1984 Formula One World Championship

The 1984 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 38th season of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, both of which commenced on 25 March and ended on 21 October after sixteen races.
In the Drivers' Championship, McLaren teammates Alain Prost and Niki Lauda enjoyed a season-long duel. Prost won seven races to equal Jim Clark's record from, over Lauda's five, but the Austrian eventually prevailed by half a point – the smallest margin in Formula One history. It was Lauda's third title, but his first since, breaking the record of six years between World Championship victories set by Jack Brabham in. Reigning champion Nelson Piquet finished fifth in the championship. The season also saw the debut of eventual three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna.
Brabham, Renault and Ferrari were the expected frontrunners, but it was McLaren who clinched the Constructors' Championship with a then-record margin. The combination of their talented drivers, the aerodynamics of the John Barnard-designed MP4/2 and the experience of engine supplier Porsche with fuel economy made them almost unbeatable, winning twelve of the sixteen Grands Prix. It was their first title since.
, this is the last championship for an Austrian Formula One driver. It is also the last time that the Drivers' Champion did not score a pole position during the season. Only Denny Hulme managed this earlier in. This is also the last Formula One season to feature 3 tyre suppliers. This season would also mark Michelin's last involvement in the sport until they returned once more in 2001.

Drivers and constructors

Team changes

At the end of the season, Theodore Racing had left Formula 1. No new manufacturers entered the grid for 1984.
Mid-season changes

There was a clear trend of manufacturers switching from naturally aspirated engines to turbocharged engines, attracted by their power output:

After a handful of races, Arrows was able to upgrade from their A6 chassis with Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 to the A7 with a BMW turbo engine.
Osella switched their focus from the old Alfa Romeo V12 to Alfa's newer turbocharged 890T V8.
Spirit Racing ran one car with a Hart turbo engine, while keeping the other powered by a Cosworth V8.

The teams were careful in their approach, running the old and new cars simultaneously, before finally stepping over to turbo.

Driver changes

Ferrari dropped Patrick Tambay in favour of Michele Alboreto, the first Italian driver signed by Enzo Ferrari since Ludovico Scarfiotti in. Tambay moved to Renault, with former Toleman driver Derek Warwick as his new team mate. Warwick had taken the seat of Alain Prost after he was fired and moved to McLaren.
The other ex-Renault driver, Eddie Cheever, moved to Alfa Romeo; Riccardo Patrese also moved to the team from Brabham. Teo Fabi, with backing from Italian dairy company Parmalat, was promoted to be the new team mate of reigning World Drivers' Champion Nelson Piquet.
Ayrton Senna, the 1983 British F3 champion and a future F1 champion, made his debut with the Toleman team. Senna's F3 rival Martin Brundle made his debut with Tyrrell.
Another seven driver changes happened during the off-season in the lower-ranking teams.
Mid-season changes
During three weekends when Teo Fabi's commitments to American CART racing took precedence, his younger brother Corrado fell in for him at Brabham. Manfred Winkelhock did this for the last race of the season, after he quit the ATS team.
Dutch driver Huub Rothengatter made his debut with Spirit, driving eight races in the middle of the season, before handing the keys back to the team's first driver Mauro Baldi. For Rothengatter's home Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the Spirit 101-Hart was painted in Dutch racing orange.
Mike Thackwell was on his way to clinching the 1984 European Formula Two Championship in dominant fashion and he got the attraction of several F1 teams. He entered a race with RAM and later one with Tyrrell. He also tested with Williams, but could not get a full-time seat.
Tyrrell driver Martin Brundle crashed during practice for the Dallas Grand Prix and broke both ankles and feet. He was replaced from the next Grand Prix in Britain by Stefan Johansson.
When it was announced two days after the Dutch Grand Prix that Ayrton Senna had signed a deal with Lotus for, the Toleman team suspended him for not informing them first. Stefan Johansson took his place for the Italian Grand Prix.
While qualifying for the British Grand Prix, Toleman driver Johnny Cecotto crashed heavily, breaking both of his legs which ended his F1 driving career. Debutant Pierluigi Martini, and later Stefan Johansson after his points scoring effort in Italy while replacing Ayrton Senna, took over the second car.
Osella entered a second car for half of the races. Formula Two driver Jo Gartner was behind the wheel.
ATS took German Formula 3 driver Gerhard Berger for 4 of the last 5 rounds of the Championship, using him for both Austria and Italy when Manfred Winkelhock was unable to start the car, and the last two races in Europe and Portugal as their sole driver after Winkelhock had left the team.
Philippe Streiff made his debut at the last race of the season, driving a third Renault car with the number 33.
Calendar

Calendar changes

The race in Long Beach was replaced by the Dallas Grand Prix. It was the third in a series of "overseas" events, after the Canadian Grand Prix and the Detroit Grand Prix, but this put the F1 cars in the peak of the Texas summer heat. It would be the only F1 Dallas Grand Prix to be held.
The South African Grand Prix was now the second race of the year instead of the season finale. That honor was given to the Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril. The Grand Prix returned to the calendar for the first time since.
The Belgian Grand Prix was held at Circuit Zolder instead of Spa-Francorchamps, as part of an agreement to alternate between the venues, and moved up the schedule one month. In similar fashion, this year's British Grand Prix was held at Brands Hatch instead of Silverstone and the German Grand Prix was held at the Hockenheimring instead of the Nürburgring.
The French and San Marino Grand Prix switched places, with the race at Imola now going first.
Provisional calendar
On the provisional calendar, the Spanish Grand Prix was scheduled to return after a three-year absence. It was to be contested on a new street circuit in Fuengirola, but the plan did not come to fruition.
Formula 1 tried to organise the New York City Grand Prix, but did not manage to do so for the second year in a row.
The first Hungarian Grand Prix was scheduled for 7 October at the Népliget Park Circuit, but this was cancelled as plans for a race failed to materialise. The race was replaced by the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.
Regulation changes

The FISA introduced fuel economy rules aimed at reducing speeds:

Turbocharged cars would be limited to of fuel per race. This was mandated merely by setting the maximum volume of the fuel tank to 220 litre and demanding it to be in the centre of the car, between driver and engine. This meant teams were still free to experiment, for example with freezing the fuel inside the tank to increase its density.
Refuelling was banned.

A superlicence was now required for all F1 drivers.
Concrete walls could replace guardrails.

Season report

Round 1: Brazil

Most of the Formula One seasons in the 1980s started at the sweltering tropical heat and humidity of the Jacarepagua Riocentro Autodrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A 10-day test followed by the Grand Prix often was the case. In addition to a frantic start, drivers had to deal with people running across the track with the cars bearing down on those people; Briton Derek Warwick in the French factory Renault led until an incident with Niki Lauda led to suspension failure; Frenchman Alain Prost won his first Grand Prix with McLaren at the flat and rough but fast Rio circuit. This was also Ayrton Senna's first Formula One race, he was driving for the Toleman team. Senna would prove to be the first retirement of the season when the turbo on his 4 cyl Hart engine failed on lap 8.

Round 2: South Africa

The South African Grand Prix was held traditionally at the fast and flowing Kyalami circuit near the high-altitude city of Johannesburg. During the race morning warm up session, Piercarlo Ghinzani had a massive accident at the fastest corner on the track, the Jukskei sweeping uphill left hander. As a result of the full fuel load in his Osella, a huge fire started which completely consumed the car, though Ghinzani escaped with only minor burns to his hands. However, it was enough for him to be withdrawn from the race.
Brazilian Nelson Piquet qualified on pole position, with Prost 2nd. The latter, however, had to start from the pit lane due to problems with his car. Although the Brabhams with their highly powerful BMW turbo engines proved to be very quick on this circuit, they were very unreliable cars, mostly due to the single turbocharger of the 4 cylinder engine. In addition to Piquet retiring, his teammate Teo Fabi also retired, and Austrian Niki Lauda moved up through the field to win in his McLaren. Prost was able to carve his way from the back to 2nd place, keeping his lead in the championship. The new Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna finished 6th in the race in his Toleman under considerable back pain, scoring his first ever World Championship point.

Round 3: Belgium

The Belgian Grand Prix was previously held at the revised Spa-Francorchamps circuit; for this year, however, it returned to the forested Zolder circuit further north. This race saw a fighting drive from Keke Rosberg, who was driving an ill-handling Williams with a Honda engine that was unbalancing the car. Ferrari's new Italian recruit Michele Alboreto won this race from Warwick and Frenchman Rene Arnoux, driving the second Ferrari. Both McLarens failed to finish. This would be the last time the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix was held at Zolder; from the following year onwards it would return and stay at Spa.