Qualifying
On home soil, Renault dominated the French Grand Prix. Alain Prost took pole position 2.3 seconds faster than second placed teammate Eddie Cheever. It would be Cheever's best ever qualifying position in Formula One. On the fast Circuit Paul Ricard with its 1.8 km long Mistral Straight, the turbo engines with their greater power had a large advantage. The fastest normally-aspirated car was the 12th placed McLaren - Ford of Long Beach runner up Niki Lauda , qualifying some 4.3 seconds slower than ... Chico Serra returned to the grid in the No.30 Arrows -Ford after the expected sponsorship that would have kept Australia 's 1980 World Champion Alan Jones in the seat for the remainder of the season fell through at the last minute. Serra, who qualified 26th in France, would only last this and the next two races in Imola and Monaco before Arrows team boss Jackie Oliver replaced him for good with Belgian rookie Thierry Boutsen (who had finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 1981 and 1982 Europea...
Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Tyre | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | M | 54 |
| 2 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | M | 54 |
| 3 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | M | 54 |
| 4 | 27 | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | G | 54 |
| 5 | 1 | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Ford | G | 53 |
| 6 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams-Ford | G | 53 |
| 7 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | G | 53 |
| 8 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell-Ford | G | 53 |
| 9 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier-Ford | M | 53 |
| 10 | 29 | Marc Surer | Arrows-Ford | G | 53 |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:38.358 | 1:36.672 |
| 2 | 16 | Eddie Cheever | Renault | 1:38.980 | 1:39.785 |
| 3 | 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-BMW | 1:41.095 | 1:39.104 |
| 4 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:40.027 | 1:39.115 |
| 5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 1:39.512 | 1:39.312 |
| 6 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 1:39.601 | 1:39.746 |
| 7 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:38.099† | 1:39.611 |
| 8 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 1:41.215 | 1:39.618 |
| 9 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman-Hart | 1:43.038 | 1:39.881 |
| 10 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS-BMW | 1:40.233 | 1:44.997 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hung thick with the scent of pine and anticipation – a peculiar fragrance for a battlefield of steel and combustion. Prost, cool as a glacial stream, secured pole position with a 680 horsepower Renault, a beast of a car utilizing Michelin's H57 compound; a choice that, according to telemetry, favored corner entry speed over outright top-end. Cheever, ever the strategist, settled for third, his Renault's 680hp a testament to Michelin's burgeoning grip on the sport.
The air hung thick with the scent of pine and anticipation – a peculiar perfume for a battlefield of metal and speed. Alain Prost, a sculptor of angles and precision, secured pole by a mere tenth, a statistic that, considering the volatile temperament of Paul Ricard, felt almost… fragile. It was the third consecutive French Grand Prix victory for Renault, a sequence mirroring the nation's own ambitions for a decisive moment, a surge of dominance.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain hadn't relented, a sullen grey curtain drawn across Paul Ricard. Prost wrestled the Renault, a sliver of blue and orange, edging ahead of Piquet's Brabham. A fraction, barely perceptible, yet enough to send a tremor through the Renault garage – a palpable surge of hope mingled with the grim knowledge of the conditions. Cheever, observing from the pit wall, chewed on his lip, the tension a thick, humid blanket. This wasn't merely a victory; it was a defiant declaration, a statement etched against the backdrop of a season already tilting towards McLaren. The French crowd, a restless sea of faces, felt the shift, sensing the arrival of a new narrative.
The rain, a sullen grey drape across the Ricard track, seemed to mirror Alain Prost's mood. A flicker of impatience in his eyes, a barely perceptible tightening of the jaw – the young Frenchman possessed a singular focus, a quiet, relentless drive that bordered on an obsession. He'd spent an eternity coaxing the Renault into submission, a machine he viewed less as a tool and more as a complex, demanding partner. Cheever, ever the pragmatic one, offered a brief, reassuring nod; a silent acknowledgement of the weight of expectation pressing down on them both. The Renault, tonight, felt…right. It was a feeling Prost rarely allowed himself to indulge, yet here it was, a fragile certainty before the storm. The air hung thick with the scent of damp asphalt and the unspoken ambition of a nation.