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 The 1983 European Grand Prix was the penultimate round of the 1983 Formula One World Championship, held at the ever popular Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, England.[1] It was the second championship race to be held in the UK in 1983, the first time that this had happened since the creation of Formula One, and also revived an old Formula One tradition of hosting a "European" Grand Prix, meaning it was both the first outright European Grand Prix, as well as being the 35th in Grand Prix history.[1]

Elio de Angelis took pole position for the first time in his career for Team Lotus in qualifying, but was denied a chance to fight for victory after a spin.[2] The race itself went to Nelson Piquet, whom won from title rival Alain Prost with Nigel Mansell taking a popular podium at a circuit that would later define his career.[2] Piquet and Prost were separated by two points after the race, meaning the title would be decided between them at the final race of the season in South Africa.[2]

Background[]

Brands Hatch already had a deal to host the British Grand Prix every other year with Silverstone, and had hosted the Race of Champions earlier in the season. So it was a good piece of business by the circuit owners to obtain the rights to host the first European Grand Prix in Formula One history.[2] The title "European Grand Prix" had been attached to other races in Europe as an honourary title to help sell tickets, but after the cancellation of the New York Grand Prix earlier in the year, Brands Hatch was given the chance to host the first ever, outrightly named, European Grand Prix. But this was only a minor story given what had happened since the Italian Grand Prix.

In the two weeks since Italy, the futures of several drivers were in doubt. Chief amongst them was Patrick Tambay, whose career at Ferrari had already looked to be on shakey ground despite his popularity with the tifosi.[2] It therefore came as no surprise that the Italian team announced he would be leaving them at the end of the season, with (perhaps more surprisingly) Michele Alboreto replacing him.[2] Tambay was later linked with a move to Renault after Eddie Cheever's future was questioned at the French manufacturer.[2] Also looking for a new drive was Johnny Cecotto, who was forced out of Theodore with the team in a desperate situation.[2] Following the departure of major investor Morris Nunn, Theodore were now down to running a single car, with their immediate future in serious doubt.[2]

Yet there was some positive news to emerge in the two week break, with Williams the main focus.[2] Their new Honda equipped FW09s were now ready to be used in a full race weekend, but the team opted to delay their launch until the South African Grand Prix to reward one member of their team.[2] Jonathan Palmer had been a Williams test driver, and had also been key to bringing Honda to the team (being as he was, a Honda backed racing driver), and had helped developed both the FW08 and new FW09.[2] Sir Frank Williams therefore saw it fit to hand Palmer his debut in a third Williams car, at the circuit that Palmer would later own, in a one-off appearance.[2]

Championship-wise, Brands Hatch welcomed three potential claimants to the title for the European Grand Prix.[2] Alain Prost, René Arnoux and Nelson Piquet were separated by five points with a maximum eighteen left to claim, with Tambay still in mathematical contention (although requiring a huge swing of fortune to have a realistic chance of glory). In the Constructor's Championship it was a straight fight between Ferrari and Renault for the honours, although one that was weighed heavily in Ferrari's favour, sitting nineteen points ahead coming to Kent.

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 1983 European Grand Prix is shown below:

No. Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Model Tyre
1 Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom TAG Williams Team Williams FW08C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G
2 France Jacques Laffite United Kingdom TAG Williams Team Williams FW08C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G
3 Italy Michele Alboreto United Kingdom Benetton Tyrrell Team Tyrrell 012 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 G
4 United States Danny Sullivan United Kingdom Benetton Tyrrell Team Tyrrell 012 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 G
5 Brazil Nelson Piquet United Kingdom Fila Sport Brabham BT52B BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t M
6 Italy Riccardo Patrese United Kingdom Fila Sport Brabham BT52B BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t M
7 United Kingdom John Watson United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren International McLaren MP4/1E TAG Porsche TTE PO1 1.5 V6t M
8 Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren International McLaren MP4/1E TAG Porsche TTE PO1 1.5 V6t M
9 West Germany Manfred Winkelhock West Germany Team ATS ATS D6 BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t G
11 Italy Elio De Angelis United Kingdom John Player Team Lotus Lotus 94T Renault EF1 1.5 V6t P
12 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom John Player Team Lotus Lotus 94T Renault EF1 1.5 V6t P
15 France Alain Prost France Equipe Renault Elf Renault RE40 Renault EF1 1.5 V6t M
16 United States Eddie Cheever France Equipe Renault Elf Renault RE40 Renault EF1 1.5 V6t M
17 United Kingdom Kenny Acheson United Kingdom RAM Racing Team March RAM 01 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 P
22 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Italy Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 183T Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 V8t M
23 Italy Mauro Baldi Italy Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 183T Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 V8t M
25 France Jean-Pierre Jarier France Equipe Ligier Gitanes Ligier JS21 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 M
26 Brazil Raul Boesel France Equipe Ligier Gitanes Ligier JS21 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 M
27 France Patrick Tambay Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 126C3 Ferrari 021 1.5 V6t G
28 France René Arnoux Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 126C3 Ferrari 021 1.5 V6t G
29 Switzerland Marc Surer United Kingdom Arrows Racing Team Arrows A6 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G
30 Belgium Thierry Boutsen United Kingdom Arrows Racing Team Arrows A6 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G
31 Italy Corrado Fabi Italy Osella Squadra Corse Osella FA1E Alfa Romeo 1260 1.5 V12 M
32 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani Italy Osella Squadra Corse Osella FA1E Alfa Romeo 1260 1.5 V12 M
33 Colombia Roberto Guerrero Hong Kong Theodore Racing Team Theodore N183 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G
34 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Hong Kong Theodore Racing Team Theodore N183 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G
35 United Kingdom Derek Warwick United Kingdom Candy Toleman Motorsport Toleman TG183B Hart 415T 1.5 L4t P
36 Italy Bruno Giacomelli United Kingdom Candy Toleman Motorsport Toleman TG183B Hart 415T 1.5 L4t P
40 Sweden Stefan Johansson United Kingdom Spirit Racing Spirit 201 Honda RA163E 1.5 V6t G
42 United Kingdom Jonathan Palmer United Kingdom TAG Williams Team Williams FW08C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G
43 West Germany Stefan Bellof United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren International McLaren MP4/1C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 M
Source:[3]

Practice Overview[]

Keke Rosberg may have beaten the turbo cars at the Race of Champions earlier in the year at Brands Hatch, but it was clear that he was going to struggle just five months later. Turbo power claimed every position down to fourteenth around the Kent circuit, with Rosberg the only non-turbo driver to set a time under 1:15.000.[1] It was also clear that Team Lotus' 94T was the class of the field, with Elio de Angelis and Nigel Mansell topping the times in practice, with Nelson Piquet the only man within a second of them.[1]

Qualifying[]

The impact of the new regulations introduced at the start of the season told quite clearly at Brands Hatch, the first time all season that it was highlighted.[1] De Angelis' time from practice (where he was the only man in the 1:12.000s) was bettered by himself in qualifying, meaning the Italian took his first career pole position, although he was 2.8 seconds slower than the time set by Keke Rosberg at the 1982 British Grand Prix.[1] Riccardo Patrese split the two Lotuses in second after a stunning lap, with Nelson Piquet and René Arnoux in close company in fourth and fifth.[1] Alain Prost, meanwhile, would start from eighth.[1]

Rosberg himself, meanwhile, remained the fastest of the non-turbo cars, but dropped to sixteenth after an improvement for Niki Lauda and Bruno Giacomelli.[1] Out of qualifying went Kenny Acheson, Jacques Laffite and Corrado Fabi after the withdrawal of Johnny Cecotto during practice.[1] This meant that Jonathan Palmer qualified on his debut, although he would have to start from a lowly 25th, sharing the last row with freshly announced Ferrari flyer Michele Alboreto .[1]

Qualifying Results[]

The full qualifying results for the 1983 European Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Time Gap
Q1 Q2
1 11 Italy Elio De Angelis United Kingdom Lotus-Renault 1:12.342 1:12.092
2 6 Italy Riccardo Patrese United Kingdom Brabham-BMW 1:13.475 1:12.458 +0.366s
3 12 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom Lotus-Renault 1:12.623 1:13.089 +0.531s
4 5 Brazil Nelson Piquet United Kingdom Brabham-BMW 1:12.724 1:13.095 +0.632s
5 28 France René Arnoux Italy Ferrari 1:13.596 1:13.113 +1.021s
6 27 France Patrick Tambay Italy Ferrari 1:13.898 1:13.157 +1.065s
7 16 United States Eddie Cheever France Renault 1:13.592 1:13.253 +1.161s
8 15 France Alain Prost France Renault 1:13.342 1:13.526 +1.250s
9 9 West Germany Manfred Winkelhock West Germany ATS-BMW 1:13.679 1:14.750 +1.587s
10 7 United Kingdom John Watson United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Porsche 1:14.296 1:13.783 +1.691s
11 35 United Kingdom Derek Warwick United Kingdom Toleman-Hart 1:14.411 1:13.855 +1.763s
12 36 Italy Bruno Giacomelli United Kingdom Toleman-Hart 1:15.521 1:13.949 +1.857s
13 8 Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Porsche 1:15.266 1:13.972 +1.880s
14 22 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Italy Alfa Romeo 1:14.403 1:15.440 +2.311s
15 23 Italy Mauro Baldi Italy Alfa Romeo 1:14.727 1:15.174 +2.635s
16 1 Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom Williams-Ford Cosworth 1:14.917 1:15.252 +2.825s
17 29 Switzerland Marc Surer United Kingdom Arrows-Ford Cosworth 1:15.346 1:15.501 +3.254s
18 30 Belgium Thierry Boutsen United Kingdom Arrows-Ford Cosworth 1:16.094 1:15.428 +3.336s
19 40 Sweden Stefan Johansson United Kingdom Spirit-Honda 1:16.525 1:15.912 +3.820s
20 4 United States Danny Sullivan United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth 1:17.134 1:16.640 +4.548s
21 33 Colombia Roberto Guerrero Hong Kong Theodore-Ford Cosworth 1:16.769 1:17.454 +4.677s
22 25 France Jean-Pierre Jarier France Ligier-Ford Cosworth 1:17.141 1:16.880 +4.788s
23 26 Brazil Raul Boesel France Ligier-Ford Cosworth 1:17.177 1:17.593 +5.085s
24 32 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani Italy Osella-Alfa Romeo 1:17.850 1:17.408 +5.316s
25 42 United Kingdom Jonathan Palmer United Kingdom Williams-Ford Cosworth 1:17.432 1:17.524 +5.340s
26 3 Italy Michele Alboreto United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth 1:17.456 1:17.936 +5.364s
DNQ 17 United Kingdom Kenny Acheson United Kingdom RAM-Ford Cosworth 1:17.577 1:18.069 +5.485s
DNQ 31 Italy Corrado Fabi Italy Osella-Alfa Romeo 1:19.087 1:17.816 +5.724s
DNQ 2 France Jacques Laffite United Kingdom Williams-Ford Cosworth 1:18.467 1:18.261 +6.169s
WD 34 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Hong Kong Theodore-Ford Cosworth Entry withdrawn
WD 43 West Germany Stefan Bellof United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Cosworth Registration cancelled
Source:[1]
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
  • Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.

Grid[]

Pos. Pos.
Driver Driver
______________
Row 1 ______________ 1
2 Elio de Angelis
Riccardo Patrese ______________
Row 2 ______________ 3
4 Nigel Mansell
Nelson Piquet ______________
Row 3 ______________ 5
6 René Arnoux
Patrick Tambay ______________
Row 4 ______________ 7
8 Eddie Cheever
Alain Prost ______________
Row 5 ______________ 9
10 Manfred Winkelhock
John Watson ______________
Row 6 ______________ 11
12 Derek Warwick
Bruno Giacomelli ______________
Row 7 ______________ 13
14 Niki Lauda
Andrea de Cesaris ______________
Row 8 ______________ 15
16 Mauro Baldi
Keke Rosberg ______________
Row 9 ______________ 17
18 Marc Surer
Thierry Boutsen ______________
Row 10 ______________ 19
20 Stefan Johansson
Danny Sullivan ______________
Row 11 ______________ 21
22 Roberto Guerrero
Jean-Pierre Jarier ______________
Row 12 ______________ 23
24 Raul Boesel
Piercarlo Ghinzani ______________
Row 13 ______________ 25
26 Jonathan Palmer
Michele Alboreto ______________

Race[]

With no changes to the grid before the race, attention was focused on the title battle, with Arnoux and Piquet starting above Prost on the grid. There were also strong hopes of a British victory, with Nigel Mansell in a quick car and John Watson and Derek Warwick also high up in the starting order. Time would tell, however, as teh cars lined up for the first official European Grand Prix.

Report[]

A flying start by Riccardo Patrese saw him grab the lead from Elio de Angelis off the line, with Mansell fending off Piquet and Eddie Cheever, Arnoux having slipped down the order.[2] Furtherdown, the toll of the start proved too much for Jean-Pierre Jarier's Ligier, with the gearbox on the Frenchman's car failing shortly after the start.[2] Otherwise, there were no issues at the start.[2]

Piquet needed points if he was to haul in Prost's lead in the championship, and a quick move on the second lap put him past Mansell and into third.[2] Prost, meanwhile, battled away in the lower reaches of the top ten, before a change in pace saw him catch his team mate Cheever in fifth.[2] Cheever was soon past Mansell, with Prost following in short order, before taking his American team mate for fourth on the nineth lap.[2] Piquet responded by closing the gap to Patrese and de Angelis, with his burst of pace now causing other drivers problems.[2]

Under increasing pressure from the looming Piquet, de Angelis stepped up his attempts to get past Patrese, with the pair going nose to tail through much of the eleventh lap.[2] Then, on the thirteenth lap, de Angelis tried to pass on the inside of Surtees, before realising that the space simply was not there.[4] Having stamped on the brakes, de Angelis' car threw itself into a spin, causing the Italian to hit his compatriot in the rear, putting Patrese into a spin as well.[4] De Angelis sustained an engine/oil issue and could not get going again, but Patrese continued having lost a fair amount of time.[2]

Piquet promptly picked up the lead, with Patrese recovering in time to block Prost from taking second.[2] The order then stabilised until the stops, with Cheever hitting problems and dropping back, while Arnoux suffered from a general lack of pace. Piquet still led Patrese and Prost at the front after the stops, but now Patrick Tambay sat in fourth, followed by Mansell, a rejuvinated John Watson, Andrea de Cesaris and the two Tolemans.[2]

Patrese, however, was suffering (presumably from damage sustained from his accident with de Angelis), and soon fell to Prost and the group led by Tambay.[2] Furtherdown, the popular Keke Rosberg, at a circuit he usually enjoyed, retired with an engine failure on lap 43, after Watson had fallen to an accident all of his own making. Back at the front, meanwhile, the order remained unchanged, until Tambay retired with a brake failure, promoting Mansell into third, and Warwick into fifth.[2]

The race finished a few laps later with Piquet taking victory from Prost and the popular Mansell, with de Cesaris, Warwick and Bruno Giacomelli completing the points.[2] It was a significant day in the history of Toleman, as Warwick and Giacomelli both scored points in the same race, a feat that the team achieved for the first (and what ended up as the only) time.[1]

Results[]

The full results for the 1983 European Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 5 Brazil Nelson Piquet United Kingdom Brabham-BMW 76 1:36:45.865 4 9
2 15 France Alain Prost France Renault 76 +6.571s 8 6
3 12 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom Lotus-Renault 76 +30.315s 3 4
4 22 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Italy Alfa Romeo 76 +30.315s 14 3
5 35 United Kingdom Derek Warwick United Kingdom Toleman-Hart 76 +44.915s 11 2
6 36 Italy Bruno Giacomelli United Kingdom Toleman-Hart 76 +52.190s 12 1
7 6T Italy Riccardo Patrese United Kingdom Brabham-BMW 76 +1:12.684 2
8 9 West Germany Manfred Winkelhock West Germany ATS-BMW 75 +1 lap 9
9 28 France René Arnoux Italy Ferrari 75 +1 lap 5
10 16 United States Eddie Cheever France Renault 75 +1 lap 7
11 30 Belgium Thierry Boutsen United Kingdom Arrows-Ford Cosworth 75 +1 lap 18
12 33 Colombia Roberto Guerrero Hong Kong Theodore-Ford Cosworth 75 +1 lap 21
13 42 United Kingdom Jonathan Palmer United Kingdom Williams-Ford Cosworth 74 +2 laps 25
14 40 Sweden Stefan Johansson United Kingdom Spirit-Honda 74 +2 laps 19
15 26 Brazil Raul Boesel France Ligier-Ford Cosworth 73 +3 laps 23
Ret 27 France Patrick Tambay Italy Ferrari 67 Accident 6
Ret 3 Italy Michele Alboreto United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth 64 Engine 26
NC* 32 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani Italy Osella-Alfa Romeo 63 +13 laps 24
Ret 29 Switzerland Marc Surer United Kingdom Arrows-Ford Cosworth 50 Engine 17
Ret 1T Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom Williams-Ford Cosworth 43 Engine 16
Ret 23 Italy Mauro Baldi Italy Alfa Romeo 39 Clutch 15
Ret 7 United Kingdom John Watson United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Porsche 36 Accident 10
Ret 4 United States Danny Sullivan United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth 27 Fire 20
Ret 8 Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom McLaren-TAG Porsche 25 Engine 13
Ret 11 Italy Elio De Angelis United Kingdom Lotus-Renault 12 Engine 1
Ret 25 France Jean-Pierre Jarier France Ligier-Ford Cosworth 0 Transmission 22
DNQ 17 United Kingdom Kenny Acheson United Kingdom RAM-Ford Cosworth
DNQ 31 Italy Corrado Fabi Italy Osella-Alfa Romeo
DNQ 2 France Jacques Laffite United Kingdom Williams-Ford Cosworth
WD 34 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Hong Kong Theodore-Ford Cosworth
WD 43 West Germany Stefan Bellof United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Cosworth
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
  • * Ghinzani was carrying a throttle issue that saw him lose thirteen laps to the leader, meaning he was not classified in the race standings, but also did not retire.[2]

Milestones[]

Standings after race[]

Alain Prost left Europe with his lead still intact in the World Championship, but it was Nelson Piquet whom had momentum, now just two points behind going to the final race. René Arnoux sat in third, and had an outside chance of the title sitting eight behind, although he would idealy need Prost and Piquet to retire even if he won the South African Grand Prix. Patrick Tambay was to finish the year in fourth, proving to be a reliable servant to Ferrari through the season, with Michele Alboreto, his replacement, down in twelfth with a quarter of Tambay's total.

The Constructor's title would also go down to South Africa, as Renault closed Ferrari's lead down to eleven points, with fifteen available. In truth, Renault could only take the title if Ferrari failed to score, and Prost and Cheever both finished on the podium (with one of them winning the race). Brabham were set to finish the season in third, while McLaren and Williams would have to battle it out with their new turbo engines at the Kyalami circuit for fourth. 

1983 Drivers' World Championship
Pos. Driver Pts
1 France Alain Prost 57
2 Brazil Nelson Piquet 55
3 France René Arnoux 49
4 France Patrick Tambay 40
5 Finland Keke Rosberg 25

Only the top 5 drivers are displayed.

1983 Constructors' World Championship
Pos. Team Pts
1 Italy Ferrari 89
2 France Renault 78
3 United Kingdom Brabham-BMW 59
4 United Kingdom Williams-Ford Cosworth 36
5 United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Cosworth 34

Only the top 5 constructors are displayed.

References[]

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V T E 1983 Formula One Season
Teams Williams • Tyrrell • Brabham • McLaren • ATS • Lotus • Renault • RAM • Alfa Romeo • Ligier • Ferrari • Arrows • Osella • Theodore • Toleman • Spirit
Engines Alfa Romeo • BMW • Ferrari • Ford • Hart • Honda • Renault • TAG
Drivers alphabetically Acheson • Alboreto • De Angelis • Arnoux • Baldi • Boesel • Boutsen • Cecotto • De Cesaris • Cheever • Fabi • Ghinzani • Giacomelli • Guerrero • Jarier • Johansson • Jones • Laffite • Lauda • Mansell • Palmer • Patrese • Piquet • Prost • Rosberg • Salazar • Schlesser • Serra • Sullivan • Surer • Tambay • Villeneuve • Warwick • Watson • Winkelhock
Drivers by number Rosberg • 2 Laffite • 42 Palmer • 3 Alboreto • 4 Sullivan • 5 Piquet • 6 Patrese • 7 Watson • 8 Lauda • 9 Winkelhock • 11 De Angelis • 12 Mansell • 15 Prost • 16 Cheever • 17 Salazar • 17 Villeneuve • 17 Acheson • 18 Schlesser • 22 De Cesaris • 23 Baldi • 25 Jarier • 26 Boesel • 27 Tambay • 28 Arnoux • 29 Surer • 30 Serra • 30 Jones • 30 Boutsen • 31 Fabi • 32 Ghinzani • 33 Guerrero • 34 Cecotto • 35 Warwick • 36 Giacomelli • 40 Johansson
Cars Ferrari 126C2B • Ferrari 126C3 • Renault RE30C • Renault RE40 • Brabham BT52 • Brabham BT52B • Williams FW08C • Williams FW09 • McLaren MP4/1C • McLaren MP4/1E • Alfa Romeo 183T • Tyrrell 011B • Tyrrell 012 • Lotus 92 • Lotus 93T • Lotus 94T • Toleman TG183 • Arrows A6 • Theodore N183 • Ligier JS21 • Spirit 201 • ATS D6 • Osella FA1D • Osella FA1E • RAM 01
Tyres Goodyear • Michelin • Pirelli
Races Brazil • U.S. West • France • San Marino • Monaco • Belgium • Detroit • Canada • Britain • Germany • Austria • Netherlands • Italy • Europe • South Africa
Non-championship races Race of Champions
See also 1982 Formula One Season • 1984 Formula One Season • Category
V T E Europe European Grand Prix
Circuits Brands Hatch (1983, 1985), Nürburgring (1984, 1995–1996, 1999–2007), Donington (1993), Jerez (1994, 1997), Valencia (2008–2012), Baku (2016) Baku City Circuit
Races 19501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969–19711972197319741975197619771978–19821983198419851986–1992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013–20152016
Non-Championship Races 192319241925192619271928192919301931–1946194719481949
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