Portuguese Grand Prix 1984 - Race Schedule and Countdown

The 1984 Portuguese Grand Prix delivered one of Formula 1's most dramatic championship conclusions, as Niki Lauda claimed his third World Championship by the narrowest margin in history - just HALF A POINT over teammate Alain Prost. Despite Prost winning the race with a commanding performance at Estoril's coastal circuit, Lauda's ice-cold second-place finish secured the title with a final tally of 72 points to Prost's 71.5. The Frenchman needed victory and hoped Lauda would finish third or lower, but the Austrian drove with tactical perfection to shadow his teammate home and seal the championship at age 35. Ayrton Senna completed an impressive season with his third podium finish for Toleman, signaling his readiness for a top team.

The finale demonstrated Lauda's masterful championship management, as he drove not to win the race but to secure the title. While Prost extracted maximum performance from his MP4/2, Lauda maintained position just behind, knowing second place was sufficient regardless of the Frenchman's result. The half-point margin vindicated Lauda's consistency-over-speed approach throughout the season - he won five races to Prost's seven, but crucially avoided the mechanical retirements that plagued his faster teammate. The result was particularly poignant given the Monaco controversy, where the race was controversially stopped in the rain on lap 32, awarding only half-points. Prost received 4.5 points instead of the 9 for a full victory, and those lost 4.5 points would have given him the championship had Monaco run to full distance.

Lauda's third title confirmed his status as one of Formula 1's all-time greats, achieving the remarkable feat of winning championships in 1975, 1977, and 1984 despite his near-fatal Nürburgring accident in 1976. His ability to defeat Prost - widely regarded as the faster driver throughout 1984 - through tactical intelligence, consistency, and capitalizing on his teammate's misfortunes demonstrated championship racing at its finest. Prost's seven victories and superior speed throughout the season made him the moral victor in many observers' eyes, though Formula 1 crowns champions on points, not pace. The 0.5-point margin remains the closest championship finish in Formula 1 history, a testament to the razor-thin margins that separated two of the sport's greatest drivers at the peak of their powers. McLaren's dominance with 12 wins from 16 races made their internal battle even more intense, setting the stage for continued rivalry in 1985.