1985 Monaco Grand Prix — summary

(Full report next month) Monte Carlo— May 19th. AFTER dominating both days of qualifying and taking his third pole-position in a row, Ayrton Senna’s Renault V6 in his Lotus 97T let him down after only thirteen laps, while he was leading comfortably, allowing Alboreto to take the lead. A slight error by the Italian at Ste Devote then let Prost by into first place, but not for long as the Ferrari driver gathered himself up and retook the lead within seven laps, but it wasn’t his day, for a deflated tyre then sent him into the pits and Prost went back into the lead, with de Angelis and de Cesaris following through into second and third places. Prost and the McLaren MP4/2B were their usual selves and the Turbo Porsche V6 never hesitated, taking the Frenchman through to an immaculate finish. Alboreto worked his way back into second place by the end of the 78 laps and in the last few minutes of the race a few rain spots fell, but had no effect on the outcome. After a heroic second place on the grid, Mansell was forced to cruise round in the race with erratic carbon-fibre brakes that did not allow him to show his potential, and he finished a poor seventh, with his team-mate behind him in the same trouble. Brundle made a spirited drive with the only Tyrrell-Cosworth V8 to qualify and finished ahead of Palmer with the Turbocharged Zakspeed which ran roughly throughout the race, but nonetheless finished. The lone Toleman-Hart making the team’s first appearance this year with Teo Fabi failed to finish. The winning McLaren arrived in the parc-ferme after its slowing down lap, with a dry tank, and weighed 542 kgs — phew! — D.S.J.