1983 Belgian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Grand Prix racing returned to the rebuilt Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps with Alain Prost on top, but Andrea de Cesaris made him work for the Belgian Grand Prix victory. The Alfa Romeo led the early stages before a slow stop and mechanical trouble ended its challenge, leaving Patrick Tambay second and Eddie Cheever third.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Alain Prost	Renault
Pole time	2:04.615
Fastest lap	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo
Fastest-lap time	2:07.493 on lap 17
First	Alain Prost	Renault
Second	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari
Third	Eddie Cheever	Renault

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
20 May 1983	Practice 1	Morning; start unconfirmed
20 May 1983	Qualifying 1	Start time unconfirmed
21 May 1983	Practice 2	Morning; start unconfirmed
21 May 1983	Qualifying 2	Start time unconfirmed
22 May 1983	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
22 May 1983	Race	14:30

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Nelson Piquet arrived at round 6 leading the 1983 F1 World Championship on 21 points, with Alain Prost on 19. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 25 points.

Race entries

Thierry Boutsen made his Formula 1 debut at home, replacing Chico Serra alongside Marc Surer at Arrows. The rest of the field was familiar, but the shortened Spa circuit was new to the championship. Its fast climbs and sweeping corners presented a very different challenge from Monaco a week earlier.

Friday Free Practice

Friday’s practice gave the drivers their first official chance to attack the new Spa layout, and the response was enthusiastic. Patrick Tambay, Jacques Laffite and Marc Surer looked particularly precise through the fast sections, while Keke Rosberg extracted everything he could from the Cosworth-powered Williams. Alain Prost’s smooth progress was less spectacular to watch but extremely effective, setting up Renault’s strong qualifying challenge.

Friday Qualifying

Alain Prost headed Friday’s dry session to take provisional pole, with Patrick Tambay second and de Andrea de Cesaris third. Turbo power was well suited to Spa, but Marc Surer still produced an impressive Arrows lap between the Williams drivers. Derek Warwick’s problems forced him into the spare Toleman and left him further down the order than he had hoped.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1983 Belgian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 20 May 1983

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	15	Alain Prost	Renault	2:04.615	—
2	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	2:04.626	—
3	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	2:04.840	—
4	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	2:05.628	—
5	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	2:05.737	—
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	2:06.137	—
7	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	2:06.264	—
8	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	2:07.294	—
9	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	2:07.975	—
10	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	2:08.587	—
11	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	2:09.153	—
12	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	2:09.225	—
13	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	2:09.310	—
14	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	2:09.322	—
15	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	2:09.475	—
16	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	2:09.706	—
17	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	2:09.739	—
18	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	2:09.876	—
19	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	2:09.924	—
20	7	John Watson	McLaren	2:10.318	—
21	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	2:11.354	—
22	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	2:11.474	—
23	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	2:11.683	—
24	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	2:11.734	—
25	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	2:11.860	—
26	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	2:12.310	—
27	32	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	2:13.738	—
28	17	Eliseo Salazar	RAM	2:18.696	—

Saturday Free Practice

Low cloud and persistent rain transformed Saturday. The drivers still completed wet-weather running, learning how the new course behaved in much poorer visibility and grip. It was useful experience, but it removed the opportunity to refine the dry set-ups established on Friday and made any improvement in qualifying times increasingly unlikely.

Saturday Qualifying

Saturday’s rain prevented meaningful improvements, so Friday’s times decided the grid. Alain Prost retained pole ahead of Patrick Tambay and de Andrea de Cesaris, with Rene Arnoux completing the second row. Eliseo Salazar and Piercarlo Ghinzani failed to qualify, while Thierry Boutsen secured a place for his home debut.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1983 Belgian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 21 May 1983

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	2:25.700	—
2	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	2:30.151	—
3	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	2:30.477	—
4	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	2:30.478	—
5	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	2:30.961	—
6	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	2:31.077	—
7	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	2:31.533	—
8	15	Alain Prost	Renault	2:34.212	—
9	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	2:34.659	—
10	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	2:35.016	—
11	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	2:35.036	—
12	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	2:35.556	—
13	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	2:35.832	—
14	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	2:38.284	—
15	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	2:41.895	—
16	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	2:43.780	—
17	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	2:44.663	—
18	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	2:49.311	—
19	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	3:00.356	—
20	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	3:01.358	—
21	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	3:01.465	—
22	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	3:20.872	—
23	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	18:49.960	—
24	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	26:06.800	—

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	15	Alain Prost	Renault	2:04.615	2:34.212	2:04.615	—
2	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	2:04.626	2:35.036	2:04.626	—
3	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	2:04.840	26:06.800	2:04.840	—
4	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	2:05.628	3:01.465	2:05.628	—
5	28	René Arnoux	Ferrari	2:05.737	2:30.961	2:05.737	—
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	2:06.137	3:01.358	2:06.137	—
7	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	2:06.264	2:44.663	2:06.264	—
8	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	2:07.294	2:25.700	2:07.294	—
9	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	2:07.975	2:30.151	2:07.975	—
10	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	2:08.587	2:35.016	2:08.587	—
11	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	2:09.153	3:20.872	2:09.153	—
12	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	2:09.225	18:49.960	2:09.225	—
13	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	2:09.310	2:30.478	2:09.310	—
14	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	2:09.322	2:31.077	2:09.322	—
15	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	2:09.475	3:00.356	2:09.475	—
16	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	2:09.706	2:35.556	2:09.706	—
17	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	2:09.739	2:31.533	2:09.739	—
18	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	2:09.876	2:35.832	2:09.876	—
19	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	2:09.924	no time	2:09.924	—
20	7	John Watson	McLaren	2:10.318	no time	2:10.318	—
21	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	2:11.354	2:49.311	2:11.354	—
22	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	2:11.474	2:30.477	2:11.474	—
23	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	2:11.683	2:38.284	2:11.683	—
24	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	2:11.734	2:41.895	2:11.734	—
25	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	2:11.860	2:43.780	2:11.860	—
26	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	2:12.310	2:34.659	2:12.310	—
27	32	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	2:13.738	no time	2:13.738	—
28	17	Eliseo Salazar	RAM	2:18.696	no time	2:18.696	—

Sunday warm-up

Sunday remained overcast but dry, making the warm-up especially valuable after Saturday’s washout. The field used the half-hour to regain dry-running experience and complete its race preparations. Planned fuel-and-tyre stops were now widespread among the leading teams, adding another important variable to the first championship race on the modern Spa circuit.

What happened in the 1983 Belgian Grand Prix?

An aborted start forced the field to regroup before de Andrea de Cesaris launched his Alfa Romeo into the lead ahead of Alain Prost. He built an advantage while Alain Prost also had to watch the Ferraris behind. Nelson Piquet worked his way past Rene Arnoux, whose race then ended with turbo trouble.

The pit stops changed the lead. De Andrea de Cesaris lost time in a slow service, while Renault turned Alain Prost around efficiently and sent him back out ahead. The Alfa Romeo’s hopes then ended with an injection problem. Nelson Piquet took over second, but losing top gear left him vulnerable on Spa’s long, fast sections.

Patrick Tambay and Eddie Cheever both passed the hampered Brabham, completing the podium behind Alain Prost. Nelson Piquet salvaged fourth, followed by Keke Rosberg and Jacques Laffite. Renault left with a win and another double podium, while de Andrea de Cesaris’s early speed remained one of the weekend’s most striking performances.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 28 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 24. Renault led the constructors’ table on 36, with Ferrari on 31.

1983 Belgian Grand Prix race results

The 1983 Belgian Grand Prix was held on 22 May 1983, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	15	Alain Prost	Renault	40	1:27:11.502	9
2	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	40	+ 23.182	6
3	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	40	+ 39.869	4
4	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	40	+ 42.295	3
5	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	40	+ 50.480	2
6	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	40	+ 1:33.107	1
7	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	40	+ 1:58.539	0
8	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	40	+ 2:38.273	0
9	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	39	+ 1 Lap	0
10	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	39	+ 1 Lap	0
11	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	39	+ 1 lap	0
12	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	39	+ 1 Lap	0
13	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	39	+ 1 Lap	0
14	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	38	+ 2 Laps	0
Ret	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	33	Gearbox	0
Ret	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	30	Gearbox	0
Ret	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	25	Injection	0
Ret	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	23	Engine	0
Ret	28	René Arnoux	Ferrari	22	Engine	0
Ret	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	19	Wheel	0
Ret	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	18	Wheel	0
Ret	7	John Watson	McLaren	8	Collision	0
Ret	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	8	Collision	0
Ret	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	4	Suspension	0
Ret	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	3	Throttle	0
Ret	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	0	Engine	0
DNQ	32	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella			0
DNQ	17	Eliseo Salazar	RAM			0

1983 Belgian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	17	2:07.493
2	15	Alain Prost	Renault	20	2:07.787
3	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	32	2:08.081
4	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	22	2:08.332
5	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	16	2:08.941
6	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	14	2:09.031
7	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	17	2:09.224
8	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	19	2:09.631
9	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	18	2:09.639
10	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	4	2:10.109
11	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	16	2:10.402
12	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	14	2:10.643
13	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	29	2:10.899
14	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	3	2:11.569
15	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	23	2:12.327
16	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	15	2:12.520
17	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	20	2:12.630
18	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	17	2:12.665
19	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	19	2:13.029
20	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	15	2:13.364
21	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	5	2:13.521
22	7	John Watson	McLaren	6	2:13.640
23	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	18	2:13.863
24	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	2	2:14.040
25	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	29	2:15.269

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1983 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1983 Belgian Grand Prix.

1983 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	Renault	28
2	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Brabham	24
3	Patrick Tambay	French	Ferrari	23
4	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	Williams	16
5	John Watson	British	McLaren	11
6	Niki Lauda	Austrian	McLaren	10
7	René Arnoux	French	Ferrari	8
8	Eddie Cheever	American	Renault	8
9	Jacques Laffite	French	Williams	8
10	Marc Surer	Swiss	Arrows	4
11	Danny Sullivan	American	Tyrrell	2
12	Johnny Cecotto	Venezuelan	Theodore	1
13	Mauro Baldi	Italian	Alfa Romeo	1
–	Derek Warwick	British	Toleman	0
–	Chico Serra	Brazilian	Arrows	0
–	Raul Boesel	Brazilian	Ligier	0
–	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Tyrrell	0
–	Bruno Giacomelli	Italian	Toleman	0
–	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Lotus	0
–	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	Ligier	0
–	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Brabham	0
–	Nigel Mansell	British	Lotus	0
–	Manfred Winkelhock	German	ATS	0
–	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Eliseo Salazar	Chilean	RAM	0
–	Alan Jones	Australian	Arrows	0
–	Corrado Fabi	Italian	Osella	0
–	Roberto Guerrero	Colombian	Theodore	0
–	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Arrows	0

1983 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Renault	36
2	Ferrari	31
3	Brabham – BMW	24
4	Williams – Ford	24
5	McLaren – Ford	21
6	Arrows – Ford	4
7	Tyrrell – Ford	2
8	Theodore – Ford	1
9	Alfa Romeo	1
—	Toleman – Hart	0
—	Ligier – Ford	0
—	Lotus – Renault	0
—	ATS – BMW	0
—	Lotus – Ford	0
—	RAM – Ford	0
—	Osella – Ford	0
—	Osella – Alfa Romeo	0

Drivers counted their best eleven results; constructors counted every round. The standings here show the position after this race.

1983 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1983 Brazilian Grand Prix	Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro	13 March
2	1983 United States West Grand Prix	Long Beach Street Circuit, Long Beach, California	27 March
3	1983 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	17 April
4	1983 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola	1 May
5	1983 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	15 May
6	1983 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	22 May
7	1983 Detroit Grand Prix	Detroit Street Circuit, Detroit, Michigan	5 June
8	1983 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
9	1983 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	16 July
10	1983 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	7 August
11	1983 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	14 August
12	1983 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	28 August
13	1983 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	11 September
14	1983 European Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown	25 September
15	1983 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	15 October