1982 Formula One Season Trivia Quiz

Answer: 7

Renault swept the front row at the San Marino, Belgian, Dutch, French, German (Pironi was fastest but did not start after a qualifying accident), Swiss, and Las Vegas Grand Prix. In total Renault took ten pole positions, with Alain Prost and Rene Arnoux taking five each.

Answer: 3

Starting second on the grid, it was just like old times for Lauda at the Long Beach Grand Prix, as he pressured Andrea de Cesaris into a mistake to take the lead, and pulled a gap out over Keke Rosberg to take his 18th career win and first for McLaren. He would also win the British Grand Prix later in the year at Brands Hatch.

Answer: 14

The political battles between FISA, the sports governing body, and FOCA, the Constructors Association, came to boiling point just before San Marino. Primarily, the boycott was about the disqualification of two cars at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but there was also underlying tension regarding safety and the ever more powerful turbochargers.

As such, most FOCA-aligned teams boycotted, with only Tyrrell, ATS, Osella and Toleman joining Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo. Despite the lack of cars, the Renaults and Ferraris managed to put on a real treat, but it was events between the Ferraris in the latter stages that led to the death at the next Grand Prix of Gilles Villeneuve.

Answer: Alain Prost

Entering lap 74, Alain Prost was miles in front of the field in his Renault and seemingly heading to victory, but the Frenchman inexplicably crashed and seemed to hand victory to Riccardo Patrese in his Brabham Ford. However, on the 75th and penultimate lap, Patrese then spun at Loews and stalled his car. On the 76th and last lap, Didier Pironi in a Ferrari led but ran out of fuel in the tunnel. Andrea de Cesaris in an Alfa Romeo then took the lead, then he too ran out of fuel. Out of nowhere, Derek Daly took the lead in his Williams Ford but he crashed into the barriers. Out of all the confusion, Patrese had bump started his Brabham down the hill and somehow came through to take his first career win!

Answer: BMW

Brabham had won the 1981 World Championship with Ford power, but team owner Bernie Ecclestone had lined up BMW power for 1982. It took time for the powerplant to be used as a new chassis had to be built and there was early unreliability. There was also mid-race refueling that Brabham introduced, and it all came to fruition at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Canada for Brabham.

The refueling worked and Piquet won easily.

Answer: Brian Henton

Henton only qualified 17th, finished 8th and never scored a World Championship point. But on lap 63 of 76, Henton took his only real achievement of note in Formula One by setting the time of 1:13.028, the fastest lap of the 1982 British Grand Prix.

Answer: Alain Prost

Having already taken pole for the race, Pironi was lapping incredibly quickly on a soaking wet Hockenheim circuit. Passing Derek Daly's Williams, Pironi failed to see the slow moving Renault of Alain Prost, and ran into the back of the French driver at unabated speed. Records of the accident are sketchy at best, but Prost remembered later that Pironi's Ferrari went by his Renault at a vertical angle, before somersaulting three times and crashing heavily into the grass.

Others observed the accident was eerily similar to that which killed Gilles Villeneuve at Zolder. Whatever the case, Pironi's injuries were so severe that he would not race again in 1982, or in Formula One again. At the time, Pironi was leading the World Championship on 39 points with his clearest challenger, John Watson, only having 30. Having been related to tragedy throughout 1982, it was not altogether surprising that Pironi was eventually killed in 1987 during a powerboat race.

His girlfriend gave birth to twins not long after his death.

She named them Didier and Gilles.

Answer: Patrick Tambay

Seeing his best friend Gilles Villeneuve killed at Zolder, then teammate Didier Pironi critically injured in practice, it was up to Patrick Tambay to carry the Prancing Horse. Driving the number 27 that was synonymous with Villeneuve, Tambay clinched an emotional first career victory and helped to lift the gloom that surrounded Ferrari, in what was turning out to be a tragic year for the team.

Answer: Elio de Angelis

Elio de Angelis in a Lotus beat Keke Rosberg in a Williams by only 0.050 seconds, one of the closest finishes in Grand Prix history, to take his first career win, while another podium position took Rosberg ever closer to Pironi's points total of 39. Prost had looked odds on to win the race until his retirement on lap 48.

Answer: Paul Ricard

France held two races in 1982. The French Grand Prix was held at Paul Ricard, where Rene Arnoux defied Renault team orders by winning from Alain Prost, while Keke Rosberg won the 'Swiss Grand Prix', held at Dijon in France.
Motor racing had banned in Switzerland since 1955, but the FIA needed a 16th race, and Dijon was chosen as the host.

Answer: Mario Andretti

Having appeared for one race in a Williams at Long Beach, Andretti was drafted in by Ferrari for the Italian and Las Vegas Grand Prix. Ferrari had been racing with only one car for Patrick Tambay since the German Grand Prix.
Andretti was immediately on form and took pole position, ahead of Nelson Piquet and Patrick Tambay.

Answer: True

For the first and only time in the Championships history, a single country hosted three Grand Prix in one season. The United States Grand Prix West was held at Long Beach, the United States Grand Prix East was held in Detroit, while the Caesars Palace Grand Prix was held in Las Vegas. Surprisingly, Long Beach would hold only one more race in 1983 before switching to the American based PPG IndyCar series, while Las Vegas would not host another Formula One race.

Answer: 11

11 drivers managed to win a race in 1982, the most competitive season in Formula One history:
Keke Rosberg (Williams) one win
Didier Pironi (Ferrari) two wins
John Watson (McLaren) two wins
Alain Prost (Renault) two wins
Niki Lauda (McLaren) two wins
Rene Arnoux (Renault) two wins
Patrick Tambay (Ferrari) one win
Michele Alboreto (Tyrrell) one win
Elio de Angelis (Lotus) one win
Riccardo Patrese (Brabham) one win
Nelson Piquet (Brabham) one win

Answer: 18

Added to the list of winners, the following drivers managed to step on to the rostrum:
Eddie Cheever (Ligier) three podiums
Nigel Mansell (Lotus) one podium
Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) one podium
Carlos Reutemann (Williams) one podium
Andrea de Cesaris (Alfa Romeo) one podium
Jacques Laffite (Ligier) one podium
Mario Andretti (Ferrari) one podium

Answer: Ferrari

Despite the tragedy surrounding the team and the loss of their two drivers, Ferrari still managed to hold their lead in the Constructors Championship and salvage a trophy out of a forgettable season. The team finished top with 74 points, with three wins and 11 podiums. McLaren-Ford were second on 69 points with Renault third on 62.