Qualifying
Behind Reutemann, French driver Jacques Laffite was fourth in his Ligier JS11/15 with Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet ( Brabham BT49 ) and Italian driver Elio de Angelis ( Lotus 81 ) completing the points finishers. Team Lotus ran a third car for debutant British driver Nigel Mansell . The future world champion retired with a broken engine after 40 laps and suffering burns after he raced in overalls soaked in fuel after a pre-race incident. West German driver Jochen Mass did not make the start, c... Jones now led Piquet by eleven points, Reutemann by 17 and Laffite by 19. Williams now led Ligier in the constructors' championship by 26 points and Brabham by 41.
Race Result
| Pos | No. | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:30.27 | - |
| 2 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:31.48 | + 1.21 |
| 3 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 1:32.95 | + 2.68 |
| 4 | 28 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford | 1:33.07 | + 2.80 |
| 5 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Ford | 1:33.16 | + 2.89 |
| 6 | 25 | Didier Pironi | Ligier-Ford | 1:33.22 | + 2.95 |
| 7 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford | 1:33.39 | + 3.12 |
| 8 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:33.64 | + 3.37 |
| 9 | 12 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Ford | 1:33.76 | + 3.49 |
| 10 | 4 | Derek Daly | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:34.17 | + 3.90 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Let's examine Jabouille's Renault RE20. The 1. 5-liter V6 engine, employing a slightly unconventional rocker arm design – a direct consequence of Ford's reluctance to fully embrace the evolving rocker arm geometry – delivered a peak output of 400 horsepower. Observe the resultant torque curve; it's noticeably flatter than the Williams' offering, suggesting a prioritization of sustained power delivery over immediate, explosive acceleration. This choice, coupled with the softer compound tires, undoubtedly contributed to the Renault's strong performance here at the Österreichring.
Jabouille's victory, a solitary triumph, represents a statistically improbable outcome given the prevailing aerodynamic configurations of the era. The Renault RE20's lap times, averaging 1:36. 8, were a full 0. 7 seconds slower than Alan Jones's Williams, suggesting a critical imbalance in downforce generation – a discrepancy rarely seen at this stage of the season. Considering the Williams's pole position and Jones's established championship lead, this result exposes a vulnerability in the frontrunner's setup, a potential consequence of the Österreichring's undulating surface. It's a jarring deviation; Jones had dominated the previous race in France.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rear wing's aero balance… utterly compromised. Jabouille's RE20 is generating a frankly astonishing amount of drag – the twin flaps are oscillating wildly, reacting to the turbulence from the nose. Observe the differential pressure readings; it's a cascade, feeding back into a drastically reduced top speed. A critical failure here could have cost Jabouille the lead, a testament to the delicate dance between airflow and mechanical response.
Jabouille… a flicker of defiance in the rain, wasn't it? The Renault RE20, a testament to audacious design, wrestled a victory from the sodden Österreichring. Jones, relentlessly consistent, pushed hard, but the French team's gamble, this aerodynamically sensitive setup, yielded results. A curious application of leading-edge flap geometry, too, contributing to the increased grip. A fascinating display of risk versus reward, wouldn't you agree?