When rookie Senna beat 9 F1 World Champions

After three years of construction, Mercedes-Benz organised the race to celebrate the opening of the new Grand Prix circuit at the Nürburgring in May 1984. The track had closed following Niki Lauda’s accident in 1976, with a new, shorter layout being constructed with tougher safety requirements.

Simultaneously, Mercedes-Benz was also due to launch its new 190 E model, so the event was the perfect opportunity to both showcase the new sports model and entice fans of F1 back to the circuit. 20 identical Mercedes-Benz 190 Es were prepared for the contest, each with a handful of minor race modifications.

Those 20 cars were to be guided round the Nürburgring by some of motorsport’s greatest ever drivers: then two-time champion Niki Lauda, three-time champion Jack Brabham, James Hunt, John Surtees, Phil Hill, Keke Rosberg, Denny Hulme, and Jody Scheckter. Former Mercedes F1 driver, Stirling Moss took part, while brand ambassador Juan Manuel Fangio, then aged 72 was also present.

Of the remaining four Drivers’ Champions, Jackie Stewart’s absence continued his decision not to race after the death of his friend and team-mate François Cevert, while both Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti were participating in the Indy 500. Reigning F1 World Champion Nelson Piquet declined to compete.

But it was two future champions who dominated this race. Alain Prost took pole position ahead of Carlos Reutemann, with rookie Ayrton Senna – only four races in to his F1 career – in third.

Senna took the lead from Prost on the opening lap of the 12-lap race, and an incident with Elio de Angelis dropped Prost down the leaderboard to 15^th, while de Angelis lost two laps in the pits repairing his car.

Elsewhere on the grid, other drivers treated the exhibition race as an excuse to just have fun. James Hunt, amongst others, was noted to be cutting corners, while John Surtees was reportedly only concentrated on bringing both him and his car home in one piece. With an eye to purchase his car after the race, Hans Herrmann deliberately took it easy in order to reduce the risk of damage.

By the end of the 12 laps, Reutemann had dropped down one place to finish third. Lauda, who had missed the initial practice time and only qualified 14^th, managed to end up on the podium in 2^nd place, but fell short of passing Senna for the win.

The Brazilian took the chequered flag over a minute ahead of a multiple-time World Champion in equal machinery. Determined to prove his abilities as a top-tier racing driver, this race is widely marked as Senna’s initial ascension into motorsport, paired with his drive to second place in the Monaco Grand Prix a few weeks later.

Senna’s winning car was sent to the Mercedes-Benz Museum, where it is still housed to this day. Lauda’s car was sold to a Swiss collector, while remaining 18 cars were reverted to factory spec and sold as road cars. Prost would go on to win his first title the following year, with Senna joining that elite club in 1988, well on his way to cementing himself as an icon of the sport.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.