Brazilian Grand Prix 1982 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Alain Prost dominated at Jacarepaguá to claim his second consecutive victory, establishing himself as the early championship favorite. However, the race's true significance emerged post-event when race stewards disqualified both Nelson Piquet's winning Brabham and Keke Rosberg's Williams for running underweight. The FOCA teams had exploited regulations by using water-cooled brakes that were drained after qualifying and before the race, reducing the cars to below the legal minimum weight.

The disqualifications handed Prost victory and intensified the FISA-FOCA war to boiling point. Bernie Ecclestone and the FOCA teams felt persecuted by Jean-Marie Balestre's governing body, while FISA accused the constructors of systematic cheating. John Watson's McLaren inherited second place ahead of Nigel Mansell's Lotus, giving the future World Champion his first podium finish. The controversy set an acrimonious tone that would dominate 1982's off-track narrative.