1985

The 1985 season began very well: after a podium in the first race and a fourth place in Portugal, Elio achieved his second and final victory in San Marino, also helped by the disqualification of Alain Prost, for a car that was found to be two kilos underweight at checks. The Italian driver then found himself at the top of the world championship standings, a position he maintained until the Canadian Grand Prix, where he had obtained pole position, when he was ousted by Michele Alboreto. In the second part of the season he went beyond a series of fifth places. At the last race of the season he was disqualified for having started irregularly: after stalling his engine at the start of the reconnaissance lap, De Angelis had started from tenth position instead of dropping to the back of the grid. He finally finished the championship in fifth place with thirty-three points. In September, he then won the Riccardo Paletti Trophy for having managed to finish first among the Italians on the starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix. Elio left Lotus at the end of the season, when it became clear that the team would focus on his teammate Ayrton Senna, with whom he had never been on good terms.