Alain Prost made the French Grand Prix his own at Circuit Paul Ricard, converting a dominant pole position into Renault’s first victory of the season. Nelson Piquet split the home team’s cars in the race, but Eddie Cheever’s third place still made it a hugely rewarding afternoon for Renault.
Race Guide
Season: 1983 F1 World Championship
Race date: 17 April 1983
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit Paul Ricard
Laps: 54 laps
Circuit length: 5.810 km
1982 winner: René Arnoux
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Alain Prost | Renault |
| Pole time | 1:36.672 | |
| Fastest lap | Alain Prost | Renault |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:42.695 on lap 34 | |
| First | Alain Prost | Renault |
| Second | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| Third | Eddie Cheever | Renault |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 15 April 1983 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 15 April 1983 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 16 April 1983 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 16 April 1983 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 17 April 1983 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 17 April 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
Niki Lauda arrived at round 3 leading the 1983 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Nelson Piquet on 9. McLaren – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 19 points.
Race entries
Chico Serra returned to Arrows after Alan Jones’s outing at Long Beach, while RAM added a second car for Jean-Louis Schlesser. Renault supplied Eddie Cheever with an RE40 alongside Alain Prost. Lotus removed the active suspension from Nigel Mansell’s Cosworth-powered car, and the updated Cosworth DFY began appearing during the weekend.
Friday Free Practice
Cool, dry conditions gave the teams useful running on Friday, but Ferrari’s two drivers had very different experiences. René Rene Arnoux worked relatively smoothly while Patrick Tambay suffered repeated engine, injection and turbocharger trouble across his race car and the spare. Brabham, meanwhile, struggled to generate front-tyre temperature and added weight in the nose as it searched for a better balance.
Friday Qualifying
Andrea de Cesaris initially produced Friday’s fastest lap, but his time was disallowed when checks found empty fire extinguishers on the Alfa Romeo. Derek Warwick also lost valuable running to a seized fuel pump and had to use Bruno Giacomelli’s Toleman. The first session demonstrated both the speed of the turbo cars and the cost of even a small technical problem.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1983 French Grand Prix first qualifying session, 15 April 1983
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:38.358 | — |
| 2 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 1:38.980 | — |
| 3 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:39.512 | — |
| 4 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:39.601 | — |
| 5 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:40.027 | — |
| 6 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:40.233 | — |
| 7 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 1:40.393 | — |
| 8 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:41.065 | — |
| 9 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:41.095 | — |
| 10 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 1:41.215 | — |
| 11 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:41.838 | — |
| 12 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:42.177 | — |
| 13 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman | 1:42.219 | — |
| 14 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:42.450 | — |
| 15 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 1:42.808 | — |
| 16 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:42.962 | — |
| 17 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:43.038 | — |
| 18 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1:43.295 | — |
| 19 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:43.320 | — |
| 20 | 33 | Roberto Guerrero | Theodore | 1:43.367 | — |
| 21 | 34 | Johnny Cecotto | Theodore | 1:43.552 | — |
| 22 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell | 1:44.317 | — |
| 23 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier | 1:44.470 | — |
| 24 | 30 | Chico Serra | Arrows | 1:44.778 | — |
| 25 | 17 | Eliseo Salazar | RAM | 1:45.073 | — |
| 26 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella | 1:45.638 | — |
| 27 | 18 | Jean Louis Schlesser | RAM | 1:45.866 | — |
| 28 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:46.541 | — |
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday brought further experimentation with the Cosworth DFY, used by Nigel Mansell and the McLaren drivers as they tried to reduce the disadvantage to the turbo cars. Ferrari’s reliability worries continued to complicate Patrick Tambay’s preparation. The long Mistral straight made the differences in power particularly obvious, placing an emphasis on getting the cars stable without sacrificing too much straight-line speed.
Saturday Qualifying
Alain Prost settled the contest emphatically on Saturday, taking pole by more than two seconds from Eddie Cheever. Nelson Piquet qualified third ahead of Rene Arnoux, while Patrick Tambay’s troubled weekend left him 11th. Niki Lauda was the fastest Cosworth runner in 12th; Chico Serra survived a high-speed tyre failure to qualify, but both RAM drivers and Piercarlo Ghinzani missed the cut.
Saturday Qualifying Classification
1983 French Grand Prix second qualifying session, 16 April 1983
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 | 1:38.358 | 1:36.672 | 1:36.672 | — |
| 2 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 1:38.980 | 1:39.785 | 1:38.980 | — |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:41.095 | 1:39.104 | 1:39.104 | — |
| 4 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:40.027 | 1:39.115 | 1:39.115 | — |
| 5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:39.512 | 1:39.312 | 1:39.312 | — |
| 6 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:39.601 | 1:39.746 | 1:39.601 | — |
| 7 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:38.099† | 1:39.611 | 1:39.611 | — |
| 8 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 1:41.215 | 1:39.618 | 1:39.618 | — |
| 9 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:43.038 | 1:39.881 | 1:39.881 | — |
| 10 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:40.233 | 1:44.987 | 1:40.233 | — |
| 11 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 1:40.393 | 1:40.488 | 1:40.393 | — |
| 12 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:41.065 | 1:41.492 | 1:41.065 | — |
| 13 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman | 1:42.219 | 1:41.775 | 1:41.775 | — |
| 14 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:41.838 | 1:42.448 | 1:41.838 | — |
| 15 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:42.177 | 1:43.317 | 1:42.177 | — |
| 16 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:42.450 | 1:42.551 | 1:42.450 | — |
| 17 | 34 | Johnny Cecotto | Theodore | 1:43.552 | 1:42.615 | 1:42.615 | — |
| 18 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:43.320 | 1:42.650 | 1:42.650 | — |
| 19 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1:43.295 | 1:42.678 | 1:42.678 | — |
| 20 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 1:42.808 | 1:42.737 | 1:42.737 | — |
| 21 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:42.962 | 1:44.346 | 1:42.962 | — |
| 22 | 33 | Roberto Guerrero | Theodore | 1:43.367 | 1:43.602 | 1:43.367 | — |
| 23 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella | 1:45.638 | 1:43.411 | 1:43.411 | — |
| 24 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell | 1:44.317 | 1:43.654 | 1:43.654 | — |
| 25 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier | 1:44.470 | 1:44.905 | 1:44.470 | — |
| 26 | 30 | Chico Serra | Arrows | 1:44.778 | 1:45.859 | 1:44.778 | — |
| 27 | 17 | Eliseo Salazar | RAM | 1:45.073 | 2:02.335 | 1:45.073 | — |
| 28 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:46.541 | 1:45.812 | 1:45.812 | — |
| 29 | 18 | Jean-Louis Schlesser | RAM | 1:45.866 | 1:46.102 | 1:45.866 | — |
Sunday warm-up
The warm-up produced another busy morning. Rene Arnoux had turbocharger trouble, Patrick Tambay chose the spare Ferrari for the race, and Riccardo Patrese moved to Brabham’s spare after a chassis concern. Nelson Piquet checked fuel consumption while teams rehearsed rapid wheel changes. Under overcast skies, the final preparations reflected how important the planned mid-race stops had become.
What happened in the 1983 French Grand Prix?
Alain Prost carried his qualifying authority into the race, building the advantage that allowed him to manage his planned stop. Nelson Piquet provided Renault’s strongest opposition and eventually secured second, while Eddie Cheever supported the home team with another competitive run.
Patrick Tambay recovered to fourth after the frustrations of practice, but the Cosworth runners could not match the leading turbos on this circuit. Keke Rosberg and Jacques Laffite concentrated on bringing their Williams cars home in the points. John Watson’s race ended early with engine failure, an abrupt reversal after his Long Beach triumph.
Nigel Mansell also retired early after an injured foot made driving too painful: his toes had been run over in the pits before the start. At the front, Alain Prost completed a convincing victory, with Nelson Piquet second and Eddie Cheever third. Renault had translated a front-row lockout into a win and a double podium, putting its championship challenge firmly back on course.
After the race, Nelson Piquet headed the drivers’ standings with 15 points, followed by Niki Lauda on 10. McLaren – Ford led the constructors’ table on 19, with Brabham – BMW on 15.
1983 French Grand Prix race results
The 1983 French Grand Prix was held on 17 April 1983.
1983 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 34 | 1:42.695 |
| 2 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 6 | 1:43.552 |
| 3 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 6 | 1:43.590 |
| 4 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 14 | 1:43.803 |
| 5 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 22 | 1:44.106 |
| 6 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 36 | 1:44.185 |
| 7 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 26 | 1:45.005 |
| 8 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 37 | 1:45.022 |
| 9 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 30 | 1:45.223 |
| 10 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 51 | 1:45.748 |
| 11 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 21 | 1:45.974 |
| 12 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 28 | 1:46.253 |
| 13 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 45 | 1:46.291 |
| 14 | 34 | Johnny Cecotto | Theodore | 46 | 1:46.526 |
| 15 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 9 | 1:46.546 |
| 16 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 3 | 1:46.818 |
| 17 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 6 | 1:46.841 |
| 18 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 4 | 1:46.995 |
| 19 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 12 | 1:47.344 |
| 20 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman | 14 | 1:47.367 |
| 21 | 33 | Roberto Guerrero | Theodore | 19 | 1:47.442 |
| 22 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell | 14 | 1:47.759 |
| 23 | 30 | Chico Serra | Arrows | 15 | 1:48.101 |
| 24 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella | 11 | 1:48.666 |
| 25 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 3 | 1:48.723 |
| 26 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier | 34 | 1:49.893 |
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 French Grand Prix.
1983 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Brabham | 15 |
| 2 | Niki Lauda | Austrian | McLaren | 10 |
| 3 | Alain Prost | French | Renault | 9 |
| 4 | John Watson | British | McLaren | 9 |
| 5 | Jacques Laffite | French | Williams | 7 |
| 6 | Patrick Tambay | French | Ferrari | 5 |
| 7 | René Arnoux | French | Ferrari | 4 |
| 8 | Eddie Cheever | American | Renault | 4 |
| 9 | Marc Surer | Swiss | Arrows | 3 |
| 10 | Keke Rosberg | Finnish | Williams | 2 |
| 11 | Johnny Cecotto | Venezuelan | Theodore | 1 |
| – | Raul Boesel | Brazilian | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Derek Warwick | British | Toleman | 0 |
| – | Michele Alboreto | Italian | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Danny Sullivan | American | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Chico Serra | Brazilian | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Jean-Pierre Jarier | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Nigel Mansell | British | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| – | Bruno Giacomelli | Italian | Toleman | 0 |
| – | Eliseo Salazar | Chilean | RAM | 0 |
| – | Manfred Winkelhock | German | ATS | 0 |
| – | Alan Jones | Australian | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Corrado Fabi | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Elio de Angelis | Italian | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Roberto Guerrero | Colombian | Theodore | 0 |
| – | Mauro Baldi | Italian | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
1983 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren – Ford | 19 |
| 2 | Brabham – BMW | 15 |
| 3 | Renault | 13 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 9 |
| 5 | Williams – Ford | 9 |
| 6 | Arrows – Ford | 3 |
| 7 | Theodore – Ford | 1 |
| — | Ligier – Ford | 0 |
| — | Tyrrell – Ford | 0 |
| — | Toleman – Hart | 0 |
| — | Lotus – Ford | 0 |
| — | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| — | RAM – Ford | 0 |
| — | ATS – BMW | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 0 |
| — | Lotus – Renault | 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
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