The 1983 FIA Formula One World Championship began on 13 March and concluded on 15 October, over 15 race weekends.
Season
The World Drivers’ Championship was won by Nelson Piquet, driving for Brabham, who secured the second title of his career. The championship battle remained intense throughout the season, particularly between Piquet and Renault driver Alain Prost. Prost led the championship standings from the Belgian Grand Prix in May and appeared to be in a strong position heading into the final race of the season in South Africa. However, Prost was forced to retire from that race due to mechanical problems, allowing Piquet to gain the points necessary to claim the championship.
Piquet’s victory carried particular historical significance. It marked the first Formula One World Championship won by a driver using a turbocharged engine, reflecting the growing dominance of turbo technology during the early 1980s. It was also the last Drivers’ Championship won by a Brabham driver. Interestingly, despite Piquet’s success, Brabham finished only third in the Constructors’ Championship, meaning Piquet became champion without his team finishing near the top of the team standings. This unusual outcome would not occur again until 2024, when another Drivers’ Champion represented a team placed third or lower in the Constructors’ Championship.
The Constructors’ Championship was won by Ferrari, though the title came under unusual circumstances. Neither of Ferrari’s drivers finished in the top two positions of the Drivers’ Championship, with René Arnoux, the team’s highest-placed driver, finishing third overall. Despite this, Ferrari’s consistent performances across the season allowed the team to accumulate enough points to secure the championship, making it a unique achievement in Formula One history.
The 1983 season also marked the final time a non-championship Formula One race was held. The event was the Race of Champions, staged at Brands Hatch in early April and won by the reigning World Champion Keke Rosberg. Although it did not count toward the championship standings, the race represented the last remnant of an earlier era in Formula One when such events were common.
Later in the same year, Brands Hatch also hosted a championship race under the title of the European Grand Prix. This marked the first time the European Grand Prix was used as the official title for a standalone championship event, rather than being applied as an honorary designation for an existing national Grand Prix as had been the practice in previous seasons.
1983 F1 Entries Drivers and Teams
| Entrant | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | No | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAG Williams Team | Williams-Ford | FW08C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | 1 | Keke Rosberg | 1–14 |
| 2 | Jacques Laffite | 1–14 | |||||
| 42 | Jonathan Palmer | 14 | |||||
| Williams-Honda | FW09 | Honda RA163-E 1.5 V6 t | G | 1 | Keke Rosberg | 15 | |
| 2 | Jacques Laffite | 15 | |||||
| Benetton Tyrrell Team | Tyrrell-Ford | 011B 012 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 | G | 3 | Michele Alboreto | All |
| 4 | Danny Sullivan | All | |||||
| Fila Sport | Brabham-BMW | BT52 BT52B | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4 t | M | 5 | Nelson Piquet | All |
| 6 | Riccardo Patrese | All | |||||
| Marlboro McLaren International Team | McLaren-Ford | MP4/1C | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 | M | 7 | John Watson | 1–12 |
| 8 | Niki Lauda | 1–11 | |||||
| McLaren-TAG | MP4/1E | TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6 t | 7 | John Watson | 13–15 | ||
| 8 | Niki Lauda | 12–15 | |||||
| Team ATS | ATS-BMW | D6 | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4 t | G | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | All |
| John Player Special Team Lotus | Lotus-Ford | 92 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 | P | 11 | Elio de Angelis | 1 |
| 12 | Nigel Mansell | 1–8 | |||||
| Lotus-Renault | 93T 94T | Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6 t | 11 | Elio de Angelis | 2–15 | ||
| 12 | Nigel Mansell | 9–15 | |||||
| Équipe Renault Elf | Renault | RE30C RE40 | Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6 t | M | 15 | Alain Prost | All |
| 16 | Eddie Cheever | All | |||||
| RAM Racing Team March | RAM-Ford | 01 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 | P | 17 | Eliseo Salazar | 1–6 |
| 17 | Jacques Villeneuve Sr. | 8 | |||||
| 17 | Kenny Acheson | 9–15 | |||||
| 18 | Jean-Louis Schlesser | 3 | |||||
| Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo | Alfa Romeo | 183T | Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 V8 t | M | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | All |
| 23 | Mauro Baldi | All | |||||
| Équipe Ligier Gitanes | Ligier-Ford | JS21 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 | M | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | All |
| 26 | Raul Boesel | All | |||||
| Ferrari | Ferrari | 126C2B 126C3 | Ferrari 021 1.5 V6 t | G | 27 | Patrick Tambay | All |
| 28 | René Arnoux | All | |||||
| Arrows Racing Team | Arrows-Ford | A6 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | 29 | Marc Surer | All |
| 30 | Chico Serra | 1, 3–5 | |||||
| 30 | Alan Jones | 2 | |||||
| 30 | Thierry Boutsen | 6–15 | |||||
| Kelémata Osella | Osella-Ford | FA1D | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | M | 31 | Corrado Fabi | 1–8 |
| 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | 1–3 | |||||
| Osella-Alfa Romeo | FA1E | Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | 9–15 | ||
| 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | 4–15 | |||||
| Theodore Racing Team | Theodore-Ford | N183 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | G | 33 | Roberto Guerrero | 1–14 |
| 34 | Johnny Cecotto | 1–13 | |||||
| Candy Toleman Motorsport | Toleman-Hart | TG183B | Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t | P | 35 | Derek Warwick | All |
| 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | All | |||||
| Spirit Racing | Spirit-Honda | 201 201C | Honda RA163-E 1.5 V6 t | G | 40 | Stefan Johansson | 9–14 |
1983 Formula 1 Race Calendar
1983 Formula 1 Race Results
Grands Prix
1983 Formula 1 Standings
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Piquet | BRA | Brabham BMW | 59 |
| 2 | Alain Prost | FRA | Renault | 57 |
| 3 | Rene Arnoux | FRA | Ferrari | 49 |
| 4 | Patrick Tambay | FRA | Ferrari | 40 |
| 5 | Keke Rosberg | FIN | Williams Honda | 27 |
| 6 | John Watson | GBR | McLaren Ford | 22 |
| 7 | Eddie Cheever | USA | Renault | 22 |
| 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | ITA | Alfa Romeo | 15 |
| 9 | Riccardo Patrese | ITA | Brabham BMW | 13 |
| 10 | Niki Lauda | AUT | McLaren TAG | 12 |
| 11 | Jacques Laffite | FRA | Williams Honda | 11 |
| 12 | Michele Alboreto | ITA | Tyrrell Ford | 10 |
| 13 | Nigel Mansell | GBR | Lotus Renault | 10 |
| 14 | Derek Warwick | GBR | Toleman Hart | 9 |
| 15 | Marc Surer | SUI | Arrows Ford | 4 |
| 16 | Mauro Baldi | ITA | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 17 | Elio de Angelis | ITA | Lotus Renault | 2 |
| 18 | Danny Sullivan | USA | Tyrrell Ford | 2 |
| 19 | Bruno Giacomelli | ITA | Toleman Hart | 1 |
| 20 | Johnny Cecotto | VEN | Theodore Ford | 1 |
Team standings
| Pos | Team | 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 |
