1983 South African Grand Prix

Background

Championship permutations

At the preceding 1983 European Grand Prix, runner-up Nelson Piquet outscored championship leader Alain Prost by three points after winning the race, meaning that three drivers were still in a position to win the World Drivers' Championship: Alain Prost (Renault) led the championship with 57 points, followed by Nelson Piquet (Brabham-BMW) with 55 and René Arnoux (Ferrari) with 49. It was the first time in two years that Formula One saw a three-way-fight for the title and the fourth consecutive season with the championship battle going down to the wire, with Piquet in his second title fight in three years after he became victorious two years prior and his subsequent underwhelming title defense at the infamous 1982 season. While both Prost and Arnoux had the opportunity to win their respective maiden title and to become France's first ever Formula One World Champion, Piquet would have equalized Emerson Fittipaldi's record of two world championship titles as Brazil's most successful driver by that metric, if he won the title. Piquet also would have become the second driver in succession after Keke Rosberg to win the Drivers' Championship by driving for a team that finished third or lower in the Constructors' Championship.

The championship would have been won by either of the top three drivers in the following manner:

• Ferrari and Renault were also fighting for the Constructor's Championship
  • Ferrari (89pts) needed either
    • To score 5pts or better
    • 4th, or 5th and 6th, or higher, with the Renaults 1st and 3rd or lower
    • 5th or better, with the Renaults 1st and 4th or lower
    • 6th or better, with the Renaults 1st and 5th or lower
    • The Renaults scoring fewer than 11pts
  • Renault (78pts) needed either
    • 1st and 2nd with the Ferraris scoring fewer than 5pts
    • 1st and 3rd with the Ferraris scoring fewer than 3pts
    • 1st and 4th with the Ferraris 6th or lower
    • 1st and 5th with the Ferraris 7th or lower.

Race summary

Piquet qualified second, behind Patrick Tambay (Ferrari) in pole position and ahead of Riccardo Patrese (Brabham), Arnoux and Prost in third, fourth and fifth. At the start Piquet passed Tambay to take the lead, with Patrese moving into second place. Arnoux retired with engine failure on lap 9. Prost fought his way up to third place, but he also retired on lap 35 with turbo failure. Needing only to finish fourth or higher, Piquet slowed and was overtaken by Patrese, Niki Lauda (McLaren) and Andrea de Cesaris (Alfa Romeo). Lauda's engine failed on lap 71. The race finished with Patrese in first place, de Cesaris in second and Piquet in third, and Piquet won the championship by two points. Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship despite not finishing in the points in the last race for the second consecutive year. John Watson, completing his last full Formula One season, was disqualified for overtaking other cars on the parade lap. This was also the last F1 race for Jean-Pierre Jarier.

Classification

Qualifying

Race

Championship standings after the race

• Bold text indicates the World Champions. ;Drivers' Championship standings

;Constructors' Championship standings

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References

References

1. "Southern Sun Hotels Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 1".
2. "Southern Sun Hotels Grand Prix - QUALIFYING 2".
3. "Southern Sun Hotels Grand Prix - OVERALL QUALIFYING".
4. (1983). "[[AUTOCOURSE]] 1983–84". Hazleton Publishing Ltd.
5. "1983 South African Grand Prix". formula1.com.
6. (15 October 1983). "1983 South African Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive".
7. "South Africa 1983 - Championship • STATS F1".