.613	no time	+3.742
15	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren- TAG	1:22.643	1:40.392	+3.772
16	17	Marc Surer	Arrows- BMW	1:22.708	1:45.319	+3.837
17	26	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier- Renault	1:23.034	1:42.362	+4.163
18	31	Gerhard Berger	ATS- BMW	1:23.116	1:44.899	+4.245
19	25	François Hesnault	Ligier- Renault	1:23.322	1:44.420	+4.451
20	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella- Alfa Romeo	1:24.699	1:42.746	+5.828
21	10	Jonathan Palmer	RAM- Hart	1:25.050	1:51.449	+6.179
22	30	Jo Gartner	Osella- Alfa Romeo	1:26.156	1:48.214	+7.285
23	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus- Renault	1:26.161	1:39.762	+7.290
24	21	Mauro Baldi	Spirit- Hart	1:28.137	1:45.814	+9.266
25	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM- Hart	1:30.259	1:53.587	+11.388
26	20	Stefan Johansson	Toleman- Hart	1:41.178	1:43.881	+22.307
Source: [1] [2] [3]

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	7	Alain Prost	McLaren- TAG	67	1:35:13.284	2	9
2	27	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	67	+ 23.911	5	6
3	1	Nelson Piquet	Brabham- BMW	67	+ 24.922	1	4
4	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren- TAG	67	+ 43.086	15	3
5	28	René Arnoux	Ferrari	67	+ 1:01.430	6	2
6	22	Riccardo Patrese	Alfa Romeo	66	+ 1 Lap	9	1
7	26	Andrea de Cesaris	Ligier- Renault	65	+ 2 Laps	17
8	21	Mauro Baldi	Spirit- Hart	65	+ 2 Laps	24
9	18	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows- BMW	64	Ignition	11
10	25	François Hesnault	Ligier- Renault	64	+ 3 Laps	19
11	16	Derek Warwick	Renault	61	Overheating	7
Ret	30	Jo Gartner	Osella- Alfa Romeo	60	Fuel System	22
Ret	2	Teo Fabi	Brabham- BMW	57	Gearbox	10
Ret	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus- Renault	51	Engine	8
Ret	15	Patrick Tambay	Renault	47	Fuel System	3
Ret	23	Eddie Cheever	Alfa Romeo	37	Fuel System	13
Ret	9	Philippe Alliot	RAM- Hart	37	Turbo	25
Ret	10	Jonathan Palmer	RAM- Hart	35	Turbo	21
Ret	5	Jacques Laffite	Williams- Honda	27	Engine	14
Ret	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus- Renault	25	Turbo	23
Ret	20	Stefan Johansson	Toleman- Hart	17	Overheating	26
Ret	6	Keke Rosberg	Williams- Honda	0	Collision	4
Ret	19	Ayrton Senna	Toleman- Hart	0	Collision	12
Ret	17	Marc Surer	Arrows- BMW	0	Collision	16
Ret	31	Gerhard Berger	ATS- BMW	0	Collision	18
Ret	24	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella- Alfa Romeo	0	Collision	20
Source: [4]

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Niki Lauda 66 2 Alain Prost 62.5 3 Elio de Angelis 32 4 Nelson Piquet 28 5 Michele Alboreto 27.5 Source: [5]

Constructors' Championship standings Pos Constructor Points 1 McLaren- TAG 128.5 2 Ferrari 54.5 3 Lotus- Renault 45 4 Brabham- BMW 37 5 Renault 34 Source: [5]

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Points adjusted in accordance with FISA's decision on 9 October 1984 to reallocate Tyrrell's points. Prost's extra point comes from his promotion from fifth to fourth in the Detroit Grand Prix.

References