This is the complete race as broadcast on LIVE TV.
Qualifying saw World Championship leader Alain Prost take pole position in his McLaren-TAG
with Nigel Mansell’s Lotus-Renault second, ahead of the two Ferraris of Rene Arnoux and
Michele Alboreto and the two Renaults of Derek Warwick and Patrick Tambay. The top 10
was completed by Andrea de Cesaris’s Ligier-Renault, Niki Lauda’s McLaren-TAG,
Nelson Piquet’s Brabham-BMW and Keke Rosberg’s Williams-Honda.
Qualifying was marked by a huge crash for Martin Brundle’s Tyrrell at Tabac, the car ending
up sliding down the road on its side. Brundle was confused but not hurt.
The start of the race was delayed for 45 minutes due to rain. At the first corner the two Renaults
collided and were out, Tambay suffering a broken leg, and Prost took the lead with Mansell in 2nd. Niki
Lauda started eighth on the grid, but by lap six had overtaken both Ferraris to move into third place.
On lap 11, Nigel Mansell took the lead from Prost, but five laps later he crashed heavily, leaving the
McLarens 1-2. Ayrton Senna, who started 13th on the grid, had worked his way up to third place in his
Toleman (which was running on Michelin tires for the first time, the team having given up with Pirelli).
On lap 19, Senna overtook Lauda to take second place and began to chase Prost, who was half a minute
ahead. Five laps later Lauda crashed in Casino Square. As Senna chased Prost, attention focused on
Stefan Bellof’s Tyrrell, which was up to fourth place from last on the grid. On lap 27 Bellof blasted
past Arnoux’s Ferrari to take third place and set off in pursuit of Senna. As Senna closed on Prost,
Bellof closed on the pair of them.
Then on lap 31, the race was suddenly stopped. Prost was relieved, Senna was furious, and Bellof was
disappointed. Prost stopped on the track right at the start/finish line, in front of the red flag, as
Senna flew by at full speed, leaving announcers Murray Walker and James Hunt to wonder whether
Prost had stopped too early. Senna would continue around the track, believing he had the victory.
Arnoux was fourth with Rosberg fifth and de Angelis sixth.
This is the original BBC broadcast. During the video, some titles are in Japanese,
but the commentators are Murray Walker and James Hunt.