| Country | Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Grand prix | Dutch |
| Date | 25 August |
| Year | 1985 |
| Race no | 11 |
| Season no | 16 |
| Official name | XXXII Grote Prijs van Nederland |
| Location | Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands |
| Course | Permanent racing facility |
| Course | 2.642 mi |
| Course | 4.252 km |
| Distance laps | 70 |
| Distance | 184.945 mi |
| Distance | 297.640 km |
| Weather | Sunny |
| Pole driver | Nelson Piquet |
| Pole team | Brabham-BMW |
| Pole time | 1:11.074 |
| Pole country | Brazil |
| Pole flag suffix | 1968 |
| Fast driver | Alain Prost |
| Fast team | McLaren-TAG |
| Fast time | 1:16.538 |
| Fast lap | 57 (lap record) |
| Fast country | France |
| First driver | Niki Lauda |
| First team | McLaren-TAG |
| First country | Austria |
| Second driver | Alain Prost |
| Second team | McLaren-TAG |
| Second country | France |
| Third driver | Ayrton Senna |
| Third team | Lotus-Renault |
| Third country | Brazil |
| Third flag suffix | 1968 |
The 1985 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort on 25 August 1985. It was the eleventh round of the 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship and the 34th World Championship Grand Prix to be held in the Netherlands. The race was held over 70 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a race distance of 298 kilometres. The race also proved to be the 25th and final Grand Prix victory for triple World Champion Niki Lauda, driving a McLaren-TAG. Lauda's teammate Alain Prost was second, with Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna third in his Lotus-Renault. However, it was also to be the last Dutch Grand Prix for 36 years. It was planned to be re-introduced in 2020, on a revised Zandvoort circuit, however the re-introduction was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which would be eventually cancelled.[1] The first race back at Zandvoort eventually turned out to be in 2021, won by Max Verstappen, the nation's first World Champion.
It was also the last Grand Prix for West German Stefan Bellof, who was killed the following week at the 1000 km of Spa World Sportscar race.
Race summary
Renault's Patrick Tambay, who qualified sixth, had a huge crash at nearly 322 km/h (200 mph) in the Sunday morning warm-up following a suspension failure on the start-finish straight. Tambay escaped shaken but unhurt, and took the start in the spare car.
Nelson Piquet recorded his first and only pole position of the season, averaging 215.369 km/h (133.824 mph), the first for tyre manufacturer Pirelli. However, he stalled his Brabham at the start and was eventually push-started, almost a lap behind the leaders. He eventually finished eighth.
Niki Lauda took his 25th and final Grand Prix win in his McLaren-TAG. His teammate Alain Prost finished second, only 0.232 seconds behind; the two had diced for the lead over the final twelve laps of the race. Ayrton Senna continued his late-season charge by finishing third in his Lotus, albeit 48 seconds behind the McLarens; he finished just ahead of Prost's Drivers' Championship rival Michele Alboreto in the Ferrari. Senna's teammate Elio de Angelis was fifth, with Williams's Nigel Mansell taking the final point for sixth.
Following his car destroying crash at the previous race in Austria, this was also the last time Andrea de Cesaris appeared in a Ligier. It would in fact be the Italian's last race of the season.
Classification
Qualifying
Race
Championship standings after the race
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alain Prost | 56 | |
| 2 | Michele Alboreto | 53 | |
| 3 | Elio de Angelis | 30 | |
| 4 | Ayrton Senna | 19 | |
| 5 | Stefan Johansson | 19 | |
| Source:[4] | |||
- Constructors' Championship standings
| Pos | Constructor | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 75 | |
| 2 | McLaren-TAG | 70 | |
| 3 | Lotus-Renault | 49 | |
| 4 | Williams-Honda | 25 | |
| 5 | Brabham-BMW | 15 | |
| Source:[4] | |||
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
- Tremayne, David (31 August 2025). "Tremayne: The insult that spurred Niki Lauda on to his final F1 victory, 40 years ago at Zandvoort". Formula One. Archived 31 August 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "Organisers confirm Dutch Grand Prix will not be held in 2020". Formula One. 28 May 2020. Archived 21 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "1985 Dutch Grand Prix". Formula One. Archived 18 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ "1985 Dutch Grand Prix – Race Results & History". GPArchive.com. 25 August 1985. Archived 29 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "Netherlands 1985 – Championship". StatsF1.com. Archived 15 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 March 2019.