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 The LIV Gran Premio d'Italia, better known as the 1983 Italian Grand Prix, was the thirteenth round of the 1983 Formula One World Championship.[1] After Riccardo Patrese qualified on pole position for his home race at Monza, his team mate Nelson Piquet won to close the gap to Alain Prost in the championship to five points.[1] René Arnoux finished second and retained second in the Championship, with Eddie Cheever completing the podium for Renault after Prost retired with a turbo failure.[2]

Background[]

A fortnight had passed between the Dutch and Italian Grand Prix, allowing several teams to test various pieces of equipment.[2] Williams launched the FW09, featuring a Honda engine in a test at Donington Park, although it was not race ready in time for the Italian scrap.[2] McLaren, meanwhile, completed their second TAG turbo car for John Watson, with both their drivers now running turbos (and the first time that McLaren had not used a Cosworth DFV engine in either of their cars since 1968).[2] BMW, meanwhile, had been experimenting with different fuel mixtures, resulting in a power boost for Brabham, as Nelson Piquet pushed for the championship.[2]

There were no changes to the entry list as the field headed to Monza, one of Formula One's fortresses of popularity, particularly for those backed by a certain Italian manufacturer. With René Arnoux taking victory in the Netherlands, the Frenchman was now eight points behind Alain Prost in the title battle, while Patrick Tambay remained in the title battle, tied with Piquet fourteen behind. The tifosi sensed a Ferrari title on their hands, and arrived with the usual passion they displayed at every Italian Grand Prix.

The one-two in Holland also meant that Ferrari were on the march in the Constructor's Championship, with a twelve point lead now held over Renault. Brabham had held onto third at Zandvoort, despite a double retirement, but were now under pressure from Williams and McLaren for that spot, particularly now that both were close to running a successful turbo campaign.

Entry List[]

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

No. Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Model Tyre
1 Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom TAG Williams Racing Team Williams FW08C Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 G
2 France Jacques Laffite United Kingdom TAG Williams Racing Team Williams FW08C Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 G
3 Italy Michele Alboreto United Kingdom Benetton Tyrrell Team Tyrrell 012 Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 G
4 United States Danny Sullivan United Kingdom Benetton Tyrrell Team Tyrrell 011B Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 G
5 Brazil Nelson Piquet United Kingdom Fila Sport Brabham BT52B BMW M12/13 L4t 1.5 M
6 Italy Riccardo Patrese United Kingdom Fila Sport Brabham BT52B BMW M12/13 L4t 1.5 M
7 United Kingdom John Watson United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren International McLaren MP4/1E TAG TTE PO1 V6t 1.5 M
8 Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren International McLaren MP4/1E TAG TTE PO1 V6t 1.5 M
9 Germany Manfred Winkelhock Germany Team ATS ATS D6 BMW M12/13 L4t 1.5 G
11 Italy Elio de Angelis United Kingdom John Player Team Lotus Lotus 94T Renault EF1 V6t 1.5 P
12 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell United Kingdom John Player Team Lotus Lotus 94T Renault EF1 V6t 1.5 P
15 France Alain Prost France Equipe Renault Elf Renault RE40 Renault EF1 V6t 1.5 M
16 United States Eddie Cheever France Equipe Renault Elf Renault RE40 Renault EF1 V6t 1.5 M
17 United Kingdom Kenny Acheson United Kingdom RAM Racing Team March RAM 01 Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 P
22 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Italy Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 183T Alfa Romeo 890T V8t 1.5 M
23 Italy Mauro Baldi Italy Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 183T Alfa Romeo 890T V8t 1.5 M
25 France Jean-Pierre Jarier France Equipe Ligier Gitanes Ligier JS21 Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 M
26 Brazil Raul Boesel France Equipe Ligier Gitanes Ligier JS21 Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 M
27 France Patrick Tambay Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 126C3 Ferrari 021 V6t 1.5 G
28 France René Arnoux Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 126C3 Ferrari 021 V6t 1.5 G
29 Switzerland Marc Surer United Kingdom Arrows Racing Team Arrows A6 Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 G
30 Belgium Thierry Boutsen United Kingdom Arrows Racing Team Arrows A6 Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 G
31 Italy Corrado Fabi Italy Osella Squadra Corse Osella FA1E Alfa Romeo 1260 V12 3.0 M
32 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani Italy Osella Squadra Corse Osella FA1E Alfa Romeo 1260 V12 3.0 M
33 Colombia Roberto Guerrero United Kingdom Theodore Racing Team Theodore N183 Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 G
34 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto United Kingdom Theodore Racing Team Theodore N183 Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0 G
35 United Kingdom Derek Warwick United Kingdom Candy Toleman Motorsport Toleman TG183B Hart 415T L4t 1.5 P
36 Italy Bruno Giacomelli United Kingdom Candy Toleman Motorsport Toleman TG183B Hart 415T L4t 1.5 P
40 Sweden Stefan Johansson United Kingdom Spirit Racing Spirit 201 Honda RA163-E V6t 1.5 G

Practice Overview[]

The extra boost fromBMW  meant that Brabham dominated practice, with Nelson Piquet setting the fastest time from Riccardo Patrese, beating both Ferraris.[1] John Watson, meanwhile, struggled to get to grips with the new TAG engine, only able to get within two seconds of his team mate Niki Lauda (whom had already used the engine at Zandvoort).[1] That said, the McLaren duo were two of only four cars (the others being the Brabham boys) to break the 300 km/h barrier in the practice session, showing the potential power available to them.[1]

Qualifying[]

Qualifying turned into a pole position for Riccardo Patrese, with Nelson Piquet dropping to fourth as he was unable to improve on his practice time.[1] Patrick Tambay took second for Ferrari, beating team mate René Arnoux by a few tenths, with Alain Prost a second off the top four in fifth.[1] John Watson found more pace from his new TAG engine, taking fifteenth, as Keke Rosberg claimed the honour of being the fastest non-turbo car in sixteenth, six seconds slower than Piquet.[1]

Out of qualifying went Kenny Acheson, Raul Boesel and, rather surprisingly, Jacques Laffite for Williams as three of the 29 entrants dropped as usual.[1] All three just missed out on qualifying, however, with Acheson in 29th just two tenths behind Johnny Cecotto in 26th, with 8.150 seconds covering the field in Monza.[1]

Qualifying Results[]

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Time[1]
Q1 Q2
1 6 Italy Riccardo Patrese Brabham-BMW 1:30.253 1:29.122
2 27 France Patrick Tambay Ferrari 1:31.036 1:29.650
3 28 France René Arnoux Ferrari 1:30.799 1:29.901
4 5 Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW 1:30.202 1:30.475
5 15 France Alain Prost Renault 1:32.244 1:31.144
6 22 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Alfa Romeo 1:31.295 1:31.272
7 16 United States Eddie Cheever Renault 1:31.613 1:31.564
8 11 Italy Elio de Angelis Lotus-Renault 1:32.590 1:31.628
9 9 Germany Manfred Winkelhock ATS-BMW 1:34.161 1:31.959
10 23 Italy Mauro Baldi Alfa Romeo 1:32.407 1:32.593
11 12 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Lotus-Renault 1:34.610 1:32.423
12 35 United Kingdom Derek Warwick Toleman-Hart 1:33.738 1:32.677
13 8 Austria Niki Lauda McLaren-TAG 1:33.190 1:33.133
14 36 Italy Bruno Giacomelli Toleman-Hart 1:35.489 1:33.384
15 7 United Kingdom John Watson McLaren-TAG 1:35.928 1:34.705
16 1 Finland Keke Rosberg Williams-Ford Cosworth 1:36.631 1:35.291
17 40 Sweden Stefan Johansson Spirit-Honda 1:37.862 1:35.483
18 30 Belgium Thierry Boutsen Arrows-Ford Cosworth 1:36.968 1:35.624
19 25 France Jean-Pierre Jarier Ligier-Ford Cosworth 1:37.270 1:36.220
20 29 Switzerland Marc Surer Arrows-Ford Cosworth 1:36.796 1:36.435
21 33 Colombia Roberto Guerrero Theodore-Ford Cosworth 1:37.677 1:36.619
22 4 United States Danny Sullivan Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth 1:37.565 1:36.644
23 32 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella-Alfa Romeo 1:36.647 No TIme
24 3 Italy Michele Alboreto Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth 1:36.788 1:37.319
25 31 Italy Corrado Fabi Osella-Alfa Romeo 1:38.577 1:36.834
26 34 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Theodore-Ford Cosworth 1:37.105 1:37.634
DNQ 26 Brazil Raul Boesel Ligier-Ford Cosworth 1:37.798 1:37.186
DNQ 2 France Jacques Laffite Williams-Ford Cosworth 1:37.277 1:37.245
DNQ 17 United Kingdom Kenny Acheson RAM-Ford Cosworth 1:37.755 1:37.272
Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap


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

Race[]

With no changes to the grid before the race, expectation for Italian success was high.[2] 1983 was a bumper year for Italian drivers, with almost a third of the grid racing under an Italian tricolor as well as the fact that three teams were registered in the southern European nation. Yet only one of these teams was allowed to be successful, and, as it turned out, the tifosi wanted one of Ferrari's Frenchmen to win rather than any of the Italian drivers. In a familiar display of loyalty, objects were thrown in the direction of anyone not driving a scarlet car before the start.[3]

Report[]

Off the line, Riccardo Patrese got away well, immediately moving to the inside of the track to defend from the Ferrari duo of Patrick Tambay and René Arnoux.[2] Unfortunately for them, one other car got a good start, as Nelson Piquet shot around them off the line and into second, hoping to be let past his team mate in view of the championship.[2] There were no incidents of note further down the order on the first lap, as the field got off the line in what was a relatively tame start.[2]

Lap three, however, changed the complexion of the race with two incidents of note.[3] The first happened at the first chicane, as Andrea de Cesaris, in a group that included Tambay, Alain Prost and Eddie Cheever, was spun into the gravel, although it was difficult to see if he was aided in his retirement by those around him.[3] Then, as Patrese and Piquet came up to the Parabolica, the Italian driver suffered an engine failure, causing a huge cheer from the Italian fans as Arnoux and Tambay were promoted to second and third.[3]

Piquet quickly established a lead from the No.28 Ferrari as the race went on, while changes were coming thick and fast further down.[3] Elio de Angelis had battled well in the opening phases of the race, and was now in sixth as Cheever battled past Prost for fourth.[3] It soon emerged that Prost was carrying a problem, as de Angelis caught and passed the Frenchman on the main straight, before setting off after Cheever and Tambay.[3] Cheever then took Tambay later on the same lap, before de Angelis slid his way past the second Ferrari at the second chicane on the next.[3] Their battles would continue until the pitstop window opened.

Arnoux was the first of the leaders to stop on lap 24, as Piquet continued to blast around Monza. The Brazilian soon came up to the back of a familiar car, lapping a Renault going into the Ascari chicane.[3] The Renault in question was that of Prost, whom had lost pace dramatically since de Angelis had got past him, and was now in serious trouble.[3] A turbo failure ultimately ended his day, while Arnoux and Piquet continued in the race, looking set to eat into his championship lead.[3]

It would not be that smooth a day for those two either, however, as Cheever looked racey in the second Renault.[3] The American racer put huge pressure on Arnoux after his stop, trying several times to get past the Ferrari, allowing Piquet to establish as bigger lead.[3] Yet, the Brabham team were having problems from outside influences as well, and at the time when Piquet was due to stop too.[3] Niki Lauda stalled as he came out of the McLaren box, and was now stopped in the pitlane outside the Brabham box, blocking the exit for Piquet.[3] In desperation to clear the pitlane, several Brabham personel, including a certain Bernie Ecclestone, gave Lauda a push to get him going, as Piquet entered the pitlane.[3] Fortunately for them, Lauda got under way in time, and a flawless stop for Piquet meant he retained his lead.[3]

The second half of the race was far tamer, with the only changes to the order coming through retirements.[3] Piquet took victory unchallenged, while Arnoux claimed second with Cheever in close attendence throughout.[3] Tambay had got past de Angelis at the stops and held on to fourth from the Team Lotus Italian, while Derek Warwick claimed more well earned points for Toleman in sixth.[3]

Results[]

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Pts
1 5 Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW 52 1:23:10.880 4 9
2 28 France René Arnoux Ferrari 52 +10.212s 3 6
3 16 United States Eddie Cheever Renault 52 +18.612s 7 4
4 27 France Patrick Tambay Ferrari 52 +29.023s 2 3
5 11 Italy Elio de Angelis Lotus-Renault 52 +53.680s 8 2
6 35 United Kingdom Derek Warwick Toleman-Hart 52 +1:13.348 12 1
7 36 Italy Bruno Giacomelli Toleman-Hart 52 +1:33.922 14
8 12 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Lotus-Renault 52 +1:36.035 11
9 25 France Jean-Pierre Jarier Ligier-Ford Cosworth 51 +1 lap 19
10 29 Switzerland Marc Surer Arrows-Ford Cosworth 51 +1 lap 20
11 1 Finland Keke Rosberg Williams-Ford Cosworth 51 +1 lap 16
12 34 Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Theodore-Ford Cosworth 50 +2 laps 26
13 33 Colombia Roberto Guerrreo Theodore-Ford Cosworth 50 +2 laps 21
Ret 31 Italy Corrado Fabi Osella-Alfa Romeo 45 Engine 25
Ret 4 United States Danny Sullivan Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth 44 Fuel 22
Ret 30 Belgium Thierry Boutsen Arrows-Ford Cosworth 41 Engine 18
Ret 9 Germany Manfred Winkelhock ATS-BMW 35 Exhaust 9
Ret 3 Italy Michele Alboreto Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth 28 Clutch 24
Ret 15 France Alain Prost Renault 26 Turbo 5
Ret 8 Austria Niki Lauda McLaren-TAG 24 Electrical 13
Ret 7 United Kingdom John Watson McLaren-TAG 13 Electrical 15
Ret 32 Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella-Alfa Romeo 10 Gearbox 23
Ret 23 Italy Mauro Baldi Alfa Romeo 4 Turbo 10
Ret 40 Sweden Stefan Johansson Spirit-Honda 4 Distributor 17
Ret 6 Italy Riccardo Patrese Brabham-BMW 2 Engine 1
Ret 22 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Alfa Romeo 2 Spin 6

Milestones[]

Standings after race[]

Alain Prost's recent run of retirements had now resulted in a dramatic change in the Driver's Championship, as his lead of fourteen leaving Austria was now down to two. René Arnoux had closed the gap massively through a first and a second in Holland and Italy, and was now favourite to take the title. Nelson Piquet's victory meant he also closed the gap, with the former World Champion now five behind with eighteen available, while Patrick Tambay remained in mathematical contention, although he required an eleven point swing in his favour to win.

Ferrari now had command in the Constructor's Championship, with a seventeen point lead over Renault upon leaving Italy. Brabham took a big step to taking third in the championship through Piquet's victory, with Williams and McLaren failed to score again. Toleman, meanwhile, were making huge steps in the lower reaches of the championship, climbing up the table through recent form.

1983 Drivers' World Championship
Pos. Driver Pts
1 France Alain Prost 51
2 France René Arnoux 49
3 Brazil Nelson Piquet 46
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 72
3 United Kingdom Brabham-BMW 50
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 Italy Italian Grand Prix
Circuits Monza (1950 - 1979, 1981 - Present), Imola (1980)
Monza2000
Races 19501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975197619771978197919801981198219831984198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
European Championship Races 193119321935193619371938
Non-Championship Races 1921192219231924192519261927192819331934194719481949
V T E Promotional Trophy
Races 197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
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