The 1985 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 19 October 1985 at the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1985 FIA Formula One World Championship.
The race was marked with some teams boycotting the event due to apartheid – the segregation of blacks and whites – and was the last South African Formula One race until apartheid ended in 1992. The race was won by Nigel Mansell in a Williams-Honda, who also took pole position.
Report
Until the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, this was the last World Championship Grand Prix to be held on a Saturday; it also was the last World Championship Grand Prix where laurel wreaths were given to the drivers at the podium. The event was boycotted by two teams, Ligier and Renault, owing to mounting international pressures against tolerating the country's system of apartheid. A state of emergency had been declared by the South African government in July due to growing civil unrest nationwide, and French teams Ligier and Renault's boycotts were in lockstep with the French government's boycott and sanctioning of South Africa, apparently doing so under pressure. Most of the Formula One drivers, including Alain Prost, Niki Lauda and Nigel Mansell were personally very much against racing in South Africa, but the drivers held the mentality that because they were contracted to drive at every Grand Prix, they would race at Kyalami.
Some governments tried to keep their drivers from entering the race. Brazil's sanctions on South Africa nearly prevented Nelson Piquet or Ayrton Senna from racing.
Finland and Sweden held similar reservations regarding Finn Keke Rosberg and Swede Stefan Johansson competing.
Multiple sponsors also ordered teams to remove their branding from cars they backed, most notably Marlboro and Beatrice Foods.
The latter held an equity interest in the single car Haas Lola team. While Alan Jones qualified 18th for that team, his car was not on the starting grid. Officially Jones cited illness as to why he did not race, but it was widely rumored at the time that Beatrice ordered the team to boycott.
It was the final South African Grand Prix until apartheid ended, with FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre announcing days after the race that the Grand Prix would not return to the nation for 1986 because of apartheid.
Classification
Qualifying
Pole position went to Nigel Mansell, averaging 236.898 km/h (147.201 mph).
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos !! No !! Driver !! Constructor !! Q1 !! Q2 !! Gap
|-
! 1
| 5
| Nigel Mansell
| Williams-Honda
| 1:03.188
| 1:02.366
|align="center"| —
|-
! 2
| 7
| Nelson Piquet
| Brabham-BMW
| 1:03.844
| 1:02.490
| +0.124
|-
! 3
| 6
| Keke Rosberg
| Williams-Honda
| 1:03.073
| 1:02.504
| +0.138
|-
! 4
| 12
| Ayrton Senna
| Lotus-Renault
| 1:04.517
| 1:02.825
| +0.459
|-
! 5
| 8
| Marc Surer
| Brabham-BMW
| 1:05.411
| 1:04.088
| +1.722
|-
! 6
| 11
| Elio de Angelis
| Lotus-Renault
| 1:04.611
| 1:04.129
| +1.763
|-
! 7
| 19
| Teo Fabi
| Toleman-Hart
| 1:06.083
| 1:04.215
| +1.849
|-
! 8
| 1
| Niki Lauda
| McLaren-TAG
| 1:05.357
| 1:04.283
| +1.917
|-
! 9
| 2
| Alain Prost
| McLaren-TAG
| 1:05.757
| 1:04.376
| +2.010
|-
! 10
| 18
| Thierry Boutsen
| Arrows-BMW
| 1:05.079
| 1:04.518
| +2.152
|-
! 11
| 17
| Gerhard Berger
| Arrows-BMW
| 1:06.546
| 1:04.780
| +2.414
|-
! 12
| 22
| Riccardo Patrese
| Alfa Romeo
| 1:06.386
| 1:04.948
| +2.582
|-
! 13
| 20
| Piercarlo Ghinzani
| Toleman-Hart
| 1:07.800
| 1:05.114
| +2.748
|-
! 14
| 23
| Eddie Cheever
| Alfa Romeo
| 1:07.159
| 1:05.260
| +2.894
|-
! 15
| 27
| Michele Alboreto
| Ferrari
| 1:05.268
| 1:05.757
| +2.902
|-
! 16
| 28
| Stefan Johansson
| Ferrari
| 1:05.406
| 1:05.388
| +3.022
|-
! 17
| 3
| Martin Brundle
| Tyrrell-Renault
| 1:06.709
| 1:05.649
| +3.283
|-
! 18
| 33
| Alan Jones
| Lola-Hart
| 1:07.144
| 1:05.731
| +3.365
|-
! 19
| 4
| Philippe Streiff
| Tyrrell-Renault
| 1:07.935
| 1:06.205
| +3.839
|-
! 20
| 29
| Pierluigi Martini
| Minardi-Motori Moderni
| 1:10.025
| 1:08.658
| +6.292
|-
! 21
| 24
| Huub Rothengatter
| Osella-Alfa Romeo
| 1:09.904
| 1:09.873
| +7.507
|}
Race
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos !! No !! Driver !! Constructor !! Laps !! Time/Retired !! Grid !! Points
|-
! 1
| 5
| Nigel Mansell
| Williams-Honda
| 75
| 1:28:22.866
| 1
| 9
|-
! 2
| 6
| Keke Rosberg
| Williams-Honda
| 75
| + 7.572
| 3
| 6
|-
! 3
| 2
| Alain Prost
| McLaren-TAG
| 74
| + 1 Lap
| 9
| 4
|-
! 4
| 28
| Stefan Johansson
| Ferrari
| 74
| + 1 Lap
| 16
| 3
|-
! 5
| 17
| Gerhard Berger
| Arrows-BMW
| 74
| + 1 Lap
| 11
| 2
|-
! 6
| 18
| Thierry Boutsen
| Arrows-BMW
| 74
| + 1 Lap
| 10
| 1
|-
! 7
| 3
| Martin Brundle
| Tyrrell-Renault
| 73
| + 2 Laps
| 17
|
|-
!
| 11
| Elio de Angelis
| Lotus-Renault
| 52
| Engine
| 6
|
|-
!
| 29
| Pierluigi Martini
| Minardi-Motori Moderni
| 45
| Radiator
| 20
|
|-
!
| 1
| Niki Lauda
| McLaren-TAG
| 37
| Turbo
| 8
|
|-
!
| 4
| Philippe Streiff
| Tyrrell-Renault
| 16
| Accident
| 19
|
|-
!
| 12
| Ayrton Senna
| Lotus-Renault
| 8
| Engine
| 4
|
|-
!
| 27
| Michele Alboreto
| Ferrari
| 8
| Turbo
| 15
|
|-
!
| 7
| Nelson Piquet
| Brabham-BMW
| 6
| Engine
| 2
|
|-
!
| 20
| Piercarlo Ghinzani
| Toleman-Hart
| 4
| Engine
| 13
|
|-
!
| 19
| Teo Fabi
| Toleman-Hart
| 3
| Engine
| 7
|
|-
!
| 8
| Marc Surer
| Brabham-BMW
| 3
| Engine
| 5
|
|-
!
| 24
| Huub Rothengatter
| Osella-Alfa Romeo
| 1
| Electrical
| 21
|
|-
!
| 22
| Riccardo Patrese
| Alfa Romeo
| 0
| Collision
| 12
|
|-
!
| 23
| Eddie Cheever
| Alfa Romeo
| 0
| Collision
| 14
|
|-
!
| 33
| Alan Jones
| Lola-Hart
|
| Withdrew
| 18
|
|-
!colspan="8"|
|}
Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos
! Driver
! Points
|-
| 1
| Alain Prost
| align="right"| 73 (76)
|-
| 2
| Michele Alboreto
| align="right"| 53
|-
| 3
| Ayrton Senna
| align="right"| 38
|-
| 4
| Elio de Angelis
| align="right"| 33
|-
| 5
| Nigel Mansell
| align="right"| 31
|-
!colspan=4|Source:
|}
;Constructors' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos
! Constructor
! Points
|-
| 1
| McLaren-TAG
| align="right"| 90
|-
| 2
| Ferrari
| align="right"| 80
|-
| 3
| Lotus-Renault
| align="right"| 71
|-
| 4
| Williams-Honda
| align="right"| 62
|-
| 5
| Brabham-BMW
| align="right"| 26
|-
!colspan=4|Source: