1983 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1983 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Jacarepaguá on 13 March 1983. It was the first race of the 1983 Formula One World Championship.

Andrea de Cesaris in the first race for the new Alfa Romeo 890T V8 turbo engine, was excluded after failing to stop for a weight check during Saturday qualifying.

Keke Rosberg's pole position was the last for the Cosworth DFV engine, and the last for a car with a naturally aspirated engine until turbos were banned in 1989. It was also the last pole position for Cosworth until 1993.

The race marked the debut in the Formula One World Championship debut for American driver and future Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan, Italian driver Corrado Fabi, motorcycle road racing World Champion Johnny Cecotto, British constructor RAM.

Elio de Angelis qualified for the race in his Renault turbo-powered Lotus 93T, but switched to the team's spare car, a Cosworth DFV-powered Lotus 92, when the Renault unit failed on the warm-up lap. This was deemed illegal and so he was disqualified.^[1]

When the starting light turned green, the field made a clean start, with Alain Prost edging alongside Keke Rosberg into the first corner. Rosberg, however, retained the advantage under braking and established a clear lead as the cars accelerated onto the long back straight. At the hairpin, contact between Mauro Baldi (Alfa Romeo) and Michele Alboreto (Tyrrell) resulted in Alboreto spinning in the middle of the pack. Although a collision was avoided, the Tyrrell sustained oil-cooler damage and retired after seven laps, marking the first retirement of the 1983 season.^[2]

At the conclusion of the opening lap, Rosberg led by 2.5 seconds over Prost. The Brabham BT52 entries of Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese occupied third and fourth respectively, followed by the Ferraris of Patrick Tambay and René Arnoux. Further back were Eddie Cheever (Renault), Derek Warwick (Toleman), Baldi, Niki Lauda, John Watson, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Roberto Guerrero. By lap two, Piquet had overtaken Prost for second, and within a further lap he reduced Rosberg's advantage significantly. On lap seven, Piquet passed Rosberg under braking to take the lead. Patrese moved up to challenge for second, while Prost began to lose ground in fourth.

Attention then shifted to the battle for the minor positions. Watson made rapid progress in his McLaren, overtaking Lauda and subsequently passing Baldi, Warwick and Cheever by lap seven. By lap 11 he had also passed both Ferraris and soon overtook Prost to claim third place by lap 17. Patrese, meanwhile, closed on Rosberg but experienced engine difficulties; by lap 18 he had dropped to ninth and soon retired with a broken exhaust that had reduced turbocharger pressure.^[2]

By lap 20 the order was Piquet, Rosberg, Watson, Prost, Tambay and Baldi. Baldi's defensive driving against Warwick culminated in a collision when Niki Lauda passed both; Baldi's Alfa Romeo rode over Warwick's Toleman, sustaining suspension damage. Baldi later retired and was subsequently disqualified for receiving a push-start.^[2]

Rosberg pitted on lap 28 for fuel and tyres. During the stop, fuel spilled onto the engine bay and ignited briefly, prompting Rosberg to exit the car before the fire was extinguished. The stop dropped him to ninth, one lap behind Piquet.^[2]

Rosberg was push-started from the pit lane and was thus disqualified post race. It was the second consecutive Brazilian Grand Prix in which Rosberg was disqualified from second place. For reasons unknown, FISA did not promote the drivers who finished behind Rosberg, so the six points for second place were officially not awarded.^[3]

Piquet made his own stop on lap 40. Despite the absence of an onboard air-jacking system on the BT52, the refuelling and tyre change were completed in just over 16 seconds, and he rejoined with a substantial lead. Rosberg, benefiting from fresh tyres, advanced steadily: he reached seventh by lap 34, fifth by lap 36 and fourth by lap 44. Prost retired on lap 46, and Rosberg overtook Lauda ten laps from the finish to secure second place on the road.^[2]

Piquet controlled the closing stages, reducing turbo boost to preserve the car and claiming victory — the first for the new Gordon Murray designed BT52 — having been disqualified from the previous year's event for a weight infringement with the BT49C. Rosberg, however, was later disqualified for the push-start. The final classification beyond second place remained provisional pending appeal.^[2]

Lauda finished third on the road, ahead of Jacques Laffite, who made significant progress in the latter stages. Tambay finished fifth, narrowly ahead of Marc Surer (Arrows). Prost, troubled by vibration, held off Warwick for seventh. Severe tyre vibration also affected Arnoux, allowing Chico Serra (Fittipaldi) to pass before the finish. The remaining classified finishers were Danny Sullivan (Tyrrell), Nigel Mansell (Lotus 92), Elio de Angelis (subsequently disqualified for changing car after the start procedure), Johnny Cecotto (Theodore), Eliseo Salazar (March) and Guerrero (Theodore).^[2]

• † — time disallowed, driver excluded.

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