grounds of being absent from the event. For the first time since , three teams entered the final race with a chance of winning the Constructors' Championship. Ferrari (74 points) needed either 2nd (or 4th and 5th) or better 4th (or 5th and 6th) or better, with the McLarens 1st and 3rd or lower 5th or better, with the McLarens 1st and 4th or lower 6th or better, with the McLarens 1st and 5th or lower the McLarens scoring fewer than 11 points, with the Renaults 1st and 3rd or lower McLaren-Ford (63 points) needed 1st and either 2nd with the Ferraris scoring fewer than 5 points 3rd with the Ferraris scoring fewer than 3 points 4th with the Ferraris 6th or lower 5th with the Ferraris 7th or lower Renault (59 points) needed 1st and 2nd, with the Ferraris 7th or lower. Had this happened, both teams would have finished with 74 points, with Renault then winning by virtue of having five wins to Ferrari's three. Race report At the green light for the race on Saturday, Prost led from the pole, followed by teammate Arnoux. Cheever, from the fourth spot on the grid, was determined to get around the outside of Alboreto on the first left-hander. They touched wheels, but both continued with Alboreto still in front, Cheever's Ligier sporting a vibrating front wheel and the Tyrrell of Alboreto bearing a tire mark on the right sidepod. For the first ten laps, the Renaults steadily pulled away from Alboreto, with Arnoux now leading Prost. The Tyrrell began to match Arnoux's times, however, and then to close on him, as Prost took back the lead on lap 15. Speculation of a problem with Arnoux's car proved true, as the Renault was faltering, and he retired on lap 21. Watson, meanwhile, had dropped to twelfth in the opening laps, but passed Piquet on lap 12, then Rosberg, Andretti and Cheever on successive laps, eventually reaching third place, with a thirty-second gap to the two leaders. However, when Andretti, hoping to help clinch the Constructors' title for Ferrari, slid off directly in front of Rosberg on lap 27 with a broken rear suspension link, Rosberg took over the fifth place he sought. Among the leaders, Alboreto began inching closer to Prost again, and Watson continued to close on both of them. Niki Lauda's McLaren retired on lap 54, while Alboreto had