1983 Formula One season

1983 FIA Formula One
World Championship
Drivers' Champion: Nelson Piquet
Constructors' Champion: Ferrari
Previous: 1982 Next: 1984

The 1983 Formula One season was the 34th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1983 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on 13 March, and ended on 15 October after fifteen races. Nelson Piquet won the Drivers' Championship,[1] his second Formula One title and the first to be won by a driver using a turbocharged engine. The Manufacturers' Championship was won by Ferrari.[2]

The season was a four-way battle between Piquet, Renault driver Alain Prost and Ferrari duo René Arnoux and Patrick Tambay. Prost lost a title chance with a technical problem in the final round in South Africa. The fact that Ferrari had two race-winning drivers pushing for the driver's title enabled the team to win the constructors' title in spite of its best driver (Arnoux) finishing only third - a unique feat in Formula One history.

The season also included a single non-championship Formula One race, the Race of Champions, which was held at Brands Hatch and won by defending World Champion Keke Rosberg in a Williams Cosworth. This was to be the last Formula One season to include a non-championship race.

A major change in technical regulations mandated a flat undertray for the cars,[3] with a complete ban on the ground effect technology pioneered by the Lotus 78 in 1977. This was done to reduce downforce and cornering speeds, which were deemed to have reached dangerous levels in 1982, a season in which several violent and fatal accidents occurred.

Drivers and constructors

The following drivers and constructors contested the 1983 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Brazilian Nelson Piquet won his 2nd Drivers' Championship, driving for Brabham
Alain Prost (pictured in 1984), driving for Renault, finished runner-up to Piquet by 2 points
René Arnoux (pictured in 2008), driving for Ferrari, finished the season ranked third
Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyres No Driver Rounds
United Kingdom TAG Williams Racing Team Williams-Ford FW08C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 1 Finland Keke Rosberg 1–14
2 France Jacques Laffite 1–14
42 United Kingdom Jonathan Palmer 14
Williams-Honda FW09 Honda RA163-E 1.5 V6t 1 Finland Keke Rosberg 15
2 France Jacques Laffite 15
United Kingdom Benetton Tyrrell Team Tyrrell-Ford 011B
012
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8
G 3 Italy Michele Alboreto All
4 United States Danny Sullivan All
United Kingdom Fila Sport Brabham-BMW BT52
BT52B
BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t M 5 Brazil Nelson Piquet All
6 Italy Riccardo Patrese All
United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren International McLaren-Ford MP4/1C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8
M 7 United Kingdom John Watson 1–12
8 Austria Niki Lauda 1–11
McLaren-TAG MP4/1E TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6t 7 United Kingdom John Watson 13–15
8 Austria Niki Lauda 12–15
West Germany Team ATS ATS-BMW D6 BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t G 9 West Germany Manfred Winkelhock All
United Kingdom John Player Team Lotus Lotus-Ford 92 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8
P 11 Italy Elio de Angelis 1
12 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell 1–8
Lotus-Renault 93T
94T
Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6t 11 Italy Elio de Angelis 2–15
12 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell 9–15
France Equipe Renault Elf Renault RE30B
RE30C
RE40
Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6t M 15 France Alain Prost All
16 United States Eddie Cheever All
United Kingdom RAM Racing Team March RAM-Ford 01 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8
P 17 Chile Eliseo Salazar 1–6
Canada Jacques Villeneuve, Sr. 8
United Kingdom Kenny Acheson 9–15
18 France Jean-Louis Schlesser 3
Italy Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 183T Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 V8t M 22 Italy Andrea de Cesaris All
23 Italy Mauro Baldi All
France Equipe Ligier Gitanes Ligier-Ford JS21 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8
M 25 France Jean-Pierre Jarier All
26 Brazil Raul Boesel All
Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 126C2B
126C3
Ferrari 021 1.5 V6t G 27 France Patrick Tambay All
28 France René Arnoux All
United Kingdom Arrows Racing Team Arrows-Ford A6 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 29 Switzerland Marc Surer All
30 Brazil Chico Serra 1, 3–5
Australia Alan Jones 2
Belgium Thierry Boutsen 6–15
Italy Osella Squadra Corse Osella-Ford FA1D Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 M 31 Italy Corrado Fabi 1–8
32 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani 1–3
Osella-Alfa Romeo FA1E Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12 31 Italy Corrado Fabi 9–15
32 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani 4–15
United Kingdom Theodore Racing Team Theodore-Ford N183 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 33 Colombia Roberto Guerrero 1–14
34 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto 1–13
United Kingdom Candy Toleman Motorsport Toleman-Hart TG183B Hart 415T 1.5 L4t P 35 United Kingdom Derek Warwick All
36 Italy Bruno Giacomelli All
United Kingdom Spirit Racing Spirit-Honda 201
201C
Honda RA163-E 1.5 V6t G 40 Sweden Stefan Johansson 9–14

FIA World Championship season review

Pre-season

Williams retained defending world champion Keke Rosberg, but their number two seat, which had been occupied on a temporary basis by both Mario Andretti and Derek Daly in 1982 after the departure of Carlos Reutemann, was filled for 1983 by Ligier's Jacques Laffite. During the season Frank Williams signed an exclusive deal to use the turbocharged Honda V6 engines in his cars to replace the Cosworth DFV. Honda engines first appeared in the back of a Williams at the season ending South African Grand Prix.

Ligier also lost Eddie Cheever to Renault. Team boss Guy Ligier replaced them with Jean-Pierre Jarier, signed from Osella, and Raul Boesel, formerly of March. Jarier would gain a reputation through the season as a "mobile chicane". Ligier also lost the use of the V12 Matra engines and were forced to use the Cosworth DFV.

Osella filled Jarier's seat with Corrado Fabi, the younger brother of Teo Fabi, who had raced for Toleman in 1982. Fabi was joined by fellow Italian debutante Piercarlo Ghinzani, who filled the seat which had been vacant since Riccardo Paletti's death in Canada.

The March team united with RAM Racing and became RAM March. As well as Boesel, Rupert Keegan was also replaced by the team, who shrunk to just one car, for Eliseo Salazar of ATS. The German team were also reduced to one car, run for Manfred Winkelhock who had driven alongside Salazar in 1982.

Tyrrell kept Michele Alboreto as their team leader after the Italian won for the first time at the last race of 1982. They replaced Brian Henton in the other car with 33-year-old American rookie Danny Sullivan.

The Brabham, McLaren and Lotus teams all retained both of their 1982 drivers – Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese for Brabham, John Watson and Niki Lauda with McLaren and Elio de Angelis and Nigel Mansell at Lotus. Late in the season McLaren would abandon the Cosworth DFV engine in favor of a 1.5 Litre, turbocharged V6 TAG engine.

Lotus would be without team founder Colin Chapman in 1983 after the legendary team boss's sudden death from a heart attack on 16 December 1982 at the age of 54. Chapman's right-hand man Peter Warr took over as team manager. Lotus would also change from using the Cosworth DFV engine to the turbocharged Renault engine during the season after Chapman had secured use of the French engines in late 1982.

Renault held on to team leader Alain Prost but lost René Arnoux to Ferrari, and poached Cheever from Ligier to replace him (the rumor mill was that Renault wanted to sell more cars in North America and signing Phoenix native Cheever to the factory team was a good promotional tool as there were 2 races in the United States and one in Canada). Alfa Romeo also kept their team leader, Andrea de Cesaris, but replaced Bruno Giacomelli with Mauro Baldi, signed from Arrows. Alfa had also moved into turbocharging with the 890T V8 engine replacing the V12 it had used for the previous four seasons.

Arrows replaced Baldi with Chico Serra, signed from the remnants of the now defunct Fittipaldi team, while Marc Surer remained as the lead driver. Serra was replaced by 1980 World Champion Alan Jones in Long Beach (Jones also raced for the team in the non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch). Serra lasted only three more races before he was released from the team after Monaco. He was replaced by Belgian driver Thierry Boutsen who made his F1 début in front of his home crowd at Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ferrari retained Patrick Tambay, who had replaced Gilles Villeneuve after his death in Belgium, but Mario Andretti as a replacement for the injured Didier Pironi was never a permanent solution (in a 2012 Grand Prix Legends interview, Alan Jones revealed that Ferrari had initially contacted him to replace Pironi, but that he regretfully gave them the run around, remembering that Ferrari had gone back on an agreed contract back in 1977. Instead Ferrari signed Andretti. As Jones was looking to make a full-time comeback to F1 in 1983 its likely that as a former World Champion driver with 12 Grand Prix wins to his credit, Ferrari would have retained the Australian for the 1983 season had he signed in 1982). Instead the second Ferrari seat was filled by Tambay's fellow Frenchman, the fast and talented René Arnoux who had defected from Renault.

Theodore broke the trend by expanding from one car to two, but Tommy Byrne, the last of four drivers to drive their car in 1982, was not retained and the seats were filled with two South Americans. Débutante Venezuelan ex-Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion Johnny Cecotto was joined by Colombian Roberto Guerrero, a refugee from the defunct Ensign outfit. Toleman, meanwhile, retained Derek Warwick as their lead driver, but replaced Teo Fabi (who was racing IndyCars) with ex-McLaren and Alfa Romeo driver Bruno Giacomelli.

Early season

Race 1: Brazil

The South African Grand Prix which had started the 1982 season had been moved to the end of the year, and so the season began in Brazil. At the Jacarepagua Riocentro Autodrome in Rio de Janeiro, defending champion Keke Rosberg did something he had done only once in 1982 and took pole position for the race. However, his race gradually deteriorated from there as he lost the lead early on to Nelson Piquet and then caught fire during his pitstop. With the fire extinguished, the Finn valiantly fought his way back from ninth to finish second behind Piquet, but was subsequently disqualified for receiving a push start in the pits. This left an unprecedented situation, as the organisers decided not to award second to Niki Lauda, who finished third, as was convention, but to leave the position vacant. As such, only five drivers scored points, and other than Piquet and Lauda, these were Rosberg's teammate Jacques Laffite, whose presence in fourth was a surprise given his 18th place grid slot. Ferrari had a difficult race and had a best finish of only fifth with Patrick Tambay, who had started a promising third. The final point went to Marc Surer, whose charge from 20th was equally as impressive as Laffite's, and could well be attributed to his magnificent start, which left him 14th at the end of the first lap.

Race 2: United States West

The next race was the first of two to be held in the USA, the popular United States Grand Prix West, held at Long Beach, California near the sprawling Hollywood-dominated landscape of Los Angeles. The circuit had been changed for the second time in 2 years- in addition to some corners added and the run up to the Le Gasomet Hairpin shortened, the slight climb up to Ocean Boulevard had been eliminated, and the parallel Seaside Way was used instead. Tambay started the race from pole, and he led until lap 25 from Rosberg, who had made easy work early in the race of both the other Ferrari of René Arnoux and his own teammate. With all of the top six in very close attendance, Rosberg found that he had to pass Tambay or else be passed by Laffite. In a moment of desperation, the Finn charged down the inside of the Ferrari and put both cars into a spin. Tambay was out on the spot, while Rosberg was able to continue, relatively undamaged, and in the lead. However, this did not last long, as Laffite, now even closer than before, attempted to pass his teammate later on the same lap. His attempt punted Rosberg into the wall, and he too was out. Jean-Pierre Jarier's Ligier was also caught up in the trouble, and he was forced into retirement a lap later. Laffite, meanwhile, was able to continue in the lead, and was left to battle with Riccardo Patrese for the victory. However, by the time the race reached lap 40, the McLaren pair of John Watson and Niki Lauda were looking extremely dangerous, despite having started from 22nd and 23rd on the grid. Both Laffite and Patrese were struggling with worn tyres, and were being caught at a vast rate of knots by the McLarens. Patrese attempted to pass Laffite on lap 44 but slid wide, and was passed by both McLarens. They also both found a way past Laffite on the next lap. From there Watson was left to lead home his teammate for a 1–2 victory, and one that still stands as the most places climbed from a lowly grid position to win the race. Patrese looked as though he would hold on for third, but an engine failure three laps from home gifted this position to Arnoux, with Laffite following home, a lap down in fourth. The points were rounded out by Surer, consistent in his Arrows, and the presence of Johnny Cecotto's Theodore. Chico Serra had been booted out of the second Arrows in order to give a chance to 1980 world champion Alan Jones, but the Australian's return to F1 was unsuccessful, and Serra would be back in the car for the next race.

Unfortunately, this was the last time Formula One would race in Long Beach- the event was too expensive to run and the CART IndyCar series was seen as a cheaper alternative, and this series would run at Long Beach from 1984 onwards.

European spring

As the F1 circus headed to Europe, Lauda led the championship despite not having yet won a race. The two winners, Piquet and Watson, were joint second, just one point behind. This meant that McLaren held a commanding lead in the Constructors' Championship, ten points ahead of Brabham.

Race 3: France

The only driver change for the French Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille was at RAM, who decided to run a second car for local boy Jean-Louis Schlesser, just for his home race. The Frenchman failed to qualify. This race was being held in mid-April instead of its usual early July date, in order to avoid the southern French summer heat- which was a real problem during last year's race. To the great delight of the French fans, the race was dominated by another home favorite Alain Prost. The French hero took pole position, victory and fastest lap and led all but three laps of the race. These three were led by Piquet during the pitstops, and he eventually finished second to reclaim his championship lead. Eddie Cheever came home third in the second Renault to complete a brilliant day for the home fans. Tambay was fourth in front of his home crowd, and Rosberg finally managed to get some points on the board with fifth place, followed home by teammate Laffite. Piquet now led the championship by five points from Lauda, with Watson and Prost just one further point behind. McLaren's lead in the Constructors' Championship had been severely narrowed by their failure to score, and Brabham were now just four points behind, with Renault also in close attendance.

Race 4: San Marino (Imola, Italy)

The San Marino Grand Prix was much better than the previous year's race, a farcical result of the FISA–FOCA war. In 1983, all the teams were present, but it was still Ferrari that were most at home in their own back yard, and Arnoux took pole, to the delight of the fans. Even better, Tambay surged up from the second row to join him at the head of the pack in the opening laps. The delight for Ferrari was short lived, however, as a local driver, Riccardo Patrese, fought past them both to put his Brabham in the lead. Despite the best efforts of first Arnoux and then Tambay after they swapped places during the pitstops, he stayed there. However, on lap 34, Tambay finally found a way past, and he remained in the lead until the chequered flag, giving Ferrari a win on home ground. Patrese looked set to come home second, but more wretched luck saw him fail to finish once again after an accident in the closing stages. To add to the Italian heartbreak, Prost passed Arnoux in the last five laps to prevent a Ferrari 1–2 finish. Arnoux came home third, however, to make it an all-French podium, leading home the last points scorers: Rosberg, Watson and Surer yet again. Piquet's failure to score due to an engine failure, an all too common occurrence for the Brabham-BMWs, meant that he and Prost were now tied at the top of the standings with Tambay only one point behind. The McLaren pair of Watson and Lauda were also in close attendance. Ferrari seized the lead in the Constructors' Championship, but were only separated from McLaren and Renault by a total of three points. Brabham's inconsistency saw them slip to fourth, some way behind.

Race 5: Monaco

Prost took his second pole of the year in Monaco, almost a second home race for the high number of French drivers in the field. Arnoux completed an all French front row. However, both were passed at the start by a fast starting Keke Rosberg, and as Prost dropped back through the field after a few laps the Finn was left with no serious challengers. Despite the rain, and multiple collisions further down the field, the most notable victim being Arnoux early on, the race was somewhat uneventful for the leaders, and Rosberg led every lap to record his first victory of the year. Jacques Laffite had looked set to record a Williams 1–2, but a gearbox failure continued the Frenchman's run of bad luck. This gave the two remaining podium spots to Piquet and Prost, allowing Piquet to open up a two-point lead in the championship. Tambay was fourth, ahead of Danny Sullivan's Tyrrell and Mauro Baldi's Alfa Romeo, neither of whom were frequent visitors to the points. Patrese's bad luck also continued, as he suffered from an electrics problem ten laps from home. Prost remained second in the championship, with Tambay only two further points behind. Rosberg's victory moved him up to fourth, while Ferrari retained their lead in the Constructors' Championship, two points ahead of Renault, who were in turn two points ahead of Brabham, McLaren and Williams, all on 21.

Race 6: Belgium

Formula One returned to an place that had a reputation for speed: the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in southern Belgium. This was the first time Spa had hosted a Grand Prix since 1970; although the circuit had been shortened in 1979 to 4.3 miles (7 km) from 8.7 miles (14 km) and had been made a lot safer than its extremely fast original version. Zolder and Nivelles had hosted the Belgian Grand Prix for most of the 1970s and early 1980s. Prost took pole yet again at Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix, although his qualifying performances were not reflected in his points tally at that point in the season. Andrea de Cesaris leapt into a surprise lead from the second row of the grid, and spent the first twenty laps pulling away from Prost, and looked set for a maiden victory before engine trouble cruelly slowed and finally stopped his Alfa Romeo. This left Prost free to record a victory only briefly challenged by Piquet, who slipped away at the end to fourth. Tambay was second with Cheever third, making it two Renaults on the podium again, while Rosberg and Laffite rounded out the points. This gave Prost a four-point lead over Piquet, with Tambay only one further point behind. Renault also assumed the lead in the Constructors' Championship by five points from Ferrari, with Brabham, Williams and McLaren slipping farther behind. Arrows, seemingly determined to get rid of Chico Serra, replaced him for a second time, this time with local rookie Thierry Boutsen. The Belgian performed well, and kept his drive for the rest of the season.

North American tour

Race 7: Detroit (United States)

The teams then travelled to Detroit for their customary mid season stop off in North America, the first stop effectively being the US Grand Prix East, and this street circuit in downtown Detroit was acknowledged to be the slowest, toughest and hardest circuit of the season. This was second pole of the year, but he was yet to record a victory this year. This record looked to continue as Piquet jumped into the lead at the start. However, the Frenchman found a way back past the Brabham on lap 10. He held off both Piquet and Rosberg to maintain the lead on the tight track, and looked set for victory when the electrics failed on the Ferrari, leaving Piquet back in the lead again. He wasted no time in moving away from Michele Alboreto's Tyrrell, which was well suited to the twisty circuit. However, the Italian was more than happy to inherit Piquet's lead when the Brazilian developed a slow rear puncture, dropping him to fourth. This was Alboreto's second career victory, both of which had come in the United States. Rosberg came home second with Watson third, while Piquet recovered to finish fourth. Laffite was fifth and Nigel Mansell came home 6th to score Lotus's first point of 1983. Prost's failure to score left him just one point ahead of Piquet with Tambay and Rosberg both in close attendance. Renault's lead in the Constructors' Championship was narrowed to four points, with Williams overtaking Ferrari for second, with only one point separating them.

Race 8: Canada

The Canadian Grand Prix at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal a week after Detroit saw the debut of Jacques Villeneuve, Sr., brother of the late Gilles Villeneuve. He was given a debut by RAM at his home Grand Prix, replacing Eliseo Salazar. He failed to qualify for the race. Arnoux took pole again and led for most of the race, his lead only being surrendered during the pit stops. He became the year's seventh victor in eight races as he won for Ferrari for the first time. Patrese had looked set for second before yet another technical failure, this time a gearbox failure, saw him continue to fail to score points in 1983. This left Cheever free to come home second, his best result of the year, with Tambay putting the second Ferrari on the podium in third place. Rosberg, Prost and Watson rounded out the points. Prost held on to his championship lead, now just three points, with Tambay and Piquet joint second. Rosberg was just two farther points behind. Renault and Ferrari now held a joint lead in the Constructors' Championship, with Williams, Brabham and McLaren all slipping off the pace.

European summer

Race 9: Britain (England)

The teams returned to Europe for the British Grand Prix at the fastest circuit of the year: the Silverstone circuit between London and Birmingham, England. Although Salazar had been expected to return to the RAM in place of Villeneuve, it was actually Brit Kenny Acheson who made his debut in the car. He performed well enough to retain the seat for the rest of the season. The race also saw the debut of the Honda-funded Spirit team. The team would run a limited programme in 1983 with a view to running a full season in 1984. Stefan Johansson would drive the car. For qualifying Arnoux took his third successive pole position in the brand new 126C3 Ferrari. He lost the lead to teammate Tambay at the start, and with Prost in third all the top three were French. Prost was the fastest of the three, however, and had passed both Arnoux and Tambay by lap 20. But for pitstops, he remained in the lead until the finish. Piquet also overcame the Ferraris before the end to finish second, with Tambay in third. Mansell took his best result of the year to be the highest home driver in fourth ahed of Arnoux and Lauda. This allowed both Prost and Renault to extend their championship leads. Piquet was now six points behind, with Tambay two points further back. Rosberg was now more than a victory behind. The Constructors' Championship was becoming a two-horse race, with Renault leading Ferrari by three points.

Race 10: Germany (West Germany)

The next race was the German Grand Prix at the very fast Hockenheim circuit near Stuttgart, and Tambay secured Ferrari's fourth consecutive pole position. He lost the lead to Arnoux early on however, and later suffered an engine failure to promote Piquet to second. The Brazilian inherited the lead briefly during Arnoux's pitstop, but the Frenchman could not be stopped and recorded his second victory of the year. A dramatic fire three laps from home prevented Piquet from picking up second, which instead went to a delighted Andrea de Cesaris, collecting some badly needed points for Alfa Romeo. Patrese was third, finally scoring his first points of the year ahead of Prost, Lauda and Watson. Prost therefore extended his points lead to nine points over Piquet, but both Tambay and Arnoux were joining the fight with the Brazilian. Ferrari also reassumed their points lead, three ahead of Renault.

Race 11: Austria

It was another pole for Tambay and Ferrari in Austria, but at this spectacularly fast Osterreichring circuit near Graz, this time he did manage to hold on to the lead, at least until around the time of the first pitstops, when low oil pressure brought his race to a premature end. This should have allowed teammate Arnoux to pick up the victory, but he was passed by Prost in the closing stages, giving the Renault man a crucial boost in the standings. Piquet came home third with Cheever fourth, Mansell sixth and Lauda rounding out the points. Prost now held a commanding lead over Piquet, with 51 points to 37. Arnoux and Tambay were still just clinging on to the fight. Renault went back into the lead of the Constructors' Championship, three points ahead of Ferrari.

Race 12: Holland

Piquet took his first pole of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix at the beach-side Zandvoort circuit near Amsterdam, and the Brazilian led until lap 41, when Prost attempted to pass his championship rival for the lead. The two collided, and both were out on the spot. This left Arnoux to cruise and collect an easy victory for Ferrari, which surprisingly turned into a 1–2 when Brabham's woes continued and Patrese suffered a problem near the end which dropped him to an eventual 9th. Watson was third, but a race of high attrition allowed for a very unusual top six, with Derek Warwick, Mauro Baldi and Michele Alboreto rounding out the points. Johansson came home 7th in a very good result for the new Spirit team. Arnoux now moved into second in the championship, eight points behind Prost. Tambay and Piquet were now joint third, 13 points behind the leader. Ferrari's lead in the Constructors' Championship, however was now 12 points over Renault. Piquet's pole ended a run of pole positions by French drivers, which extended back to Tambay's at Long Beach, ten races prior.

Race 13: Italy

With three races left to run, the teams headed to Italy in early September. The Monza Autodrome near Milan, ever a Ferrari heartland, saw them lose pole to Patrese, although they were second and third. Piquet jumped both Ferraris to run second behind his teammate in the opening laps, but it did not last long, as electric problems claimed Patrese on lap 3, reliability proving the undoing of Brabham once again. Piquet was then unchallenged for the rest of the race, and came home to record his first victory since the opening race in Brazil, some six months before. Arnoux took second with Cheever third and Tambay fourth. Elio de Angelis scored his first points of the year with fifth, with Derek Warwick surprisingly scoring points for the second time in a row in sixth. The strong performances of Piquet and Arnoux, coupled with Prost's failure to score, left the championship in a very interesting position with two races left. Prost still led with 51, Arnoux had 49, Piquet 46 and Tambay 40 with 18 points left on the board. Ferrari maintained their lead in front of their home fans, now with 17 points back to Renault.

Race 14: Europe (Fawkham, England)

A third Grand Prix in the United States, supposed to be held at the Flushing Meadows Park in the New York City borough of Queens was canceled at short notice due to local protests, so in England, the popular Brands Hatch circuit just outside London was able to organize a Grand Prix to make up for this failed US event in just 9 weeks. Theodore travelled to Brands Hatch just outside London, England with just one car, with their funds not stretching far enough to allow Johnny Cecotto to race in the last two races. After the race, the team folded completely, and did not appear at all at the last race. The Spirit team would also announced they would not travel to the last race, in preparation for their first full season in 1984. Williams had run a third car in the Brands Hatch race, for Jonathan Palmer. The local boy finished 13th, the only Williams to finish after Rosberg retired with an engine failure and Laffite failed to qualify.The action for the European Grand Prix, the second that year to be held in Britain, saw de Angelis take a surprise pole for Lotus. The Italian was jumped at the start by compatriot Patrese, who led until the first pitstops. After this, he slipped away from the pace, and an engine failure for de Angelis gave the lead to Piquet. He led until the finish, becoming the first driver all season to win two consecutive races. Prost fought through for second, with Mansell taking Lotus's first podium of the year with third. De Cesaris was fourth, and Toleman continued their strong finish to the season with both cars in the points, with Warwick ahead of Bruno Giacomelli. This left both championships in the balance with just one race left. Prost still led, but now by only two points from Piquet. Given extraordinary circumstances, Arnoux could also be champion, but it would require him to win with Prost not scoring and Piquet no higher than fifth. Renault were still 11 points behind Ferrari, but with 15 points available for a 1–2 finish, the championship was still up for grabs.

Season finale

Race 15: South Africa

The season finale was the South African Grand Prix at the fast, high-altitude Kyalami circuit between Johannesburg and Pretoria. Tambay took pole with Piquet the best positioned of the title contenders, in second. Arnoux was fourth with Prost fifth. If the race finished like that, Piquet would be champion. Piquet assumed the lead at the start to further enhance his chances. Prost fought his way up to third, while an early engine failure for Arnoux put him out of the running. With Prost in third and Patrese in second, Piquet's teammate did well to keep Prost behind him and stop him from challenging the Brazilian. However, when Prost's turbo failed on lap 44, Piquet knew all he had to do was finish in the top four. He backed off, and eventually surrendered the lead to Patrese, who was free to take his first win of the season, becoming the season's eighth winner. Piquet also allowed Lauda through into second place, but the Austrian's electrics failed three laps later. De Cesaris also found his way through before the end, though, and was able to secure his second podium of the year for Alfa Romeo. Third for Piquet was enough to secure him his second world championship, while Warwick once again was in the points for Toleman in fourth. Rosberg and Cheever rounded out the points. Only two points separated Piquet and Prost at the end, but the Frenchman was furious, having led in the title race for most of the season. Renault also lost the Constructors' Championship, with Ferrari securing the title for the second year in succession.

Results and standings

Season review

Rnd Race Date Location Pole Position Fastest Lap Race Winner Constructor Report
1 Brazil Brazilian Grand Prix 13 March Jacarepaguá Finland Keke Rosberg Brazil Nelson Piquet Brazil Nelson Piquet United Kingdom Brabham-BMW Report
2 United States United States Grand Prix West 27 March Long Beach France Patrick Tambay Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom John Watson United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Report
3 France French Grand Prix 17 April Paul Ricard France Alain Prost France Alain Prost France Alain Prost France Renault Report
4 Italy San Marino Grand Prix 1 May Imola France René Arnoux Italy Riccardo Patrese France Patrick Tambay Italy Ferrari Report
5 Monaco Monaco Grand Prix 15 May Monaco France Alain Prost Brazil Nelson Piquet Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom Williams-Ford Report
6 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix 22 May Spa-Francorchamps France Alain Prost Italy Andrea de Cesaris France Alain Prost France Renault Report
7 United States Detroit Grand Prix 5 June Detroit France René Arnoux United Kingdom John Watson Italy Michele Alboreto United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford Report
8 Canada Canadian Grand Prix 12 June Circuit Gilles Villeneuve France René Arnoux France Patrick Tambay France René Arnoux Italy Ferrari Report
9 United Kingdom British Grand Prix 16 July Silverstone France René Arnoux France Alain Prost France Alain Prost France Renault Report
10 West Germany German Grand Prix 7 August Hockenheimring France Patrick Tambay France René Arnoux France René Arnoux Italy Ferrari Report
11 Austria Austrian Grand Prix 14 August Österreichring France Patrick Tambay France Alain Prost France Alain Prost France Renault Report
12 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix 28 August Zandvoort Brazil Nelson Piquet France René Arnoux France René Arnoux Italy Ferrari Report
13 Italy Italian Grand Prix 11 September Monza Italy Riccardo Patrese Brazil Nelson Piquet Brazil Nelson Piquet United Kingdom Brabham-BMW Report
14 United Kingdom European Grand Prix 25 September Brands Hatch Italy Elio de Angelis United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Brazil Nelson Piquet United Kingdom Brabham-BMW Report
15 South Africa South African Grand Prix 15 October Kyalami France Patrick Tambay Brazil Nelson Piquet Italy Riccardo Patrese United Kingdom Brabham-BMW Report

World Drivers' Championship final standings

Pos Driver BRA
Brazil
USW
United States
FRA
France
SMR
San Marino
MON
Monaco
BEL
Belgium
DET
United States
CAN
Canada
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
EUR
United Kingdom
RSA
South Africa
Pts
1 Brazil Nelson Piquet 1 Ret 2 Ret 2 4 4 Ret 2 13 3 Ret 1 1 3 59
2 France Alain Prost 7 11 1 2 3 1 8 5 1 4 1 Ret Ret 2 Ret 57
3 France René Arnoux 10 3 7 3 Ret Ret Ret 1 5 1 2 1 2 9 Ret 49
4 France Patrick Tambay 5 Ret 4 1 4 2 Ret 3 3 Ret Ret 2 4 Ret Ret 40
5 Finland Keke Rosberg DSQ Ret 5 4 1 5 2 4 11 10 8 Ret 11 Ret 5 27
6 United Kingdom John Watson Ret 1 Ret 5 DNQ Ret 3 6 9 5 9 3 Ret Ret DSQ 22
7 United States Eddie Cheever Ret 13 3 Ret Ret 3 Ret 2 Ret Ret 4 Ret 3 10 6 22
8 Italy Andrea de Cesaris EX Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 2 Ret Ret Ret 4 2 15
9 Italy Riccardo Patrese Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 9 Ret 7 1 13
10 Austria Niki Lauda 3 2 Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret 6 DSQ 6 Ret Ret Ret 11 12
11 France Jacques Laffite 4 4 6 7 Ret 6 5 Ret 12 6 Ret Ret DNQ DNQ Ret 11
12 Italy Michele Alboreto Ret 9 8 Ret Ret 14 1 8 13 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret 10
13 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell 12 12 Ret 12 Ret Ret 6 Ret 4 Ret 5 Ret 8 3 NC 10
14 United Kingdom Derek Warwick 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 6 5 4 9
15 Switzerland Marc Surer 6 5 10 6 Ret 11 11 Ret 17 7 Ret 8 10 Ret 8 4
16 Italy Mauro Baldi Ret Ret Ret 10 6 Ret 12 10 7 Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 3
17 United States Danny Sullivan 11 8 Ret Ret 5 12 Ret DSQ 14 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 7 2
= [5] Italy Elio de Angelis DSQ Ret Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret 2
19 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto 13 6 11 Ret DNPQ 10 Ret Ret DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ 12 1
= [6] Italy Bruno Giacomelli Ret Ret 13 Ret DNQ 8 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 7 6 Ret 1
Belgium Thierry Boutsen Ret 7 7 15 9 13 14 Ret 11 9 0
France Jean-Pierre Jarier Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 8 7 Ret 9 Ret 10 0
Brazil Chico Serra 9 Ret 8 7 0
Brazil Raul Boesel Ret 7 Ret 9 Ret 13 10 Ret Ret Ret DNQ 10 DNQ 15 NC 0
Sweden Stefan Johansson Ret Ret 12 7 Ret 14 0
West Germany Manfred Winkelhock 15 Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret DNQ Ret DSQ Ret 8 Ret 0
Italy Corrado Fabi Ret DNQ Ret Ret DNQ Ret DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ 10 11 Ret DNQ Ret 0
Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ Ret Ret 11 DNQ Ret Ret Ret 0
Colombia Roberto Guerrero NC Ret Ret Ret DNPQ Ret NC Ret 16 Ret Ret 12 13 12 0
United Kingdom Kenny Acheson DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 12 0
United Kingdom Jonathan Palmer 13 0
Chile Eliseo Salazar 14 Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
Australia Alan Jones Ret 0
France Jean-Louis Schlesser DNQ 0
Canada Jacques Villeneuve, Sr. DNQ 0
Pos Driver BRA
Brazil
USW
United States
FRA
France
SMR
San Marino
MON
Monaco
BEL
Belgium
DET
United States
CAN
Canada
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
EUR
United Kingdom
RSA
South Africa
Pts
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)

Bold – Pole position
Italics – Fastest lap

Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers[7] in each race.

World Constructors' Championship final standings

Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship with the 126C3
Renault placed second with the RE40
Brabham placed third with the BT52-BMW
Pos Constructor Car
no.
BRA
Brazil
USW
United States
FRA
France
SMR
San Marino
MON
Monaco
BEL
Belgium
DET
United States
CAN
Canada
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
EUR
United Kingdom
RSA
South Africa
Pts
1 Italy Ferrari 27 5 Ret 4 1 4 2 Ret 3 3 Ret Ret 2 4 Ret Ret 89
28 10 3 7 3 Ret Ret Ret 1 5 1 2 1 2 9 Ret
2 France Renault 15 7 11 1 2 3 1 8 5 1 4 1 Ret Ret 2 Ret 79
16 Ret 13 3 Ret Ret 3 Ret 2 Ret Ret 4 Ret 3 10 6
3 United Kingdom Brabham-BMW 5 1 Ret 2 Ret 2 4 4 Ret 2 13 3 Ret 1 1 3 72
6 Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 9 Ret 7 1
4 United Kingdom Williams-Ford 1 DSQ Ret 5 4 1 5 2 4 11 10 8 Ret 11 Ret 36
2 4 4 6 7 Ret 6 5 Ret 12 6 Ret Ret DNQ DNQ
42 13
5 United Kingdom McLaren-Ford 7 Ret 1 Ret 5 DNQ Ret 3 6 9 5 9 3 34
8 3 2 Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret 6 DSQ 6
6 Italy Alfa Romeo 22 EX Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 2 Ret Ret Ret 4 2 18
23 Ret Ret Ret 10 6 Ret 12 10 7 Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret
7 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford 3 Ret 9 8 Ret Ret 14 1 8 13 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret 12
4 11 8 Ret Ret 5 12 Ret DSQ 14 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret 7
8 United Kingdom Lotus-Renault 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret 11
12 4 Ret 5 Ret 8 3 NC
9 United Kingdom Toleman-Hart 35 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 6 5 4 10
36 Ret Ret 13 Ret DNQ 8 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 7 6 Ret
10 United Kingdom Arrows-Ford 29 6 5 10 6 Ret 11 11 Ret 17 7 Ret 8 10 Ret 8 4
30 9 Ret Ret 8 7 Ret 7 7 15 9 13 14 Ret 11 9
11 United Kingdom Williams-Honda 1 5 2
2 Ret
12 Hong Kong Theodore-Ford 33 NC Ret Ret Ret DNPQ Ret NC Ret 16 Ret Ret 12 13 12 1
34 13 6 11 Ret DNPQ 10 Ret Ret DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ 12
= [8] United Kingdom Lotus-Ford 11 DSQ 1
12 12 12 Ret 12 Ret Ret 6 Ret
France Ligier-Ford 25 Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 8 7 Ret 9 Ret 10 0
26 Ret 7 Ret 9 Ret 13 10 Ret Ret Ret DNQ 10 DNQ 15 NC
United Kingdom Spirit-Honda 40 Ret Ret 12 7 Ret 14 0
West Germany ATS-BMW 9 15 Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret DNQ Ret DSQ Ret 8 Ret 0
Italy Osella-Alfa Romeo 31 DNQ DNQ 10 11 Ret DNQ Ret 0
32 DNQ DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ Ret Ret 11 DNQ Ret Ret Ret
United Kingdom McLaren-TAG 7 Ret Ret DSQ 0
8 Ret Ret Ret 11
United Kingdom RAM-Ford 17 14 Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 12 0
18 DNQ
Italy Osella-Ford 31 Ret DNQ Ret Ret DNQ Ret DNQ Ret 0
32 DNQ DNQ DNQ
Pos Constructor Car
no.
BRA
Brazil
USW
United States
FRA
France
SMR
San Marino
MON
Monaco
BEL
Belgium
DET
United States
CAN
Canada
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
EUR
United Kingdom
RSA
South Africa
Pts

Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers[7] in each race.

Non-championship race results

The 1983 season also include a single Formula One race which did not count towards the Formula One World Championship. This event, the 1983 Race of Champions, was to be the last Formula One event to be held outside of an FIA World Championship.[9]

Race name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Report
United Kingdom Race of Champions Brands Hatch 10 April Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom Williams-Cosworth Report

Notes and references

  1. 1983 F1 World Championship for Drivers, 1984 FIA Yearbook, grey section, page 76
  2. 1983 F1 Manufacturers World Championship, 1984 FIA Yearbook, grey section, page 77
  3. "Grand Prix Results: Brazilian GP, 1983". grandprix.com. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  4. Autocourse 1983–84
  5. Drivers' Championship classifications published in the 1984 FIA Yearbook rank Sullivan and de Angelis equally, in 17th position
  6. Drivers' Championship classifications published in the 1984 FIA Yearbook rank Cecotto and Giacomelli equally, in 19th position
  7. 1 2 Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 6
  8. Manufacturers' Championship classifications published in the 1984 FIA Yearbook rank Theodore and Lotus Ford Cosworth equally, in 12th position
  9. Mattijs Diepraam & Felix Muelas, The last of the non-championship races, 8w.forix.com Retrieved on 11 January 2012

External links

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