1983 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1983 Brazilian Grand Prix was the first meeting of the 1983 Formula One Season, held at the Jacarepaguá circuit in Brazil.http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr374.html Despite a pre-season dominated by Renault (a dominace that meant that the championship looked set to be theirs), Nelson Piquet took a home victory in the BMW backed Brabham, as Keke Rosberg, reigning World Champion, was disqualified after a push-start in the pitlane.
==Background==
After the disasterous 1982 season, which saw two drivers (Gilles Villeneuve and Riccardo Paletti) lose their lives, and Didier Pironi have his promising career cut short, the Brazilian Grand Prix of 1983 was the first opportunity for the F1 World to move on. The winter saw engine deals as the main priority, with the age of the turbo dawning throughout the field. The prime example of this was Williams, who ran with Cosworth engines at Brazil as they waited for the their deal with Honda (whom backed Spirit Racing to develop the new engine) to come to fruition. 
Cars were also being redesigned to conform to the new "flat bottom" regulations that had been introduced to outlaw "Ground effect" (low pressure air created underneath the car that effectively sucked the car to the track). Team Lotus were hit hard in the winter when Colin Chapman (founder and cheif designer) died in December, hurting the development of the new car, and harming the morale of the team. Brabham, meanwhile, launched the BT52, having successfully negotiated with BMW for the renewal of their engine deal.
The winter also saw many changes on the driver front, with Rene Arnoux the major talking point, joining Ferrari after his relationship with Alain Prost at Renault fell apart. Prost was joined by Eddie Cheever, whose former team Ligier (who also lost Matra as engine supplier, Talbot as main sponsor, and Jacques Laffite to Williams) took on Jean-Pierre Jarier and Raul Boesel as their drivers. Tyrrell gave Danny Sullivan a drive after their new sponsor Benetton suggested that he partner Michele Alboreto, while ATS reduced to a single car with Manfred Winkelhock as their only driver (Eliseo Salazar secured a drive with RAM March for the year). Bruno Giacomelli was pushed out of Alfa Romeo and joined Derek Warwick at Toleman, with many other new faces joining the 1983 grid in Brazil.
==Entry List==
The full entry list for the is shown below:
No.	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Model 	Tyre
1 	Keke Rosberg 	TAG Williams Racing Team 	 	FW08C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
2 	Jacques Laffite 	TAG Williams Racing Team 	 	FW08C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
3 	Michele Alboreto 	Benetton Tyrrell Team 	 	011B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
4 	Danny Sullivan 	Benetton Tyrrell Team 	 	011B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
5 	Nelson Piquet 	Fila Sport 	 	BT52 	 	M12/13 L4t 1.5	
6 	Riccardo Patrese 	Fila Sport 	 	BT52 	 	M12/13 L4t 1.5	
7 	John Watson 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	MP4/1C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
8 	Niki Lauda 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	MP4/1C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
9 	Manfred Winkelhock	Team ATS 	 	D6 	 	M12/13 L4t 1.5	
11 	Elio de Angelis 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	92 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
12 	Nigel Mansell 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	92 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
15 	Alain Prost 	Equipe Renault Elf 	 	RE30C 	 	EF1 V6t 1.5 	
16 	Eddie Cheever 	Equipe Renault Elf 	 	RE30C 	 	EF1 V6t 1.5 	
17 	Eliseo Salazar 	RAM Racing Team March 	 	01 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo 	 	183T 	 	890T V8t 1.5 	
23 	Mauro Baldi 	Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo 	 	183T 	 	890T V8t 1.5 	
25 	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Equipe Ligier Gitanes 	 	JS21 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
26 	Raul Boesel 	Equipe Ligier Gitanes 	 	JS21 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
27 	Patrick Tambay 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	126C2B 	 	021 V6t 1.5 	
28 	René Arnoux 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	126C2B 	 	021 V6t 1.5 	
29 	Marc Surer 	Arrows Racing Team 	 	A6 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
30 	Chico Serra 	Arrows Racing Team 	 	A6 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
31 	Corrado Fabi 	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
32 	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
33 	Roberto Guerrero 	Theodore Racing Team 	 	N183 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
34 	Johnny Cecotto 	Theodore Racing Team 	 	N183 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
35 	Derek Warwick 	Candy Toleman Motorsport 	 	TG183B 	 	415T L4t 1.5 	
36 	Bruno Giacomelli 	Candy Toleman Motorsport 	 	TG183B 	 	415T L4t 1.5 	
==Practice Overview==
Unlike in 1982, practice would serve as a qualifying session, meaning that if a driver set a faster time in the practice session then they did in qualifying, that time would be used. In 1982, this was only applied in races where the entry list was over 30 cars, with cars eliminated based on time. Regardless, the 28 car entry list meant that no-one was eliminated before the main qualifying session.
==Qualifying==
Despite the en-masse move to turbo power, it would be the ever so eternal Cosworth DFV engine that powered Keke Rosberg to pole, a feat he only achieved once in his championship season. He beat the turbo powered Alain Prost and Patrick Tambay, with Niki Lauda the next non-turbo runner in ninth.
The 26 car grid limit meant that two drivers were eliminated, with Piercarlo Ghinzani (in his first full season of F1 with Osella) not quite quick enough to beat the cut. He was joined by Andrea de Cesaris in the Alfa Romeo, who had been safely through, before being excluded from the results after missing a weight check during the session.
===Qualifying Results===
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Timehttp://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-results/8362/qualifying-1982-italian-formula-1-grand-prix/	Timehttp://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-results/8362/qualifying-1982-italian-formula-1-grand-prix/
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Q1 	Q2
1 	1 	Keke Rosberg 	 	1:34.526 	1:35.276
2 	15 	Alain Prost 	 	1:34.672 	1:34.873
3 	27 	Patrick Tambay 	 	1:34.993 	1:34.758
4 	5 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:35.815 	1:35.114
5 	35 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:35.206 	No Time
6 	28 	René Arnoux 	 	1:36.390 	1:35.547
7 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:35.958 	1:36.827
8 	16 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:37.005 	1:36.051
9 	8 	Niki Lauda 	 	1:36.054 	1:36.900
10 	23 	Mauro Baldi 	 	1:36.126 	1:36.652
11 	3 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:38.757 	1:36.291
12 	25 	Jean-Pierre Jarier 	 	1:38.828 	1:36.392
13 	11 	Elio de Angelis 	 	1:40.056 	1:36.454
14 	33 	Roberto Guerrero 	 	1:37.237 	1:36.694
15 	36 	Bruno Giacomelli 	 	1:36.747 	No Time
16 	7 	John Watson 	 	1:37.844 	1:36.977
17 	26 	Raul Boesel 	 	1:38.741 	1:37.729
18 	2 	Jacques Laffite 	 	1:38.234 	1:38.725
19 	34 	Johnny Cecotto 	 	1:38.378 	1:39.178
20 	29 	Marc Surer 	 	1:40.255 	1:38.488
21 	4 	Danny Sullivan 	 	1:39.697 	1:38.686
22 	12 	Nigel Mansell 	 	1:42.098 	1:39.154
23 	30 	Chico Serra 	 	1:41.472 	1:39.965
24 	31 	Corrado Fabi 	 	1:41.316 	1:40.309
25 	9 	Manfred Winkelhock 	 	1:42.292 	1:41.153
26 	17 	Eliseo Salazar 	 	1:44.357 	1:41.478
DNQ 	32 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	1:46.964 	1:42.267
EXC 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris* 	 	Excluded 	Excluded
Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap	Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap	Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap	Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap	Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap 	Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap
* de Cesaris was excluded from the results after failing to attend a weight chech during qualifying.
==Race==
Although de Cesaris and Alfa Romeo attempted to fight the exclusion, the decision was upheld meaning there were no last minute changes to the grid. Brabham would once again use a pitstop strategy for the race, something they had experimented with since the British Grand Prix the previous year. Elio de Angelis would change his car after the parade lap, meaning he missed the start, and was later disqualified from the result.
=== Report ===
Rosberg streaked ahead at the start from Prost in the Renault and Nelson Piquet (who jumped the slow starting Tambay), while Mauro Baldi and Michele Alboreto came together and delayed the second half of the field. Piquet soon dispatched of Prost on the second lap, before sweeping past Rosberg on lap seven, not to be seen again until his stop on lap 40. The race soon settled down, with various technical issues affecting the lower placed cars as the race went on.
﻿Rosberg had a scare when his car caught fire during his pit stop (Williams had also decided that a pit stop strategy would suit the Brazilian Grand Prix as well as Brabham), which saw the Finn leap out of his car. The fire was relatively minor, however, and Rosberg quickly got back into the car. However, the team had to push-start the car, so although Rosberg was still in the race (now out of the points), whether he would be disqualified remained unclear.
﻿Prost had since taken over second, having only changed tyres during his stop. However, the delicate Renault required nursing (a fact proved by team mate Eddie Cheever whose suffered a turbo failure on lap 40), meaning he soon fell victim to Niki Lauda. Lauda ran without stopping, and his pace declined near the end of the race, meaning the charging Rosberg caught him with a few laps to spare.
﻿Piquet ran on untroubled at the front, however, and claimed a fairly easy victory at his home race (made more satisfying after his disqualification the previous year). Rosberg was still throwing the Williams at every turn to claim second, while Lauda casually crossed the line for third. Prost had faded badly over the final couple of laps, falling behind Jacques Laffite, Patrick Tambay and Marc Surer, whom claimed the final points.
﻿However, Rosberg was later excluded from the result as a result of his push start, with the team deciding to appeal against the decision. This would normally mean that the order would be changed, with Lauda being promoted to second, however the officials decided that second place would not be awarded at all.
===Results===
Pos.	No.	Driver 	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired 	Grid	Pts
1 	5 	Nelson Piquet 	 	63 	1:48:27.731s 	3 	9
DSQ 	1 	Keke Rosberg 	 	63 	Push Start 	1 	-
3 	8 	Niki Lauda 	 	63 	+51.883s 	9 	4
4 	2 	Jacques Laffite 	 	63 	+1:13.951 	18 	3
5 	27 	Patrick Tambay 	 	63 	+1:18.117 	3 	2
6 	29 	Marc Surer 	 	63 	+1:18.207 	20 	1
7 	15 	Alain Prost 	 	62 	+1 lap 	2 	
8 	35 	Derek Warwick 	 	62 	+1 lap 	5 	
9 	30 	Chico Serra 	 	62 	+1 lap 	23 	
10 	28 	René Arnoux 	 	62 	+1 lap 	6 	
11 	4 	Danny Sullivan 	 	62 	+1 lap 	21 	
12 	12 	Nigel Mansell 	 	61 	+2 laps 	22 	
13 	34 	Johnny Cecotto 	 	60 	+3 laps 	19 	
14 	17 	Eliseo Salazar 	 	59 	+4 laps 	26 	
15 	9 	Manfred Winkelhock	 	59 	+4 laps 	25 	
NC 	33 	Roberto Guerrero 	 	53 	Not Classified	14 	
Ret 	16 	Eddie Cheever 	 	41 	Brakes 	8 	
Ret 	7 	John Watson 	 	34 	Engine 	16 	
Ret 	26 	Raul Boesel 	 	25 	Engine 	17 	
Ret 	23 	Mauro Baldi 	 	23 	Accident 	10 	
Ret 	25 	Jean-Pierre Jarier	 	22 	Suspension 	12 	
Ret 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	19 	Exhaust 	7 	
Ret 	31 	Corrado Fabi 	 	17 	Engine 	24 	
Ret 	36 	Bruno Giacomelli 	 	16 	Spin 	15 	
Ret 	3 	Michele Alboreto 	 	7 	Engine 	11 	
DSQ 	11 	Elio de Angelis 	 	60 	Changed Car 	13 	
==Milestones==
*Last pole position for a Cosworth V8 engine.
**Last pole position for a normally aspirated car until the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix.
*First home win for Nelson Piquet .
*Second Brazilian Grand Prix in a row in which Keke Rosberg had been disqualified after coming second.
==Standings after race==
1983 Drivers' World Championship	1983 Drivers' World Championship	1983 Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts
1 	Nelson Piquet 	9
2 	Niki Lauda 	4
3 	Jacques Laffite 	3
4 	Patrick Tambay 	2
5 	Marc Surer 	1
Only the top 5 drivers are displayed.
1983 Constructors' World Championship	1983 Constructors' World Championship	1983 Constructors' World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts
1 	 	9
2 	 	4
3 	 	3
4 	 	2
5 	 	1
Only the top 5 constructors are displayed.
==References==
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:1983 Grands Prix
Category:Brazilian Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Brazil