Stefan Bellof- The Career

[tommykl]

I have learnt something today...

[Bleu]

I almost started writing optional story for you...it had some drama for Bellof and only sixth place.

ABout of his career, wasn't there rumours about joining Ferrari in 1986?

[DemocalypseNow]

I almost started writing optional story for you...it had some drama for Bellof and only sixth place.

ABout of his career, wasn't there rumours about joining Ferrari in 1986?

Enzo Ferrari had already offered him a drive not long before his Porsche accident...

[Phoenix]

Fantastic work, dude! But what's going on with McLaren?

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Fantastic work, dude! But what's going on with McLaren?

Simply bad luck I'm afraid. They have a good car, though it is a tad unreliable.

Monaco will be coming soon!

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Monaco- Quali

The qualifying session of the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix was, an exciting one. Despite setting the fastest time of the session, Stefan Bellof was demoted to the back of the grid after his Renault was found to be underweight. An outraged Renault management appealed, but backed down after Bellof himself intervened. But that wasn't the only stewards decision of the day. Mike Thackwell in the Tyrrell failed to set a time, but despite the complaints of the teams, was nevertheless allowed to start, and was given precedence over Bellof, the New Zealander will start second last. Alain Prost was finally on pole again, the first time since the first race in Brazil. But with rain expected to arrive on raceday, one could just guess what would happen on Sunday.

1) Alain Prost- 1:22.665 McLaren
2) Nigel Mansell- 1:22.890 Lotus
3) Patrick Tambay- 1:22.897 Renault
4) Andrea de Cesaris- 1:23.001 McLaren
5) Rene Arnoux- 1:23.024 Ferrari
6) Elio de Angelis- 1:23.125 Ferrari
7) Nelson Piquet- 1:23.222 Brabham
8) Stefan Johansson- 1:23.253 Brabham
9) Thierry Boutsen- 1:23.426 Lotus
10) Derek Warwick- 1:23.747 Williams
11) Martin Brundle- 1:23.882 Tyrrell
12) Riccardo Patrese- 1:24.000 Alfa Romeo
13) Jonathan Palmer- 1:24.012 Reynard
14) Allen Berg- 1:24.124 Alfa Romeo
15) Michele Alboreto- 1:24.516 Arrows
16) Jacques Laffite- 1:24.573 Williams
17) Phillipe Streiff- 1:24.623 Arrows
18) Ayrton Senna- 1:24.989 Toleman
19) Manfred Winkelhock- 1:25.013 ATS
20) Johnny Cecotto- 1:25.131 Toleman
21) Tommy Byrne- 1:25.222 Reynard
22) Ivan Capelli- 1:25.351 Ligier
23) Francois Hesnault- 1:25.444 Ligier
24) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 1:25.634 Osella
25) Phillipe Alliot- 1:25.984 Bandit
26) Mike Thackwell- NO TIME Tyrrell
27) Stefan Bellof- 1:22.469 (PENALTY)

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Monaco- Race

After cloudy weather on Saturday, the skies turned nasty on Sunday morning. The rain started pouring down during the warm-up, where an Ayrton Senna was fastest. Then there was a tremendous downpour which forced the drivers to be at their best. The town was drenched and instead of the rain easing down, it instead became heavier. For safety reasons, the Monaco officials announced that a 15 minute session would be held for the drivers to find a perfect setup for the rain. But this resulted in Phillipe Alliot clobbering his car into the wall at Tabac, and not long later, Piercarlo Ghinzani incinerated the Osella, leaving Ghinzani injured, and out of the race, even though it hadn't even started. Rene Arnoux also showed a slight lack of foresight after clipping the wall on the start/finish straight. Alliot started in the spare Bandit, while Osella closed shop and started rebuilding Ghinzani's car. And at the start, Prost, who had shown his vulnerability in the wet, was nearly overtaken by Mansell, who had qualified a brilliant second. But then at the first corner, Piquet spun, and Johansson collided with his teammate, who in turn was hit by Boutsen's Lotus. Derek Warwick suddenly had no place to go, but stopped before he could join the pile. Meanwhile, Bellof had by then overtaken Thackwell, Alliot, Hesnault and Capelli, with Thackwell following suit soon after. Prost was still first, but could not pull away from Mansell. Ayrton Senna had jumped up to 15th, but nearly came close to kissing the wall after messing up at Sainte Devote. By the end of lap 5, it was Prost, Mansell, de Cesaris, Arnoux, Brundle, Patrese.

Jonathan Palmer was running in the dizzying heights of seventh in his Reynard, but Allen Berg caught the dreaming Brit at Loews, and passed without hesitation. By lap 6, Bellof and Thackwell were now, however, caught behind Brazilian Ayrton Senna. Senna was lapping times equivalent to Bellof and Thackwell, and the three cars past Palmer on lap 8. With visibility pretty much 0, Senna was doing a superb job in the Toleman, but it was causing problems for people like Arnoux, who spun off at Nouvelle, stalling, and ending his race. Allen Berg had now been caught up by the three superstars, but the Canadian wasn't going to make overtaking easy. He swerved violently to prevent Senna from overtaking, prompting the Brazilian to show his former F3 colleague the finger, though he probably didn't see it. By lap 12, Mansell finally made it past Prost, who was struggling in the monsoon conditions. Martin Brundle in the Tyrrell was skilled, but maybe a little too inexperienced to get to grips with the terrible conditions, and experienced Riccardo Patrese overtook him to take 4th. A bit further back, a blinded Francois Hesnault rammed into the back of Phillipe Alliot, sending the two Frenchmen on a date with the barriers. With the damage confined to a run-off area, the race continued, but team managers and drivers alike were getting worried.

On lap 19, Berg finally made a mistake, giving Senna room. But instead of the Brazilian taking 6th, Bellof pounced, and stole the position from under his nose. A visibly frustrated Senna pushed the throttle too hard, and allowed Thackwell past as well, and Berg almost benefited as well. By lap 21, Mansell had a 16 second lead over Prost, but the Englishman wasted it when he slammed into the barriers at Casino, knocking of his rear and front wings, damaging his suspension, ending the race for him, and allowing Prost to retake the lead. Bellof, Thackwell and Senna were now catching up with Patrese, who was in turn catching Andrea de Cesaris in the McLaren. But "de Crasheris" did the work for Patrese, when the Italian spun and stalled at Rascasse. Back up front, Prost was by no means any faster, and Patrick Tambay in the Renault was slowly and silently catching up. Patrese was now third, but he was not fast enough to catch Tambay. Instead, the Alfa Romeo driver was being caught by Bellof, Thackwell and Senna, who were all lapping nearly a full second faster. On lap 25, Derek Warwick, who was desperately trying to catch up with the rest of the field after the excursion with the two Brabhams, collided with Capelli, who then spun twice before smashing into Tommy Byrne's Reynard. Manfred Winkelhock then retired when his car was effectively drowned. Murray Walker was expressing his amazement, with James Hunt equally ecstatic, but it was anything by "fun" for Prost, who now had Tambay on his tail.

By lap 27, the three "Youngsters Of The Future" had caught up with Patrese. Not wanting to cause any huge pileup, Patrese came to a complete halt at Nouvelle, so that the three men who were faster could carry out their battle without any excursion. Prost himself didn't want to get himself killed, and knowing Tambay was faster, let his countryman past on lap 30. Prost wanted, and needed championship points, but he could only get them if he was, err, alive, but if he let Bellof, Thackwell and Senna through, not only would he lose ground in the championship, but he would be embarrassed so to say in front of the Monaco crowd, and he would also be seen as a "coward". So on lap 35, when Bellof and the other two came about, Prost gave no mercy. Bellof decided he wouldn't push to overtake, but instead jump at certain positions at certain points of the track, to perhaps make Prost lose his footing. And it eventually worked, when after only 3 laps, Prost found himself going back first into Loews. Next was Renault teammate Patrick Tambay, but Tambay was a different type of fish altogether.

On lap 38, Alboreto spun off at Mirabeau, and almost simultaneously, Jacques Laffite collided with Jonathan Palmer. By now, the cars running on track were in order, Tambay, Bellof, Thackwell, Senna, Patrese, Berg, Brundle, Streiff and Cecotto. A total of 9 cars still running in what started as a 26 car race. Murray Walker was questioning the stewards' abilities, when he called it, "rather unorthodox to continue race in terrible conditions like this." Indeed, Jacky Ickx, who was once a rainmaster himself, was forced to make a decision. Stop the race now and award half points, stop the race when the 75% mark had been cleared, or just let the race finish. Clearly, the last option was out, but with Bellof, Thackwell and Senna catching Tambay at a tremendous rate, it would seem "too French" to stop the race now. Tambay probably needed the race stopped, but before he could signal his complaint to the pitwall, and spun and stalled at Loews. The Frenchman desperately tried to jumpstart the car, as his Renault was on the sloping side of the turn. But the French fans breathed a sigh of disappointment, when Bellof, then Thackwell and then Senna overtook the stranded Renault. Tambay eventually got his car running again, but a win was out of sight. While Ickx continued thinking and while everyone was still focused on what he would announce, Senna pulled off an impossible maneuver to overtake Thackwell for second. Thackwell was shocked, and Bellof was surprised to see that the green Tyrrell of Thackwell had disappeared, and instead, he saw the navy blue Toleman of Senna.

When the crowd and viewers all around the world realized what had happened, Brazil went ecstatic, and with Bellof unable to get away from the young Ayrton, Brazil, and indeed South America, were hoping that he would steal victory from Bellof. Then, just like in San Marino, lighting struck the timing system, erasing all trace of lap times, splits, and laps completed. People knew however, that they were on lap 43, still some distance away from the 75% mark. A few laps later, precisely lap 47, Ickx announced that the race would run until the end of lap 58, the 75% mark. This would give Senna the time to try a move on Bellof. Thackwell was still there in third however, and was only waiting for the Brazilian to mess up. And despite a few attacks from Senna on Bellof, and a few from Thackwell on Senna, the positions didn’t change in the last few laps, and it was Bellof from Senna and Thackwell. On the podium, Bellof was definitely delighted, being the first ever person to start from the back of the grid but win the race. Thackwell was looking “okay” with the result, but Senna was “pissed”, congratulating the two others, but thinking he deserved the victory.

1) Stefan Bellof Renault
2) Ayrton Senna Toleman
3) Mike Thackwell Tyrrell
4) Patrick Tambay Renault
5) Riccardo Patrese Alfa Romeo
6) Allen Berg Alfa Romeo
7) Martin Brundle Tyrrell
8) Phillipe Streiff Arrows
9) Johnny Cecotto Toleman
NC) Jacques Laffite Williams Collision
NC) Jonathan Palmer Reynard Collision
NC) Michele Alboreto Arrows Spun Off
NC) Alain Prost McLaren Spun Off
NC) Manfred Winkelhock ATS Electrical
NC) Ivan Capelli Ligier Collision
NC) Derek Warwick Williams Collsion
NC) Tommy Byrne Reynard Collision
NC) Elio de Angelis Ferrari Spun Off
NC) Andrea de Cesaris McLaren Spun Off
NC) Francois Hesnault Ligier Collision
NC) Phillipe Alliot Bandit Collision
NC) Nigel Mansell Lotus Accident
NC) Rene Arnoux Ferrari Spun Off
NC) Nelson Piquet Brabham Spun Off
NC) Thierry Boutsen Lotus Collision
NC) Stefan Johansson Brabham Collision
DNS) Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella Injury
*Times unavailable due to lightning strike.

1984 FIA Formula One World Drivers Championship Standings
1) Stefan Bellof- 48
2) Mike Thackwell- 21
3) Patrick Tambay- 18
4) Ayrton Senna- 11
5) Alain Prost- 9
6) Allen Berg- 6
7) Thierry Boutsen- 4
8) Elio de Angelis- 4
9) Rene Arnoux- 4
10) Stefan Johansson- 4
11) Andrea de Cesaris- 4
12) Nelson Piquet- 3
13) Derek Warwick- 3
14) Riccardo Patrese- 2
15) Martin Brundle- 2
16) Ivan Capelli- 2
17) Jacques Laffite- 1

1984 FIA Formula One World Constructors Championship Standings
1) Renault- 64
2) Tyrrell- 29
3) McLaren- 13
4) Toleman- 11
5) Ferrari- 8
6) Alfa Romeo- 8
7) Brabham- 7
8) Lotus- 4
9) Williams- 4
10) Ligier- 2

NEXT RACE: CANADA

[Phoenix]

Very entertaining read; you could feel the thrill in your head! But you messed up the standings of the championship a bit: you have Martin Brundle twice listed, and Derek Warwick, with 3 points, is behind drivers with 2 points. It should look like this:

12) Nelson Piquet - 3
13) Derek Warwick - 3
14) Martin Brundle - 2
(...)
16) Ivan Capelli - 2
17) Jacques Laffitte - 1

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Very entertaining read; you could feel the thrill in your head! But you messed up the standings of the championship a bit: you have Martin Brundle twice listed, and Derek Warwick, with 3 points, is behind drivers with 2 points. It should look like this:

12) Nelson Piquet - 3
13) Derek Warwick - 3
14) Martin Brundle - 2
(...)
16) Ivan Capelli - 2
17) Jacques Laffitte - 1

Fixed! Thanks!

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Canada- Quali

The Bandit team had withdrawn from the championship, after Skoal withdrew their funding. In this circuit where brute power is pretty much all that counts, both Arrows and Brabham arrived with the new BMW M13/1T V6T engine in their cars. After disappointing results in pretty much all the races prior to Montreal, the new engine gave both teams something to cheer about, with Nelson Piquet snatching pole, and Stefan Johansson coming 4th. Michele Alboreto sneaked into the top 10 with 9th, while his teammate Phillipe Streiff managed 13th. The Renault powered cars did far worse, with Stefan Bellof and Patrick Tambay in the works team only managing 5th and 8th respectively. Mike Thackwell and Martin Brundle in the Tyrrells managed 7th and 10th. Gerhard Berger starred in his McLaren with a second place in only his second Grand Prix in the top flight. We'll just have to see if he keeps it up. The Lotuses meanwhile could manage only 12th and 15th, Mansell beating Boutsen. Rene Arnoux had a terrible session, spinning several times, due to his ultra-low downforce setup. Despite having a speed advantage of nearly 20 km/h, the Frenchman could just not find the grip to keep the Ferrari on track. But the news of the weekend is probably Williams' withdrawal from the race, after Derek Warwick's rear wing failed at high speed, sending him smashing into the barriers. Frank Williams has announced that a whole new chassis, along with a new Honda V8T will be brought to Detroit.

1) Nelson Piquet- 1:25.456 Brabham
2) Gerhard Berger- 1:25.499 McLaren
3) Elio de Angelis- 1:25.780 Ferrari
4) Stefan Johansson- 1:25.894 Brabham
5) Stefan Bellof- 1:26.021 Renault
6) Alain Prost- 1:26.131 McLaren
7) Mike Thackwell- 1:26.222 Tyrrell
8) Patrick Tambay- 1:26.628 Renault
9) Michele Alboreto- 1:26.714 Arrows
10) Martin Brundle- 1:26.848 Tyrrell
11) Rene Arnoux- 1:26.913 Ferrari
12) Nigel Mansell- 1:27.005 Lotus
13) Phillipe Streiff- 1:27.311 Arrows
14) Rene Arnoux- 1:27.313 Ferrari
15) Thierry Boutsen- 1:27.462 Lotus
16) Ayrton Senna- 1:27.629 Toleman
17) Johnny Cecotto- 1:27.725 Toleman
18) Allen Berg- 1:27.782 Alfa Romeo
19) Tommy Byrne- 1:27.838 Reynard
20) Riccardo Patrese- 1:28.006 Alfa Romeo
21) Ivan Capelli- 1:28.215 Ligier
22) Jonathan Palmer- 1:28.526 Reynard
23) Manfred Winkelhock- 1:28.984 ATS
24) Francois Hesnault- 1:29.214 Ligier
25) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 1:29.526 Osella
--) Jacques Laffite- 1:26.814 Williams
--) Derek Warwick- NO TIME Williams

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Canada- Race

The field had moved over to North America, where it would escape the rainy forecast of Europe. Prior to the race, Stefan Bellof commented, "If I were to race using my normal setup, I would probably fail to win, so I will be racing using an ultra-low downforce setup." Many, including the reluctant Renault pitcrew, were questioning Bellof's decision, after Rene Arnoux had a nightmare qualifying session using the setup. However, Patrick Tambay, Bellof's teammate had this to say, "I mean no disrespect to Rene (Arnoux), but Stefan (Bellof) is an amazing pilot, and I believe he has what it takes to win, or at least challenge Nelson." And indeed, Tambay was correct in a sense. Piquet got off to a good start, holding off Berger in the McLaren. Johansson in the other Brabham meanwhile messed up, when he failed to switch gears correctly, dropping him behind Bellof. Alain Prost and Mike Thackwell had looked to benefit as well, but the Swede successfully defended his place, and at the end of lap 1, it was Piquet from Berger, de Angelis, Bellof, Johansson and Prost. On the Casino Straight, it was clear that Bellof had a huge speed advantage, and he easily passed de Angelis, only to misjudge his braking, allowing the Ferrari to retake third. Piquet and Berger meanwhile had pulled clear of the rest, and by the beginning of lap 3, they had a 9 second lead over de Angelis and Bellof, who still couldn't figure when and how to brake, the setup of the car meaning he couldn't do what he would normally do. And so after 7 mistimed brakes, Bellof finally got it right on lap 12, taking third from de Angelis. A bit further back, Alboreto had pounced on Tambay to take 8th.

The new BMW engine had clearly given Arrows and Brabham an advantage, which was clear as by lap 15, Piquet had pulled away from Berger, Johansson had caught up de Angelis, Alboreto had taken Thackwell by surprise, and Streiff had made it all the way to 8th. Newbie Berger was the next to face the supercar of Bellof, and instead of causing a hassle for the equally experienced Bellof, the Austrian pulled over. Next was Piquet, who had a 25 second lead, though Bellof soon cut that to 18 seconds after the next lap. By lap 26, the pitstops had begun, and crucially, Piquet had come in first, allowing Bellof through in the lead. Johansson snatched fourth from de Angelis thanks to a quick stop. Bellof continued leading for another 2 laps, before pitting. By this time, he had ammased a 11 second lead, which was not enough to come out ahead of Piquet. The German came out 3 seconds behind the Brazilian. By this time (lap 29), it was Piquet, Bellof, Berger, Johansson, de Angelis and Alboreto, who had took advantage of a slow stop for Prost. Further back, Manfred Winkelhock, driving the sole ATS car, had moved up to 18th, with a BMW engine badged as a, um, ATS, proved the advantage of the new engine. Johansson gave Berger no mercy, and pushed the Austrian onto the gravel as the Swede took third. Alboreto meanwhile had successfully passed de Angelis in the Ferrari. To the surprise of everyone, not a single car had retired, and to the delight of the BMW technicians, the new engine proved reliable, so far. By the end of lap 36, Bellof was still behind Piquet, who was convinced he only needed to block the Renault and not do anything else. Berger, in the "underpowered" McLaren, had dropped back to fifth as the BMW powered Arrows of Alboreto passed him.

But something had to be wrong with Berger's McLaren. This was the same car he had used to power himself to second on the grid, and it soon became apparent that either his turbocharger was malfunctioning, or he was just driving slow. It soon became obvious it was indeed a turbo problem, and the sad Austrian drove into the pit to retire. On lap 41, the threat of rain suddenly began to loom, as the clouds became darker and darker. However, this would give Bellof a necessary advantage as he was driving on a car meant for speed, and speed only, not grip. On lap 43, it began to drizzle, but everyone stayed on slicks, but Bellof began to mess up at corners, allowing Piquet to speed away. Anticipating rain, Bellof signaled to his pitcrew to get the wet tires ready, but unfortunately, the rain began to pour onto the track, catching not only Bellof out, but many others. But unlike the others, Bellof was driving the low-downforce car, and despite his desperate attempts, he eventually spun off on lap 46. Everyone else soon began to slow down to outrageous speeds, outrageously slow speeds. Everyone came in to pit except the two Reynards of Tommy Byrne and Jonathan Palmer. Many thought of this as insane, but half a lap later, the rain had stopped, and the track began drying at a tremendous rate. And to the shock of everyone, Reynard's gamble had payed off. Palmer however had taken advantage of a mistake by his teammate on lap 50, and took the lead. Reynard, newcomers to F1, were powered by fellow newcomers, Judd.

In third was Francois Hesnault, probably not the most deserving driver in the field, but nevertheless, he was there, and Guy Ligier wanted that podium. Unfortunately, it began to rain again, and Piquet, who had decided to stay on wets, began closing the gap. Hesnault had a 14 second gap over Piquet, but by lap 58, Piquet was on the tail of the Ligier, and passed Hesnault on the start/finish straight. Next up was Byrne in the Reynard, who was 17 seconds away. But the rain soon stopped once again, and Palmer, who was in the lead, began pulling away, while Byrne held his ground. Piquet took second from Byrne on lap 65, but the track had become dry, and the Brazilian was the only man who had been on wets not to come in for slicks. Palmer and Byrne began lapping times nearly 2 seconds faster, and Byrne was now attacking the Brabham in a turn of events. But on lap 69, an exhausted Palmer began his last lap, but on the Casino Straight, his Reynard was running noticeably slower. Then, as he turned onto the start/finish straight, they Reynard came to a halt. Palmer had a 26 second lead over Piquet and Byrne, and the Englishman leaped out of his car, and began pushing his car to the finish line, hoping to be given the win. With just a few meters left, he collapsed to the ground, and Piquet and Byrne were by now on the Casino Straight. The Reynard was still moving however, and it crossed the line on its own, and amazingly, still ahead of Piquet and Byrne. The marshalls quickly got the fainted Palmer out of the way, though the car was still rolling off on its own. Piquet, who was convinced he had won, began waving to the crowd, and even parked in the first place position. But when the stewards came to alert him that Palmer had won, the Brazilian was not pleased. He complained that the Englishman had pushed his car over the line, not driven it, but the fans and most of the teams agreed that Palmer deserved his prize, and as the revived 27-year old woke up to learn the news, he nearly fainted again. Reynard were delighted, with a 1-3 for a team in their first season no mean feat. Piquet's attempt to bring it to court meanwhile, failed. With Bellof laughing at what the selfish Brazilian was attempting to do.

1) Jonathan Palmer Reynard 1:59:46.913
2) Nelson Piquet Brabham +0.013
3) Tommy Byrne Reynard +0.022
4) Francois Hesnault Ligier +9.251
5) Stefan Johansson Brabham +15.215
6) Michele Alboreto Arrows +15.727
7) Phillipe Streiff Arrows +22.251
8) Manfred Winkelhock ATS +36.156
9) Elio de Angelis Ferrari +42.000
10) Mike Thackwell Tyrrell +46.235
11) Martin Brundle Tyrrell +53.726
12) Thierry Boutsen Lotus +1:02.003
13) Alain Prost McLaren +1:03.222
14) Rene Arnoux Ferrari +1:03.415
15) Allen Berg Alfa Romeo +1:04.515
16) Nigel Mansell Lotus +1:05.111
17) Ivan Capelli Ligier +1:06.142
18) Ayrton Senna Toleman +1:08.252
19) Johnny Cecotto Toleman +1:11.146
20) Riccardo Patrese Alfa Romeo +1:11.989
21) Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella +1:12.031
22) Patrick Tambay Renault +1:13.951
NC) Stefan Bellof Renault Spun Off
NC) Gerhard Berger McLaren Turbo
DNS) Jacques Laffite Williams Withdrawn
DNS) Derek Warwick Williams Withdrawn

1984 FIA Formula One World Drivers Championship Standings
1) Stefan Bellof- 48
2) Mike Thackwell- 21
3) Patrick Tambay- 18
4) Ayrton Senna- 11
5) Alain Prost- 9
6) Jonathan Palmer- 9
7) Nelson Piquet- 9
8) Allen Berg- 6
9) Stefan Johansson- 6
10) Thierry Boutsen- 4
11) Elio de Angelis- 4
12) Rene Arnoux- 4
13) Tommy Byrne- 4
14) Andrea de Cesaris- 4
15) Derek Warwick- 3
16) Francois Hesnault- 3
17) Riccardo Patrese- 2
18) Martin Brundle- 2
19) Ivan Capelli- 2
20) Jacques Laffite- 1
21) Michele Alboreto- 1

1984 FIA Formula One World Constructors Championship Standings
1) Renault- 64
2) Tyrrell- 29
3) Brabham- 15
4) McLaren- 13
5) Reynard- 13
6) Toleman- 11
7) Ferrari- 8
8) Alfa Romeo- 8
9) Ligier- 5
10) Lotus- 4
11) Williams- 4
12) Arrows- 1

NEXT RACE: DETROIT

(This was my idea of getting rid of Bellofdomination

[TomWazzleshaw]

HOLY BATHPLUG!!! REYNARD FTW!!!

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

HOLY BATHPLUG!!! REYNARD FTW!!!

I must admit, I think I went a little bit insane there.

[TomWazzleshaw]

HOLY BATHPLUG!!! REYNARD FTW!!!

I must admit, I think I went a little bit insane there.

A bit insane is a massive understatement... but in a good way.

[tommykl]

Piquet sounds like Mansell at Jerez 1986, where, Senna having won by less than half a tenth, he complained than the finish line had moved!

[Phoenix]

Congratulations to Reynard for this amazing result and twist of fortunes. Your races are really full of excitement

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Detroit- Quali

As qualifying for the Detroit Grand Prix neared, many began gambling on who would win. Brabham, and even Arrows had found new life in the new BMW Turbo engine, while Williams showed promise in bringing the new Williams FW10, along with a new V8T engine by Honda. Reynard were now feeling the effects of being race winners, with extra prize money and media exposure boosting the confidence of the newcomers. They had brought with them a new aerodynamics package, along with a tuned up Judd Turbo. Stefan Bellof had retired for the first time this season, and he was eager to get back on the podium. With no American in the field, the hopes of North America were held on Allen Berg of Canada, but his Alfa Romeo wasn't up to standards, and despite his best efforts, 12th place would be his starting position. Piquet once again found him on pole, but right next to him was Bellof in the Renault.

1) Nelson Piquet- 1:40.863 Brabham
2) Stefan Bellof- 1:40.865 Renault
3) Stefan Johansson- 1:41.023 Brabham
4) Patrick Tambay- 1:41.098 Renault
5) Mike Thackwell- 1:41.121 Tyrrell
6) Michele Alboreto- 1:41.194 Arrows
7) Elio de Angelis- 1:41.232 Ferrari
8) Derek Warwick- 1:41.341 Williams
9) Martin Brundle- 1:41.423 Tyrrell
10) Alain Prost- 1:41.426 McLaren
11) Andrea de Cesaris- 1:41.555 McLaren
12) Nigel Mansell- 1:41.598 Lotus
13) Phillipe Streiff- 1:41.664 Arrows
14) Allen Berg- 1:41.690 Alfa Romeo
15) Jacques Laffite- 1:41.701 Williams
16) Ayrton Senna- 1:42.398 Toleman
17) Thierry Boutsen- 1:41.885 Lotus
18) Rene Arnoux- 1:41.893 Ferrari
19) Tommy Byrne- 1:41.900 Reynard
20) Ivan Capelli- 1:42.023 Ligier
21) Jonathan Palmer- 1:42.134 Reynard
22) Manfred Winkelhock- 1:42.333 ATS
23) Johnny Cecotto- 1:42.679 Toleman
24) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 1:42.888 Osella
25) Riccardo Patrese- 1:43.000 Alfa Romeo
26) Francois Hesnault- 1:43.324 Ligier

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Detroit- Race

With a massive heatwave moving to the United States, the Detroit Grand Prix would be the hottest to date, at a whopping 43 degrees Celsius. Defending World Champion Nelson Piquet had clinched his second pole position of the season, edging ahead of Stefan Bellof in the Renault. Bellof was certain the only way to win was to catch the Brazilian off at turn 1, but both Stefan Johansson and Patrick Tambay were just looking to take advantage of a mess up. At the start, both Piquet and Bellof made good starts, with the Brazilian holding Bellof off, much to the German's dismay. Johansson's race soon ended in a nightmare, when his car stalled on the grid, and before he could get out of the stricken Brabham, Rene Arnoux smashed into the Swede, effectively calling for the race to be restarted. Both drivers survived the crash without injuries, allowing them to take the restart, although they would both have to start from the back in their spare cars. The second start saw Bellof get overexcited with the throttle, causing excessive wheel spin, and dropping him behind teammate, Tambay. Piquet began pulling away, while Derek Warwick past Elio de Angelis for sixth. Tambay soon found himself holding Bellof, Thackwell, Alboreto, Warwick and de Angelis up, and his German teammate wasn't going to have any of it. At the Ford Corner, Tambay messed up his braking, and despite being in a tight angle, the German gave the Frenchman no room, and Bellof was now in second. By now (lap 5), Piquet had set 2 fastest laps in a row, and he had created a 19 second gap over Bellof. The top 6 was made up of Piquet, Bellof, Tambay, Thackwell, Alboreto and Warwick.

The Reynards meanwhile were having the time of their life, with Tommy Byrne jumping past Boutsen, Senna and Laffite at the beginning, while Palmer past Capelli. This put Byrne in 14th from 17th on the second starting grid, but the Irishman wanted more, and by lap 11, he had caught up with Allen Berg in the Alfa Romeo. Further up, Alain Prost made it past Martin Brundle in the Tyrrell, and starting speeding to join up with the train of cars that was being held up by Tambay. Piquet and Bellof were constantly trading fastest laps, and the scene had been set up for an epic battle between the two talents. Both Stefan Johansson and Rene Arnoux who were forced to take the restart from the back, were struggling to get past Riccardo Patrese's Alfa Romeo way back in 23rd. This was mainly due to the fact that Johansson's spare car had been setup for Piquet, while Arnoux's car had been using the so called default setup. By lap 16, Bellof had closed the gap between himself and Piquet to 1.857 seconds, and despite the Brazilian's best efforts, he knew a duel was inevitable. Tambay, fearing a possible disqualification for driving too slow, upped his pace, and set the fastest lap, and the Frenchman now knew that he had to catch up with his teammate. Thackwell now inherited the position of leading the train of cars which now ranged from Thackwell in 3rd, to Prost in eighth.

By lap 21, the duel between Piquet and Bellof had begun, while Andrea de Cesaris' TAG engine couldn't take the scorching heat, becoming the first victim of Detroit's rather unforgiving streets. On lap 28, the pitstops began, but Ayrton Senna's race was cut short when his Hart engine failed upon entry of the pitlane. The Brazilian was visibly frustrated, but at least the Toleman mechanics would have an easy time recovering the car. Both Piquet and Bellof came in at the same time, and with Renault giving Bellof a slick pitstop, Piquet was going to have to get desperate. And indeed, the Brabham lollipop man sent him launching right into the path of Bellof, and the German rammed into the sidepod of Piquet. Piquet was still in the condition to race, and he left the pitlane still in first. But Bellof was furious, with his Renault's wishbone broken. The Renault pitcrew ran to recover his car, but despite the valiant efforts of the team, the car was now beyond repair. The German leaped out of his car, and ran to the pitwall, to bring his point to the team principal. Piquet was now 23 seconds ahead of Tambay, but the Frenchman had a car which was in better shape, and he started catching the Brabham at a rate of 0.2 seconds per lap. Tommy Byrne's race then ended in heartbreak when his Judd engine exploded in the Goodyear Tunnel. At this time, both Johansson and Arnoux remained stuck behind Patrese, and the Swede showed anything but coolness when he slammed into the back of the Alfa Romeo. Arnoux attempted in vain to avoid the mess, and slammed into Patrese's rear. Sufficient runoff areas however prevented the race from being stopped, much to the happiness of the fans.

Mike Thackwell had begun to pull away from everyone else, and by lap 41, he had joined Tambay in the quest to catch Piquet, who was still surprisingly quick in the damaged Brabham. But on lap 43, Thackwell overtook Tambay with relative ease, and it became evident that Tambay was losing gears by the minute. At first, he had lost second gear, and despite his heroic attempts to continue the race, his disintegrating gearbox eventually gave up, which ended Renault's weekend rather prematurely. But New Zealander Thackwell continued the fight against Piquet, and he finally caught up with the Brabham on lap 45. Thackwell was now attacking Piquet whenever possible, darting left and right at every corner, and braking as late as possible. The other Tyrrell of Brundle meanwhile had overtaken Prost and de Angelis, in a 2 in 1 move which saw both veterans shocked by a newbie. Prost's McLaren soon gave up the fight when its TAG engine failed, and Thierry Boutsen's Lotus soon followed suit. On lap 49, Francois Hesnault in the Ligier spun off, while the other blue car of Ivan Capelli retired a lap later with engine failure. Thackwell was becoming increasingly frustrated with Piquet, in fact so much so that he started aiming the Brabham intentionally, coming close to colliding twice on lap 52. Piquet was trying to make the New Zealander as annoyed as possible, but Thackwell had had enough of it, and he forced Piquet onto the runoff a lap later.

BMW had been enjoying much success recently with their new engine, but their engines failed simultaneously on lap 55, when Phillipe Streiff and Manfred Winkelhock's cars succumbed to engine overheating. A lap later, 3 cars failed on track when de Angelis, Mansell and Allen Berg retired, with the first two due to transmission failure, while Berg's Alfa Romeo became another victim of the scorching Detroit sun. Piquet was attempting to catch up with Thackwell, but he found himself being caught by Michele Alboreto in the Arrows, who in turn was being caught by Martin Brundle. Johnny Cecotto's brakes then failed on lap 58, sending him colliding into the barriers. Alboreto passed Piquet on the same lap, and the Brazilian eventually came grinding to a halt, when his gearbox snapped. By this time, the surviving cars in order were Thackwell, Alboreto, Brundle, Warwick, Palmer and Ghinzani. By lap 60, Alboreto had caught up with Thackwell, but after a mistake by the Italian, the other Tyrrell successfully passed for second, and Ken Tyrrell was obviously looking delighted with his two cars up in first and second places. Alboreto starting attacking, but oil started leaking out of his car, and he was forced to take a conservative approach at driving his Arrows. But he could afford it, with Derek Warwick in the Williams nearly a full lap down. With the knowledge that a 1-2 finish was sealed, the Tyrrell crew signalled to their drivers to ease the pace, and when the checkered flag was waved, Thackwell could celebrate, knowing he had won his first race. Martin Brundle was equally ecstatic, the Brit earning his first podium. Michele Alboreto found himself back to where he belonged, on the podium. Derek Warwick showed that the new Williams FW10 was a boost in performance, and Jonathan Palmer showed that Reynard were still looking for points. Piercarlo Ghinzani shocked everyone by gaining a point for Osella, though this was due to pure reliability rather than race pace.

1) Mike Thackwell Tyrrell 1:55:41.842
2) Martin Brundle Tyrrell +3.516
3) Michele Alboreto Arrows +46.157
4) Derek Warwick Williams +51.002
5) Jonathan Palmer Reynard +1 LAP
6) Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella +4 LAPS
NC) Nelson Piquet Brabham Gearbox
NC) Johnny Cecotto Toleman Brakes
NC) Allen Berg Alfa Romeo Engine
NC) Elio de Angelis Ferrari Transmission
NC) Nigel Mansell Lotus Transmission
NC) Manfred Winkelhock ATS Engine
NC) Phillipe Streiff Arrows Engine
NC) Ivan Capelli Ligier Engine
NC) Francois Hesnault Ligier Spun Off
NC) Thierry Boutsen Lotus Engine
NC) Jacques Laffite Williams Spun Off
NC) Alain Prost McLaren Engine
NC) Patrick Tambay Renault Gearbox
NC) Rene Arnoux Ferrari Collision
NC) Riccardo Patrese Alfa Romeo Collision
NC) Stefan Johansson Brabham Collision
NC) Tommy Byrne Reynard Engine
NC) Stefan Bellof Renault Suspension
NC) Ayrton Senna Toleman Engine
NC) Andrea de Cesaris McLaren Engine

1984 FIA Formula One World Drivers Championship Standings
1) Stefan Bellof- 48
2) Mike Thackwell- 30
3) Patrick Tambay- 18
4) Jonathan Palmer- 11
5) Ayrton Senna- 11
6) Alain Prost- 9
7) Nelson Piquet- 9
8) Martin Brundle- 8
9) Allen Berg- 6
10) Stefan Johansson- 6
11) Derek Warwick- 6
12) Michele Alboreto- 5
13) Thierry Boutsen- 4
14) Elio de Angelis- 4
15) Rene Arnoux- 4
16) Tommy Byrne- 4
17) Andrea de Cesaris- 4
18) Francois Hesnault- 3
19) Riccardo Patrese- 2
20) Ivan Capelli- 2
21) Jacques Laffite- 1
22) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 1

1984 FIA Formula One World Constructors Championship Standings
1) Renault- 64
2) Tyrrell- 44
3) Reynard- 15
4) Brabham- 15
5) McLaren- 13
6) Toleman- 11
7) Ferrari- 8
8) Alfa Romeo- 8
9) Williams- 7
10) Arrows- 5
11) Ligier- 5
12) Lotus- 4
13) Osella- 1

NEXT RACE: DALLAS

My apologies for not such an exciting race. Hopefully the next one will be better!

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Okay, so we're halfway through the 84' season. Do you guys think I should continue with 1985?

[James1978]

Okay, so we're halfway through the 84' season. Do you guys think I should continue with 1985?

YES!!! (I know I ain't commented on this thread so far, but it is GOOD!)

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Ah! Another "Phantom Reader" . Well, I'll make up my mind by the end of Estoril I guess.

Dallas- Quali

If Detroit was the race where engines blew up, then Dallas was probably going to be the race where the cars spun off. The track surface was terrible, with potholes opening everywhere, and drivers complained of the scorching heat, which was hotter than Detroit. In total, all the cars except Piercarlo Ghinzani's Osella spun off at least once in both the Friday and Saturday sessions. With nobody having experience on the track whatsoever, Dallas became the first race to have 5 DNQ's, in fact, the first race to actually have DNQ's. But the news just has to be the DNQ of Rene Arnoux, who doesn't seem to like driving an extremely overweight Ferrari on the tight and hot streets of Dallas. His teammate, Elio de Angelis, only just made it through, but Enzo Ferrari ain't happy. Mike Thackwell, fresh from a win at Detroit took pole, ahead of Stefan Bellof in the Renault. Derek Warwick shocked everyone by placing his Williams in 3rd, while Nigel Mansell managed 4th on the grid. To complete the top 6 were Michele Alboreto (Arrows) and Ayrton Senna (Toleman). In all, the big teams were really in for a shock today, with even Ghinzani's Osella being faster than the Ferrari, McLaren and Brabham of de Angelis, Gerhard Berger and Stefan Johansson.

1) Mike Thackwell- 1:36.995 Tyrrell
2) Stefan Bellof- 1:37.035 Renault
3) Derek Warwick- 1:38.323 Williams
4) Nigel Mansell- 1:38.400 Lotus
5) Michele Alboreto- 1:38.455 Arrows
6) Ayrton Senna- 1:38.511 Toleman
7) Nelson Piquet- 1:38.851 Brabham
8) Jacques Laffite- 1:38.945 Williams
9) Martin Brundle- 1:38.966 Tyrrell
10) Allen Berg- 1:39.214 Alfa Romeo
11) Riccardo Patrese- 1:39.241 Alfa Romeo
12) Thierry Boutsen- 1:39.333 Lotus
13) Alain Prost- 1:39.368 McLaren
14) Patrick Tambay- 1:39.555 Renault
15) Jonathan Palmer- 1:39.751 Reynard
16) Tommy Byrne- 1:39.888 Reynard
17) Phillipe Streiff- 1:40.891 Arrows
18) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 1:41.222 Osella
19) Elio de Angelis- 1:41.257 Ferrari
20) Gerhard Berger- 1:41.626 McLaren
21) Stefan Johansson- 1:41.951 Brabham
DNQ) Rene Arnoux Ferrari
DNQ) Ivan Capelli Ligier
DNQ) Manfred Winkelhock ATS
DNQ) Johnny Cecotto Toleman
DNQ) Francois Hesnault Ligier

[Phoenix]

Okay, so we're halfway through the 84' season. Do you guys think I should continue with 1985?

For sure!!!! Oh, can I suggest you putting Roberto Moreno in a Lotus please?

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Dallas- Race

With the talented duo of Mike Thackwell and Stefan Bellof on the first row, many were betting for either one of them to win. With all the cars setup for high downforce, and with both Thackwell and Bellof equally talented, the race would probably be decided by who got to turn 1 first. When the lights turned green however, it was Derek Warwick who darted through an opening in the middle, splitting the two championship rivals apart, and snatching first in the process. Ayrton Senna in the Toleman meanwhile jumped from 6th to 4th. Warwick pulled away, while Thackwell led Bellof and Senna. A repeat of Monaco had begun, but this time it was for second position. Nigel Mansell's Lotus was suffering from a terrible misfire, but he was still holding up Michele Alboreto in the Arrows, who was determined to get past. By lap 3, Warwick's lead over Thackwell was 9 seconds, and for some reason or another, Thackwell was finding it hard to regain the pace he had in qualifying. Bellof was just as frustrated as Senna was, but the Brazilian couldn't wait, and at turn 5, he squeezed past Bellof, and the German was obviously shocked at the daring move. On lap 4, Johansson spun off while defending his place from Gerhard Berger. The Swede's car stalled, and retired from the race there and then.

But while most were preoccupied with the epic battle for second, the two Reynards were having the race of their lives, with Jonathan Palmer jumping all the way to 9th, while Tommy Byrne was now in 11th. Allen Berg was desperately trying to hold off Byrne, but the Canadian grazed the wall on lap 12, forcing him in for a pitstop. Warwick had by now amassed a lead of 28 seconds, and he was going faster and faster every lap, shocking even Frank Williams himself. His teammate Jacques Laffite had moved two places to run in sixth, but the Frenchman was being caught by Martin Brundle in the Tyrrell. Piercarlo Ghinzani had silently made his way up to 14th in the lone Osella, and the Italian was now catching Alain Prost, who was struggling in the heavy McLaren-TAG. The cars came in early as predicted, with their tyres completed ruined on the bumpy track. The train that was Thackwell, Bellof and Senna came in on lap 19, but Warwick continued setting fastest laps on his first set, and he wasn't looking at coming in anytime soon. Bellof got the jump on Senna thanks to a good pitstop, while the Brazilian cursed at his Toleman mechanics secretly. Now on fresh tyres, the trio now looked to catch up with Warwick, but Senna's tyres were a tad too cold, and on lap 20, he spun off, smashing the right side of his car into the barriers. By lap 25, Warwick had created a near 35 second lead, and was still doing good laps on his first set of wheels. On that lap, Riccardo Patrese spun off after swapping tyres. Teammate Allen Berg nearly emulated his Italian partner, but the Canadian managed to catch his Alfa Romeo.

On lap 32, Warwick finally came in for his pitstop, and with no mistakes done, he left the pitlane still a healthy 17 seconds ahead of Thackwell and Bellof. Nigel Mansell was surprisingly still in 4th place, his engine problems having been solved mystically laps earlier. However, Michele Alboreto was still in fifth, and right behind him was Jacques Laffite. Patrick Tambay and Alain Prost had by now given up on trying to gain points, and were dueling each other just for the sake of it, and Prost was probably happy that a huge bump had speared through his fuel tank, thus ending his race. By lap 50, it was Warwick from Thackwell, Bellof, Mansell, Alboreto, Laffite, Brundle, Palmer, Byrne and Ghinzani. By this time of the race, 4th to 9th were all in one big group, and even Ghinzani was about to join the fight. Warwick had by now lapped nearly everyone on track, the exceptions being Thackwell and Bellof, who were still going side by side at every straight or turn. However, their tyres had taken a huge hit, and both were forced in on lap 55 and lap 58 respectively. Bellof came out just ahead of Thackwell, but the German mistimed his braking, allowing his rival to take second again. Mansell's race was soon over, when his gearbox melted, and Alboreto's BMW engine gave up the fight a few laps later. This elevated Laffite to 4th, but the Frenchman wasted the opportunity and spun off and stalled his Williams. Now, Brundle was in 4th, but Palmer and Byrne were both behind the Tyrrell, and both were pushing ever so hard to force the Brit into an error. It was heartbreak for Bellof however, when on lap 61, with just 7 laps remaining, his rear tyre punctured, sending bits of rubber flying and damaging his rear suspension. He crawled into the pits, hoping to finish the race, but the damage was just unrepairable. With 3 straight retirements coming after 3 straight wins, Bellof was one unhappy German.

But Warwick was one happy Brit, and he began slowing down to save the risk of blowing up his Honda engine. Thackwell was now a safe second, with temmate Brundle in third, and in third now was Jonathan Palmer in the Reynard. Surprise surprise! Fifth belonged to the other Reynard of Tommy Byrne, and sixth was Piercarlo Ghinzani in the Osella. By actually choosing to continue the race and not give up like a sore loser, Patrick Tambay found himself in seventh, 3 laps down. The other men in the big teams found themselves lingering in places they've never been before, with Nelson Piquet dropping to eighth after a good qualifying session. Warwick would hold on to win the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix, ahead of Thackwell, but Formula 1 was gone from Dallas, the after-race protests being too much for the organizers to handle.

1) Derek Warwick Williams 2:01:22.617
2) Mike Thackwell Tyrrell +52.295
3) Martin Brundle Tyrrell +1 LAP
4) Jonathan Palmer Reynard +2 LAPS
5) Tommy Byrne Reynard +2 LAPS
6) Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella +2 LAPS
7) Patrick Tambay Renault +4 LAPS
8) Allen Berg Alfa Romeo +4 LAPS
9) Nelson Piquet Brabham +4 LAPS
10) Gerhard Berger McLaren +4 LAPS
11) Elio de Angelis Ferrari +4 LAPS
12) Phillipe Streiff Arrows +5 LAPS
NC) Stefan Bellof Renault Suspension
NC) Jacques Laffite Williams Spun Off
NC) Michele Alboreto Arrows Engine
NC) Thierry Boutsen Lotus Suspension
NC) Nigel Mansell Lotus Gearbox
NC) Alain Prost McLaren Fuel Leak
NC) Riccardo Patrese Alfa Romeo Spun Off
NC) Ayrton Senna Toleman Spun Off
NC) Stefan Johansson Brabham Spun Off
DNQ) Rene Arnoux Ferrari
DNQ) Ivan Capelli Ligier
DNQ) Manfred Winkelhock ATS
DNQ) Johnny Cecotto Toleman
DNQ) Francois Hesnault Ligier

1984 FIA Formula One World Drivers Championship Standings
1) Stefan Bellof- 48
2) Mike Thackwell- 36
3) Patrick Tambay- 18
4) Derek Warwick- 15
5) Jonathan Palmer- 14
6) Martin Brundle- 12
7) Ayrton Senna- 11
8) Alain Prost- 9
9) Nelson Piquet- 9
10) Allen Berg- 6
11) Stefan Johansson- 6
12) Tommy Byrne- 6
13) Michele Alboreto- 5
14) Thierry Boutsen- 4
15) Elio de Angelis- 4
16) Rene Arnoux- 4
17) Andrea de Cesaris- 4
18) Francois Hesnault- 3
19) Riccardo Patrese- 2
20) Ivan Capelli- 2
21) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 2
22) Jacques Laffite- 1

1984 FIA Formula One World Constructors Championship Standings
1) Renault- 64
2) Tyrrell- 54
3) Reynard- 20
4) Brabham- 15
5) McLaren- 13
6) Toleman- 11
7) Ferrari- 8
8) Alfa Romeo- 8
9) Williams- 7
10) Arrows- 5
11) Ligier- 5
12) Lotus- 4
13) Osella- 2
NEXT RACE: GREAT BRITAIN
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About 1985, I think I'll do it. And I'm also open to team/driver/engine/sponsors/race etc suggestions!

[TomWazzleshaw]

How about putting a certain Chris Dangall in one of the Osellas or Arrows next season? (Whichever team he was driving for in 85)

[Salamander]

About 1985, I think I'll do it. And I'm also open to team/driver/engine/sponsors/race etc suggestions!

Glad to hear it, I'm quite enjoying this.

[Phoenix]

How about putting a certain Chris Dangall in one of the Osellas or Arrows next season? (Whichever team he was driving for in 85)

I think Chris Dagnall should have already debuted with Osella

[Aerospeed]

You're absolutely fantastic. I can't wait for the next race to come! Here's some suggestions;

Drivers
Roberto Moreno
Christian Danner
John Watson
Rene Arnoux
Pierluigi Martini
Phillippe Alliot

Engines
Ford or Cosworth, either will do
Honda
Mercedes
Audi
Peugeot
Fiat
Mitsubishi
Toyota

Races
Put Spa-Francorchamps or Donington Park in the European GP
KEEP Zandvoort
Remove Dallas

A rule suggestion, have every race count towards the championship, as in 1985 the top 11 results counted

[Bleu]

Well, Zolder actually held its last race in 1984 before Spa took over Belgian GP for good. So basically I say you should go through actual 1985 calendar. And of course, Minardi should make its debut next year!

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Well, Zolder actually held its last race in 1984 before Spa took over Belgian GP for good. So basically I say you should go through actual 1985 calendar. And of course, Minardi should make its debut next year!

Why would I prevent Minardi from entering the history books?

Also, thanks for the compliment, JeremyMcClean, I will think of all your suggestions!

[James1978]

I could be being thick, but I'm wondering why Keke Rosberg who didn;t have a drive at the start of the year hasn't been considered for any of these vacant seats?

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

I could be being thick, but I'm wondering why Keke Rosberg who didn;t have a drive at the start of the year hasn't been considered for any of these vacant seats?

You'd have to ask the people who nominated. I only exist to serve their needs.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

This is a note to all my beloved readers.

I have decided to focus my attention on the "Community RP" (Precision Motorsports 1997). So please do not expect any new races coming soon.

They will come, but not soon.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Surprise Surprise, Look Who's Back.

Brands- Quali

Despite Bellof hanging on to his lead, Renault were looking increasingly vulnerable. Tyrrell had, by now regained the spirit of the 1970s, and Williams, Brabham and McLaren were now heading skywards again. Brabham and Arrows were given a tuned up BMW V6T, while Williams brought a revised aerodynamic package for their home race. Tyrrell meanwhile, had brought a new anhedral front-wing design, which they hoped would bring success in the UK for the first time in, years. McLaren, after starting as favourites, but later fell into midfield, have brought a totally new design, which may or may not be a good move, though it did pay off for Williams. Qualifying was held in dry conditions, but the skies threatened to pour down more than once, though it only started drizzling a few minutes after the session ended. Nelson Piquet stormed to his third pole position of the season, with a time of 1:10.743, and behind him was Alain Prost in the new McLaren. But both Renault and Tyrrell struggled terribly. It had become clear that the Renault was no longer the most powerful engine on the grid, and Tyrrell's new wing only served to upset the balance of the car. In the end, it was poor Johnny Cecotto in the Toleman who was slowest, and he, therefore, will not start in Sunday's race.

1) Nelson Piquet- 1:10.743 Brabham-BMW
2) Alain Prost- 1:10.869 McLaren-TAG
3) Derek Warwick- 1:10.962 Williams-Honda
4) Stefan Bellof- 1:10.988 Renault
5) Stefan Johansson- 1:12.018 Brabham-BMW
6) Jacques Laffite- 1:12.326 Williams-Honda
7) Ayrton Senna- 1:12.399 Toleman-Hart
8) Andrea de Cesaris- 1:12.422 McLaren-TAG
9) Martin Brundle- 1:13.567 Tyrrell-Renault
10) Mike Thackwell- 1:13.569 Tyrrell-Renault
11) Michele Alboreto- 1:13.755 Arrows-BMW
12) Rene Arnoux- 1:14.313 Ferrari
13) Nigel Mansell- 1:14.781 Lotus-Renault
14) Patrick Tambay- 1:15.000 Renault
15) Elio de Angelis- 1:15.225 Ferrari
16) Phillipe Streiff- 1:15.633 Arrows-BMW
17) Allen Berg- 1:16.231 Alfa Romeo
18) Riccardo Patrese- 1:16.464 Alfa Romeo
19) Jonathan Palmer- 1:16.879 Reynard-Judd
20) Thierry Boutsen- 1:17.111 Lotus-Renault
21) Ivan Capelli- 1:17.263 Ligier-Renault
22) Tommy Byrne- 1:17.945 Reynard-Judd
23) Manfred Winkelhock- 1:18.555 ATS-BMW
24) Francois Hesnault- 1:19.322 Ligier-Renault
25) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 1:20.251 Osella-Alfa Romeo
DNQ) Johnny Cecotto- 1:20.267 Toleman-Hart

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Brands- Race

The cavalcade had returned from North America, after the races of attrition in the United States, and the shock Montreal performance of Reynard. It was now back to the nation where Formula One began, Great Britain. The race wouldn't be hosted at Silverstone, but rather, at Brands Hatch, another of Britain's toughest and best circuits. Nelson Piquet, defending world champion, claimed his third pole position of 1984, ahead of Alain Prost and a revived McLaren team, who brought a new chassis for the event and thereafter. Behind them were Derek Warwick in the Williams, and Stefan Bellof in the Renault. As the cars began the formation lap, oil began pouring out of Michele Alboreto's BMW motor, and his Arrows soon came to a standstill at Druids. As Arrows had no spare car available, the Italian was forced to sit out the race, meaning only 24 cars would start. For the second time in a row, Derek Warwick made an absolutely blinding start, as he squeezed past Prost and Piquet to lead the race. Other than that, there was only one position change at the beginning, when Ayrton Senna edged past Jacques Laffite's slow starting Williams. By the end of lap 1, it was Warwick from Piquet, Prost, Bellof, Johansson and Senna.

From the time he took the lead, Warwick began pulling away from Piquet, who was struggling to keep Prost and Bellof at bay. There was more drama at the back when, on lap 7 while jousting with teammate Martin Brundle, Mike Thackwell misjudged his braking and spun off at Surtees, ending up on McLaren, a part of the circuit not being used. In his attempt to rejoin the race, Thackwell over-accelerated and ended up slamming into Thierry Boutsen's Lotus. With the two cars stranded in the middle of the road, the safety car was deployed. At that moment, it began to drizzle, but not enough to transfer to wet tyres. After 3 laps behind the safety car, on lap 10, the cars were back to full speed, and Bellof, seeing a small gap, dived past Prost and Piquet. Prost attempted to do the same on Piquet a lap later, but nearly ended up colliding with him instead. The Ferraris were having a dreadful race, and on lap 14, Rene Arnoux's gearbox seized, sending him into the barriers at Hawthorn Bend. After a short pause in the drizzle, mother nature became angry, and slammed rain onto the track ferociously on lap 18. Warwick had by now built a gap of 18 seconds, and was first into the pits. Meanwhile, Patrese spun off and stalled his engine, while teammate Allen Berg nearly did the same. The Alfa Romeo's were struggling with an underpowered engine, and a mediocre chassis, and despite the racing pedigree of Berg and Patrese, they could only do so much. The rain stopped after just 2 laps, and the sun began shining. Nevertheless, the track was extremely wet, and Laffite ended up spinning off at Druids, nearly taking out Senna, who had been tailing him for laps. By lap 25, it was Warwick, Bellof, Piquet, Prost, Senna and Brundle.

By lap 26, Bellof was closing in on Warwick, while a bit behind, Prost was going backwards, and was falling into the clutches of Ayrton Senna in the Toleman. There didn't seem to be any mechanical problem whatsoever, and Prost was probably just a bit too nervous to go flat out on the wet track. On lap 28, Senna past Prost for fourth. On the same lap, Bellof was now under 4 seconds behind Warwick, and was setting fastest laps constantly. The Reynards were having a quiet race, but Jonathan Palmer and Tommy Byrne had by now made it up to 14th and 16th. Senna was now catching Piquet at an alarming rate, and both Brazilians were now swapping personal bests, intent on beating each other. Prost was now sixth after being caught, and overtaken by Martin Brundle, and it was now evident that the Frenchman's McLaren was suffering from a misfiring TAG engine. Prost's Italian teammate, Andrea de Cesaris, was the next to overtake the ailing car, and Prost eventually gave up the fight on lap 32. Back in front, Warwick and Bellof were having the duel of a lifetime, with the two cars going side by side into Paddock Hill more than once. Stefan Johansson, who had lost out badly when it began raining, ground to a halt with a snapped gearbox, while Manfred Winkelhock followed him into retirement with a blown engine. By lap 40 out of 71, the top 10 were Warwick, Bellof, Piquet, Senna, Brundle, de Cesaris, Tambay, Palmer, Byrne and Berg.

By lap 42, Ayrton Senna had finally caught up with Nelson Piquet, and the two proceeded to begin a joust of their own. In the fight for first, Bellof touched wheels with Warwick at Clark Curve, and proceeded to lose the rear of his Renault, which ended up stabbing Warwick's Williams. The two cars had built a gap of 45 seconds from Piquet and Senna, but while Warwick and Bellof kept their engines running, the damage taken was substantial, with Bellof suffering rear-suspension damage. Warwick rejoined with his right side-pod damaged, but other than that, he had a good car which was still drivable. The same could not be said about Bellof, who had suffered terminal suspension damage, marking his fifth retirement from a race in a row. Something that didn't please him, or Renault. Despite the fact Thackwell would not be finishing either, the German had just let go of an opportunity to extend his lead at the top. Warwick continued, and Bellof did not, and so the top 6 on lap 43 was Warwick, Piquet, Senna, Brundle, de Cesaris and Tambay. A disgruntled Senna meanwhile, was not very happy with Piquet's swerving techniques, and when he finally found an opening, his compatriot swerved deliberately to take Senna out at Druids. It didn't work however, as Piquet soon found himself facing oncoming traffic with a dead engine, as he had missed Senna by a few inches, and hit a curb, which sent him spinning. On live television, BBC commentator James Hunt criticized the move as, "the biggest pile of bu***it ever".

Senna now set his sights on a win, but Warwick was not slowing down by much, and although Senna ended up setting the fastest lap, the Brazilian was only two tenths faster than Warwick, and the Brit was already looking forward to his second victory in a row, in front of his home crowd. The gap between the two was 34 seconds, and with 26 laps remaining, Senna would have to set much quicker times, or hope Warwick would have another problem. The young Brazilian however, would have nothing of the latter, and more fast laps followed. Warwick was made aware of Senna's blitzing times by Frank Williams himself, but decided to ignore the warnings, and kept himself cool. This would have had disastrous effects had it not been for Senna's gearbox jamming in fourth gear on lap 51. Senna had now become the hunted, as Martin Brundle, in the Tyrrell, was now closing in half a second per lap. The gap between Senna and Brundle was nearly 56 seconds, but the Brit was closing in extremely quickly, and by lap 55, the gap was now 24 seconds. Back at the top, Warwick took Westfield a bit too quickly, and ended up grazing the wall, damaging his front wing in the process. With a 29 second lead over Senna, the chances of making a quick stop and still being in the lead were good, and so on lap 56, Warwick was in the pits for the second, and last time. New, warm wet tyres were put on the Williams, along with a new nosecone, and after a 10 second stop, the Brit was back on track, with the gap now 15 seconds. Brundle was now all over the gearbox of Senna at this point, and was making a pass on the inside at Dingle Dell Corner, when his brakes let go, sending him flying over the curves, and landing hardly on the approach to Stirlings Bend, damaging his suspension badly. There was a hope of making it to the finish though, but Brundle's incident left the top three cars with various problems. de Cesaris was now expected to easily pass at least Brundle, but soon, his TAG engine began experiencing misfiring problems like Prost.

From there on, there was no realistic chance of the top 6 changing, as Patrick Tambay was 2 whole laps behind the top 4, and although the Frenchman ended up unlapping himself, it was far too late to have any chance of catching them, let alone de Cesaris. As Warwick cruised to the finish, he gestured happily to the adoring crowd, and after picking up a Union Jack flag from a marshal, proceeded to begin victory celebrations. Senna crossed the finish line with Brundle out of sight, who was nursing his stricken Tyrrell as hard as he could. He passed the line a full 15 seconds after Senna did, and was close to being overtaken by de Cesaris. Tambay finished fifth in the Renault, giving the French team some consolation after Bellof's flop, and Jonathan Palmer completed the points finishing positions with a sixth for Reynard, adding another point to the new team's already impressive tally.

1) Derek Warwick Williams-Honda 2:28:25.986
2) Ayrton Senna Toleman-Hart +8.892
3) Martin Brundle Tyrrell-Renault +23.101
4) Andrea de Cesaris McLaren-TAG +23.114
5) Patrick Tambay Renault +56.326
6) Jonathan Palmer Reynard-Judd +2 LAPS
7) Tommy Byrne Reynard-Judd +2 LAPS
8) Allen Berg Alfa Romeo +4 LAPS
9) Phillipe Streiff Arrows-BMW +4 LAPS
10) Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella-Alfa Romeo +5 LAPS
NC) Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW Spun Off
NC) Stefan Bellof Renault Suspension
NC) Nigel Mansell Lotus-Renault Spun Off
NC) Francois Hesnault Ligier-Renault Electrical
NC) Elio de Angelis Ferrari Engine
NC) Manfred Winkelhock ATS-BMW Engine
NC) Stefan Johansson Brabham-BMW Gearbox
NC) Ivan Capelli Ligier-Renault Spun Off
NC) Alain Prost McLaren-TAG Engine
NC) Jacques Laffite Williams-Honda Spun Off
NC) Riccardo Patrese Alfa Romeo Spun Off
NC) Rene Arnoux Ferrari Gearbox
NC) Thierry Boutsen Lotus-Renault Collision
NC) Mike Thackwell Tyrrell-Renault Collision
NC) Michele Alboreto Arrows-BMW Engine
DNQ) Johnny Cecotto Toleman-Hart

1984 FIA Formula One World Drivers Championship Standings
1) Stefan Bellof- 48
2) Mike Thackwell- 36
3) Derek Warwick- 24
4) Patrick Tambay- 20
5) Ayrton Senna- 17
6) Martin Brundle- 16
7) Jonathan Palmer- 15
8) Alain Prost- 9
9) Nelson Piquet- 9
10) Andrea de Cesaris- 7
11) Allen Berg- 6
12) Stefan Johansson- 6
13) Tommy Byrne- 6
14) Michele Alboreto- 5
15) Thierry Boutsen- 4
16) Elio de Angelis- 4
17) Rene Arnoux- 4
18) Francois Hesnault- 3
19) Riccardo Patrese- 2
20) Ivan Capelli- 2
21) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 2
22) Jacques Laffite- 1

1984 FIA Formula One World Constructors Championship Standings
1) Renault- 66
2) Tyrrell- 58
3) Williams- 25
4) Reynard- 21
5) Toleman- 17
6) McLaren- 16
7) Brabham- 15
8) Ferrari- 8
9) Alfa Romeo- 8
10) Arrows- 5
11) Ligier- 5
12) Lotus- 4
13) Osella- 2

NEXT RACE: GERMANY

[Aerospeed]

Ah you're back! Good thing too, that was an interesting race.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

I'm glad you're happy.

Hockenheim- Quali

1984 was already proving to be the best season of Formula One in ages. Looking at the standings, it's just Stefan Bellof leading by a relatively comfortable margin with nothing else really going on. But the amount of on track action over the course of 1984 has been enormous, and the fans are grateful for it. Germany was definitely a place where Bellof wanted to win, the race being his home event. Knowing that the car and engine would likely be blamed if Bellof did not win, Renault introduced the Renault EF4B 1.5 V6T, but the only customer who received the new motor was Lotus, who were having a rather depressing season. Over the week, Nigel Mansell criticized Lotus' inability to build a good car, and it looks likely a move to another team is possible in the future. Tyrrell however, receivers of Renault engines, lodged a complaint, citing it as, "A deliberate attempt to undermine an opponent's title challenge." The FIA ruled in favour of the British team, and eventually, Renault were forced to not only give the new engine to Tyrrell, but also Ligier, which many found to be a waste of time.

The track was always going to be a battle of engines, and Ferrari were surprisingly strong, with Rene Arnoux and Elio de Angelis swapping fastest laps in the early stages of qualifying. But as the Brabham and Arrows cars came on track, the scarlet vehicles were split, with Johansson taking the top spot, followed by Arnoux, Piquet, Alboreto and de Angelis. Nigel Mansell was the first Renault-powered car to go on track, and the effects of the new engine were obvious, when he went quickest on his second go. Encouraged, Bellof came on track, and predictably, the stadium section went wild. His time however, was only good for third. It was a very competitive session, but to the shock of many, it was Nigel Mansell who snatched pole, with Alain Prost in second. Stefan Bellof was only third, and alongside him will be Rene Arnoux, having qualified his Ferrari in the highest position since Dijon-Prenois. Tyrrell however, still suffered from their flawed front wing design, and Ken Tyrrell announced that it would be removed at the end of the race. Patrick Tambay had a terrible session, beset by electronic problems, and his only lap was good for 14th. Martin Brundle had an equally terrible session, with gear selection problems being his issue. One car failed to qualify, Piercarlo Ghinzani's Osella.

1) Nigel Mansell- 1:47.001 Lotus-Renault
2) Alain Prost- 1:47.322 McLaren-TAG
3) Stefan Bellof- 1:47.487 Renault
4) Rene Arnoux- 1:48.120 Ferrari
5) Nelson Piquet- 1:48.325 Brabham-BMW
6) Stefan Johansson- 1:48.683 Brabham-BMW
7) Elio de Angelis- 1:49.266 Ferrari
8) Michele Alboreto- 1:49.444 Arrows-BMW
9) Mike Thackwell- 1:50.103 Tyrrell-Renault
10) Gerhard Berger- 1:50.252 McLaren-TAG
11) Thierry Boutsen- 1:50.953 Lotus-Renault
12) Derek Warwick- 1:51.252 Williams-Honda
13) Jacques Laffite- 1:51.612 Williams-Honda
14) Ivan Capelli- 1:51.637 Ligier-Renault
15) Philllipe Streiff- 1:51.868 Arrows-BMW
16) Patrick Tambay- 1:52.452 Renault
17) Manfred Winkelhock- 1:52.890 ATS-BMW
18) Francois Hesnault- 1:53.632 Ligier-Renault
19) Martin Brundle- 1:53.915 Tyrrell-Renault
20) Ayrton Senna- 1:54.103 Toleman-Hart
21) Jonathan Palmer- 1:54.323 Reynard-Judd
22) Allen Berg- 1:54.727 Alfa Romeo
23) Riccardo Patrese- 1:55.000 Alfa Romeo
24) Tommy Byrne- 1:55.328 Reynard-Judd
25) Johnny Cecotto- 1:55.726 Toleman-Hart
DNQ) Piercarlo Ghinzani- 1:56.014 Osella-Alfa Romeo

[Wookey]

This is really good! Please do more!