Nigel Mansell claimed his first Formula One victory at Brands Hatch, while Alain Prost secured the 1985 Drivers' Championship in the same race.
Key Facts
- Race length
- 75 laps
- Mansell's race start number
- 72nd career start
- Race in championship
- 14th of 1985 season
- Prost championship secured by
- Alboreto turbo failure retirement
- Pole position
- Ayrton Senna (Lotus-Renault)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1985 Formula One World Championship season had reached its fourteenth round with Alain Prost and Michele Alboreto still contending for the Drivers' title. Nigel Mansell, yet to win a Formula One race in his career, lined up in his Williams-Honda at Brands Hatch seeking his first victory.
On 6 October 1985, Nigel Mansell won the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch in a Williams-Honda, taking his maiden Formula One victory. Ayrton Senna, who had started from pole position, finished second in his Lotus-Renault, with Keke Rosberg third. Alain Prost finished fourth in his McLaren-TAG.
Mansell's win made him the first driver to win the European Grand Prix on home soil. Alboreto's retirement with a turbo failure ended his title challenge, handing Prost his first Drivers' Championship — making Prost the first French driver to win the title, a distinction he retained as of 2025.