1984 BELGIAN GP
ZOLDER RENAULT RE50 STARTED 4TH | RESULT 2ND 1
The near-miss of the 1984 Brazilian GP, when Warwick got within 11 laps of victory on his Renault debut, is better-known, but his performance at that year’s Belgian GP was better. On a rare off day for Mclaren that season, Warwick was the best Michelin runner in a Zolder event dominated by Goodyear.
He’d bruised his left knee in a karting accident, but qualified fourth, helped by aero tweaks to his RE50. Warwick stormed up to second at the start, getting between the Ferraris of dominant polesitter Michele Alboreto and Rene Arnoux.
The Renault briefly dropped to third behind Keke Rosberg’s Williams when Warwick stopped for tyres, but was soon back to second, miles ahead of the rest. Alboreto won by 42.4s, but Warwick was the only non-ferrari on the lead lap and the sole runner on Michelin tyres to score points.
“The car was very good and I didn’t get hung up on the fact everyone was saying a Michelin car wasn’t going to win,” remembers Warwick. “I’d got those four points finishes at the end of 1983 with Toleman and I was on a high. I didn’t think I got the kudos I deserved for that race.”
Warwick rates the drive above his Rio race, which ended thanks to suspension failure: “Niki Lauda came by and I made it difficult for him. He came over and just clipped my left-front wheel, which I didn’t think anything of at the time. Was it my fault? Yes and no. I could have made it easier for him, but you’re not meant to make things easy!
“But Brazil was easy – good car, good tyres.
It’s much easier winning in a good car…”
Zolder was the high point of arguably Warwick’s best F1 season, one in which he was rated seventh in the Autocourse rankings, ahead of future world champions Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell.