1983 Formula One Season Trivia Quiz

Answer: 16

Sixteen teams would compete in 1983, although the Spirit team would only make their appearance on the grid from the British Grand Prix onwards.

The reigning World Champion remained with the Williams-Ford team and carried the Number One, but it would be a difficult season for the team as the Ford DFV was finally starting to look long in the tooth against the turbos.

Ferrari, Renault and the BMW powered Brabham dominated the season, while Lotus managed to get their hands on a Renault turbo, Williams tested the new Honda turbo in preparation for 1984 (thanks to the Spirit team), while McLaren tested the new TAG sponsored Porsche turbo.

Answer: Nelson Piquet

Held in the sweltering Rio de Janeiro heat at the Jacarapagua circuit, it was the turbo BMW of Nelson Piquet that managed to hold itself together and head home a bunch of Ford DFVs to the flag.

Keke Rosberg had originally finished second in a Williams-Ford, but was later disqualified for a push start. Niki Lauda finished third in a McLaren-Ford, but was not promoted to second.

Potential championship challengers Alain Prost and Rene Arnoux both finished outside the points.

Answer: 22nd and 23rd

John Watson secured his fifth and final Formula One victory after a stunning drive from 22nd on the grid to lead home his team-mate in a quite remarkable McLaren-Ford 1-2.

The McLarens had suffered tremendously during qualifying, and were somewhat lucky to qualify, with only the Osella cars proving to be hugely uncompetitive.

In a tremendously exciting race, Rosberg was causing all sorts of excitement and havoc up front, while quietly the two McLaren-Fords were picking their way through the field and picking up places as everyone fell by the wayside.

Amazingly, by lap 45, the McLarens were past the leading car of Jacques Laffite, and Watson pulled away from the cramping Lauda to take victory.

It was the farthest in modern Formula One a driver had ever come to win a race, a record which stood into the 21st century.

Answer: Patrick Tambay

Patrick Tambay took an emotional second victory of his career at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, well aware that his great friend Gilles Villeneuve had been involved in unsavoury incidents during the race the previous season.

It was all the more fitting that it was Tambay who was driving the #27 Ferrari made famous by Villeneuve and adored by the Tifosi.

Answer: Andrea de Cesaris

1983 was arguably one of de Cesaris' best in Formula One. Results were still thin for the erratic Italian, but some of his performances during the season were pure brilliance.

The race at Spa-Francorchamps proved his 'de Crasheris' tag earned over the previous two seasons was unfair. In the turbocharged Alfa Romeo, de Cesaris led over half the race, while setting fastest lap, and although the win was still a number of laps away, the engine cruelly blew while a possible first win was for the taking.

Unfortunately for the likable Italian, history would repeat itself eight years later when he retired from second place, and a possible win, while driving for Jordan at the same circuit.

Answer: US Grand Prix East

No one probably knew it at the time, but Alboreto crossing the finish line to take victory at the US Grand Prix, held in Detroit, was the last victory of 33 for the Tyrrell Racing team, and also the last of 155 victories for the Cosworth DFV, after 17 years at the top.

Fords actually filled the podium, with Keke Rosberg in second and John Watson in third as the turbos generally gave up in the severe heat.

But the turbos had finally won the battle as by 1984 all teams, bar Tyrrell, had a turbocharged engine.

Answer: Monaco

Rosberg had won the title in 1982 after taking only Grand Prix win - the Swiss Grand Prix held at Dijon.

However, circumstances in 1983 were different. The Williams-Ford was not as good as its predecessor while the turbo-engined cars of Renault, Ferrari and BMW were more reliable than in 1982.

Rosberg won on the streets of Monaco, but apart from a second place in Detroit, the Williams was generally uncompetitive compared to the turbos.

Answer: 3

Arnoux had left Renault at the end of 1982 after the relationship between he and Alain Prost soured to the point where one driver had to leave.

He joined Ferrari for the 1983 and was one of the Championship favourites pre-season. His season started slowly with only two third places in the first seven races, but three wins in five races (Canada, Germany and Netherlands) catapulted Arnoux into championship contention.

A ninth place and a retirement in the final two races ended any possible championship hopes and the Frenchman finished third overall.

Answer: Eddie Cheever

Eddie Cheever joined Renault from Ligier after a successful 1982 season for the French team.

The American proved an able number two for Prost, finishing on the podium four times, with three thirds and equalling his best position of second at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The American finished equal sixth in the Championship but was shown the door by Renault at the end of the season after the French team had lost both the Drivers and Constructors Championships.

Answer: Nigel Mansell

Patrese won the 1983 South African Grand Prix to end a rather barren year of results, with a third at the German Grand Prix his only other result of note. De Cesaris took his second second position of the season after finishing in the same position at the German Grand Prix, while Nelson Piquet wrapped up the Drivers Championship with third place, after his rival Alain Prost had retired.

Mansell finished the race as non-classified.

Answer: 3

Three tyre manufacturers supplied tyres to the 1983 Formula One grid.

Goodyear supplied Ferrari, Williams, Tyrrell, Arrows, Spirit and ATS.

Michelin supplied Renault, Brabham, McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Osella and Ligier.

Pirelli supplied Lotus, Toleman and RAM-March.

Answer: Brands Hatch

The term 'European Grand Prix' was generally given as the honourary title to any Grand Prix of Europe, first used in 1923 with the Italian Grand Prix until the Belgian Grand Prix in 1930, and then from the Belgian Grand Prix in 1947 until the British Grand Prix in 1977.

The term was again revived in 1983, primarily due to the cancellation of a race in North America, so Brands Hatch was chosen to host a race at short notice, but as the British Grand Prix had already been held at Silverstone that year, the European Grand Prix name was revived.

Brands Hatch would host the European Grand Prix again in 1985, while Donington Park would host the race in 1993.

Answer: Ferrari

Ferrari won their second consecutive Constructors Championship, which would be their last until the 1999 Formula One season.

The Prancing Horse primarily won the Championship thanks to the consistency of both drivers, who finished third and fourth in the Drivers Championship, scoring four wins and twelve podiums, finishing on 89 points. The team also took pole position in eight of the 15 races.

Renault finished second overall on 79 points, also with four wins and eleven podiums. Brabham-BMW finished third on 72 points, also with four wins and ten podiums.

Answer: Dutch Grand Prix

Warwick had enjoyed success with Toleman in Formula Two, but his first two seasons with Toleman in 1981-82 were most full of frustration, retirements and plenty of non-qualifying.

But the 1983 model was a major improvement on the previous two cars, and the Hart engine far more reliable.

There were still plenty of retirements, but continual improvements from the team resulted in better reliability and a points finish of fourth place at the Dutch Grand Prix. Confidence restored, Warwich then finished sixth in Italy, fifth at Brands Hatch and fourth in South Africa to finish the season on 9 points and help Toleman to ninth in the Constructors Championship.

Answer: True

Despite almost taking the World Championship for Renault in 1983, the relationship between driver and team had soured significantly during the season. Prost was sometimes incensed at Renault's refusal to throw money at continuous development, while Renault basically blamed Prost for losing the World Championship to Piquet.

Prost was sacked by Renault two days after the South African Grand Prix. He signed with McLaren days later, and went on to win three World Championships for McLaren in five years.

Renault went into a downward spiral in 1984-85 and eventually left at the end of 1985, but remained as an engine supplier in 1986.

Renault would not return as a team until 2002.