European Grand Prix 1984 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Alain Prost kept his fading championship hopes alive with a critical victory at the Nurburgring's new Grand Prix circuit, taking the penultimate race while Niki Lauda finished fourth. The Frenchman's win narrowed Lauda's championship lead to a handful of points heading into the Portuguese Grand Prix finale, though the Austrian still held the advantage. Michele Alboreto took second for Ferrari, with Nelson Piquet completing the podium for Brabham.

The European Grand Prix set up a dramatic championship finale at Estoril, where Prost would need victory and hope Lauda finished low in the points to steal the title. The race demonstrated Prost's refusal to concede defeat, as his victory maintained mathematical championship possibilities while highlighting the Frenchman's superior speed throughout the season. However, Lauda's fourth-place finish - scored through tactical intelligence and race management rather than outright pace - meant he arrived in Portugal needing only to finish close to Prost to claim his third World Championship.