Race
Prost actually won the start from Piquet, but exiting the Epingle de l'ile hairpin halfway around the first lap his TAG turbo went flat under acceleration and the Brabham was past in a flash never to be headed again. The TAG turbo would have intermittent electrical issues for Prost which helped Lauda take 2nd from his team mate before the end. The top six was completed by Elio de Angelis in the Lotus - Renault , René Arnoux in the Ferrari , and Nigel Mansell in the other Lotus-Renault.
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 70 | 1:46:23.748 |
| 2 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren-TAG | 70 | + 2.612 |
| 3 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 70 | + 1:28.032 |
| 4 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 69 | + 1 Lap |
| 5 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 68 | + 2 Laps |
| 6 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Renault | 68 | + 2 Laps |
| 7 | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman-Hart | 68 | + 2 Laps |
| 8 | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS-BMW | 68 | + 2 Laps |
| 9 | 20 | Johnny Cecotto | Toleman-Hart | 68 | + 2 Laps |
| 10 | 9 | Philippe Alliot | RAM-Hart | 65 | + 5 Laps |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 1:27.154 | 1:25.442 |
| 2 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1:26.477 | 1:26.198 |
| 3 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 1:27.139 | 1:26.306 |
| 4 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:29.682 | 1:26.420 |
| 5 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:27.917 | 1:26.549 |
| 6 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:28.604 | 1:26.764 |
| 7 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Renault | 1:28.277 | 1:27.246 |
| 8 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren-TAG | 1:28.548 | 1:27.392 |
| 9 | 19 | Ayrton Senna | Toleman-Hart | 1:29.282 | 1:27.448 |
| 10 | 26 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier-Renault | 1:29.618 | 1:27.922 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung thick with the scent of pine and exhaust, a Montreal summer pressing down on the circuit. Piquet's Brabham, a brutal machine fueled by a 1. 5-liter BMW turbo – a displacement that felt almost barbaric compared to the burgeoning 2. 0-liter options – simply devoured the asphalt. That initial advantage, seized from Prost at Epingle, wasn't merely a burst of speed; it was the consequence of a precisely calibrated 475 horsepower output, a raw, unrelenting force. Lauda, cool and calculating in his McLaren, watched the Brabham's dominance unfold, a subtle acknowledgment of the tactical chess match being played out on the track.
The humid Montreal air hung thick, a palpable tension clinging to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Piquet's Brabham, a predatory machine, devoured the track, a brutal demonstration of raw power. Lauda, cool and calculating, expertly exploited the situation, a master sculptor shaping victory from the fractured ambitions of his teammate.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain hadn't relented, a sullen grey drape over Montreal, mirroring the fractured ambition swirling around the Brabham. Piquet's face, a mask of intense concentration, betrayed the brutal calculation beneath. A flicker of frustration crossed his features as he wrestled with the steering wheel, the raw power of the BMW engine a contained beast. Lauda, patient and precise, was a study in controlled aggression, a veteran's understanding of the circuit etched into every movement. Prost, momentarily adrift, a ghost of his former self, battling a machine that seemed to possess a malevolent will. The scent of ozone, sharp and metallic, hung in the air – a testament to the unrelenting drama unfolding beneath the damp asphalt.
He'd tasted victory here before, a fleeting, bitter sweetness, and the memory of that initial surge past Piquet—a flash of turbo-charged aggression—felt like a phantom limb. The young Austrian, Niki, was a whirlwind, a force of nature, and Prost knew, with a chilling certainty, that he was fighting not just Piquet, but the very essence of unpredictability. The air crackled with the tension—a silent, potent battle waged within the confines of a McLaren and a Brabham. It was a cruel beauty, this race, a delicate dance on the edge of chaos.