1985 South African Grand Prix
Encyclopedia
The 1985 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One
motor race held on October 19, 1985 at the Kyalami Circuit
in South Africa
. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1985 Formula One season
.
The race was marked with some teams boycotting the event due to apartheid -- the segregation of blacks
and whites -- and was the last South African Formula One race until apartheid ended in 1992
. The race was won by Nigel Mansell
in a Williams
, who also took pole position
.
The event was boycotted by several Formula One teams, namely Ligier and Renault
due to mounting international pressures
against tolerating the country's system of apartheid. French
teams Ligier and Renault's boycotts were in lockstep with the French government's boycott and sanctioning of South Africa, apparently doing so under pressure. Most of the Formula One drivers, including Alain Prost
, Niki Lauda
and Nigel Mansell
were personally very much against racing in South Africa, but the drivers held the mentality that because they were contracted to drive at every Grand Prix, they would race at Kyalami.
Some governments tried to force their drivers from entering the race. Brazil's sanctions on South Africa nearly prevented Nelson Piquet
or Ayrton Senna
from racing.
Finland and Sweden held similar reservations regarding Finn Keke Rosberg
and Swede Stefan Johansson
competing. Sweden's National Automobile Federation had announced Johansson could not race in South Africa before the event, but he did race.
Ayrton Senna
changed his mind on personally boycotting the race, saying he would race if his Lotus team went. It did and he did, retiring outside the points.
It was the final South African Grand Prix until apartheid ended, with FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre
announcing days after the race that a grand prix would not return to the nation because of apartheid.
The South African Grand Prix would only return in 1992, after the apartheid ended, in a completely new configuration of the Kyalami circuit.
Constructors' Championship standings
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
motor race held on October 19, 1985 at the Kyalami Circuit
Kyalami
Kyalami is a motor racing circuit located in Midrand, Gauteng province, South Africa. The circuit has been used for Grand Prix and Formula One races and has hosted the South African Grand Prix many times. In recent years, the area surrounding the circuit has developed into a residential and...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1985 Formula One season
1985 Formula One season
The 1985 Formula One season was the 36th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1985 Formula 1 World Championship which commenced on 7 April 1985 and ended on 3 November 1985 after sixteen races. World Championship titles were awarded for both Drivers and Manufacturers.-Season...
.
The race was marked with some teams boycotting the event due to apartheid -- the segregation of blacks
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
and whites -- and was the last South African Formula One race until apartheid ended in 1992
1992 South African Grand Prix
The 1992 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on March 1, 1992. It was the first round of the 1992 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :...
. The race was won by Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
in a Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
, who also took pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
.
The event was boycotted by several Formula One teams, namely Ligier and Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
due to mounting international pressures
Sporting boycott of South Africa
South Africa under apartheid was subjected to a variety of international boycotts, including on sporting contacts. There was some debate about whether the aim of the boycott was to end segregation in sport or to end apartheid altogether.-United Nations:...
against tolerating the country's system of apartheid. French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
teams Ligier and Renault's boycotts were in lockstep with the French government's boycott and sanctioning of South Africa, apparently doing so under pressure. Most of the Formula One drivers, including Alain Prost
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
, Niki Lauda
Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver and three-time F1 World Champion. More recently an aviation entrepreneur, he has founded and run two airlines and was manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years.- Early years in racing :Born in Vienna,...
and Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
were personally very much against racing in South Africa, but the drivers held the mentality that because they were contracted to drive at every Grand Prix, they would race at Kyalami.
Some governments tried to force their drivers from entering the race. Brazil's sanctions on South Africa nearly prevented Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in , and . He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna , Alain Prost , Juan...
or Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
from racing.
Finland and Sweden held similar reservations regarding Finn Keke Rosberg
Keke Rosberg
Keijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland...
and Swede Stefan Johansson
Stefan Johansson
Stefan Nils Edwin Johansson is a former Formula One driver from who drove for among others both Ferrari and McLaren during his Grand Prix career. Since leaving Formula One he has raced in a number of categories, including CART, various kinds of Sports car racing, and Grand Prix Masters...
competing. Sweden's National Automobile Federation had announced Johansson could not race in South Africa before the event, but he did race.
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
changed his mind on personally boycotting the race, saying he would race if his Lotus team went. It did and he did, retiring outside the points.
It was the final South African Grand Prix until apartheid ended, with FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre
Jean-Marie Balestre
Jean-Marie Balestre was a French auto racing executive, who was president of FISA from 1978 to 1991 and of the FIA from 1985 to 1993.-Biography:Balestre was born at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône....
announcing days after the race that a grand prix would not return to the nation because of apartheid.
The South African Grand Prix would only return in 1992, after the apartheid ended, in a completely new configuration of the Kyalami circuit.
Race
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nigel Mansell Nigel Mansell Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series... |
Williams WilliamsF1 Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head... -Honda |
75 | 1:28:22.866 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | 6 |  Keke RosbergKeke Rosberg Keijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland... |
Williams WilliamsF1 Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head... -Honda |
75 | + 7.572 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | 2 |  Alain ProstAlain Prost Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix... |
McLaren-TAG Techniques d'Avant Garde TAG Group SA is a private holding company based in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. At the head is Mansour Ojjeh son of the founder of the TAG Group Akram Ojjeh, who was a wealthy Saudi entrepreneur... |
74 | + 1 Lap | 9 | 4 |
| 4 | 28 |  Stefan JohanssonStefan Johansson Stefan Nils Edwin Johansson is a former Formula One driver from who drove for among others both Ferrari and McLaren during his Grand Prix career. Since leaving Formula One he has raced in a number of categories, including CART, various kinds of Sports car racing, and Grand Prix Masters... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
74 | + 1 Lap | 16 | 3 |
| 5 | 17 |  Gerhard BergerGerhard Berger Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008.... |
Arrows Arrows Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :... -BMW |
74 | + 1 Lap | 11 | 2 |
| 6 | 18 |  Thierry BoutsenThierry Boutsen Thierry Marc Boutsen is a former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One.-Career:thumb|left|Boutsen driving for [[Arrows]] at the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix]].... |
Arrows Arrows Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :... -BMW |
74 | + 1 Lap | 10 | 1 |
| 7 | 3 | Martin Brundle Martin Brundle Martin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012.... |
Tyrrell Tyrrell Racing The Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one... -Renault Renault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking... |
73 | + 2 Laps | 17 | |
| Ret | 11 |  Elio de AngelisElio de Angelis Elio de Angelis was an Italian racing driver who participated in Formula One between and , racing for the Shadow, Lotus and Brabham teams. He was killed during testing at the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet in 1986... |
Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -Renault Renault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking... |
52 | Engine | 6 | |
| Ret | 29 | Pierluigi Martini Pierluigi Martini Pierluigi Martini is an Italian former racing driver.He participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 9, 1984 substituting for Ayrton Senna at the Toleman team... |
Minardi Minardi Minardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans... -Motori Moderni Motori Moderni Motori Moderni was a Formula One engine manufacturer from 1985 through 1987. It was established by the experienced Italian engine designer Carlo Chiti.... |
45 | Radiator | 20 | |
| Ret | 1 | Niki Lauda Niki Lauda Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver and three-time F1 World Champion. More recently an aviation entrepreneur, he has founded and run two airlines and was manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years.- Early years in racing :Born in Vienna,... |
McLaren-TAG Techniques d'Avant Garde TAG Group SA is a private holding company based in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. At the head is Mansour Ojjeh son of the founder of the TAG Group Akram Ojjeh, who was a wealthy Saudi entrepreneur... |
37 | Turbo | 8 | |
| Ret | 4 | Philippe Streiff Philippe Streiff Philippe Streiff is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 55 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on October 21, 1984... |
Tyrrell Tyrrell Racing The Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one... -Renault Renault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking... |
16 | Accident | 19 | |
| Ret | 12 |  Ayrton SennaAyrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time... |
Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -Renault Renault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking... |
8 | Engine | 4 | |
| Ret | 27 | Michele Alboreto Michele Alboreto Michele Alboreto was an Italian racing driver. He is famous for finishing runner up to Alain Prost in the 1985 Formula One World Championship, as well as winning the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2001 12 Hours of Sebring sports car races... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
8 | Turbo | 15 | |
| Ret | 7 | Nelson Piquet Nelson Piquet Nelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in , and . He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna , Alain Prost , Juan... |
Brabham-BMW | 6 | Engine | 2 | |
| Ret | 20 | Piercarlo Ghinzani Piercarlo Ghinzani Piercarlo Ghinzani is a former racing driver from Italy. He currently manages his own racing team, Team Ghinzani, which was created in 1992 and is currently involved in several Formula Three championships.... |
Toleman Toleman Toleman Motosport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and attended 70 Grands Prix.-Origins:In the 1970s, businessmen and motorsport fans Ted Toleman and Alex Hawkridge began their involvement in various car racing formulae in the UK. Ted was also noted... -Hart |
4 | Engine | 13 | |
| Ret | 19 | Teo Fabi Teo Fabi Teodorico Fabi , better known as Teo Fabi, is an Italian former racing driver.-Career:Fabi participated in 71 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on January 23, 1982. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 23 championship points... |
Toleman Toleman Toleman Motosport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and attended 70 Grands Prix.-Origins:In the 1970s, businessmen and motorsport fans Ted Toleman and Alex Hawkridge began their involvement in various car racing formulae in the UK. Ted was also noted... -Hart |
3 | Engine | 7 | |
| Ret | 8 |  Marc SurerMarc Surer Marc Surer is a former racing driver from Switzerland. He participated in 88 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 9 September 1979. He scored a total of 17 championship points.... |
Brabham-BMW | 3 | Engine | 5 | |
| Ret | 24 |  Huub RothengatterHuub Rothengatter Hubertus Rothengatter is a former racing driver from the Netherlands. He participated in 30 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on June 17, 1984. He scored no championship points. He always drove for small and under-funded teams, his drives all either started or became available midseason... |
Osella Osella Osella is an Italian racing car manufacturer and former Formula One team based in Volpiano near Turin, Italy. They participated in 132 Grands Prix between 1980 and 1990... -Alfa Romeo |
1 | Electrical | 21 | |
| Ret | 22 | Riccardo Patrese Riccardo Patrese Riccardo Gabriele Patrese is an Italian former racing driver, who raced in Formula One from to .He became the first Formula One driver to achieve 200 Grand Prix starts when he appeared at the 1990 British Grand Prix, and the first to achieve 250 starts at the 1993 German Grand Prix... |
Alfa Romeo | 0 | Collision | 12 | |
| Ret | 23 |  Eddie CheeverEddie Cheever Edward "Eddie" McKay Cheever, Jr. is an American racing driver who raced for almost thirty years in Formula One, Sports cars, CART and the Indy Racing League. Cheever participated in 143 World Championship Formula One races and started 132, more than any other American, driving for nine different... |
Alfa Romeo | 0 | Collision | 14 | |
| DNS | 33 |  Alan JonesAlan Jones (Formula 1) Alan Stanley Jones MBE is an Australian former Formula One driver. He was the first driver to win a Formula One World Championship with the Williams team, becoming the 1980 World Drivers' Champion.... |
Lola-Hart | Unwell | 18 |
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alain ProstAlain Prost Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix... |
73 (76) |
| 2 | Michele Alboreto Michele Alboreto Michele Alboreto was an Italian racing driver. He is famous for finishing runner up to Alain Prost in the 1985 Formula One World Championship, as well as winning the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2001 12 Hours of Sebring sports car races... |
53 |
| 3 | Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time... |
38 |
| 4 | Elio de Angelis Elio de Angelis Elio de Angelis was an Italian racing driver who participated in Formula One between and , racing for the Shadow, Lotus and Brabham teams. He was killed during testing at the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet in 1986... |
33 |
| 5 | Nigel Mansell Nigel Mansell Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series... |
31 |
Constructors' Championship standings
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren-TAG Techniques d'Avant Garde TAG Group SA is a private holding company based in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. At the head is Mansour Ojjeh son of the founder of the TAG Group Akram Ojjeh, who was a wealthy Saudi entrepreneur... |
90 |
| 2 | Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... |
80 |
| 3 | Lotus Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -Renault Renault F1 Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking... |
71 |
| 4 | Williams WilliamsF1 Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head... -Honda Honda F1 Honda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ... |
62 |
| 5 | Brabham-BMW | 26 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Only the best 11 results counted towards the Drivers' Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.