1983 Canadian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

René Rene Arnoux answered his Detroit disappointment with a dominant Canadian Grand Prix victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Ferrari’s Frenchman controlled qualifying and the race, while Eddie Cheever split the Ferraris in second ahead of Patrick Tambay.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	René Arnoux	Ferrari
Pole time	1:28.729
Fastest lap	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:30.851 on lap 42
First	René Arnoux	Ferrari
Second	Eddie Cheever	Renault
Third	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
10 June 1983	Practice 1	Morning; start unconfirmed
10 June 1983	Qualifying 1	Start time unconfirmed
11 June 1983	Practice 2	Morning; start unconfirmed
11 June 1983	Qualifying 2	Start time unconfirmed
12 June 1983	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
12 June 1983	Race	Start time unconfirmed

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

Championship background

Alain Prost arrived at round 8 leading the 1983 F1 World Championship on 28 points, with Nelson Piquet on 27. Renault headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 36 points.

Race entries

Jacques Villeneuve, the younger brother of Gilles, joined RAM for his home event. The other teams retained their drivers from Detroit. Ferrari and Brabham revised their bodywork, while Alfa Romeo worked on cooling as the field moved from the tight American street course to Montreal’s faster layout.

Friday Free Practice

Ferrari began the weekend strongly, with Rene Arnoux immediately looking ready to recover the victory that had escaped him in Detroit. The faster circuit shifted the emphasis back towards turbo power, while the Cosworth teams had to find time under braking and through the changes of direction. Friday’s work established the foundations for another Ferrari challenge at the front.

Friday Qualifying

Rene Arnoux headed Friday’s qualifying session, giving Ferrari the initiative for the second weekend running. The long straights offered the turbo cars a clear opportunity, and Renault and Brabham supplied the main challenge. McLaren faced another difficult starting position after its Detroit recovery.

Friday Qualifying Classification

1983 Canadian Grand Prix first qualifying session, 10 June 1983

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	1:28.984	—
2	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	1:28.992	—
3	15	Alain Prost	Renault	1:29.942	—
4	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	1:30.255	—
5	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:30.366	—
6	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:31.227	—
7	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:31.583	—
8	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	1:31.756	—
9	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	1:31.813	—
10	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	1:32.185	—
11	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	1:32.208	—
12	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	1:32.351	—
13	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:32.643	—
14	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:32.931	—
15	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:33.231	—
16	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	1:33.588	—
17	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	1:33.664	—
18	7	John Watson	McLaren	1:34.008	—
19	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	1:34.403	—
20	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:34.452	—
21	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	1:34.680	—
22	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	1:34.967	—
23	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	1:34.988	—
24	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	1:35.283	—
25	32	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:35.493	—
26	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	1:35.554	—
27	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	1:36.260	—
28	17	Jacques Villeneuve	RAM	1:37.858	—

Saturday Free Practice

The second day brought little relief for the teams struggling with grip. Williams still had understeer, Lotus lacked traction and McLaren remained uncomfortable on its tyres. Rene Arnoux continued to set the standard as the field completed its preparations for the final qualifying hour, with the turbo-powered leading group again proving difficult to dislodge.

Saturday Qualifying

Rene Arnoux remained fastest on Saturday to secure pole ahead of Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet. Patrick Tambay qualified fourth, followed by Riccardo Patrese and Eddie Cheever. Villeneuve failed to qualify the RAM, while Piercarlo Ghinzani also missed the grid in his Alfa Romeo-powered Osella.

Saturday Qualifying Classification

1983 Canadian Grand Prix second qualifying session, 11 June 1983

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	1:28.729	—
2	15	Alain Prost	Renault	1:28.830	—
3	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:28.887	—
4	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:29.549	—
5	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	1:29.658	—
6	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	1:29.863	—
7	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	1:30.966	—
8	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	1:31.173	—
9	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:31.480	—
10	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	1:31.586	—
11	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:31.822	—
12	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	1:32.116	—
13	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:32.540	—
14	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:32.576	—
15	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	1:32.632	—
16	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	1:32.642	—
17	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	1:33.175	—
18	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:33.671	—
19	7	John Watson	McLaren	1:33.705	—
20	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	1:33.721	—
21	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	1:33.791	—
22	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	1:34.010	—
23	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	1:34.314	—
24	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	1:34.486	—
25	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	1:34.544	—
26	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	1:34.755	—
27	17	Jacques Villeneuve	RAM	1:35.133	—
28	32	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:35.171	—

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	28	René Arnoux	Ferrari	1:28.984	1:28.729	1:28.729	—
2	15	Alain Prost	Renault	1:29.942	1:28.830	1:28.830	—
3	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:30.366	1:28.887	1:28.887	—
4	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	1:28.992	1:29.658	1:28.992	—
5	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	1:31.227	1:29.549	1:29.549	—
6	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	1:30.255	1:29.863	1:29.863	—
7	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	1:31.756	1:30.966	1:30.966	—
8	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	1:31.813	1:31.173	1:31.173	—
9	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	1:31.583	1:31.480	1:31.480	—
10	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	1:32.208	1:31.586	1:31.586	—
11	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1:33.231	1:31.822	1:31.822	—
12	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	1:32.351	1:32.116	1:32.116	—
13	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	1:32.185	1:32.632	1:32.185	—
14	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	1:32.931	1:32.540	1:32.540	—
15	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	1:32.643	1:32.576	1:32.576	—
16	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	1:34.403	1:32.642	1:32.642	—
17	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	1:33.664	1:33.175	1:33.175	—
18	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	1:33.588	1:34.010	1:33.588	—
19	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	1:34.452	1:33.671	1:33.671	—
20	7	John Watson	McLaren	1:34.008	1:33.705	1:33.705	—
21	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	1:35.283	1:33.721	1:33.721	—
22	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	1:34.680	1:33.791	1:33.791	—
23	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	1:36.260	1:34.314	1:34.314	—
24	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	1:34.967	1:34.486	1:34.486	—
25	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	1:35.554	1:34.544	1:34.544	—
26	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	1:34.988	1:34.755	1:34.755	—
27	17	Jacques Villeneuve	RAM	1:37.858	1:35.133	1:35.133	—
28	32	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella	1:35.493	1:35.171	1:35.171	—

Sunday warm-up

Ferrari had an anxious race morning when Rene Arnoux needed an engine change after warm-up. The mechanics completed the work, but the start itself was subsequently delayed by a power failure in Montreal. Once the race could begin, the pole-sitter would have to translate his weekend-long pace into a result after the previous Sunday’s frustration.

What happened in the 1983 Canadian Grand Prix?

Rene Arnoux led away and established control, with Brabham initially offering a strong challenge. Both Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese ultimately retired, however: Nelson Piquet lost his throttle cable and Riccardo Patrese suffered transmission trouble. Those failures opened the way for Eddie Cheever to lead Renault’s pursuit.

The planned fuel-and-tyre stops passed without the sort of costly delays that could have overturned Rene Arnoux’s advantage. Alain Prost had a much harder afternoon, struggling with reduced engine performance and then a puncture. Patrick Tambay remained in the podium fight, but neither he nor Eddie Cheever could seriously threaten the leading Ferrari.

Rene Arnoux completed his first victory for Ferrari, with Eddie Cheever second and Patrick Tambay third. Keke Rosberg brought the Williams home fourth, followed by Alain Prost and John Watson. For Ferrari it was an emphatic recovery from Detroit; for Renault, Eddie Cheever’s podium helped offset the points lost by its championship leader.

After the race, Alain Prost headed the drivers’ standings with 30 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 27. Renault led the constructors’ table on 44, with Ferrari on 44.

1983 Canadian Grand Prix race results

The 1983 Canadian Grand Prix was held on 12 June 1983.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	28	René Arnoux	Ferrari	70	1:48:31.838	9
2	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	70	+ 42.029	6
3	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	70	+ 52.610	4
4	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	70	+ 1:17.048	3
5	15	Alain Prost	Renault	69	+ 1 lap	2
6	7	John Watson	McLaren	69	+ 1 lap	1
7	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	69	+ 1 lap	0
8	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	68	+ 2 laps	0
9	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	67	+ 3 laps	0
10	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	67	+ 3 laps	0
DSQ	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	68	Car underweight	0
Ret	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	56	Gearbox	0
Ret	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	47	Turbo	0
Ret	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	43	Engine	0
Ret	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	43	Handling	0
Ret	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	42	Engine	0
Ret	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	37	Gearbox	0
Ret	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	32	Halfshaft	0
Ret	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	27	Engine	0
Ret	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	26	Engine	0
Ret	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	17	Differential	0
Ret	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	15	Throttle	0
Ret	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	11	Spun off	0
Ret	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1	Throttle	0
Ret	29	Marc Surer	Arrows	1	Transmission	0
Ret	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ligier	0	Gearbox	0
DNQ	17	Jacques Villeneuve	RAM			0
DNQ	32	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella			0

1983 Canadian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	27	Patrick Tambay	Ferrari	42	1:30.851
2	28	Rene Arnoux	Ferrari	54	1:31.041
3	6	Riccardo Patrese	Brabham	36	1:31.400
4	15	Alain Prost	Renault	59	1:31.497
5	16	Eddie Cheever	Renault	46	1:31.504
6	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	6	1:31.733
7	1	Keke Rosberg	Williams	52	1:31.785
8	4	Danny Sullivan	Tyrrell	53	1:32.589
9	2	Jacques Laffite	Williams	29	1:32.607
10	30	Thierry Boutsen	Arrows	59	1:32.898
11	7	John Watson	McLaren	47	1:33.229
12	9	Manfred Winkelhock	ATS	46	1:33.834
13	36	Bruno Giacomelli	Toleman	32	1:33.962
14	22	Andrea de Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	11	1:34.350
15	3	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell	61	1:34.364
16	35	Derek Warwick	Toleman	26	1:34.432
17	23	Mauro Baldi	Alfa Romeo	43	1:34.785
18	33	Roberto Guerrero	Theodore	27	1:34.996
19	34	Johnny Cecotto	Theodore	7	1:35.343
20	26	Raul Boesel	Ligier	31	1:35.909
21	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus	5	1:36.026
22	8	Niki Lauda	McLaren	5	1:36.071
23	31	Corrado Fabi	Osella	11	1:36.650
24	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus	1	1:46.434

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 Canadian Grand Prix.

1983 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Alain Prost	French	Renault	30
2	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Brabham	27
3	Patrick Tambay	French	Ferrari	27
4	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	Williams	25
5	René Arnoux	French	Ferrari	17
6	John Watson	British	McLaren	16
7	Eddie Cheever	American	Renault	14
8	Niki Lauda	Austrian	McLaren	10
9	Jacques Laffite	French	Williams	10
10	Michele Alboreto	Italian	Tyrrell	9
11	Marc Surer	Swiss	Arrows	4
12	Danny Sullivan	American	Tyrrell	2
13	Mauro Baldi	Italian	Alfa Romeo	1
14	Johnny Cecotto	Venezuelan	Theodore	1
15	Nigel Mansell	British	Lotus	1
–	Derek Warwick	British	Toleman	0
–	Thierry Boutsen	Belgian	Arrows	0
–	Chico Serra	Brazilian	Arrows	0
–	Raul Boesel	Brazilian	Ligier	0
–	Bruno Giacomelli	Italian	Toleman	0
–	Manfred Winkelhock	German	ATS	0
–	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Lotus	0
–	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	Ligier	0
–	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Brabham	0
–	Andrea de Cesaris	Italian	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Eliseo Salazar	Chilean	RAM	0
–	Roberto Guerrero	Colombian	Theodore	0
–	Alan Jones	Australian	Arrows	0
–	Corrado Fabi	Italian	Osella	0
–	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Italian	Osella	0

1983 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Renault	44
2	Ferrari	44
3	Williams – Ford	35
4	Brabham – BMW	27
5	McLaren – Ford	26
6	Tyrrell – Ford	11
7	Arrows – Ford	4
8	Alfa Romeo	1
9	Theodore – Ford	1
10	Lotus – Ford	1
—	Toleman – Hart	0
—	Ligier – Ford	0
—	ATS – BMW	0
—	Lotus – Renault	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