The 1983 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 15 October 1983. It was the fifteenth and final race of the 1983 Formula One season. The 77 lap race was won by Riccardo Patrese driving for Brabham. This would be Patrese's last win for nearly seven years until he won for Williams at the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix.
| 1983 South African Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 15 in the 1983 Formula One World Championship | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 15 October 1983 | ||
| Location | Kyalami Transvaal Province, South Africa | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.104 km (2.550 miles) | ||
| Distance | 77 laps, 316.008 km (196.358 miles) | ||
| Weather | Dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:06.554 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | |
| Time | 1:09.948 on lap 6 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Brabham-BMW | ||
| Second | Alfa Romeo | ||
| Third | Brabham-BMW | ||
Lap leaders | |||
Race summary
Before the race, three drivers were still in a position to win the World Drivers' Championship: Alain Prost (Renault) led the championship with 57 points, followed by Nelson Piquet (Brabham-BMW) with 55 and René Arnoux (Ferrari) with 49. Piquet qualified second, behind Patrick Tambay (Ferrari) in pole position and ahead of Riccardo Patrese (Brabham), Arnoux and Prost in third, fourth and fifth. At the start Piquet passed Tambay to take the lead, with Patrese moving into second place. Arnoux retired with engine failure on lap 9. Prost fought his way up to third place, but he also retired on lap 35 with turbo failure. Needing only to finish fourth or higher, Piquet slowed and was overtaken by Patrese, Niki Lauda (McLaren) and Andrea de Cesaris (Alfa Romeo). Lauda's engine failed on lap 71. The race finished with Patrese in first place, de Cesaris in second and Piquet in third, and Piquet won the championship by two points. Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship despite not finishing in the points in the last race for the second consecutive year. John Watson, completing his last full Formula One season, was disqualified for overtaking other cars on the parade lap.
Classification
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 |  Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 1:06.554 | 1:07.029 | — |
| 2 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 1:06.792 | 1:06.821 | +0.238 |
| 3 | 6 |  Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-BMW | 1:08.181 | 1:07.001 | +0.447 |
| 4 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:07.222 | 1:07.105 | +0.551 |
| 5 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:07.186 | 1:08.136 | +0.632 |
| 6 | 1 |  Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 1:07.256 | 1:07.344 | +0.702 |
| 7 | 12 |  Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Renault | 1:09.443 | 1:07.643 | +1.089 |
| 8 | 9 |  Manfred Winkelhock | ATS-BMW | 1:07.726 | 1:07.682 | +1.128 |
| 9 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:08.970 | 1:07.759 | +1.205 |
| 10 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams-Honda | 1:07.931 | 1:08.652 | +1.377 |
| 11 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 1:07.937 | 1:07.980 | +1.383 |
| 12 | 8 |  Niki Lauda | McLaren-TAG | 1:07.974 | 1:08.587 | +1.420 |
| 13 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman-Hart | 1:08.061 | 1:08.301 | +1.507 |
| 14 | 16 |  Eddie Cheever | Renault | 1:08.069 | 1:08.360 | +1.515 |
| 15 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren-TAG | 1:08.328 | 1:10.635 | +1.774 |
| 16 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman-Hart | 1:08.350 | 1:08.439 | +1.796 |
| 17 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 1:09.364 | 1:08.628 | +2.074 |
| 18 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:11.096 | 1:11.284 | +4.542 |
| 19 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:11.750 | 1:11.382 | +4.828 |
| 20 | 30 |  Thierry Boutsen | Arrows-Ford | 1:11.988 | 1:11.658 | +5.104 |
| 21 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier-Ford | 1:12.017 | 1:12.538 | +5.463 |
| 22 | 29 |  Marc Surer | Arrows-Ford | 1:12.309 | 1:12.049 | +5.495 |
| 23 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier-Ford | 1:12.745 | 1:13.330 | +6.191 |
| 24 | 17 | Kenny Acheson | RAM-Ford | 1:13.352 | no time | +6.798 |
| 25 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella-Alfa Romeo | 1:14.483 | 1:13.656 | +7.102 |
| 26 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella-Alfa Romeo | 1:14.903 | 1:15.503 | +8.349 |
| Source: [1][2][3][4] | ||||||
Race
Championship permutations
- Alain Prost (57pts) needed either
- 1st
- 2nd, ahead of Piquet
- 3rd, with Piquet 2nd or lower
- 4th or 5th, with Piquet 3rd or lower
- 6th, with Piquet 4th or lower and Arnoux 2nd or lower
- Piquet 5th or lower and Arnoux 2nd or lower
- Nelson Piquet (55pts)
- 1st
- 2nd, with Prost 4th or lower
- 3rd, with Prost 6th or lower
- 4th, with Prost 7th or lower and Arnoux 2nd or lower
- René Arnoux (49pts) needed 1st with Prost 6th or lower and Piquet 4th or lower
- Alain Prost (57pts) needed either
- Ferrari and Renault were also fighting for the Constructor's Championship
- Ferrari (89pts) needed either
- To score 5pts or better
- 4th, or 5th and 6th, or higher, with the Renaults 1st and 3rd or lower
- 5th or better, with the Renaults 1st and 4th or lower
- 6th or better, with the Renaults 1st and 5th or lower
- The Renaults scoring fewer than 11pts
- Renault (78pts) needed either
- 1st and 2nd with the Ferraris scoring fewer than 5pts
- 1st and 3rd with the Ferraris scoring fewer than 3pts
- 1st and 4th with the Ferraris 6th or lower
- 1st and 5th with the Ferraris 7th or lower.
- Ferrari (89pts) needed either
Championship standings after the race
- Constructors' Championship standings
| Pos | Constructor | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 89 | |
| 2 | Renault | 79 | |
| 3 | Brabham-BMW | 72 | |
| 4 | Williams-Ford | 36 | |
| 5 | McLaren-Ford | 34 | |
| Source: [7] | |||
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.