McLaren‘s Dutch Grand Prix victory was almost a formality as Oscar Piastri, from pole, led throughout. But what was not routine was the oil leak and subsequent fire which forced Lando Norris‘ retirement from second late in the race, a development which swung the title contest between them dramatically in Piastri’s favour.
For McLaren, trying to ensure fairness as its two drivers fight for the sport’s biggest prize, it was a bit of a nightmare scenario, as team principal Andrea Stella outlined afterwards. “I would say that it’s very inconvenient because it affects a situation in which we as a team have wanted to stay as neutral as possible in what is the drivers’ individual quest in the drivers’ championship. So, it’s not ideal that we had a problem with the car.”
Earlier in the weekend, Stella had outlined how its policy would remain ‘every man for himself’ between the two drivers, but within the expected boundaries of fairness. The lead driver up to the first stops will still get first call on when to stop; the trailing driver’s team can still react in any way it deems fit.
Forty years ago at the same venue, McLaren was unable to be as prescriptive in controlling its drivers as Niki Lauda took the 25th and final grand prix victory of his career after a no-holds-barred scrap with team-mate Alain Prost. It was very much every man for himself, but that agreement had been reached personally between the two drivers.
It was the last time F1 would race around Zandvoort for the next 36 years. The last time Lauda would win a grand prix.
Zandvoort’s was Lauda final F1 win
After losing out to Lauda for the previous year’s championship by half a point, Prost was, by the time of Zandvoort, well on his way to his first title. Lauda, by contrast, had been enduring a very low-key season, with multiple mechanical retirements and continuing difficulty to perform well in qualifying. He hated the twin challenge of qualifying tyres and qualifying engines – meaning vastly more grip and power for qualifying than anything experienced in the practices – and was seriously out-paced by Prost on Saturdays. But in race pace, they were often very evenly matched. But for much of ’85, he’d not had much opportunity even to demonstrate that.
Furthermore, Lauda had already made the decision that this was his final season. As well as the qualifying shortfall, he also recognised which way the wind was blowing within McLaren. He’d not enjoyed the aggressive negotiations with Ron Dennis to continue – “He seemed to think I should be paid less as world champion than he’d paid me before,” as he later commented. It was clear McLaren boss Dennis saw that the future was with the faster, cheaper Prost.
Lauda had announced his retirement, to take effect at the end of the season, in the week before the Dutch Grand Prix at his home race of Austria. Coincidentally, that’s where he finally hit form in ’85, qualifying third, leading the first start, running second to him in the restarted race and then assuming the lead after pressuring Prost into using up his tyres and forcing him to pit for replacements. On his newer rubber, Prost had quickly caught Lauda, but before he could pass, Lauda’s engine had broken. No result, but the spark of the ’84 Lauda was back.
There was no way Lauda was letting Prost through
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So he came to Zandvoort in an especially ebullient mood, his future decided and his form coming back. “I knew Alain was on his way to the championship, but I was going to try to delay him doing it for as long as I could,” Lauda related in Austin 2016.
Lauda had not appreciated the way Dennis had taken to the stage uninvited at Lauda’s retirement announcement – especially after he’d marked the momentous occasion by saying he believed far too much attention was given to drivers when there was so much great work being done by the less publicised members of the team. It was a reasonable position to hold, but perhaps not the time to say it. Dennis hadn’t exactly read the room.
Oscar Piastri finally saw fate swing his way at Zandvoort, as Lando Norris' retirement gave the Australian's championship chances a major boost. Mark Hughes analyses the Dutch GP
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Mark Hughes
With Saturday qualifying rained out, the Zandvoort grid had been formed on Friday, with Nelson Piquet on pole in the Pirelli-shod Brabham-BMW. Lauda was only P10, Prost P3. But thanks to the chaos caused by Piquet stalling from pole, Lauda was already up to sixth by Turn 1, with Prost third as Keke Rosberg’sWilliams led Ayrton Senna‘s Lotus. Lauda soon enough was just behind Prost and when Senna’s engine briefly cut out on lap 14, he was instantly zapped by both Prost and Lauda. Rosberg’s Honda engine blew spectacularly six laps later, putting McLaren 1-2.
Prost looked to be in control but Lauda, sensing his tyre grip beginning to fade, decided to pit for replacements. He rejoined eighth but quickly made his way back to second. Thirteen laps after Lauda had stopped, Prost realised that his tyres were not going to withstand the expected attack from the newer-tyred Lauda. So he too pitted, but rejoined now behind, having been undercut.
The grip advantage of tyres 13 laps newer meant Prost quickly repassed Senna and began catching Lauda at around half-a-second per lap. With 12 laps to go Prost was right on Lauda’s gearbox – but no way was Lauda letting him past. With four laps to go, a particularly defensive chop from Lauda put Prost partly on the grass. They’d agreed between themselves that with Prost’s title a mere formality, it would be every man for himself in these last few races of Lauda’s career.
McLaren could only stand by and watch it unfold. Once the race started, teams had very little control over their charges. They had radios, but they were not used to directing their drivers. Simpler times but with remarkable parallels to today.
