Race Result
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren-TAG | 79 | 1:31:11.951 |
| 2 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 79 | + 7.154 |
| 3 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Renault | 79 | + 23.969 |
| 4 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 79 | + 43.706 |
| 5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 79 | + 1:06.125 |
| 6 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 78 | + 1 Lap |
| 7 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 78 | + 1 Lap |
| 8 | 5 | Jacques Laffite | Williams-Honda | 78 | + 1 Lap |
| 9 | 2 | Teo Fabi | Brabham-BMW | 78 | + 1 Lap |
| 10 | 26 | Andrea de Cesaris | Ligier-Renault | 77 | + 2 Laps |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Patrick Tambay | Renault | 1:02.200 | 1:24.855 |
| 2 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 1:02.336 | 1:20.859 |
| 3 | 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 1:02.806 | 1:30.893 |
| 4 | 6 | Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 1:02.908 | 1:30.872 |
| 5 | 7 | Alain Prost | McLaren-TAG | 1:02.982 | 1:25.397 |
| 6 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Renault | 1:03.200 | 1:20.061 |
| 7 | 16 | Derek Warwick | Renault | 1:03.540 | 1:23.363 |
| 8 | 14 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS-BMW | 1:03.865 | 1:28.393 |
| 9 | 8 | Niki Lauda | McLaren-TAG | 1:04.419 | 1:25.567 |
| 10 | 27 | Michele Alboreto | Ferrari | 1:04.459 | 1:22.749 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
The air hangs thick with the scent of burning rubber and a palpable tension – a final, decisive chapter at Dijon. Niki Lauda, piloting a McLaren-TAG 241, secured victory with a measured 1:53. 538, a testament to the 678 horsepower surging from his engine's 3. 5 litre V8. Observe the meticulous tire management employed; Lauda's consistent lap times, nearly a full second faster than Mansell's Lotus-Renault, suggest a deliberate strategy prioritizing compound durability over outright pace. This marks a significant return to form for the German, a victory mirroring his 1975 triumph, a year of remarkable resilience.
The air hangs thick with anticipation, a palpable tension settling over the Prenois track. A singular moment etched in Renault's history—Tambay's pole, the last of his marque's dominance here, mirroring the circuit's own impending obsolescence. Lauda's victory, a stark return to the podium after a protracted absence, demonstrates a curious statistical trend: McLaren, despite a year of fluctuating fortunes, still holds a disproportionate advantage in securing outright race wins. The championship leader, Prost, remains a distant third, highlighting a concerning 78 points gap – a figure that, considering the era's competitive intensity, speaks volumes about the Brazilian's struggles.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The rain, a relentless curtain now, threatened to swallow Mansell whole. A sickening slide through the Variante Charbonnier, and the Lotus man was adrift, a phantom in the spray. Lauda, meanwhile, wrestled his McLaren – TAG – through the same corner with a precision born of a lifetime spent battling the limits. This, one observes, echoes the struggles of Fangio, navigating the treacherous Scarbrough Complex with a similar blend of aggression and control. Tambay, steadfast in second, represents a national pride, a final flourish for France's motorsport ambitions before a prolonged absence. Lauda's victory, a return to the podium after a devastating accident in the previous race, feels particularly poignant given the current anxieties gripping Europe – a continent bracing itself for the escalating tensions simmering in the Eastern Bloc.
The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the mood in the pit lane. Tambay, a man of quiet precision, meticulously adjusted his helmet visor, a subtle furrow in his brow. A lifetime of racing distilled into this singular moment – the last glorious lap at Dijon. This was more than just a victory for McLaren; it was a poignant farewell to a circuit that had witnessed so much history. The legacy of French engineering, embodied by this race, would soon fade, a somber chapter concluding.