1985 Dutch Grand Prix

Championship standings

Prost won Austria and is now level on 50 points with Alboreto at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. Senna drove from 14th on the grid to second at the Österreichring, closing on the leading pair.

Previous race

At the Österreichring, Prost won by 30 seconds after a restart caused by a start-line pile-up on the original opening lap. Andrea de Cesaris survived one of the most spectacular crashes seen in recent seasons — his Ligier launched off a grass bank at the Panorama Curve and rolled four times before coming to rest, with de Cesaris walking away unhurt. Lauda retired with turbo failure for the second time this season.

Between-race developments

De Cesaris has been fired from Ligier. Team owner Guy Ligier, after watching a replay of the Austrian crash, said he could no longer afford to keep employing the Italian in light of the constant repair bills. This is de Cesaris’s last race with the team; he will not race for the rest of the season.