Race
Due to the force of the severe impact, Paletti sustained heavy chest injuries and was lying unconscious in his car, wedged against the steering wheel. Didier Pironi and Sid Watkins , the FIA 's head doctor, were on the scene to stabilise and assist Paletti. As Watkins climbed over the wreckage of the Osella, the petrol from the fuel tank ignited, enveloping the car in a wall of fire. When the fire was finally put out, the injured Paletti was without a pulse. It took the rescue workers 25 minutes...
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Tyre | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | G | 70 |
| 2 | 2 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-Ford | G | 70 |
| 3 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | M | 70 |
| 4 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Ford | G | 69 |
| 5 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows-Ford | P | 69 |
| 6 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | M | 68 |
| 7 | 5 | Derek Daly | Williams-Ford | G | 68 |
| 8 | 30 | Mauro Baldi | Arrows-Ford | P | 68 |
| 9 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | G | 67 |
| 10 | 25 | Eddie Cheever | Ligier-Matra | M | 66 |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:31.332 | 1:27.509 |
| 2 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:31.494 | 1:27.895 |
| 3 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:32.258 | 1:28.563 |
| 4 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 1:32.105 | 1:28.663 |
| 5 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:33.136 | 1:28.740 |
| 6 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | 1:35.027 | 1:28.822 |
| 7 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Ford | 1:30.963 | 1:28.874 |
| 8 | 2 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-Ford | 1:31.343 | 1:28.999 |
| 9 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:30.286 | 1:29.183 |
| 10 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Ford | 1:33.242 | 1:29.228 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung thick with humidity – a deliberate shift, of course, to test those new Michelin compounds. Piquet's Brabham, a snarling 200 horsepower beast, seemed to relish the conditions, its Ford engine momentarily exhibiting a disconcerting shudder during Patrese's closing move. Paletti's tragic demise, a wrench in the mechanics of the day, only amplified the simmering tension, particularly given the whispers emanating from Ferrari about their own engine's thermal management shortcomings. A brutal reminder that victory, in this sport, is rarely a simple equation.
The air hangs heavy here in Montreal, doesn't it? A strange stillness clings to the circuit, almost as if the ground itself is absorbing the news. Seventy laps, a brutal test of both man and machine – and a brutal statistic emerges: Nelson Piquet's victory, his first in months, coincides with a chilling anomaly. Consider this – the Brazilian's dominant performance, the first BMW-powered win, occurred precisely when the championship points gap between him and Keke Rosberg swelled to a staggering 32 points. A disconcerting pattern, wouldn't you agree?
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain hadn't stopped, not really, but it was a greasy, insistent drizzle – a fitting accompaniment to the unfolding nightmare. Paletti's car, a shredded mess against the concrete wall, spoke volumes. BMW, suddenly, possessed a victory, and a rather unsettling one at that. Patrese, predictably, was a mess of controlled fury, muttering something about "a bloody miracle" – a sentiment I suspect echoed through the Brabham garage. Don't mistake the wet for a blessing; this was a calculated gamble, a brutal reminder of the sport's capricious nature. Villeneuve, observing from the pits, offered a single, unsettling nod to the BMW team – a silent acknowledgement of a power shift. The air hung thick with the scent of oil and, undeniably, grief.
The rain hadn't bothered Piquet, not a drop. He'd been muttering about the "bloody Americans" and their insistence on pushing the BMW engines to the absolute limit. Patrese, predictably, was incandescent, pacing the pit wall, a storm brewing in his young eyes. A storm fueled by frustration, and perhaps, a touch of righteous indignation. Paletti's passing, of course, cast a pall over everything, a grim counterpoint to Piquet's triumph. You could practically taste the regret in the air – a heavy, suffocating scent clinging to the track. The Canadian summer, suddenly, felt profoundly colder.