Niki Lauda won the 1984 Formula One Drivers' Championship by half a point over Alain Prost, the smallest winning margin in the sport's history.
Key Facts
- Season races
- 16 Grands Prix
- Championship margin
- 0.5 points (smallest in F1 history)
- McLaren wins
- 12 of 16 races
- Prost wins (single season)
- 7, equalling Jim Clark's 1963 record
- Lauda's title count
- 3rd title, first since 1977
- Notable debut
- Ayrton Senna's first F1 season
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
McLaren entered 1984 with a strong combination of the John Barnard-designed MP4/2 chassis, the turbocharged TAG-Porsche engine noted for fuel efficiency, and two elite drivers in Niki Lauda and Alain Prost, while expected frontrunners Brabham, Renault, and Ferrari failed to match their overall package.
The 1984 Formula One World Championship ran sixteen races from 25 March to 21 October. McLaren dominated, winning twelve races. Prost and Lauda fought a season-long internal battle, with Lauda ultimately claiming his third Drivers' title by just half a point — the narrowest margin ever recorded — while McLaren clinched the Constructors' Championship by a then-record margin.
McLaren's dominance secured their first Constructors' title since 1974, and Lauda's victory set a new record for years between championships. The season marked Ayrton Senna's debut and Michelin's exit from Formula One until 2001. It also stands as the last Formula One title won by an Austrian driver as of 2025.