The 1984 Austrian Grand Prix marked the 400th Formula 1 race.

On August 19, 1984, the battle for the world championship between Niki Lauda and Alain Prost continued, but the tide turned in favor of the Austrian, who claimed his first victory on home soil.

In 1984, McLaren returned to the forefront after a few difficult years. The British team lined up two-time world champion Niki Lauda alongside talented Frenchman Alain Prost, who joined Ron Dennis after a stint at Renault. Prost started the season strongly, taking the lead in the championship, closely followed by his teammate. Back in F1 and determined to bring McLaren back to the top, the Austrian was aiming for a third title after those won in 1975 and 1977, while Prost, who had come close to winning his own between 1981 and 1983, was desperate to win his first.

With only five races to go, the drivers traveled to Austria for the 400th Grand Prix in Formula 1 history. This event would prove decisive in the title fight and see Lauda claim his first victory in front of his home crowd. Prost's bad luck continued The weekend started well for “The Professor,” who qualified in second place, while Lauda was fourth. At the start, Prost overtook Nelson Piquet, who was in pole position, but a problem just before the lights went out forced the race director to wave the red flag. Elio de Angelis, struggling with his Lotus, signaled to the marshal that he could not start when the lights turned green. The other drivers avoided the Italian, but the race was interrupted. During the break, Lauda and Prost chatted as if the championship battle was of no importance, discussing the aborted start. “The marshal was about to press the green button, but he saw de Angelis raise his arm and changed his mind. The light went from red to green, then to yellow, then back to red,” Lauda recalled. When the race resumed a few minutes later, Piquet led from the start, Prost was right behind him, and Lauda was in third place, a respectable distance behind.McLaren engineer Jo Ramirez later explained that Prost was struggling with a broken gear lever, forcing him to drive with one hand. On lap 28, De Angelis' engine failed, spilling oil in the final corner. Piquet arrived first, barely managing to control his Brabham. Prost, still driving with one hand, lost grip, slid into the grass, and retired. A first for Lauda Twelve laps later, Lauda caught up with the defending champion and overtook him, but his joy was short-lived. On lap 42, the Austrian suddenly slowed down and raised his arm, leading many to believe he was retiring. In fact, he was suffering from a gearbox problem that had briefly deprived him of third gear. “I lost fourth gear 15 laps from the finish, so I went straight from third to fifth,” Lauda explained after the race. The problem cost him only a few seconds, and he claimed his first victory at Zeltweg at the age of 35. Third title within reach Lauda's victory on home soil put him back at the top of the standings, 4.5 points ahead of Prost. The Frenchman complained that the marshals had not flagged the presence of oil in the final corner. Piquet teased him: “Of course there was oil everywhere, but the marshals warned us immediately. I slowed down… then Prost accelerated to catch up with me. I didn't understand why.” ” After the race, Lauda tried to console his teammate: “If you hadn't skidded on that oil spill, I would have had an accident.” The Austrian Grand Prix marked a turning point in 1984. Lauda's victory allowed him to retake the lead in the championship, and he finished the season in near-perfect fashion. Prost was unable to close the gap, and Lauda won his third world title in the final race by just half a point, the smallest margin ever recorded. After narrowly missing out on the title once again, Prost finally won his first championship the following year, followed by further titles in 1986, 1989, and 1993.