Complete calendar with 15 races
The 1983 Formula 1 season crowned Nelson Piquet as the first turbocharged World Champion, though his title triumph was shrouded in controversy over fuel regulations that would reshape the sport's technical landscape. The Brazilian's second championship, achieved in Gordon Murray's revolutionary Brabham BT52, came at the expense of Alain Prost's Renault in a dramatic season finale that left bitter recriminations and established turbo power as Formula 1's undisputed future.
The season witnessed the complete ascendancy of turbocharged engines, with Renault, Ferrari, Brabham-BMW, and Alfa Romeo all deploying forced-induction power. The naturally aspirated Ford-Cosworth DFV, which had dominated the previous decade, was rendered obsolete almost overnight. Turbo cars won all 15 races, signaling the end of an era and forcing traditional teams like Williams and McLaren to accelerate their own turbo programs. The sheer power advantage - with BMW's M12/13 four-cylinder producing approximately 850 horsepower in qualifying trim and 650 bhp in race configuration - made atmospheric engines uncompetitive.
Prost emerged as the season's dominant force, winning four races for Renault and leading the championship from the Belgian Grand Prix in May through to the final round. The Frenchman's smooth, calculating style proved perfectly suited to managing turbo lag and extracting consistency from the powerful but temperamental RE40. Alongside teammate Eddie Cheever, Prost gave Renault genuine championship credentials after years of promise undermined by reliability failures. However, the French manufacturer's inability to seal either title would prove a crushing disappointment that ultimately led to wholesale changes.
The championship battle developed into a four-way contest between Prost, Piquet, and Ferrari's René Arnoux and Patrick Tambay. Ferrari claimed the Constructors' Championship with 89 points, led by Arnoux's three victories that demonstrated the prancing horse's return to competitiveness after the tragedies of 1982. Tambay won twice, including an emotional victory at Hockenheim where Gilles Villeneuve had perished the previous year. The French duo provided Ferrari with their first constructors' title since 1979, though neither could sustain a title challenge against Prost and Piquet's superior consistency.
Piquet's championship was built on tactical brilliance and remarkable consistency rather than outright dominance. The Brazilian won just three races compared to Prost's four, but crucially finished on the podium seven times and scored points in 12 of 15 races. The Brabham BT52 featured innovative design elements including pull-rod suspension and extreme ground-effect aerodynamics, making it devastatingly effective when its BMW turbo held together. However, the car's aggressive design and BMW's powerful but fragile engine meant reliability remained a constant concern.
The season's decisive moment arrived at the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, where Prost entered with 57 points to Piquet's 55. The Frenchman needed only to finish ahead of the Brazilian to claim his first title, but disaster struck on lap 35 when his Renault's turbo failed while running third. Piquet finished third behind Riccardo Patrese and Andrea de Cesaris, securing the championship by two points. The victory was bittersweet for Piquet, who later admitted he felt he'd won by default rather than dominance.
Controversy erupted post-season when investigations revealed that Brabham's BMW fuel contained approximately 80 percent toluene, an aromatic hydrocarbon that dramatically increased octane ratings beyond the legal limit of 102. The exotic fuel mixture cost up to $300 per liter and was highly poisonous, pushing the boundaries of what constituted "pump fuel" under the regulations' vague wording. Despite clear evidence of rule violations, Renault declined to lodge an official protest, unwilling to win the championship through legal appeal rather than on-track performance. The scandal prompted FISA to tighten fuel regulations significantly for subsequent seasons.
The supporting cast provided memorable moments throughout the season. Michele Alboreto delivered Tyrrell's final victory before their decline at Detroit, while Keke Rosberg reminded everyone of his talent with Monaco victory for Williams. Niki Lauda's return to McLaren showed promise despite the team's underpowered naturally aspirated engine, setting the stage for their turbocharged dominance in 1984. Meanwhile, a young driver named Ayrton Senna made his Formula 1 testing debut with Williams, offering a glimpse of the sport's next generation.
The 1983 season marked the definitive end of Formula 1's ground-effect era, as FISA moved to ban skirts and introduce flat-bottom regulations for 1983. Teams adapted by developing sophisticated aerodynamics that generated downforce through carefully sculpted underfloors and aggressive diffusers. Combined with increasingly powerful turbocharged engines, the cars became extraordinarily fast but also more demanding to drive, requiring exceptional throttle control to manage turbo lag and sudden power delivery.
Piquet's championship, while tainted by fuel controversy, established him as one of the era's elite drivers capable of winning titles with different technical approaches. His ability to adapt to the BT52's extreme characteristics and extract results from BMW's powerful but fragile engine demonstrated why he was regarded as one of the sport's shrewdest competitors. However, the manner of his victory left questions unanswered and contributed to turbo-era Formula 1's reputation for technical gamesmanship and regulatory ambiguity.