Detroit Grand Prix 1984 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Nelson Piquet claimed his second consecutive victory on North American street circuits, dominating at Detroit while both McLaren drivers suffered mechanical failures. The Brazilian's victory gave Brabham-BMW renewed championship hope, while Elio de Angelis delivered an excellent second place for Lotus ahead of Teo Fabi's Brabham. The race proved disastrous for McLaren's championship contenders, with both Prost and Lauda retiring - a rare double DNF that would prove critical in the final championship calculations.

The Detroit Grand Prix highlighted Formula 1's vulnerability on temporary street circuits, where unforgiving barriers and rough surfaces punished mechanical weakness. McLaren's double retirement allowed their rivals to close the championship gap, though the team's superior reliability over the season would ultimately prove decisive. For Piquet, the back-to-back victories in Canada and Detroit demonstrated that he remained a championship contender despite Brabham's declining competitiveness, while the bumpy Detroit streets produced an attrition-filled race that rewarded survival as much as speed.