By the sixth round of the 1983 Formula 1 season no-one had yet emerged as a clear favourite for the World Championship. The normally aspirated cars of Williams and McLaren proved to be surprisingly competitive at certain circuits, while the turbo cars were fast but fragile. The next stop on the Grand Prix calendar was Spa-Francorchamps, back on the schedule after a long absence. It may have been a shortened version of the daunting old circuit but it still presented a great challenge.
Prost Wins on Return to Spa-Francorchamps
Alain Prost just won pole from Patrick Tambay at Spa, with Andrea De Cesaris an impressive third in his Alfa Romeo. It was the Alfa driver who made the best start and took the lead. He looked like a strong candidate to win the race, but a long pit stop dropped him behind Prost’s Renault. His race ended for good when his engine failed.
Prost won, with Tambay finishing in the second place he’d started in. Eddie Cheever was third in the other Renault, with Nelson Piquet’s Brabham behind him. In fifth place was Keke Rosberg, the first of the normally aspirated runners, in his Williams. Jacques Laffite scored the final point in the sister Williams. A notable debutant at the Belgian Grand Prix was Thierry Boutsen, who replaced Chico Serra at Arrows.
Alboreto Wins Detroit Formula 1 Race for Tyrrell
Michele Alboreto was the star at Detroit, in a race where the top three cars were all normally aspirated. René Arnoux started from pole in his Ferrari, with Nelson Piquet’s Brabham alongside. The Frenchman led the race, before eventually retiring with an electrical problem. Elio De Angelis was also running strongly in the early stages, until his transmission failed.
Rosberg made great progress, passing Derek Warwick, Alboreto, De Cesaris and Piquet on his way to first place. When the Finn pitted the lead passed to Piquet, but his race was ruined by a puncture. Alboreto found himself out front, and stayed there until the flag, with Rosberg second. John Watson produced another of his great drives, progressing from 21st at the start to third at the finish. Piquet recovered to fourth, ahead of Jacques Laffite and Nigel Mansell. Boutsen showed great maturity to finish the race in seventh position on a tricky circuit where mistakes are severely punished.
Arnoux and Ferrari Victorious in Canadian Grand Prix
Jacques Villeneuve was entered for the Canadian Grand Prix. He was the brother of the late Gilles Villeneuve, but he would not be worrying the front runners in his RAM. Pole position went to Arnoux, and so did the race win, by a large margin. Riccardo Patrese was heading for a podium finish, until his gearbox packed up. Cheever finished second for Renault, with Tambay third. Rosberg was fourth, Alain Prost fifth and Watson sixth.
F1 season review continues here.
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