Brabham BT54
Encyclopedia
The Brabham BT54 was a Formula One
racing car designed by Gordon Murray
for the Brabham team for the 1985 Formula One season
. The car was powered by the BMW M12 4cyl turbo engine (the most powerful engine in Formula One at the time) and used Pirelli
tyres.
The car proved to be competitive, but somewhat unsuccessful even in the hands of two time world champion Nelson Piquet
. The reason for this turned out to be the Pirelli tyres which proved to be nowhere near as good as the Goodyear
tyres used by rivals McLaren
, Lotus
, Ferrari
and Williams
. The only track and conditions on the 1985 calendar that suited the tyres was the Paul Ricard Circuit
used for the French Grand Prix
and Piquet used this to full advantage. He qualified 5th and won his only Grand Prix of 1985. The car did well on high-speed circuits, and Piquet often qualified up on the grid on circuits like Silverstone, the Österreichring, Zandvoort, Spa-Francorchamps and Kyalami. Other than the Dutch Grand Prix
where Piquet got his only pole position for the season, the BT54 was generally off the pace of the front runners leaving Piquet little chance of regaining the World Drivers' Championship, although at the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch Piquet qualified 2nd, but was taken out by Keke Rosberg and Piquet's teammate Marc Surer got up to 2nd before retiring with a fiery engine failure.
Piquet, François Hesnault
and Marc Surer
, who replaced Hesnault from the Canadian Grand Prix
for the rest of the season, could only score 26 points to finish 5th in the Constructors Championship.
Marc Surer recorded the fastest speed trap of the season for the BT54 when he was clocked at 338km/h (210mph) on the 1.8km long Mistral Straight at Paul Ricard during qualifying for the French Grand Prix.
The BT54 was replaced for the season by the Brabham BT55
although the team did use the BT54 for the 1986 British Grand Prix
after the lack of results from the BT55.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing car designed by Gordon Murray
Gordon Murray
Prof. Gordon Murray , is a renowned designer of Formula One race cars and the McLaren F1 road car.-Early life:...
for the Brabham team for the 1985 Formula One season
1985 Formula One season
The 1985 Formula One season was the 36th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1985 Formula 1 World Championship which commenced on 7 April 1985 and ended on 3 November 1985 after sixteen races. World Championship titles were awarded for both Drivers and Manufacturers.-Season...
. The car was powered by the BMW M12 4cyl turbo engine (the most powerful engine in Formula One at the time) and used Pirelli
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...
tyres.
The car proved to be competitive, but somewhat unsuccessful even in the hands of two time world champion Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in , and . He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna , Alain Prost , Juan...
. The reason for this turned out to be the Pirelli tyres which proved to be nowhere near as good as the Goodyear
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
tyres used by rivals McLaren
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
, Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
, Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
and Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
. The only track and conditions on the 1985 calendar that suited the tyres was the Paul Ricard Circuit
Circuit Paul Ricard
The Paul Ricard Circuit is a motorsport race track built at Le Castellet, near Marseille, France, in 1969 with finance from the eccentric drinks magnate Paul Ricard, who created what essentially became Pernod Ricard...
used for the French Grand Prix
1985 French Grand Prix
The 1985 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on July 7, 1985. It was the seventh round of the 1985 Formula One season....
and Piquet used this to full advantage. He qualified 5th and won his only Grand Prix of 1985. The car did well on high-speed circuits, and Piquet often qualified up on the grid on circuits like Silverstone, the Österreichring, Zandvoort, Spa-Francorchamps and Kyalami. Other than the Dutch Grand Prix
1985 Dutch Grand Prix
The 1985 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort on August 25, 1985. It was the eleventh round of the 1985 Formula One season.This proved to be F1's last visit to Holland, and Niki Lauda's final F1 victory...
where Piquet got his only pole position for the season, the BT54 was generally off the pace of the front runners leaving Piquet little chance of regaining the World Drivers' Championship, although at the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch Piquet qualified 2nd, but was taken out by Keke Rosberg and Piquet's teammate Marc Surer got up to 2nd before retiring with a fiery engine failure.
Piquet, François Hesnault
François Hesnault
François Hesnault is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 21 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 25 March 1984...
and Marc Surer
Marc Surer
Marc Surer is a former racing driver from Switzerland. He participated in 88 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 9 September 1979. He scored a total of 17 championship points....
, who replaced Hesnault from the Canadian Grand Prix
1985 Canadian Grand Prix
The 1985 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 16, 1985. It was the fifth round of the 1985 Formula One season.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings...
for the rest of the season, could only score 26 points to finish 5th in the Constructors Championship.
Marc Surer recorded the fastest speed trap of the season for the BT54 when he was clocked at 338km/h (210mph) on the 1.8km long Mistral Straight at Paul Ricard during qualifying for the French Grand Prix.
The BT54 was replaced for the season by the Brabham BT55
Brabham BT55
The Brabham BT55 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Murray and David North for the Brabham team owned by Bernie Ecclestone. It used a BMW four-cylinder turbocharged engine tilted over on its side to allow a clear supply of air to the rear wing. The car competed during the 1986 Formula...
although the team did use the BT54 for the 1986 British Grand Prix
1986 British Grand Prix
The 1986 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on July 13, 1986. It was the ninth race of the 1986 Formula One season...
after the lack of results from the BT55.
Complete Formula One results
(results in bold indicate pole position)| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brabham | BMW M12/13 S4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... tc Turbocharger A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance... |
BRA 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1985 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá on April 7, 1985. It was the first round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
POR 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Estoril on April 21, 1985. It was the second round of the 1985 Formula One season and was won by Ayrton Senna from pole position, taking both his first pole position and win in the process.... |
SMR 1985 San Marino Grand Prix The 1985 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on May 5, 1985. It was the third round of the 1985 Formula One season.Limited fuel allowances played a big part in the race, as a succession of drivers ran out in the last few laps... |
MON 1985 Monaco Grand Prix The 1985 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 19, 1985. It was the fourth round of the 1985 Formula One season. The race was won by Alain Prost driving a McLaren.-Piquet/Patrese accident:... |
CAN 1985 Canadian Grand Prix The 1985 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 16, 1985. It was the fifth round of the 1985 Formula One season.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
DET 1985 Detroit Grand Prix The 1985 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 23, 1985 in Detroit, Michigan. It was the sixth round of the 1985 Formula One season.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
FRA 1985 French Grand Prix The 1985 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on July 7, 1985. It was the seventh round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
GBR 1985 British Grand Prix The 1985 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 21 July 1985. It was the eighth round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
GER 1985 German Grand Prix The 1985 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on August 4, 1985. It was the ninth round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
AUT 1985 Austrian Grand Prix The 1985 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on August 18, 1985. It was the tenth round of the 1985 Formula One season.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap Leaders: Alain Prost , Niki Lauda... |
NED 1985 Dutch Grand Prix The 1985 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort on August 25, 1985. It was the eleventh round of the 1985 Formula One season.This proved to be F1's last visit to Holland, and Niki Lauda's final F1 victory... |
ITA 1985 Italian Grand Prix The 1985 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 8, 1985. It was the twelfth round of the 1985 Formula One season.It was the last Formula One Grand Prix where the winning driver received a laurel wreath.- Classification :... |
BEL 1985 Belgian Grand Prix The 1985 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on September 15, 1985. It was the thirteenth round of the 1985 Formula One season.The top 5 finishers all were or went on to be World Champion.- Classification :- Notes :... |
EUR 1985 European Grand Prix The 1985 European Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on October 6, 1985. It was the fourteenth round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
RSA 1985 South African Grand Prix The 1985 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 19, 1985 at the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
AUS 1985 Australian Grand Prix The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Adelaide on November 3, 1985. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1985 Formula One season.... |
26 | 5th | |||
| Nelson Piquet Nelson Piquet Nelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in , and . He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna , Alain Prost , Juan... |
Ret | Ret | 8 | Ret | Ret | 6 | 1 | 4 | Ret | Ret | 8 | 2 | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | ||||||
| François Hesnault François Hesnault François Hesnault is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 21 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 25 March 1984... |
Ret | Ret | Ret | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Marc Surer Marc Surer Marc Surer is a former racing driver from Switzerland. He participated in 88 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 9 September 1979. He scored a total of 17 championship points.... |
15 | 8 | 8 | 6 | Ret | 6 | 10 | 4 | 8 | Ret | Ret | Ret |