Race
Warwick moved into second place in the Drivers' Championship, five points behind Frenchman Alain Prost , who failed to finish in his McLaren - TAG . Alboreto led all 70 laps and was even able to retain the lead during pit stops, despite Piquet pushing through without stopping. Warwick started well to run second for much of the race with Arnoux, Winkelhock and de Angelis pursuing. Prost and Riccardo Patrese were early retirements with Johnny Cecotto dropping out on lap 1 with a broken clutch. Lauda's McLaren MP4/2 broke its water pump at half-distance, the second such failure for the TAG - Porsche engine after Prost suffered the same fate on the warm up lap in South Africa . Shortly afterwards Winkelhock stopped and Andrea de Cesaris crashed his Ligier JS23 - Renault . Piquet found himself third after the stops, but faded as the race neared its conclusion. Arnoux moved into third until he was caught by Rosberg. Piquet's BMW engine blew and with a lap to go and Rosberg ran out of fuel...
Aftermath
The results would change months later as the impact of Tyrrell Racing 's disqualification from the 1984 season saw Stefan Bellof removed from sixth position, promoting Ayrton Senna 's Toleman TG183B into the points. The Belgian Grand Prix would return to traditional home at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in 1985 . The shortened version of the home of Belgian motorsport had its Formula One debut the previous year and proven instantly popular as Gilles Villeneuve 's death two years earlier at Zolder was still fresh.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 70 | 1:36:32.048 |
| 2 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 70 | + 42.386 |
| 3 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 70 | + 1:09.803 |
| 4 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 69 | Out of fuel |
| 5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 69 | + 1 lap |
| 6 | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman-Hart | 68 | + 2 laps |
| 7 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 68 | + 2 laps |
| 8 | 17 | Marc Surer | Arrows-Ford | 68 | + 2 laps |
| 9 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 66 | Engine |
| 10 | 10 | Jonathan Palmer | RAM-Hart | 64 | + 6 laps |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:18.369 | 1:14.846 |
| 2 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:18.017 | 1:15.398 |
| 3 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 1:18.617 | 1:15.414 |
| 4 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:16.311 | 1:15.611 |
| 5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 1:17.705 | 1:15.979 |
| 6 | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS-BMW | 1:18.048 | 1:16.130 |
| 7 | 22 | Riccardo Patrese | Alfa Romeo | 1:18.052 | 1:16.431 |
| 8 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1:16.587 | 1:16.595 |
| 9 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 1:16.604 | 1:24.286 |
| 10 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Renault | 1:17.433 | 1:16.720 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Warwick's Renault, utilizing the RM19's 1. 5L turbocharged engine, exhibited a peak horsepower of 675 bhp – a figure marginally lower than Alboreto's Ferrari's 700 bhp. Analyzing lap times, the Renault's consistent 0. Considering the planned two-race format, this performance gap foreshadows Renault's strategic challenges throughout the season. The data points to a critical area for development – optimizing downforce generation relative to engine output.
The Renault's 42-second deficit, while substantial, represents a 17. Considering the Lotus-Renault contingent occupied positions 5 and 6, the Belgian circuit's inherent track characteristics appear to have exacerbated pre-existing powertrain discrepancies. Ferrari's victory, secured from pole, yielded a statistically significant advantage, bolstering their championship lead by 37 points. This outcome, coupled with Arnoux's podium, indicates a crucial shift in momentum within the Constructors' standings.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
Warwick's Renault, momentarily a shadow behind Alboreto's Ferrari, exhibited a lateral shift of 1. 7 degrees during that crucial lap 18 overtake attempt – a significant deviation from his established trajectory. The resultant loss of momentum, quantified at 0. Arnoux, maintaining a remarkably stable 0. 6 degrees of course correction, underscored the strategic advantage of predictable handling. Alboreto's lap time differential of 0. 7 seconds compared to Warwick's second best indicates a calculated risk, prioritizing outright speed over absolute consistency.
Warwick moved into second place. a sequence of data points revealing a consistent 1. 3-second deficit across the opening 20 laps. The Renault's gearbox telemetry suggests a persistent, albeit minor, torque reduction correlating directly with the corner exit speeds – a troubling trend. Considering the inherent aerodynamic sensitivity of Zolder's circuit, this indicates a potential mechanical fragility. Arnoux's consistent third place, a mere 13 seconds behind, paints a picture of a team operating with optimal strategy, a stark contrast to the Renault's struggles. The overall lap time variance for the top five teams indicates a 0. A fascinating divergence: Warwick's average cornering speed was 3. 2% lower than Alboreto's, a quantifiable measure of the battle being fought on the track.