Elio de Angelis beat Keke Rosberg by just 0.050 seconds in a thrilling Austrian Grand Prix finish. The Lotus driver claimed his first victory after the leading turbo cars retired, while Keke Rosberg’s second place strengthened his title challenge. Jacques Laffite completed the podium.
Race Guide
Season: 1982 F1 World Championship
Race date: 15 August 1982
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Österreichring
Laps: 53 laps
Circuit length: 5.942 km
1981 winner: Jacques Laffite
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| Pole time | 1:27.612 | |
| Fastest lap | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:33.699 on lap 5 | |
| First | Elio de Angelis | Lotus |
| Second | Keke Rosberg | Williams |
| Third | Jacques Laffite | Ligier |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 13 August 1982 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 13 August 1982 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 14 August 1982 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 14 August 1982 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 15 August 1982 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 15 August 1982 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Didier Pironi arrived at round 13 leading the 1982 F1 World Championship on 39 points, with John Watson on 30. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 61 points.
Race entries
Patrick Tambay represented Ferrari alone after Didier Pironi’s injuries. Rupert Keegan remained at March alongside Raul Boesel. Brabham again prepared to start with reduced fuel loads and refuel during the race, a strategy that had yet to survive long enough to be demonstrated fully.
Friday Free Practice
Friday’s preparation took place in hot, unsettled weather. Cooling was an important concern: BMW worked on fuel temperature, while Lotus also sought to avoid fuel vaporisation. The fast circuit placed a premium on keeping the engines healthy as well as extracting power.
Friday Qualifying
Nelson Piquet took pole ahead of Riccardo Patrese, giving Brabham the front row. Alain Prost, Patrick Tambay and Rene Arnoux followed, underlining the advantage of turbo power at the Österreichring. Keke Rosberg was the best of the normally aspirated runners in sixth.
Saturday Free Practice
An overnight storm changed the track for Saturday. De Elio de Angelis was pleased with his Lotus, but McLaren struggled to find a satisfactory balance. Rene Arnoux’s injection difficulties added another complication for Renault before the final qualifying session.
Saturday Qualifying
De Elio de Angelis qualified seventh, a promising starting point for Lotus. Tommy Byrne made the grid for Theodore, but Raul Boesel, Eliseo Salazar and Jean-Pierre Jarier missed out. The front-running Brabhams were ideally placed to exploit their lighter starting fuel loads.
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Friday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:27.612 | 1:28.398 | 1:27.612 | — |
| 2 | 2 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:27.971 | 1:28.296 | — | — |
| 3 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:29.867 | 1:28.864 | — | — |
| 4 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 1:29.522 | 1:29.856 | — | — |
| 5 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | no time | 1:30.261 | — | — |
| 6 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:31.108 | 1:30.300 | — | — |
| 7 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:32.686 | 1:31.626 | — | — |
| 8 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:31.814 | 1:34.534 | — | — |
| 9 | 5 | Derek Daly | Williams | 1:34.114 | 1:32.062 | — | — |
| 10 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:33.005 | 1:32.131 | — | — |
| 11 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:33.353 | 1:32.308 | — | — |
| 12 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:34.070 | 1:32.881 | — | — |
| 13 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:34.431 | 1:32.950 | — | — |
| 14 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:34.530 | 1:32.957 | — | — |
| 15 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:33.878 | 1:33.208 | — | — |
| 16 | 14 | Roberto Guerrero | Ensign | 1:34.796 | 1:33.555 | — | — |
| 17 | 36 | Teo Fabi | Toleman | 1:34.690 | 1:33.971 | — | — |
| 18 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:34.668 | 1:34.164 | — | — |
| 19 | 4 | Brian Henton | Tyrrell | 1:34.184 | 1:36.228 | — | — |
| 20 | 20 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | 1:35.724 | 1:34.187 | — | — |
| 21 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:34.422 | 1:34.579 | — | — |
| 22 | 25 | Eddie Cheever | Ligier | 1:34.620 | 1:34.815 | — | — |
| 23 | 30 | Mauro Baldi | Arrows | 1:35.653 | 1:34.715 | — | — |
| 24 | 17 | Rupert Keegan | March | 1:36.274 | 1:34.770 | — | — |
| 25 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:35.666 | 1:34.984 | — | — |
| 26 | 33 | Tommy Byrne | Theodore | 1:35.318 | 1:34.985 | — | — |
| 27 | 18 | Raul Boesel | March | 1:35.149 | 1:35.654 | — | — |
| 28 | 31 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella | 1:35.622 | 1:35.206 | — | — |
| 29 | 10 | Eliseo Salazar | ATS | 1:35.581 | 1:35.271 | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Race morning brought renewed concern over reliability. An oil leak led Alain Prost to use the spare Renault for the race, while Brabham prepared fuel and tyres for its planned stops. The demanding conditions offered little margin for a mechanical weakness.
What happened in the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix?
Riccardo Patrese moved ahead of Nelson Piquet early on, and the Brabhams pulled away. Both finally made the planned fuel-and-tyre stops, with Riccardo Patrese retaining the lead after his. Mechanical failures then removed both cars, leaving Alain Prost with a comfortable advantage.
Alain Prost’s Renault failed near the finish, transforming the contest. De Elio de Angelis inherited the lead, but Keke Rosberg was closing quickly. On the final lap the Williams reached the Lotus, and Keke Rosberg drew alongside on the run to the line, falling short by only five hundredths of a second.
De Elio de Angelis celebrated his first victory and Lotus’s first since 1978. Jacques Laffite finished third, ahead of Patrick Tambay, Niki Lauda and Mauro Baldi. Keke Rosberg moved into second in the championship, while the win became the final occasion on which Colin Chapman celebrated a Lotus Grand Prix victory before his death later that year.
After the race, Didier Pironi headed the drivers’ standings with 39 points, followed by Keke Rosberg on 33. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 64, with McLaren – Ford on 56.
1982 Austrian Grand Prix race results
The 1982 Austrian Grand Prix was held on 15 August 1982.
1982 Austrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 5 | 1:33.699 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1982 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix.
1982 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1982 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 64 |
| 2 | McLaren – Ford | 56 |
| 3 | Williams – Ford | 46 |
| 4 | Renault | 44 |
| 5 | Lotus – Ford | 29 |
| 6 | Brabham – Ford | 19 |
| 7 | Brabham – BMW | 17 |
| 8 | Ligier – Matra | 15 |
| 9 | Tyrrell – Ford | 14 |
| 10 | Alfa Romeo | 7 |
| 11 | Arrows – Ford | 5 |
| 12 | ATS – Ford | 4 |
| 13 | Osella – Ford | 3 |
| 14 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 1 |
| — | March – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ensign – Ford | 0 |
| — | Toleman – Hart | 0 |
| — | Theodore – Ford | 0 |
Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.
1982 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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