The 1984 season saw no new manufacturers enter the grid. Theodore Racing had left Formula 1 at the end of the previous year.
Ayrton Senna made his Formula One debut with the Toleman team in Brazil, though his race ended early with a turbo failure on lap 8. Martin Brundle also debuted this year, driving for Tyrrell. Michele Alboreto became the first Italian driver signed by Enzo Ferrari since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1963, replacing Patrick Tambay. Tambay moved to Renault, alongside Derek Warwick, who had taken the seat previously held by Alain Prost.
There was a trend of manufacturers switching from naturally aspirated engines to turbocharged engines, attracted by their power output. Arrows upgraded to a BMW turbo engine, Osella switched to Alfa Romeo’s turbocharged 890T V8, and Spirit Racing ran one car with a Hart turbo engine alongside a Cosworth V8. Turbocharged cars were limited to 220 L (58 US gal) of fuel per race, and refuelling was banned.
At the South African Grand Prix, Niki Lauda won after starting from the pit lane, while Prost finished second, maintaining his lead in the championship. Nelson Piquet qualified on pole position, but retired. The Belgian Grand Prix saw a win for Michele Alboreto, with both McLarens failing to finish. Prost won the San Marino Grand Prix, while Piquet retired with a turbo failure. The Monaco Grand Prix was run in wet conditions and was stopped on lap 29, with Alain Prost declared the winner, ahead of Ayrton Senna.
The Canadian Grand Prix was won by Nelson Piquet, his first finish of the season. The Detroit Grand Prix-circuit) was a race of attrition, with Piquet winning and Martin Brundle finishing second in a naturally aspirated Tyrrell. The Dallas Grand Prix saw a chaotic race with several retirements. The British Grand Prix saw Niki Lauda take victory, while Johnny Cecotto broke both legs in a crash during practice, ending his Formula One career. The German Grand Prix was won by Prost, and the Austrian Grand Prix by Lauda. McLaren secured the Constructors’ Championship at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Detroit Grand Prix-circuit) saw a controversial disqualification for Tyrrell, after impurities were found in their water injection system – specifically, hydrocarbons were discovered in the water samples. The team was banned from scoring further points. At the Dallas Grand Prix, Nigel Mansell pushed his broken Lotus across the finish line, collapsing from exhaustion after completing the final lap. The Dallas Grand Prix saw Tyrrell driver Martin Brundle suffer broken ankles and feet in a crash during practice.
Johnny Cecotto’s Formula One career ended after breaking both legs in a crash during practice for the British Grand Prix. Ken Tyrrell’s team was disqualified from the championship following the Detroit Grand Prix-circuit).
As of 2025, the 1984 season remains the last championship for an Austrian Formula One driver. It is also the last time that the Drivers' Champion did not score a pole position during the season, a feat previously achieved only by Denny Hulme in 1967. The season also marked the last appearance of three tyre suppliers in Formula One.
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