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Race
 With
speeds expected to drop further and further as the race went on, the
race seemed likely to run for two hours rather than the intended 80
laps, and as the 25 cars were seen to on the dummy grid, many speculated
there would be even fewer finishers than there had been in Detroit a
fortnight earlier. It looked like one had gone before the start when
Arnoux failed to get off the dummy grid, but the marshals push-started
him and the Frenchman took up a place at the back of the grid, his good
work in practice gone to waste.
 Mansell
led from de Angelis and Warwick into the first corner, with Senna up
to 4th ahead of Lauda and Prost, and Rosberg, Alboreto and Tambay next
up. The Brazilian was feeling good in the Toleman and tried to drive
past the Renault ahead of him at the start of the second lap, but went
too wide, brushed a wall and span, rolling backwards as the rest of
the field passed him. Chastised, he drove around to the pits to replace
his flat-spotted tyres. Rosberg, in a chassis rebuilt around the original
1983 FW09 monocoque with much improved (if still far from perfect) handling
soon moved past Prost, the Finn having invested in a water-cooled skullcap
before the race.
 Warwick
was now having a good look at de Angelis, suffering from a troubled
engine, while Mansell was starting to edge away from the pair of them.
The Renault got by on lap 4, and then rapidly closed on the leading
Lotus. Lauda got past de Angelis just after Warwick, while Bellof skidded
into a wall from 13th, joining Cheever and Hesnault (bouncing off Ghinzani
for the second race in succession) in retirement. Next to go was Warwick
himself on lap 11, who thrust down the outside of Mansell, momentarily
took the lead, went sideways on the marbles and slid into a tyre wall
with a screech of protesting brakes.
 A
lap later, Mansell ran wide and brushed a wall, but was lucky enough
to survive. However, the mistake allowed de Angelis to get back past
Lauda, who was under pressure from Rosberg with Prost looming in the
backgroud. It made for a marvellous race from the point of view of the
90,000 crowd. Perhaps remembering Montreal, Mansell refused to submit
to his team-mate, and everyone held their breath as the Italian tried
to force his way through, while Prost in 5th was less than four seconds
behind.
 Mansell
recovered his composure and the Lotus pair drew away slightly, while
Rosberg slipped by Lauda on the inside and into 3rd, with Prost soon
following. On lap 19, for the second time de Angelis tried to go around
the outside of Mansell at the same point Warwick had done, but the Englishman
was unyielding to such an extent that his team-mate's entrance to the
following corner was compromised, allowing Rosberg into second place.
The Italian took a while to compose himself and dropped back towards
the McLarens as Rosberg began pressuring the leading Lotus. Tambay had
been gaining slowly on Lauda until he ran wide and knocked a rear wheel
of his Renault, while Patrese and de Cesaris had also crashed out and
Rothengatter was forced to stop in the Spirit when fuel leaked into
the cockpit, burning the Dutch driver's backside.
 This
promoted Piquet, struggling with a sticking throttle, to 6th ahead of
Arnoux, who had charged impressively through the field. Behind the Ferrari
came Laffite, then Ghinzani, Surer and Fabi. The Osella driver was forced
to pit from 9th, however, when wheel vibrations caused by his early
brush with Hesnault sent him in for fresh tyres. The stop was slow,
but at least gave the Italian's mechanics ample time to pour cold water
all over the grateful driver.
 Prost
had now pushed de Angelis onto the back of the battle for the lead,
despite bouncing off a wall at the same point Mansell had done earlier,
and was soon past the second Lotus, now being pressed by Lauda. Prost
then came past Rosberg when one of the Finn's attempts to pass Mansell
delayed him, but lost the position again a lap later. It all made for
exciting stuff, and Rosberg finally managed to thrust past into the
lead on lap 36. Mansell tried to fight back, but found the Williams
to be just as resolute as he had been, and he was promptly demoted by
the McLarens and de Angelis, his tyres ruined from his enthusiastic
defence of first place. He ducked into the pits for fresh rubber, and
continued in 7th.
 In
the second Lotus de Angelis was slipping back too, falling behind the
McLarens and then coming under attack from Arnoux, Piquet having lost
the battle with his throttle and skated into a wall. Prost then took
Rosberg, while Arnoux moved past Lauda into a praiseworthy third place.
The Ferrari was providing most of the excitement now as the leading
group had broken up, and Prost seemed to have broken Rosberg's challenge.
Alboreto retired the second Ferrari from a lapped 6th, either side of
both Arrows' drivers retiring, leaving just ten cars still running.
 That
became nine when Prost banged a front wheel against one of the walls,
allowing Rosberg back into the lead. Prost's championship lead remained
untouched, however, as Lauda clipped the same piece of concrete four
laps later, dropping out of third place, parking his McLaren neatly
a couple of yards from Prost's example. The chequered flag came out
after 67 gruelling laps, with Arnoux the only other car on the same
lap as Rosberg. Third went to de Angelis, with Laffite 4th after another
sensible but utterly anonymous run.
 Mansell
seemed set for 5th, only for the Lotus gearbox to give out on the last
corner. Mansell promptly climbed out of the car and tried to push it
the hundred yards to the line, only to collapse exhausted as Ghinzani
flashed by to take the place and relegate him to 6th, with Fabi and
Winkelhock the only other finishers. On the rostrum, after giving both
McLaren drivers a lift to the pits, Rosberg used the PA to lambast Mansell
for baulking earlier in the race. The Englishman was being revived at
the medical centre, and the crowd - who had taken the gallant Lotus
driver to their hearts - responded by loudly booing the Finn. It was
a fitting soap opera ending to a guilty pleasure of a race.
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