Nelson Piquet secured his second world championship with third place at Kyalami as Brabham team-mate Riccardo Patrese won the South African Grand Prix. Alain Prost and René Rene Arnoux both retired, allowing Nelson Piquet to manage the closing laps and claim the title by two points.
Race Guide
Season: 1983 F1 World Championship
Race date: 15 October 1983
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Kyalami
Laps: 77 laps
Circuit length: 4.104 km
1982 winner: Alain Prost
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari |
| Pole time | 1:06.554 | |
| Fastest lap | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:09.948 on lap 6 | |
| First | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham |
| Second | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo |
| Third | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 13 October 1983 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 13 October 1983 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 14 October 1983 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 14 October 1983 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 15 October 1983 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 15 October 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 15 leading the 1983 F1 World Championship on 57 points, with Nelson Piquet on 55. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 89 points.
Alain Prost arrived with 57 points, Nelson Piquet with 55 and Rene Arnoux with 49, leaving three drivers in contention. Ferrari also held the advantage over Renault in the constructors’ championship. The South African Grand Prix had moved from its customary early-season position to become the title decider, following the winter’s major technical changes.
Race entries
Williams introduced the Honda-powered FW09 for Keke Rosberg and Jacques Laffite. Spirit and Theodore did not attend, leaving 26 entries and giving Kenny Acheson his first Grand Prix start for RAM. Patrick Tambay prepared for his final Ferrari appearance before Michele Alboreto’s arrival the following season.
Thursday Free Practice
Thursday’s official practice followed extensive testing at Kyalami, but reliability still caused trouble. Both Brabhams suffered engine failures, while Eddie Cheever’s Renault qualifying engine lost a turbocharger. The new Williams–Honda immediately attracted attention, offering Keke Rosberg and Jacques Laffite the turbo power they had lacked throughout the season.
Thursday Qualifying
Patrick Tambay and Nelson Piquet fought closely on Thursday, with Patrick Tambay’s 1:06.554 securing the advantage after several attempts. Nelson Piquet was just over two tenths behind, while Alain Prost initially held third. Riccardo Patrese’s turbo trouble interrupted his fastest run, leaving him with work to do on Friday.
Thursday Qualifying Classification
1983 South African Grand Prix first qualifying session, 13 October 1983
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 1:06.554 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:06.792 | — |
| 3 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:07.186 | — |
| 4 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:07.222 | — |
| 5 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:07.256 | — |
| 6 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:07.726 | — |
| 7 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1:07.931 | — |
| 8 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:07.937 | — |
| 9 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:07.974 | — |
| 10 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:08.061 | — |
| 11 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 1:08.069 | — |
| 12 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:08.181 | — |
| 13 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:08.328 | — |
| 14 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman | 1:08.350 | — |
| 15 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:08.970 | — |
| 16 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 1:09.364 | — |
| 17 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:09.443 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:11.096 | — |
| 19 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell | 1:11.750 | — |
| 20 | 30 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:11.988 | — |
| 21 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 1:12.017 | — |
| 22 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:12.309 | — |
| 23 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier | 1:12.745 | — |
| 24 | 17 | Kenny Acheson | RAM | 1:13.352 | — |
| 25 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella | 1:14.483 | — |
| 26 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:14.903 | — |
Friday Free Practice
Friday was hotter, making improvement harder and placing extra emphasis on cooling and tyre behaviour. Michele Alboreto tried Danny Sullivan’s Tyrrell as he searched for more speed, while Renault sought greater performance without disturbing Alain Prost’s satisfactory handling balance. Rene Arnoux continued despite a badly bruised foot, sustained when his stopped Ferrari had been pushed over it on Thursday.
Friday Qualifying
Nelson Piquet was quickest in Friday’s hotter session, but Patrick Tambay’s Thursday time remained good enough for pole. Riccardo Patrese improved to third ahead of Rene Arnoux and Alain Prost, with Keke Rosberg an encouraging sixth in the new Williams–Honda. Both Osellas were allowed to start by agreement despite falling outside the meeting’s 110 per cent qualifying threshold.
Friday Qualifying Classification
1983 South African Grand Prix second qualifying session, 14 October 1983
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:06.821 | — |
| 2 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:07.001 | — |
| 3 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 1:07.029 | — |
| 4 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:07.105 | — |
| 5 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:07.344 | — |
| 6 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:07.643 | — |
| 7 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:07.682 | — |
| 8 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:07.759 | — |
| 9 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:07.980 | — |
| 10 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:08.136 | — |
| 11 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:08.301 | — |
| 12 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 1:08.360 | — |
| 13 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman | 1:08.439 | — |
| 14 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:08.587 | — |
| 15 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 1:08.628 | — |
| 16 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1:08.652 | — |
| 17 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:10.635 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:11.284 | — |
| 19 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell | 1:11.382 | — |
| 20 | 30 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:11.658 | — |
| 21 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:12.049 | — |
| 22 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 1:12.538 | — |
| 23 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier | 1:13.330 | — |
| 24 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella | 1:13.656 | — |
| 25 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:15.503 | — |
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Thursday Time | Friday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 1:06.554 | 1:07.029 | 1:06.554 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:06.792 | 1:06.821 | 1:06.792 | — |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 1:08.181 | 1:07.001 | 1:07.001 | — |
| 4 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:07.222 | 1:07.105 | 1:07.105 | — |
| 5 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:07.186 | 1:08.136 | 1:07.186 | — |
| 6 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 1:07.256 | 1:07.344 | 1:07.256 | — |
| 7 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:09.443 | 1:07.643 | 1:07.643 | — |
| 8 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1:07.726 | 1:07.682 | 1:07.682 | — |
| 9 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:08.970 | 1:07.759 | 1:07.759 | — |
| 10 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1:07.931 | 1:08.652 | 1:07.931 | — |
| 11 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:07.937 | 1:07.980 | 1:07.937 | — |
| 12 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 1:07.974 | 1:08.587 | 1:07.974 | — |
| 13 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:08.061 | 1:08.301 | 1:08.061 | — |
| 14 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 1:08.069 | 1:08.360 | 1:08.069 | — |
| 15 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:08.328 | 1:10.635 | 1:08.328 | — |
| 16 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman | 1:08.350 | 1:08.439 | 1:08.350 | — |
| 17 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 1:09.364 | 1:08.628 | 1:08.628 | — |
| 18 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:11.096 | 1:11.284 | 1:11.096 | — |
| 19 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell | 1:11.750 | 1:11.382 | 1:11.382 | — |
| 20 | 30 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 1:11.988 | 1:11.658 | 1:11.658 | — |
| 21 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 1:12.017 | 1:12.538 | 1:12.017 | — |
| 22 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 1:12.309 | 1:12.049 | 1:12.049 | — |
| 23 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier | 1:12.745 | 1:13.330 | 1:12.745 | — |
| 24 | 17 | Kenny Acheson | RAM | 1:13.352 | no time | 1:13.352 | — |
| 25 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella | 1:14.483 | 1:13.656 | 1:13.656 | — |
| 26 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1:14.903 | 1:15.503 | 1:14.903 | — |
Saturday warm-up
Niki Lauda’s warm-up pace gave McLaren a genuine reason for optimism in the intense heat, while the Michelin runners looked particularly competitive. John Watson still had power problems and chose the spare car. Manfred Winkelhock crashed after a rear-suspension failure, and Williams hurried to replace Keke Rosberg’s failed Honda engine before the start.
What happened in the 1983 South African Grand Prix?
Nelson Piquet swept into the lead and built a substantial early advantage, with Riccardo Patrese giving Brabham a one-two. Rene Arnoux’s engine failure ended his title hopes early, and Alain Prost eventually retired with turbo trouble on lap 35. Nelson Piquet now needed a safe points finish rather than another victory.
The Brazilian reduced his pace and allowed Riccardo Patrese, Niki Lauda and de Andrea de Cesaris ahead as he protected the result he needed. Niki Lauda’s late engine failure then promoted Nelson Piquet back to third. Behind the title contest, Derek Warwick maintained Toleman’s strong finish to the season and Keke Rosberg brought the new Williams–Honda into the points.
Riccardo Patrese won from de Andrea de Cesaris and Nelson Piquet, followed by Derek Warwick, Keke Rosberg and Eddie Cheever. Nelson Piquet became the first turbo-powered drivers’ world champion, defeating Alain Prost 59 points to 57. Ferrari retained the constructors’ title despite failing to score at the finale, while John Watson was disqualified for passing cars on the parade lap.
After the race, Nelson Piquet headed the drivers’ standings with 59 points, followed by Alain Prost on 57. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 89, with Renault on 79.
1983 South African Grand Prix race results
The 1983 South African Grand Prix was held on 15 October 1983.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 77 | 1:33:25.708 | 9 |
| 2 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 77 | + 9.319 | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 77 | + 21.969 | 4 |
| 4 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 76 | + 1 Lap | 3 |
| 5 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 76 | + 1 Lap | 2 |
| 6 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 76 | + 1 Lap | 1 |
| 7 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell | 75 | + 2 Laps | 0 |
| 8 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 75 | + 2 Laps | 0 |
| 9 | 30 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 74 | + 3 Laps | 0 |
| 10 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 73 | + 4 Laps | 0 |
| 11 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 71 | Electrical | 0 |
| 12 | 17 | Kenny Acheson | RAM | 71 | + 6 Laps | 0 |
| NC | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 68 | + 9 Laps | 0 |
| NC | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier | 66 | + 11 Laps | 0 |
| Ret | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 60 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 56 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman | 56 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 35 | Turbo | 0 |
| Ret | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella | 28 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 20 | Engine | 0 |
| DSQ | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 18 | Overtaking on Formation Lap | 0 |
| Ret | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 9 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 5 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1 | Spun Off | 0 |
| Ret | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1 | Engine | 0 |
1983 South African Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 6 | 1:09.948 |
| 2 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren | 17 | 1:10.634 |
| 3 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 60 | 1:10.825 |
| 4 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham | 8 | 1:10.848 |
| 5 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 9 | 1:11.166 |
| 6 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 7 | 1:11.267 |
| 7 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 5 | 1:11.401 |
| 8 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams | 51 | 1:11.656 |
| 9 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 6 | 1:11.953 |
| 10 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman | 51 | 1:12.058 |
| 11 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 11 | 1:12.102 |
| 12 | 28 | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 6 | 1:12.183 |
| 13 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 4 | 1:12.686 |
| 14 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 16 | 1:12.709 |
| 15 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 17 | 1:13.194 |
| 16 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell | 70 | 1:13.494 |
| 17 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 50 | 1:13.507 |
| 18 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows | 60 | 1:14.489 |
| 19 | 30 | Thierry Boutsen | Arrows | 47 | 1:15.100 |
| 20 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 18 | 1:15.144 |
| 21 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier | 5 | 1:15.886 |
| 22 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella | 8 | 1:17.153 |
| 23 | 17 | Kenny Acheson | RAM | 7 | 1:17.212 |
| 24 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS | 1 | 1:23.427 |
| 25 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams | 1 | 1:24.689 |
| 26 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella | 1 | 1:29.776 |
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 South African Grand Prix.
1983 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1983 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 89 |
| 2 | Renault | 79 |
| 3 | Brabham – BMW | 72 |
| 4 | Williams – Ford | 36 |
| 5 | McLaren – Ford | 34 |
| 6 | Alfa Romeo | 18 |
| 7 | Tyrrell – Ford | 12 |
| 8 | Lotus – Renault | 11 |
| 9 | Toleman – Hart | 10 |
| 10 | Arrows – Ford | 4 |
| 11 | Williams – Honda | 2 |
| 12 | Theodore – Ford | 1 |
| 13 | Lotus – Ford | 1 |
| — | Ligier – Ford | 0 |
| — | Spirit – Honda | 0 |
| — | ATS – BMW | 0 |
| — | Osella – Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| — | McLaren – TAG | 0 |
| — | RAM – Ford | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 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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