1982 German Grand Prix

The 1982 German Grand Prix was the twelfth round of the 1982 Formula One Season, and saw the breakthrough win Patrick Tambay at the Hockenheimring.'GRAND PRIX RESULTS: FRENCH GP, 1982', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 1999), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr369.html, (Accessed 30/07/2015) The weekend was marred, however, by a huge accident for Championship leader Didier Pironi in qualifying, who was left fighting for his life having broken both of his legs. This was the second time this had happened to Ferrari in 1982, following the tragic loss of Gilles Villeneuve in Belgium.
Tambay, for his part, performed spectacularly given the circumstances, taking the first win of his career at the team that had persuaded him to return to the Championship. Fellow Frenchman René Arnoux and Finn Keke Rosberg joined him on the podium, after Pironi had qualified on pole.
==Background==
At Team Lotus, Nigel Mansell returned for the second time after his wrist injury in Canada, while Jochen Mass (whom was still recovering from his accident in France) was replaced by Rupert Keegan in the March. Jan Lammers, meanwhile, lost his drive with Theodore, being replaced by Tommy Byrne, a promising talent in Formula Three.
In the championship, Didier Pironi came to Germany with a nine point lead over John Watson, whom was going through a poor run of luck, having failed to finish the last two races. Keke Rosberg and Alain Prost were slowly closing the gap, with Niki Lauda keeping himself in the championship hunt. The two unknowns in the title fight were the two entries of Riccardo Patrese and Nelson Piquet, whom both had a win to their name, but were still getting used to turbo power.
McLaren, meanwhile, had a two point lead over Ferrari, whom had closed the gap significantly since Tambay had joined them. Williams had succumbed to Renault after their dominance of the French Grand Prix, with the French marque seemingly over their numerous reliability issues. Team Lotus, meanwhile, were in a fight with Brabham for fifth, with the latter's points split between their BMW and Ford Cosworth entries throughout the year.
==Entry List==
The full entry list for the is displayed below
No.	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Model 	Tyre
1 	Nelson Piquet 	Parmalat Racing Team 	 	BT50 	 	M12/13 L4t 1.5	
2 	Riccardo Patrese 	Parmalat Racing Team 	 	BT50 	 	M12/13 L4t 1.5	
3 	Michele Alboreto 	Team Tyrrell 	 	011 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
4 	Brian Henton 	Team Tyrrell 	 	011 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
5 	Derek Daly 	TAG Williams Team 	 	FW08 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
6 	Keke Rosberg 	TAG Williams Team 	 	FW08 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
7 	John Watson 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	MP4/1B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
8 	Niki Lauda 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	MP4/1B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
9 	Manfred Winkelhock	Team ATS 	 	D5 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
10 	Eliseo Salazar 	Team ATS 	 	D5 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
11 	Elio de Angelis 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	91 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
12 	Nigel Mansell 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	91 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
14 	Roberto Guerrero 	Ensign Racing 	 	N181 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
15 	Alain Prost 	Equipe Renault Elf 	 	RE30B 	 	EF1 V6t 1.5 	
16 	René Arnoux 	Equipe Renault Elf 	 	RE30B 	 	EF1 V6t 1.5 	
17 	Rupert Keegan 	Rothmans March Grand Prix Team	 	821 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
18 	Raul Boesel 	Rothmans March Grand Prix Team	 	821 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
20 	Chico Serra 	Fittipaldi Automotive 	 	F9 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo 	 	182 	 	1260 V12 3.0 	
23 	Bruno Giacomelli 	Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo 	 	182 	 	1260 V12 3.0 	
25 	Eddie Cheever 	Equipe Talbot Gitanes 	 	JS19 	 	MS81 V12 3.0 	
26 	Jacques Laffite 	Equipe Talbot Gitanes 	 	JS19 	 	MS81 V12 3.0 	
27 	Patrick Tambay 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	126C2 	 	021 V6t 1.5 	
28 	Didier Pironi 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	126C2 	 	021 V6t 1.5 	
29 	Marc Surer 	Arrows Racing Team 	 	A4 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
30 	Mauro Baldi 	Arrows Racing Team 	 	A4 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
31 	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Osella Squadra Course 	 	FA1D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
33 	Tommy Byrne 	Theodore Racing Team 	 	TY02 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
35 	Derek Warwick 	Toleman Group Motorsport 	 	TG181C 	 	415T L4t 1.5 	
36 	Teo Fabi 	Toleman Group Motorsport 	 	TG181C 	 	415T L4t 1.5 	
==Practice Overview==
In practice, Pironi enjoyed a huge margin over the rest of the field, proving that he was the man to beat for the weekend. Tambay was also running well, with Hockenheim another track that decidedly favoured the turbocharged cars over their less powerful rivals.
==Qualifying==
Pironi had already guaranteed pole on Friday, a feat confirmed by the rain that greeted the drivers on Saturday. Pironi was, however, still significantly faster than his rivals in the wet, but his session, and career, would be cut short during the session. Thinking he only had Derek Daly in front of him, Pironi went for a pass, only to run into title rival Alain Prost, obscured by the spray. The Ferrari launched into the air, landing back on its wheels, before slamming into the barrier at almost full speed. Pironi was left fighting for his life, undergoing several operations to save both his legs and his life.
Niki Lauda would also fall in qualifying, crashing into the wall and feeling too unwell to race. He would be joined by Keegan and Byrne in their first qualifying session, as well as Teo Fabi in the Toleman.
===Qualifying Results===
Pos.	No.	Driver 	Constructor	Time'1982 German Grand Prix: Qualifying', manipef1.com, (Manipe F1, 2004), http://www.manipef1.com/results/1982/germany/qualifying/, (Accessed 30/07/2015)	Gap
1 	28 	Didier Pironi 	 	1:47.947 	
2 	15 	Alain Prost 	 	1:48.890 	+0.943s
3 	16 	René Arnoux 	 	1:49.265 	+1.309s
4 	1 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:49.415 	+1.468s
5 	27 	Patrick Tambay 	 	1:49.570 	+1.623s
6 	2 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:49.760 	+1.813s
7 	3 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:52.625 	+4.678s
8 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:52.786 	+4.839s
9 	6 	Keke Rosberg 	 	1:52.892 	+4.945s
10 	7 	John Watson 	 	1:53.073 	+5.126s
11 	23 	Bruno Giacomelli 	 	1:53.887 	+5.940s
12 	25 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:54.211 	+6.294s
13 	11 	Elio de Angelis 	 	1:54.476 	+6.529s
14 	35 	Derek Warwick 	 	1:54.594 	+6.647s
15 	26 	Jacques Laffite 	 	1:54.982 	+7.035s
16 	9 	Manfred Winkelhock	 	1:55.223 	+7.276s
17 	4 	Brian Henton 	 	1:55.474 	+7.527s
18 	12 	Nigel Mansell 	 	1:55.866 	+7.919s
19 	5 	Derek Daly 	 	1:55.876 	+7.929s
20 	31 	Jean-Pierre Jarier	 	1:56.250 	+8.303s
21 	14 	Roberto Guerrero 	 	1:56.489 	+8.542s
22 	10 	Eliseo Salazar 	 	1:56.537 	+8.590s
23 	30 	Mauro Baldi 	 	1:56.680 	+8.733s
24 	18 	Raul Boesel 	 	1:57.245 	+9.298s
25 	20 	Chico Serra 	 	1:57.337 	+9.390s
26 	29 	Marc Surer 	 	1:57.402 	+9.455s
WD* 	8 	Niki Lauda 	 	1:52.683 	+4.736s
DNQ 	33 	Tommy Byrne 	 	1:59.007 	+11.060s
DNQ 	17 	Rupert Keegan 	 	1:59.951 	+12.004s
DNQ 	36 	Teo Fabi 	 	No Time 	No Time
**Lauda was withdrawn from the result after an accident, meaning he did not start the race.
===Grid===
The grid for the is shown below:
** Didier Pironi's grid slot was left unfilled, meaning no one started from pole.
*† Because Niki Lauda was withdrawn from qualifying, Marc Surer was promoted to the starting grid.
==Race==
With Pironi unlikely to race again in the championship, the main focus would be who would take over the championship lead. Would Renault, with another (de facto) one-two start after Pironi's crash, build on their display in France three weeks earlier, or would it be Brabham on their third attempt of using the pitstop plan? These questions also applied to Patrick Tambay, who suddenly became team leader for the tifosi, despite his overall lack of experience.
===Report===
With Ferrari failing to officially withdraw Pironi, Prost would have to be content with starting from second (despite being the highest placed car after qualifying). He and Arnoux (who were still not on the best of terms) led into the first corner, but were soon overtaken by Nelson Piquet in the lightweight Brabham. Piquet pulled ahead, a lead that looked to be increasingly impossible to overturn as the race unfolded. 
The race took an unexpected turn, however, when Piquet hit Eliseo Salazar on the 19th lap, putting both out of the race. The Brazilian was less than impressed with the ATS driver, with Piquet physically attacking his opponent at the side of the track. With their off-track brawl going on for a time (although Salazar was decidedly on the receiving end) Tambay took over the lead, having passed Arnoux and the tumbling Prost (who retired with an electrical issue early on). 
John Watson was up to third when he was struck by his third slice of bad luck in three races, retiring on the 37th lap with suspension failure. Jacques Laffite was another driver to impress, swinging through the field to fourth in the Ligier (which had been too difficult to drive as recently as the British Grand Prix). He was left disappointed, however, when he slid wide and damaged the side of his car, leaving him lacking the pace he had as he tumbled down the field.
Tambay cruised to his first Formula One victory, maintaining a lead of over 15 seconds over second placed Arnoux (who was starting a late climb up the championship table). Keke Rosberg took advantage of Watson and Laffite's problems to claim third, with the rest of the points handed to Michele Alboreto, Bruno Giacomelli (the Alfa, for once, reliable enough to complete a race) and Marc Surer. Despite this result, however, Pironi retained his nine point lead at the top of the championship.
===Results===
Pos.	No.	Driver 	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1 	27 	Patrick Tambay 	 	45 	1:27:25.178 	5 	9
2 	16 	René Arnoux 	 	45 	+16.379s 	3 	6
3 	6 	Keke Rosberg 	 	44 	+1 lap 	9 	4
4 	3 	Michele Alboreto 	 	44 	+1 lap 	7 	3
5 	23 	Bruno Giacomelli 	 	44 	+1 lap 	11 	2
6 	29 	Marc Surer 	 	44 	+1 lap 	26 	1
7 	4 	Brian Henton 	 	44 	+1 lap 	17 	
8 	14 	Roberto Guerrero 	 	44 	+1 lap 	21 	
9 	12 	Nigel Mansell 	 	43 	+2 laps 	18 	
10 	35 	Derek Warwick 	 	43 	+2 laps 	14 	
11 	20 	Chico Serra 	 	43 	+2 laps 	25 	
Ret 	7 	John Watson 	 	36 	Suspension 	10 	
Ret 	26 	Jacques Laffite 	 	36 	Handling 	15 	
Ret 	5 	Derek Daly 	 	25 	Engine 	19 	
Ret 	18 	Raul Boesel 	 	22 	Tyre 	24 	
Ret 	11 	Elio de Angelis 	 	21 	Handling 	13 	
Ret 	1 	Nelson Piquet 	 	18 	Accident 	4 	
Ret 	10 	Eliseo Salazar 	 	17 	Accident 	22 	
Ret 	15 	Alain Prost 	 	14 	Electrical 	2 	
Ret 	2 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	13 	Engine 	6 	
Ret 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	9 	Gearbox 	8 	
Ret 	25 	Eddie Cheever 	 	8 	Fuel system 	12 	
Ret 	30 	Mauro Baldi 	 	6 	Fuel system 	23 	
Ret 	31 	Jean-Pierre Jarier	 	3 	Handling 	20 	
Ret 	9 	Manfred Winkelhock	 	3 	Clutch 	16 	
DNS 	28 	Didier Pironi 	 	0 	Accident 	1 	
WD 	8 	Niki Lauda 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	33 	Tommy Byrne 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	17 	Rupert Keegan 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	36 	Teo Fabi 	 	 	 	 	
==Milestones==
*First win for Patrick Tambay.
==Standings==
Didier Pironi remained in hospital for several weeks after his accident, but did not see his Championship lead fall in Germany, as John Watson failed to score again. Keke Rosberg now sat third in the table, three behind the Brit, while Alain Prost and Niki Lauda were not too far off. René Arnoux and Patrick Tambay had also dragged themselves into the title fight, although both were a long way off, Arnoux being 20 points behind.
Ferrari, despite potentially losing Pironi for the rest of the season, took the lead in the Constructors' Championship after Tambay's win, overtaking McLaren. Renault and Williams were beginning to draw in the British marque too, while Team Lotus retained fifth from Brabham. Arrows moved up a place courtesy of Marc Surer's point, moving past Osella.
1982 Drivers' World Championship	1982 Drivers' World Championship	1982 Drivers' World Championship	1982 Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts 	+/-
1 	Didier Pironi 	39 	
2 	John Watson 	30 	
3 	Keke Rosberg 	27 	2
4 	Alain Prost 	25 	1
5 	Niki Lauda 	24 	1
6 	Riccardo Patrese 	19 	
7 	 René Arnoux 	19 	1
8 	Nelson Piquet 	17 	1
9 	Patrick Tambay 	16 	4
10 	Michele Alboreto 	14 	
11 	Elio de Angelis 	13 	2
12 	Eddie Cheever 	10 	1
13 	Nigel Mansell 	7 	1
14 	Derek Daly 	7 	
15 	Gilles Villeneuve 	6 	
16 	Carlos Reutemann 	6 	
17 	Andrea de Cesaris 	5 	
18 	Jean-Pierre Jarier 	3 	
19 	Marc Surer 	3 	
20 	Bruno Giacomelli 	2 	5
21 	Eliseo Salazar 	2 	1
22 	Manfred Winkelhock 	2 	1
23 	Mauro Baldi 	1 	1
24 	Jacques Laffite 	1 	1
25 	Chico Serra 	1 	1
Only point scoring drivers are shown.
1982 Constructors' World Championship	1982 Constructors' World Championship	1982 Constructors' World Championship	1982 Constructors' World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts 	+/-
1 	 	61 	1
2 	 	54 	1
3 	 	44 	
4 	 	40 	
5 	 	20 	
6 	 	19 	
7 	 	17 	
8 	 	13 	
9 	 	11 	
10 	 	7 	
11 	 	4 	
12 	 	4 	1
13 	 	3 	1
14 	 	1 	
Only point scoring constructors are shown.
==References==
Videos and Images:
*Motorsport Modeller, 'Like father like son - Kick boxing Piquet style', motorsportmodeller.blogspot.co.uk, (Blogspot, 05/05/2013), http://motorsportmodeller.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/like-father-like-son-kick-boxing-piquet.html, (Accessed 30/07/2015)
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:German Grand Prix
Category:1982 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in Germany