The season
A new year, a new team. Ayrton Senna signed his contract with Lotus in 1984 and began with the team in 1985. Ayrton Senna finished out the first season with Lotus with two wins, seven pole positions, six podiums and 38 points, in an honorable fourth place. The relationship with Lotus lasted three seasons and brought the Brazilian driver his first wins at Formula 1, paving the path which would enable him to leave his mark in motor racing history forever.
| Placing: | Pilot | Points: |
| 1º | A. Prost | 73 |
| 2 | M. Alboreto | 53 |
| 3º | K. Rosberg | 40 |
| 4º | Ayrton Senna | 38 |
| 5º | E. de Angelis | 33 |
| 6º | N. Mansell | 31 |
| 7º | S. Johansson | 26 |
| 8º | N. Piquet | 21 |
| 9º | J. Laffite | 16 |
| 10º | N. Lauda | 14 |
| 11º | P. Tambay | 11 |
| T. Boutsen | ||
| 12º | M. Surer | 5 |
| D. Warwick | ||
| 13º | P. Streiff | 4 |
| S. Bellof | ||
| 14º | R. Arnoux | 3 |
| A. de Cesaris | ||
| I. Capelli | ||
| G. Berger |
| Team | Lotus |
| Car | Lotus/Renault 97T |
| Total of tests | 16 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Poles | 7 |
| Podiums | 6 |
| Best turns | 3 |
| Leaving | 10 |
| Points | 38 |
| Classification in the Championship | 4 |