F1 1983 - Grand Prix of South Africa - video Dailymotion

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00:00:00Africa has been described as a world in one country, within about the same size as the

00:00:05western United States.

00:00:08There are modern cities located throughout every type of natural terrain possible, seashores

00:00:14to deserts, flat plains leading to rolling green hills and snow-capped mountains, plus

00:00:20of course the bush country, teeming with nearly every type of animal on the continent of Africa.

00:00:28Just that name brings back memories of countless safari movies, with the brave hunters surviving

00:00:34all odds to secure their goals.

00:00:37Well, the Formula One Grand Prix safari has arrived.

00:00:42Twenty-six teams, heavily armed with turbo motors, carbon fiber chassis, disc brakes,

00:00:49slippery aerodynamics and 16-inch wide tires, all testing the law of the jungle, survival

00:00:56of the fittest.

00:00:57The great hunters themselves have been described as young lions, showing all the bravery, quickness

00:01:04and timing of the most clever, big cats.

00:01:09But on the Grand Prix safari, the hunters often become the hunted.

00:01:15All 26 of them stalk each other throughout two days of practice and qualifying in preparation

00:01:21for their final test of courage and ability around this most challenging Kailani circuit.

00:01:29There are three trophies being tracked this weekend, victory at a Grand Prix event, plus

00:01:35the title for the World Championship of Drivers and Constructors.

00:01:40The South African Grand Prix is the last of 15 events taking place all over the world.

00:01:47An eight-month trek which has come down to the most exciting conclusion ever in modern

00:01:53Grand Prix racing.

00:01:54There are three drivers here capable of capturing the World Championship.

00:02:00That situation has pitched three major manufacturers, BMW, Renault and Ferrari, against each other

00:02:08in a technical battle of speed and dependability, each seeking that perfect combination that

00:02:14will lead their driver to the World Championship crown.

00:02:20This is John Bisignano in Johannesburg, South Africa.

00:02:23I'll be your host along with Brian Kreisky for this ESPN 90-minute coverage of the South

00:02:30African Grand Prix for Formula One racing cars.

00:02:34Brian and I will be presenting special reports, driver interviews with the three potential

00:02:40World Champions, all the latest F1 updates, plus the fantastic Grand Prix race action.

00:02:48Please be with us after this short message when we return for the final round of the

00:02:521983 F1 season and the crowning of this year's World Champion.

00:02:59Oh, what a race it's going to be.

00:03:05♪♪

00:03:12Professional race car drivers don't appreciate being classified in simple collective terms

00:03:18such as speed freaks or lead foots.

00:03:22Their goal is to control the high-speed testing environment of fifth gear.

00:03:29There's nothing reckless about it.

00:03:32If top speed was their sole desire, they would be at Bonneville Salt Flats rather than

00:03:37Kyle Army Road Racing Circuit where the speeds and terrain vary from two tight 50-mile-an-hour

00:03:44second-gear corners to the mile-long straight where F1 cars spend more than 20 seconds in

00:03:50fifth between 170 and 200 miles an hour.

00:03:56But when you talk to drivers about their life in fifth gear at above 170, they always

00:04:02get a special glow revealing that sheer pleasure they all love from going that fast.

00:04:10It's an environment so uncommon to the body's senses that all feelings and perceptions are

00:04:16pushed far beyond the normal maximum 100% level.

00:04:22After that split-second reaction that moves the gear lever into fifth and the RPMs start

00:04:27rapidly climbing, so does every body sensation, sight, smell, hearing, touch, even taste all

00:04:37become ultra-sharp, working at levels that just can't be pushed that high by other normal

00:04:44activities.

00:04:46At 180 miles an hour, one second covers 264 feet.

00:04:52At 200, the length of a football field rockets past every second.

00:04:58Judgments must be correctly made in inches or thousandths of a second.

00:05:03How well a driver performs in this strange, stressed, top-speed environment determines

00:05:09both his success and safety.

00:05:13It's one thing to deal with this fifth gear speed alone on the track, but things become

00:05:18really interesting when you put 26 competitive drivers all together.

00:05:24Battle shows through.

00:05:26We're with Derek Warwick, the number one driver for the Toleman team.

00:05:31Derek, here at Carl Army, the Formula One cars spend more time in fifth gear at over

00:05:36180 miles an hour than any other circuit.

00:05:39What is that like?

00:05:40Well, I mean, it's exciting because when you go along the straight for such a long throttle

00:05:45opening in fifth gear, it's something like 20 seconds down here, obviously you've got

00:05:49time to think about everything the car is doing, the lap before, and it gives you a

00:05:55lot of feeling for the car because when it's going down there and the engine's throbbing

00:06:00away, it makes you feel exactly what everything's doing and it sort of excites everything you

00:06:06do.

00:06:07Your perceptions become 110, 120 percent.

00:06:10Yeah, that's right, yeah, right.

00:06:12Now, is that an enjoyable thing to do alone or it must become a little complicated when

00:06:17there's 25 other cars doing it with you?

00:06:20Well, when you go down there with a lot of other cars, of course, it becomes actually

00:06:24more enjoyable because when you're in the aerodynamic wake of another car, you then

00:06:31pull out and you try and overtake and it makes it much more exciting because, you know, you

00:06:36get down, you get the slipstream and, Jesus, you know, you go into the corner and you may

00:06:40have picked up 300 or 400 revs, so, you know, it's better.

00:06:44But at that speed, you're covering the length of a football field in one second.

00:06:48You must make those judgments in milliseconds and in inches almost.

00:06:53Yeah, in a way, you don't really get a sense of speed because you don't actually fixate

00:06:58your eye on a sign or a bridge or whatever because you're concentrating on what the engine's

00:07:04doing, what the car's doing, the instruments, the lap before, how you can better the next

00:07:09lap, how you can pass the car in front.

00:07:11All that sort of thing goes on in a straightaway.

00:07:15Is that top speed, do you love it?

00:07:18Is that one of the reasons that you're here?

00:07:20Is that one of the reasons that you go racing?

00:07:22I suppose so, yes.

00:07:23It's speed, really.

00:07:24I mean, that's the reason I done Le Mans.

00:07:26I mean, at Le Mans, you're doing speeds of 350 kilometers an hour and it was something

00:07:31I had to do, I wanted to do.

00:07:33So I went over there and done it.

00:07:35I suppose it's the speed that really excites me, yeah.

00:07:38350 kilometers, that's almost 240 miles an hour.

00:07:42About 235, I think we were doing.

00:07:44Somewhere along there, you must become at least startled, if not afraid.

00:07:48Not afraid, no, but you're aware of if you have an accident, it's going to be a big one.

00:07:56So basically, you love the part of speed that motor racing makes up in your life.

00:08:02Well, for sure.

00:08:03Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing it.

00:08:04I mean, it's a thrill of going faster than somebody else that makes me keep on doing it.

00:08:10Derek, good luck at top speed in fifth gear this weekend.

00:08:15Thank you very much.

00:08:16Cheers.

00:08:17It was Graham Hill who summed it all up by saying,

00:08:20it takes a great lack of imagination to be a really quick racing car driver.

00:08:26If any of us ever imagined what would happen in an accident at over 180 miles an hour,

00:08:32we'd never step into the cars.

00:08:34Well, the problem is it takes a great imagination to be an effective ESPN motorsports correspondent.

00:08:41The only way to accurately report about life in fifth gear at over 180 miles an hour

00:08:48is to make a trip to that special environment myself and hopefully return with a personal report.

00:08:55We'll be right back after this short break.

00:08:58Stay with us.

00:08:59You don't want to miss this one.

00:09:01With great difficulty to squeeze into the tight Benetton-Tyrrell chassis,

00:09:17two things were racing through my mind.

00:09:20First, was I capable of 180 miles per hour?

00:09:24Even though I'm a retired veteran of over 200 races,

00:09:28the last time I had 500 horsepower behind me in an open-wheel single-seater was in 1970.

00:09:36My last full season was in 1977.

00:09:40But the doubt was overwhelmed by the anticipation of what I knew that fifth gear environment would produce.

00:09:48Everybody's sensation pumping away at 120%.

00:09:54Once strapped in, my mind turned to only one thing,

00:09:58fulfilling a lifelong desire to drive a Formula One racing car

00:10:03and to once again enter that top speed world.

00:10:07Nothing else mattered.

00:10:09The risks involved were pushed to the back of my mind,

00:10:12trying to subdue that imagination that created this trial.

00:10:17Ken Tyrrell was risking $250,000 worth of Formula One race car.

00:10:23I, maybe even more.

00:10:26Every lap brought more security and cautious confidence.

00:10:31By the third tour, I was there, flat down in fifth for over 20 seconds

00:10:37and every sensation going over the top.

00:10:42Well, home safely in the pits after spending five laps

00:10:46in the top speed environment here around Kyle Army,

00:10:50it was unbelievable.

00:10:51The acceleration, first of all.

00:10:53My tongue was actually rolling back in my mouth

00:10:56because of the acceleration of the car.

00:10:58I physically had to hold it down.

00:11:00My eyes were being pulled back.

00:11:01I felt like someone on one of those jet sleds you see

00:11:04with their skin being wrinkled by the acceleration.

00:11:08But the top speed itself was the most special thing.

00:11:11You weren't only going down the road,

00:11:13but the end of the road was rushing towards you.

00:11:16It was a whole other dimension of speed.

00:11:19And like I was hoping, the sensations were pushed above the 100% level.

00:11:25The vision was like turning up the bright control

00:11:28on your color television.

00:11:29Everything that was colorful was twice as colorful.

00:11:33The sound of the motor wasn't just a roar of an engine.

00:11:36You could actually hear the mechanics of it,

00:11:39the tappets up and down, valves opening and closing.

00:11:43It was unbelievable.

00:11:45Even the smell and the taste,

00:11:47to actually be able to smell the tires

00:11:49or even taste them as they go over your lips,

00:11:53it's incredible.

00:11:54Now, the feeling of it.

00:11:56You say race car drivers must feel it in the seat of their pants.

00:11:59Well, if they feel it there, they're about two seconds too late.

00:12:02You have to feel it in the end of your fingertips.

00:12:05And it's a remarkable sensation

00:12:08that that speed pushes your perceptions to the limits

00:12:12that you become that alive.

00:12:14Maybe the only thing that comes close to it is snow skiing

00:12:19back in good old Breckenridge, Colorado

00:12:21when you point the skis straight down the mountain

00:12:25and you're on the limit

00:12:26and your body has to go up to 100% or maybe even beyond

00:12:30to maintain stability, to maintain life.

00:12:33But there you're only with yourself in the mountain.

00:12:36Here you're with 500 horsepower

00:12:38and a machine that's trying to control you

00:12:41instead of you control it.

00:12:43The only disappointment was having to come in.

00:12:46I would still like to be out there and feeling that again.

00:12:50I want to thank Ken Tyrrell

00:12:52and especially the Benetton Tyrrell team

00:12:55for giving me this opportunity.

00:12:57And we certainly appreciate the fine cooperation

00:13:00of the people here at Kyle Army Raceway

00:13:02for letting us do these five flying laps in 5th gear.

00:13:08And so practice gets underway here for round 15,

00:13:11the World Championship decider,

00:13:13the 1983 South African Grand Prix.

00:13:16And a man with an awful lot to prove

00:13:18is a man who sits on pole position,

00:13:21the Frenchman Patrick Tambay,

00:13:23recently fired, would you believe, from the Ferrari team,

00:13:26having his last ever race for that team,

00:13:28gets pole position with a time of 1 minute 6.554 seconds.

00:13:33That represents an average speed of just under 138 mph.

00:13:38So this is the last race for Patrick Tambay.

00:13:41He has a lot to prove and he must be smiling within himself

00:13:44with that pole position

00:13:46gained in front of his teammate René Arnoux.

00:13:49To this observer it seems very strange

00:13:51that Tambay has been fired for the 1984 season,

00:13:54but that's the politics within the Ferrari team.

00:13:58Patrick Tambay, who is with Ferrari

00:14:00and also on pole position here at the Kyle Army Grand Prix.

00:14:04Patrick, you have many fans in the United States with your racing there.

00:14:08They want to know several questions.

00:14:10First of all, what is it like to be in your last Ferrari drive

00:14:13and also on pole position?

00:14:15It's difficult.

00:14:17Well, Patrick, it's hard for us to believe

00:14:20that after the work you've done for them this year

00:14:24that the Enzo Ferrari has chosen

00:14:27a very capable but less experienced driver for 1984.

00:14:31Please try and tell us what you feel inside about that.

00:14:35Well, they have given me a lot this year

00:14:38and the past year and a half.

00:14:41And it was very positive for me.

00:14:44Patrick, another question is...

00:14:46I don't think I can do that. I'm sorry.

00:14:48Best of luck tomorrow, OK?

00:14:51Patrick Tambay in a very short interview,

00:14:54but he summed it up beautifully,

00:14:56his emotions of this very brave man on the edge of tears.

00:14:59Tomorrow will be his last Ferrari drive

00:15:02starting on pole position.

00:15:04Enzo Ferrari has decided

00:15:06to try and make an Italian world champion

00:15:09out of the up-and-coming Michele Alboreto.

00:15:12Patrick has done an incredible job for them,

00:15:15but here he is at Kyle Army last race of the year

00:15:18out of a job, searching around for 84.

00:15:21I'm sure there's plenty of people who will want his talent.

00:15:24Second quickest in practice,

00:15:26driving the palm-lat Brabham BMW

00:15:28on a 1 minute 6.792 second lap,

00:15:31Nelson Piquet, who lies second in the World Championship,

00:15:34just two points behind the championship leader

00:15:37prior to this race, Frenchman Alain Prost.

00:15:40The palm-lat Brabham BMW

00:15:42seems to be the quickest car in a straight line,

00:15:45with a top speed of just over 190 mph

00:15:48in that long straight down to the first corner at Crowthorns.

00:15:52Many people regard Nelson Piquet

00:15:54as the favourite to win this year's World Championship

00:15:57to add to his 1981 world title.

00:16:00Nelson Piquet, you seem very relaxed

00:16:03here in your Brabham BMW pits.

00:16:05How can you be so relaxed?

00:16:07You're only two points away from becoming world champion.

00:16:10I think only I seem relaxed, but I'm not very relaxed.

00:16:13I'm very nervous.

00:16:15Did some of that nervousness come through

00:16:17in your qualifying session here?

00:16:19You actually spun the car in one of the fastest corners on the circuit.

00:16:23Yeah, today I did what was the worst day,

00:16:26I think you can say, driving for Dizzy.

00:16:28I spun off, I missed gears,

00:16:30and I did the worst I could do today.

00:16:33So the pressure is on you then, and you are feeling it?

00:16:36Yeah, for sure, it's something different.

00:16:39For one of your worst days, you came up second on the grid.

00:16:42That's not such a bad day.

00:16:44Well, I was the quickest today,

00:16:46but still I could have been improving today.

00:16:50What kind of a race plan do you have for tomorrow?

00:16:53Are you going to just try and win the race,

00:16:56or are you just going to try and get two points ahead of your competition,

00:16:59Rene Arnoux and Alain Prost?

00:17:02Well, it depends after ten laps.

00:17:04If the guy is right behind me, I have to win the race.

00:17:07If he stops, I have to finish only two points in front of him.

00:17:10It all depends on the race tomorrow.

00:17:12Does your mind go back throughout the season?

00:17:15It must, where you can see where you could have picked up those two or three points.

00:17:19Well, I can only say that this year I only made one mistake in the whole season.

00:17:24I did a bad start in Imola.

00:17:26During the whole season, I did a nearly perfect season.

00:17:29I didn't have any race I could say that was a bad race for me.

00:17:34What about other people's mistakes then?

00:17:36Your mind must go back to Holland,

00:17:38where you could have won that race or at least picked up some points

00:17:41that you could be leading now the world championship here.

00:17:45Well, it's better you forget about the past and look for tomorrow.

00:17:50Tomorrow is a very important race, and I'll try to do the best I can.

00:17:55Alain Prost was the one who put you off in Holland.

00:17:58How is it between the two of you with the championship

00:18:01and that particular incident earlier in the year?

00:18:04When you are fighting for the first place and fighting for the first position in the championship

00:18:09and have an accident like this, I cannot blame him.

00:18:11He made a mistake, he realized that.

00:18:14But it was not like a year before with the same thing I had with Salazar.

00:18:20There was one lap behind me.

00:18:22I can understand, we are human beings, we can make mistakes sometimes.

00:18:27Nelson, best of luck tomorrow for you and the Brabham BMW.

00:18:30Thank you very much.

00:18:33And so practice continues here at Kyle Army for the South African Grand Prix.

00:18:37In third place on the grid, the Italian driver Riccardo Petreschi

00:18:40with the Palmolat Brabham BMW.

00:18:43Time of 1 minute 7.001 seconds.

00:18:47It's also rumored that this may well be Riccardo Petreschi's last race

00:18:51with the Palmolat Brabham team, but it's an important race for him

00:18:54and he could serve the team very well by keeping both Alain Prost and René Arnoux behind

00:18:59so that Nelson Piquet could have that all-important two-point cushion

00:19:03by the end of the South African Grand Prix.

00:19:06Fourth place on the grid is the second Ferrari for the Frenchman René Arnoux.

00:19:101 minute 7.105 second lap for him during qualifying.

00:19:14Arnoux is in with an outside chance of winning the World Championship,

00:19:18but to do so he must win this race, the South African Grand Prix,

00:19:22and pray that neither Alain Prost nor Nelson Piquet finish in the points.

00:19:27It will only be then that he could be counted as the 1983 World Champion.

00:19:32He is, of course, to be retained in the Ferrari team for the 1984 season.

00:19:37René Arnoux is the man with most to do in the World Championship.

00:19:41Of the three drivers, he is down eight points.

00:19:44René, the only way you can win the World Championship

00:19:48is if Nelson Piquet drops out along with the Renault of Alain Prost

00:19:53and you win the race.

00:19:56How do you feel your chances are of that happening?

00:20:00I have my chance to win the championship because this race is very long

00:20:04and is very important also the ability.

00:20:08But I know that I must win this race

00:20:12and I hope that Piquet and Prost stop during the race.

00:20:16So tomorrow you're going to be going flat out the whole time.

00:20:19You have nothing to lose.

00:20:21Yes, but it depends also of my car, of my tyres, of many things

00:20:25because the Brabham is very competitive, it's very quick

00:20:29and I think with the race tyre it's good.

00:20:31Anyway, I play my car.

00:20:34The Kyle Army circuit is a very quick circuit.

00:20:36You're in fifth gear here most of the way around.

00:20:39Do you enjoy that?

00:20:41I like all track, not especially Calamee,

00:20:45but I like Calamee, it's nice because it's a long straight

00:20:48and after we have much work because there are two big bends

00:20:52and slow corners.

00:20:55It's very interesting.

00:20:57Many championships have been won in the exact same position you're in

00:21:01and we wish you the very best of luck.

00:21:03Thank you very much.

00:21:05Three tenths slower than his arch-rival Nelson Piquet

00:21:08comes in fifth position Frenchman Alain Prost

00:21:11with number 15, the Renault Turbo.

00:21:13Alain who led the world championship by a handsome 14 points

00:21:17earlier on in the season after he won the Austrian Grand Prix

00:21:20has seen that lead dwindle to just two points.

00:21:24Perhaps the megabucks involved in the Renault team

00:21:27has caused too many internal politics

00:21:29but you can be sure that Alain Prost has his heart set

00:21:31on becoming the first ever French world champion.

00:21:34Alain Prost with the Renault team

00:21:36is currently the world championship leader.

00:21:39Very difficult position, Alain.

00:21:41A lot of pressure on the track?

00:21:43No, not on the track.

00:21:45The pressure is out of my car

00:21:47because a lot of journalists and French people

00:21:50are waiting for the first world champion in France

00:21:54and that is a bit difficult.

00:21:56But no, it's okay.

00:21:57It's the last race.

00:21:58We don't think about the last few races.

00:21:59We don't think about the next season.

00:22:01We only think about the race tomorrow

00:22:03and I think it's not bad.

00:22:05I'm very quiet in my car.

00:22:06I'm confident about the reliability of this car

00:22:08and I wait for the rest.

00:22:11But Alain, that's a very calm answer

00:22:13and as you said, there's never been a French world champion.

00:22:16All the great drivers out of France

00:22:18and here you are having the best opportunity

00:22:20to bring the world cup home.

00:22:22It's a very nationalistic sport

00:22:24that must enter your mind

00:22:25either in qualifying or the race.

00:22:27Yes, but you know, it's very important for me

00:22:30to win the championship.

00:22:31It's very important for Renault

00:22:33and if I am the first French champion, it's good.

00:22:38It's good for me.

00:22:39It's good for everybody

00:22:40but I think about myself first

00:22:42and then I think about France.

00:22:44You've had a fantastic dependability

00:22:47throughout your season.

00:22:48You've scored points in 9 out of 14 races.

00:22:51That has to come with a combination of

00:22:53engines and tires

00:22:55and the whole effort has to be correct.

00:22:58Yes, everything was OK this year.

00:23:00I think we missed the first two races

00:23:02because we had the last car, the old car

00:23:06and after it was a very good combination.

00:23:10We were very competitive on some tracks.

00:23:13We had a good reliability

00:23:15but the problem is at the end of the season

00:23:17the problem was very, very strong

00:23:20with the same tires, the Michelin tires

00:23:22they were very good

00:23:23and it's a good championship

00:23:26but it's a very difficult finish for me.

00:23:28When you mention the Brabham,

00:23:30my mind has to go back to Holland.

00:23:32Are you still upset about your mistake there

00:23:35as you told us in the Renault motorhome afterwards?

00:23:39It was a mistake but I'm not upset

00:23:41because everybody makes mistakes

00:23:43and I made one mistake I think in 4 years of Formula 1.

00:23:48I think if I lose the championship

00:23:52compared to Piquet

00:23:55it's not a big mistake

00:23:56because we didn't mark any points

00:23:58Piquet and me in Zandvoort

00:24:00but if I lose with Arnaud

00:24:03for sure it was a bad mistake.

00:24:07If you are behind Piquet

00:24:08and you know you still have a point advantage

00:24:11will you take the chance of trying to pass him

00:24:14to win another race

00:24:15or are you going for the championship

00:24:17rather than the victory here?

00:24:19No, no, I don't try to pass Piquet

00:24:21because the championship is too important.

00:24:24So you'll play a different game here?

00:24:26Yeah, it's a different game

00:24:27but I don't want to think about this game before the race.

00:24:31I'm going to think during the race after 30 laps.

00:24:34I want to see what happens.

00:24:36That's something that you must compute

00:24:37by the moment in your mind then.

00:24:39Yes, but I know if Piquet wins the race

00:24:41I can't do nothing

00:24:42so it's better if I think in my mind

00:24:46what I have to do about points.

00:24:48So if Piquet is first and you're second

00:24:50then everything has to go out

00:24:52for you to pass him and the victory.

00:24:54Yes, but it could be very difficult for me to win the race.

00:24:59I hope Tambay, for example, wins the race tomorrow.

00:25:03Best of luck and thank you for your cooperation all year long.

00:25:07I need some luck, thank you.

00:25:09Now the man who still remains world champion

00:25:12until the end of the South African Grand Prix tomorrow

00:25:15is the Finnish driver Keki Rosberg,

00:25:17the 1982 Formula 1 Grand Prix world champion

00:25:21who put in an absolutely electrifying performance in practice

00:25:24to gain 6th place with his brand new

00:25:26Honda V6 turbo-powered Williams FW09.

00:25:30Now Keki Rosberg is not the easiest person to deal with

00:25:33and we've had a few problems throughout the year

00:25:35when he's been driving his Cosworth car.

00:25:37Piquet has been a bit uninformative,

00:25:39he's been a bit down in the dumps

00:25:41but here he seems to have been revitalised

00:25:43by having turbo power at last in the back of his Williams.

00:25:47He qualified 7 tenths of a second slower

00:25:50than Patrick Tambay in pole position,

00:25:52a very good effort,

00:25:53with a time of 1 minute 7.256 seconds.

00:25:57The spirit team that had the Honda V6 engines

00:25:59are not here in South Africa

00:26:01and the Honda V6s will be used exclusively in 1984

00:26:05by the Williams team.

00:26:077th quickest in the John Player Special

00:26:09powered of course by the Renault turbo engine

00:26:12is Nigel Mansell, 1 minute 7.643 seconds.

00:26:17Nigel Mansell also rumoured to be leaving

00:26:19the John Player Special team at the end of this race,

00:26:23so a lot to prove for him.

00:26:24Of course he finished 3rd in the European Grand Prix

00:26:26at Brands Hatch just 3 weeks ago.

00:26:30The rumour in South Africa is that Roberto Guerrero

00:26:32could well replace Mansell in the Lotus team.

00:26:378th place on the grid, Manfred Winkelhock,

00:26:39not happy with his lot during the 1983 season,

00:26:43also rumoured to be changing

00:26:44and taking along with him the BMW turbo engines.

00:26:47Winkelhock with the ATS BMW on a 1 minute 7.682 seconds.

00:26:53The reliability of the ATS car

00:26:54has not been its strong point this season.

00:26:57In 9th place on the grid, Andrea de Cesaris

00:27:00with the leading Alfa Romeo turbo

00:27:02and indeed there are 18 turbo powered cars

00:27:06here at the South African Grand Prix.

00:27:08Anybody with a Cosworth DFV

00:27:10can just about forget to be competitive

00:27:12and be lucky if they finish in the top 10.

00:27:16Track temperatures quite hot here,

00:27:18temperatures in the low 80s

00:27:20and they're in 10th place

00:27:22completing the top 10 qualifiers.

00:27:24The man who has failed to qualify

00:27:26in the last two Grand Prix's

00:27:27but well in here, Jacques Lafitte

00:27:29with the Williams Honda.

00:27:32The Williams FW09,

00:27:33a car that looks really just right out of the box,

00:27:36designed of course by Patrick Head

00:27:38and giving a new lease of life to the Williams team.

00:27:4211th place for Elio De Angelis

00:27:44who is in pole position of course

00:27:46at the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch.

00:27:48The Pirelli qualifier is working quite well here

00:27:51but once again the Pirelli race rubber

00:27:53not being all that it should be.

00:27:55De Angelis was second quickest

00:27:57during the unofficial testing at the circuit

00:27:59so could well prove quick during the race.

00:28:02In 12th place is Niki Laudo

00:28:04with the McLaren powered of course

00:28:06by the Tag Turbo, the Porsche turbo engine.

00:28:10Niki who in fact during the warm up session

00:28:12was quickest overall

00:28:14so we could well see a startling performance

00:28:16in the race by the Austrian driver.

00:28:1913th place Derek Warwick.

00:28:21He's scored world championship points

00:28:23in the past three consecutive races

00:28:26going well with the Candy Tolman in 13th place

00:28:29but another man rumoured to be moving from that team

00:28:31to possibly the Renault team replacing Eddie Cheever.

00:28:34The young American himself qualifies

00:28:36in 14th place on the grid

00:28:38with the second Renault not having a happy time

00:28:40during practice.

00:28:41Again it's rumoured that he is leaving

00:28:43at the end of this season

00:28:44to possibly join either Lotus or Ligier.

00:28:48Qualifying an excellent 19th place

00:28:50right behind his teammate Michele Alboreto

00:28:52who of course is going to the Ferrari team

00:28:55is the American driver Danny Sullivan

00:28:57with the Benetton Tyrrell.

00:29:01How do you sum up your first year's performance

00:29:03in Formula One?

00:29:05Well I think it was a very productive season.

00:29:08I scored some points, I stayed out of trouble,

00:29:10I qualified for every Grand Prix.

00:29:12Once I got 0-12, I out qualified Michele

00:29:16in fact in the last two races

00:29:18and I'm right with him in this one.

00:29:20We ran together at Brands.

00:29:22He's taught me a lot, the team's taught me a lot.

00:29:24I think it went very, very well.

00:29:27So you've actually accomplished

00:29:28everything you set out to do.

00:29:30Well yes, I would have liked to have scored

00:29:32some more points, preferably at Long Beach

00:29:34in Detroit where we were running good

00:29:36and then something happened

00:29:38but I was also lucky at Monte Carlo

00:29:41so yeah, it's been just about what I wanted to do.

00:29:44You drove very well at Monte Carlo.

00:29:46There wasn't much luck in that.

00:29:47That had to be your best drive of the year.

00:29:49Well I think the best drive for me personally

00:29:52that I did the whole year

00:29:53was actually at Montreal

00:29:54where I came back from last

00:29:56and went up and finished at 9th place

00:29:58but I mean just from purely driving

00:30:00and I was lapping quicker than the leaders

00:30:02at some stages and that was very nice

00:30:05but I had some good performances here and there

00:30:07so it was very pleasing.

00:30:09Let me ask you Danny,

00:30:11there's very few American drivers

00:30:13who like to leave their home turf

00:30:15to come and learn 14, 15 new circuits.

00:30:18Why is that?

00:30:20Well I think they get comfortable in the States.

00:30:23They've never really been abroad.

00:30:24They've never raced abroad.

00:30:25The customs are different.

00:30:26The people are different.

00:30:27Everything is a little bit different

00:30:29and it takes a little bit getting used to

00:30:31and I don't think that they really like that.

00:30:34I mean Freddie Spencer,

00:30:35the American world champion now,

00:30:37he said one of the things he hated

00:30:39about being in Europe

00:30:40was all the different currencies, you know,

00:30:42the change in money all the time

00:30:44and so for them it's maybe easier to stay

00:30:46in their nice comfortable surroundings.

00:30:48We have a very, very good lifestyle in America

00:30:51and some people don't like to give that up

00:30:53for what they feel is inferior.

00:30:55For me, I want to race in Formula 1.

00:30:57I always have and so I don't really care.

00:31:01Danny, your contract with Tyrrell

00:31:02is a two-year deal, correct?

00:31:05Yes, a little bit longer actually but...

00:31:08Can you give us any hints

00:31:09who's going to be your teammate next year?

00:31:11In fact, five minutes ago

00:31:12I came from a talk with Ken

00:31:14and he said, I don't know.

00:31:15I really don't know.

00:31:17He may have somebody in his mind

00:31:18but he said I don't know

00:31:19because we still, we can't announce

00:31:21who the engine is going to be for next year

00:31:24so I don't know

00:31:26and we can't announce who the sponsor is yet

00:31:28and until he has a sponsor

00:31:29he can't very well go and get another driver

00:31:31because he can't know whether he can pay him

00:31:33or if he has to take another sponsor

00:31:35who dictates the driver.

00:31:37Danny, best of luck tomorrow

00:31:38and thank you for your cooperation

00:31:39on ESPN all season long.

00:31:42Thanks everybody there

00:31:43and all the viewers back in America.

00:31:46So an intriguing race in store

00:31:47for us here in South Africa.

00:31:49Who will be world champion?

00:31:50Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet or René Arnoux?

00:31:54Join us after the short break.

00:32:04Before we continue our coverage

00:32:05of the South African Grand Prix

00:32:07let's take a brief look

00:32:08at the European Grand Prix

00:32:10held three weeks ago at Brands Hatch.

00:32:12A very spectacular fair.

00:32:14De Angelis was in pole position.

00:32:16Nelson Piquet knew that he had to get into the lead

00:32:18and win the race.

00:32:19Alain Prost also realised

00:32:20it was a very important race for him.

00:32:23Into an early lead went Riccardo Petrezzi

00:32:25with a palm-lap Brabham.

00:32:26He was chased by Elio De Angelis

00:32:28with a John Player Special Lotus

00:32:29powered of course by the Renault engine

00:32:31and it was a very exciting event indeed.

00:32:33Mansell lying third in the early stages

00:32:35fourth in those early stages

00:32:37as Nelson Piquet but moving up.

00:32:38But all eyes on this big battle

00:32:40between Riccardo Petrezzi and Elio De Angelis.

00:32:43René Arnoux getting into the top six placings

00:32:47and for the first eight laps

00:32:49Petrezzi and De Angelis fought tooth and nail

00:32:51until this controversial incident happened.

00:32:54De Angelis losing it, trying to take the lead

00:32:57taking out Riccardo Petrezzi as well.

00:32:59De Angelis' engine was to explode

00:33:01after this incident.

00:33:03Petrezzi was to continue.

00:33:05But for Danny Sullivan who'd had a very good practice

00:33:08who was running with Alboreto

00:33:09a broken oil line there

00:33:11fracturing going through Paddock Hill Bend.

00:33:13The car spins but just look at the rear end of the car

00:33:16an absolute flamethrower.

00:33:17We see the game from a different angle.

00:33:19The young American very lucky to get away

00:33:21without lighting off that car.

00:33:24Once again we see this in freeze frame.

00:33:27Sullivan driving it off then to a marshall's post

00:33:30where it was doused with extinguishant

00:33:32and the flames put out.

00:33:33And in the latter stages of the race

00:33:35Tambay also out with a brake failure.

00:33:38He hit the tyre wall.

00:33:39Remember Patrick Tambay could have won the World Championship

00:33:41had he scored World Championship points in this race.

00:33:44He failed to do so.

00:33:45So Nelson Piquet went on to win his third Grand Prix of the season.

00:33:50And our pros in the Renault finished in an excellent second place.

00:33:54So the World Championship going right down to the last place

00:33:57of course in South Africa.

00:34:00Finishing in an excellent third place at Brands Hatch

00:34:02was Nigel Mansell with the John Player Special.

00:34:06And so we move back to Kyalami in South Africa

00:34:09for this World Championship.

00:34:11Sider, mammoth crowds coming to the circuit

00:34:14I think from all over South Africa.

00:34:18The television stations, well more than 42 countries

00:34:21will be taking this event.

00:34:23And really the World Championship, this final round

00:34:26has captured the imagination of the sporting countries

00:34:29throughout the world.

00:34:31A gigantic media interest for Formula 1 Grand Prix racing.

00:34:36And this really has been the case throughout the 1983 season.

00:34:40We've had this tremendous battle between major manufacturers

00:34:43between the world's best drivers.

00:34:46It's been Renault, BMW, Ferrari.

00:34:49Then of course we've had Nelson Piquet, René Arnoux,

00:34:52Alain Prost, Riccardo Patrese.

00:34:54We've had Patrick Tambay.

00:34:56We've had the world's best.

00:34:58And it's all come down to this incredible finale here

00:35:01in South Africa under bright ideal conditions

00:35:05and the Formula 1 cars going out to form up on the grid

00:35:09for this vital final race.

00:35:12The race itself will be over 77 laps then

00:35:15of the 2.55 mile circuit

00:35:17and a total distance of 196 miles

00:35:21just over perhaps 1.5 hours of racing.

00:35:24The previous lap record is held by Alain Prost

00:35:27for a time of 1 minute 8.278 seconds

00:35:30set last year at an average speed of 134 miles per hour.

00:35:34In practice, in fact, the first 14 cars

00:35:37below that lap record

00:35:39and Patrick Tambay in that pole position time

00:35:411.75 seconds faster than the existing lap record.

00:35:46Join us after this short break

00:35:48for the start of the South African Grand Prix.

00:35:52Alain Prost with the Renault on Michelin tyres.

00:35:55The man who so desperately wants to win

00:35:57the world championship for himself, for Renault,

00:36:00but above all for France.

00:36:04Nelson Piquet, there a thumbs up.

00:36:06A very relaxed man.

00:36:07Piquet, the 1981 world champion

00:36:10here driving the Parmalat Brabham BT52.

00:36:13Two points behind Alain Prost is going all out for victory.

00:36:17Or will it be René Arnoux, the Ferrari driver

00:36:20and the other Frenchman who could win

00:36:22the world title for France?

00:36:29Well, in about 1 hour 35 minutes we'll know

00:36:32they're the world championship positions.

00:36:35Fourth place, Patrick Tambay.

00:36:36Fifth, Rosberg. Sixth, John Watson.

00:36:39In the world championship for manufacturers

00:36:42also very important,

00:36:43we have Ferrari in first place with 89 points.

00:36:46Renault in second place with 78 points.

00:36:48Third place, Brabham, with 59.

00:36:50Fourth, Williams, with 36.

00:36:52Fifth, McLaren, with 34.

00:36:54And sixth, Equaltoural and Alfa Romeo,

00:36:56both with 12 points.

00:36:58So Renault, in theory, could still win

00:37:00the world championship for manufacturers.

00:37:02They're 11 points behind Ferrari,

00:37:04so both of their cars must finish in the top six

00:37:07and score those valuable championship points.

00:37:10So Renault have everything to play for here.

00:37:12A world championship for drivers

00:37:14and a world championship for manufacturers.

00:37:19So the car's now getting away

00:37:21on those dry, slick tyres

00:37:24down into Crowthorne's,

00:37:26the very sharp right-hander.

00:37:28From there they go to Barbecue Bend,

00:37:30then to Yiskei Sweep,

00:37:32onto Sunset Bend.

00:37:34And there, one of the McLarens,

00:37:36that's John Watson with the tag turbo-powered McLaren,

00:37:39stuck on the grid, but he's being pushed away

00:37:42and will catch up the tail end of the field,

00:37:44although remember, he must start then from last place.

00:37:47We know about John Watson's charges from the rear.

00:37:50We've seen that many times in Grand Prix racing.

00:37:54So 25 of the 26 cars

00:37:57coming around the 2.55 mile circuit here,

00:38:00the Kyle Army Circuit.

00:38:02Who will be world championship?

00:38:04And the world waiting, I think, with bated breath

00:38:07to find who will win the world championship.

00:38:09And media coverage.

00:38:10Well, I can't remember the media coverage

00:38:12that we've had in Grand Prix racing

00:38:14more attentive than we've had here

00:38:16for the South African Grand Prix of 1983.

00:38:19We wait for the red lights to come on.

00:38:22Six to ten seconds later will be the green.

00:38:24All cars have been formed up on the grid.

00:38:29Seems to be waiting for quite some time.

00:38:31Derek Ongaro, the official starter,

00:38:33up on the starting roster.

00:38:35And there are the red lights.

00:38:38And there are the green lights.

00:38:40The South African Grand Prix,

00:38:41the last round of the world championship,

00:38:43is now underway and straight into the lead has gone

00:38:45Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese.

00:38:47He's also made a very good start.

00:38:49So look at the lead that Piquet has

00:38:51coming into Crowthorne for the first time.

00:38:53Patrese is in second place.

00:38:54Palmdat Braddon, first and second.

00:38:56And de Cesaris coming up into fourth place.

00:38:58Tambay in third place.

00:38:59But de Cesaris making an absolutely incredible getaway

00:39:02from ninth place on the grid.

00:39:03But look at the way Piquet has got through.

00:39:05And that looks to be Keke Rosberg challenging Alain Prost.

00:39:10So it's Nelson Piquet, Riccardo Patrese,

00:39:12Patrick Tambay in third place.

00:39:14De Cesaris trying to get through in fourth place.

00:39:17Prost is in fifth place.

00:39:19But look at Nelson Piquet.

00:39:21It seems that Piquet is going to make a relatively early pit stop.

00:39:24He's got a light fuel load on board.

00:39:26Obviously the plan in the Palmdat Braddon team

00:39:29is that Piquet is to build up a substantial lead.

00:39:32He's going to come in a lot earlier

00:39:33than we've seen him in the previous races,

00:39:36coming in for those all-important fuel stops.

00:39:38Piquet leads.

00:39:39Patrese is second.

00:39:40Tambay third.

00:39:41De Cesaris fourth.

00:39:42Prost fifth.

00:39:43And Keke Rosberg in sixth place.

00:39:45But look at the lead that Piquet's got.

00:39:47Patrese in second.

00:39:48Tambay third.

00:39:49De Cesaris trying to get past into third place.

00:39:51Fifth is Prost.

00:39:52Third place de Cesaris.

00:39:53Fourth place now Prost.

00:39:54Fifth Tambay.

00:39:55Sixth Rosberg.

00:39:56Seventh Arnoux.

00:39:57Eighth Wiglock.

00:39:58And look there.

00:39:59A touch, I think, between Eddie Cheever.

00:40:00Yes.

00:40:01And Jack Lafitte.

00:40:02The new Williams Honda.

00:40:03He touched Eddie Cheever.

00:40:04Tried to get by on the outside.

00:40:05The two had a coming together.

00:40:07And Jack Lafitte with the Williams FW09

00:40:10started off in tenth place on the grid.

00:40:12The debut race for the Williams Honda for Jack Lafitte.

00:40:15He's out of the race.

00:40:16Looks to be completely unharmed.

00:40:19And we see it again in slow motion replay.

00:40:23And there, Jack Lafitte going off at high speed,

00:40:27going through the catch fencing,

00:40:29being stopped by that catch fencing

00:40:31before he hits the tyre wall.

00:40:34And we go back to the race.

00:40:36And there is Nelson Piquet.

00:40:38And Piquet with the palm lap.

00:40:39Brabham is not hanging about.

00:40:41He's pulling out a five second lap advantage.

00:40:44There's Cheever.

00:40:45And also going up well is Derek Warwick.

00:40:48Warwick now up into eleventh place.

00:40:51Jack Lafitte crosses the road.

00:40:53Runs across the road.

00:40:55Manfred Wiglock with the ATS BMW was in eighth place.

00:40:59And right down will be another retirement.

00:41:02But here's the leader, Nelson Piquet,

00:41:04Patrese in second place.

00:41:05De Cesaris third.

00:41:07Prost in fourth place.

00:41:08He's got to do better than that.

00:41:09Prost, if he's going to win the World Championship title.

00:41:13And René Arnoux is still in seventh place.

00:41:15So Arnoux, who must win this race,

00:41:18short of a miracle,

00:41:19looks as if he is not in the World Championship hunt anymore.

00:41:23Ghinzani with a very slow Kelometta Osella,

00:41:26powered of course by the normally aspirated Alfa Romeo engine,

00:41:29out of the race.

00:41:32Piquet and De Cesaris now closing up on Patrese in second place.

00:41:36And also taking with him Alain Prost.

00:41:39We must always remember that Prost must finish

00:41:42at least within two points of Nelson Piquet

00:41:45to win the World Championship.

00:41:47There the car being removed from the barriers.

00:41:50And there second place, Patrese.

00:41:53Third place is De Cesaris.

00:41:55Right by De Cesaris now.

00:41:56Closing up on him is Alain Prost.

00:41:58Prost realising he's got to get on terms with Nelson Piquet.

00:42:03Piquet has a lead then of eight seconds.

00:42:06Patrese second.

00:42:07De Cesaris third.

00:42:08Prost fourth.

00:42:09Tambay in fifth place.

00:42:10Sixth Rosberg now being challenged by René Arnoux in seventh place.

00:42:14Incidentally, John Watson freddied his way up onto the grid

00:42:17after he jumped into his spare car when his race car wouldn't start.

00:42:21As with Winkelhock at Zandvoort he's been black flagged

00:42:25and he will be brought to a stop and excluded from the race.

00:42:29Elio De Angelis into the pits rather early it would seem.

00:42:32He's having problems with his tyres.

00:42:35At the moment he's down in twelfth place.

00:42:39Quick change of tyres there and he'll be away.

00:42:43Or will he? Doesn't look that quick.

00:42:45De Cesaris third still with the Alfa.

00:42:47Under a lot of pressure now from Alain Prost.

00:42:50Patrese is now pulling away in that second place.

00:42:53And the palm-lap Brabham BMW is absolutely dominant in this event.

00:42:58And there actually coming up behind Patrick Tambay I think is Niki Lauda.

00:43:03So Lauda who was quickest in the warm-up session

00:43:06making an appreciable effort here in the race at South Africa.

00:43:09Patrese second. De Cesaris third.

00:43:12Fourth place still the property of Alain Prost.

00:43:15So onto lap nine of the 77 lap race.

00:43:17De Cesaris under a lot of pressure now from Prost.

00:43:19But look at Niki Lauda trying to take fifth place away from Patrick Tambay.

00:43:23And I think third and fifth place may well change.

00:43:26And Lauda pulls out of Tambay's slipstream.

00:43:28And so does Alain Prost coming down the outside

00:43:31taking third place from De Cesaris into Crowthorns.

00:43:33Fifth place now for Niki Lauda.

00:43:35So it's Piquet, Patrese, Alain Prost, De Cesaris.

00:43:40Then comes Niki Lauda.

00:43:42Then in sixth place is Patrick Tambay.

00:43:44Seventh place Rosberg.

00:43:46Eighth place René Arnoux.

00:43:48Ninth place Eddie Cheever.

00:43:50Tenth place for Derek Warwick.

00:43:52Now can Alain Prost get up onto terms with Riccardo Patrese?

00:43:56We'll soon see.

00:43:57So join us again with more ESPN Auto Racing 83 coverage

00:44:01of the South African Grand Prix.

00:44:09There's drama here at the South African Grand Prix

00:44:11because René Arnoux's engine seems to have blown up.

00:44:13He's slowing down.

00:44:14The man who's in with an outside chance

00:44:16of the World Championship

00:44:18seems to be slowing down from eighth place.

00:44:20His World Championship hopes a run.

00:44:23There's fifth place man Lauda

00:44:25pulling away from sixth place man Patrick Tambay.

00:44:28The sole surviving Ferrari.

00:44:30And there is René Arnoux being passed by all and sundry.

00:44:33René Arnoux must realise that his challenge

00:44:36for the 1983 World Championship is now at an end.

00:44:40Surely he will pull into the pits and retire.

00:44:43Most disappointed from this race.

00:44:47Number 28 René Arnoux.

00:44:49The man who's been retained to partner Michele Alboreto

00:44:52in the 1984 Ferrari Formula One line-up

00:44:55goes into the pits here in South Africa to retire.

00:44:58But the man who seems more and more likely

00:45:01to become this year's World Champion.

00:45:03Brazilian Nelson Piquet

00:45:05with the palm-lap Brabham BMW BT52

00:45:08designed by Gordon Murray.

00:45:10Absolutely pounding around this Kyle Army circuit.

00:45:13Pulling out an enormous lead

00:45:15prior of course to his first fuel stop.

00:45:18Now the World Championship in theory

00:45:20could be won or lost in these fuel stops.

00:45:23Remember it was Gordon Murray's idea

00:45:25to start these fuel stops

00:45:27back in the 1982 Formula One season.

00:45:30The Brabham team actually bungled their fuel stop

00:45:33at the last championship race at Brands Hatch.

00:45:36Although they still won the race

00:45:38they could well have lost it.

00:45:39It could be lost in the pits.

00:45:41So teamwork all important to victory

00:45:43in the World Championship.

00:45:45As through there goes Niki Lauda.

00:45:47Lauda has passed Andrea de Cesaris.

00:45:49So Lauda is now up into 4th place.

00:45:51De Cesaris with the Alfa has dropped to 5th place.

00:45:542nd place still for Riccardo Patrese.

00:45:58Patrese in 2nd place.

00:46:00Palm-lap Brabham's 1st and 2nd.

00:46:03Nelson Piquet passing Michele Alboreto.

00:46:06The man of course who survived

00:46:08for the Ferrari team next year.

00:46:11Meanwhile a real challenge back to Nelson Piquet

00:46:14will come from Niki Lauda

00:46:15who's taken 3rd place from Alain Prost.

00:46:17Lauda goes up into 3rd place.

00:46:194th place now is Alain Prost.

00:46:21And we see it in replay.

00:46:23This most certainly is one of Lauda's

00:46:25strongest races of the year.

00:46:27Going through into 3rd place

00:46:29taking another valuable place off Alain Prost.

00:46:33So the Porsche powered Tag Turbo

00:46:36in the back of that McLaren

00:46:37working to very good effect.

00:46:38It's very well for the 1984 season

00:46:41when all of the major teams of course

00:46:42will have turbo powers.

00:46:43The Cosworth TRV is no more.

00:46:46And look at that because

00:46:47Lauda is now right behind Riccardo Patrese

00:46:50in challenging for 2nd place.

00:46:51Now the World Championship could be blown wide open

00:46:54if Lauda takes Patrese

00:46:56closes in on race leader Nelson Piquet

00:46:59who remember has got to make his fuel stop

00:47:01and could win this race.

00:47:052nd and 3rd now very close together indeed.

00:47:08Riccardo Patrese in 2nd place

00:47:09under a lot of pressure from Lauda in 3rd place.

00:47:124th place for Alain Prost.

00:47:15Another retirement is Elio De Angelis

00:47:18with a misfiring engine.

00:47:20Team mate to Nigel Mansell.

00:47:23And look at this battle.

00:47:272nd and 3rd very close together indeed.

00:47:29We've got the fuel stops to come.

00:47:32There is Nelson Piquet race leader.

00:47:38Well clear of 2nd and 3rd places.

00:47:40Battle between the Brabham and the McLaren.

00:47:45Passing some tail enders.

00:47:49Patrese getting the better of that

00:47:50lapping the back markers.

00:47:52And they pulled well clear now of Alain Prost.

00:47:55We wait for Prost to come through in that 4th place.

00:47:58Alain Prost.

00:48:00French flags also flying here.

00:48:02But I think Prost seems to be well down on the order.

00:48:07Patrese locking up a break there.

00:48:09This battle between the Brabham and the McLaren.

00:48:12BMW versus Porsche.

00:48:14Tag turbo power.

00:48:16And whilst all this is going on

00:48:17the leader Nelson Piquet with just under 30 second lap lead.

00:48:21And De Cesaris car smoking badly.

00:48:23Was it a locking break? We don't know.

00:48:25De Cesaris battling there with Patrick Tambay.

00:48:275th and 6th, 7th place is Rosberg.

00:48:30And up into 8th place is Derek Warwick with the Toleman.

00:48:33And into the pits on lap 28.

00:48:34Already comes Nelson Piquet.

00:48:36Now this is where the World Championship could be won or lost.

00:48:39All the tyres are being changed.

00:48:41There is the clock running.

00:48:42The fuel is going on.

00:48:44Hands up means the tyres have been fitted.

00:48:46The fuel is in.

00:48:48And they are away.

00:48:49Oh that's an incredible pit stop.

00:48:529.20 seconds.

00:48:54He still retains his lead.

00:48:56It's unbelievable.

00:48:57The Palm Lat Brabham of Nelson Piquet

00:48:59that has led from lap 1

00:49:00has gone into the pits, out

00:49:02and there in 2nd and 3rd place right behind him.

00:49:04So 1st, 2nd and 3rd very close together.

00:49:07But remember that Nelson Piquet has taken the lead.

00:49:09The Palm Lat Brabham team

00:49:11have worked like Trojans at these fuel stops.

00:49:15And what an incredible sight

00:49:17here in KL Army.

00:49:18The World Champion elect we can call him.

00:49:21Nelson Piquet.

00:49:22Subject to him not retiring from this race

00:49:25to no mechanical troubles.

00:49:26He can drop down to 4th place.

00:49:28Just stay ahead of Alain Prost.

00:49:30He'll win the World Championship.

00:49:32And if the Palm Lat Brabham team

00:49:34do win the World Championship for Nelson Piquet

00:49:37it will have been due to an enormous great team effort.

00:49:41But there in 2nd and 3rd place

00:49:43there's a leader.

00:49:442nd and 3rd place still this tremendous battle

00:49:47between Riccardo Petrezzi and Niki Lauda.

00:49:49And the race really has come alive.

00:49:51So Petrezzi in 2nd place.

00:49:54Lauda in 3rd place.

00:49:55Prost in 4th place.

00:49:57There is 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

00:49:59Not far apart.

00:50:00And Wilt Lauda looking perhaps for a second there

00:50:02to the inside line at Crowthorns.

00:50:04Round Crowthorns they go.

00:50:06Through Barbecue Bend.

00:50:08Then to the Just Sky Suites.

00:50:09Sunset Bend. Clubhouse Bend.

00:50:11And there in 5th place still

00:50:13Andrea de Cesaris being chased by Tambay.

00:50:15Not far behind them.

00:50:16Rosberg in 7th place.

00:50:18Derek Warwick there in 8th place.

00:50:20Closing in on Rosberg with the Williams Honda.

00:50:23Once again good performance by Warwick.

00:50:26There is Kenny Atchison having his first ever drive

00:50:29with the March Grand Prix car.

00:50:31Battle still on for 2nd and 3rd place though.

00:50:34And really Niki Lauda driving a really superb race here.

00:50:38But once again look at that.

00:50:39Nelson Piquet seems to be edging away

00:50:42from that battle for 2nd and 3rd place.

00:50:44Prost is still ensconced in 4th place.

00:50:47Dropping back all the while.

00:50:50So bar any mechanical failures to the race leader.

00:50:54And Alain Prost on and off the throttles for a second.

00:50:58And sure enough it looks as if

00:51:015th and 6th place man de Cesaris and Tambay

00:51:04are closing in slightly on Alain Prost.

00:51:07Eddie Cheever in 9th place with the 2nd Renault.

00:51:11So both the Renaults have got to get to the top 6 placings

00:51:14and well up there in fact to win the Constructors' Championship.

00:51:17But remember it's still a long race

00:51:19and anything can happen in motor racing.

00:51:222nd and 3rd still very close together indeed.

00:51:25There's the Cesaris, Tambay.

00:51:28There's Danny Sullivan up into 11th place.

00:51:32Just behind Alboreto who's a leading Cosworth runner in 10th place.

00:51:36Still this battle for 2nd and 3rd place

00:51:39between Riccardo Patrese and Niki Lauda.

00:51:414th place Alain Prost.

00:51:43About 7 seconds behind that battling duo for 2nd place.

00:51:47De Cesaris, 5th. Tambay in 6th place.

00:51:52Derek Warwick in fact goes into the pits on lap 31

00:51:56for his pit stop.

00:51:58Nelson Piquet leads.

00:52:04The engine sounding quite crisp.

00:52:06The BMW 4-cylinder turbo engine.

00:52:091.5 litres of course turbocharged.

00:52:11There's Alain Prost.

00:52:13And Prost I think now seems to be closing perhaps a little bit

00:52:17on the battle for 2nd and 3rd place.

00:52:22Still it's Patrese 2nd.

00:52:24Lauda behind in 3rd place.

00:52:26Most certainly the best showing by the Porsche-tagged turbo engine.

00:52:30And so Alain Prost he can make inroads on that 2nd and 3rd battle

00:52:35between these two.

00:52:36If Nelson Piquet hits trouble

00:52:38things could change here still for the World Championship

00:52:41and the South African Grand Prix.

00:52:43Join us again with more ESPN coverage of this event

00:52:46after the short break.

00:52:52Welcome back to Kyle Army.

00:52:54And once again this battle for 2nd and 3rd place.

00:52:57Patrese 2nd, 3rd place for Lauda.

00:53:00And Lauda looks to be coming into the pits.

00:53:02Niki Lauda coming into the pits for his fuel stop.

00:53:05So up into 3rd place will go Alain Prost.

00:53:08Parmalat Brabham still 1st and 2nd into the pits.

00:53:11Comes the McLaren that showed so well.

00:53:16Into the stop.

00:53:18Up go the internal air jacks.

00:53:20On go the fresh Michelin tyres.

00:53:23On goes the fuel.

00:53:26There's the clock.

00:53:27Not as quick as Nelson Piquet in a 9.20 second lap.

00:53:30And there's a problem with the right rear tyre.

00:53:34They're having problems with the thread.

00:53:36And this is a long fuel stop for Niki Lauda.

00:53:40And he's away in just over 23 seconds.

00:53:43He'll have lost something like 13 seconds in the pits

00:53:46due to that problem with that rear tyre.

00:53:49So on lap 34 it's Piquet, Patrese, Alain Prost,

00:53:52Andrea de Cesaris in 4th place.

00:53:54In 5th place becomes Tambay.

00:53:566th now is Cheever.

00:53:58In 7th place is Niki Lauda out of the pits.

00:54:008th place is Derek Warwick.

00:54:02And in 9th place Bruno Giacomelli.

00:54:04There is Derek Warwick in 8th place.

00:54:07Not far behind him is team-mate Bruno Giacomelli.

00:54:09In 10th place, number 1 now, is Keke Rosberg.

00:54:14Of the 26 cars that started, we've had 8 retirements.

00:54:17Corrado Fabi going out with an engine problem on lap 28.

00:54:20De Angelis on lap 20 with that misfire.

00:54:23John Watson with black flag on lap 18.

00:54:27Still the battle for 5th and 6th place

00:54:30between de Cesaris and Patrick Tambay.

00:54:34There's Bruno Giacomelli.

00:54:36Now being lapped by race leader Nelson Piquet.

00:54:43Alboreto in 10th place.

00:54:455th still, though, for de Cesaris.

00:54:47About to lap Alboreto.

00:54:49Alboreto, of course, with a normal Cosworth with that material.

00:54:52And into 6th place goes Niki Lauda.

00:54:55Past Eddie Cheever.

00:54:57Cheever still has to make that fuel stop, remember.

00:55:00And there, once again,

00:55:02Alboreto about to be lapped

00:55:04by de Cesaris in 5th place, Alfa Romeo,

00:55:07and the Ferrari of Tambay in 6th place.

00:55:09And Prost is into the pits for his fuel stop.

00:55:11Prost on lap 35, but he seems to be going quite slowly.

00:55:15They're ready for him.

00:55:16This could be his most important fuel stop of his career,

00:55:20certainly of the 1983 season.

00:55:22There's the clock.

00:55:25And Prost is getting out. It's sensation.

00:55:27Prost is getting out.

00:55:29He's sat in the car for 10 seconds.

00:55:32Walking away from the car.

00:55:34There must be a problem with the engine.

00:55:36They're calling Gerard Larousse over.

00:55:39There's almost an argument in the pits there.

00:55:43An engine problem.

00:55:45Some form of misfire, I think.

00:55:47Perhaps a turbo problem for Alain Prost.

00:55:49But Alain Prost is out of the South African Grand Prix.

00:55:53It's absolutely sensational.

00:55:55He will not be the first French world champion.

00:55:58There's going to be a lot of repercussions, I think,

00:56:00within the Renault team.

00:56:02Alain Prost walked clearly into the garage.

00:56:05He's out of the race.

00:56:07Out of the world championship.

00:56:09Renault will not win the Manufacturer's World Championship,

00:56:12which will almost certainly now go, of course, to Ferrari.

00:56:16There is the world champion elect Nelson Piquet.

00:56:20But remember, if Nelson Piquet hits mechanical problems

00:56:24and finishes lower than 5th place now,

00:56:27he will not be world champion.

00:56:29Alain Prost will be.

00:56:31So we could still have a few surprises in store

00:56:33in the 1983 South African Grand Prix.

00:56:37But at the moment, it's Piquet leading,

00:56:39but he seems to be slowing down perhaps a little bit.

00:56:43Up into 3rd place is the Cesarist now.

00:56:46In 4th place comes number 27, the Ferrari.

00:56:49In 5th place will be Lauda.

00:56:52And into 6th place will be Derek Warwick,

00:56:54because Eddie Cheever is going into the pits to refuel.

00:56:58So Warwick there up into 6th place

00:57:00with the Toleman pad, of course,

00:57:02by the Hart 4-cylinder engine.

00:57:05Keke Rosberg now is up into 7th place

00:57:08with the Williams Honda.

00:57:09He's already pitted.

00:57:11The Cesarist, 3rd.

00:57:13Tombe in 4th place.

00:57:16For those positions somewhat academic,

00:57:18all eyes on the race leader, Nelson Piquet.

00:57:22Piquet going for his second world championship.

00:57:27Remember, he was world champion in 1981.

00:57:30And there's the battle for 3rd place.

00:57:33Tombe moving much closer now to Andrea de Cesaris.

00:57:37Tombe with the Ferrari.

00:57:39These two have yet to make their fuel stop.

00:57:41There's 5th place man, Nicky Lauda,

00:57:43with the McLaren Tag Turbo.

00:57:45Here's the pit stop for Eddie Cheever,

00:57:48number 16.

00:57:50New tyres going on, fuel going on board.

00:57:54Alain Prost watching the monitors by the pit wall

00:57:58to see if there could be a problem with Nelson Piquet's car.

00:58:0111.5 seconds just over the pit stop

00:58:04for Eddie Cheever with the Renault.

00:58:06He goes back out into the race in 8th place.

00:58:11Nelson Piquet, though, still leading.

00:58:14And it's confirmed to us that Alain Prost,

00:58:17who retired, of course, on lap 35,

00:58:20had a problem with the turbo.

00:58:22The turbo failed on that car.

00:58:24So the championship comes right down

00:58:26to whether Nelson Piquet with the Palmolat Brabham BMW

00:58:30can finish higher than 5th place.

00:58:323rd and 4th getting a little bit fraught now.

00:58:35De Cesaris locking a brake at Crowthorns.

00:58:39Number 22.

00:58:41De Cesaris with the Alfa V8 Turbo

00:58:44in the back of that, of course, the Alfa.

00:58:46As opposed to the V6 Turbo

00:58:48in the back of the Ferrari number 27.

00:58:50But these two putting on a good display of racing here at Kyle Army.

00:58:54Just 37 laps to go,

00:58:56and there, Piquet leads.

00:58:58He's got an 8-second advantage over Patrese.

00:59:00De Cesaris some 30 seconds back, as is Tambay.

00:59:044th place then, Tambay right behind De Cesaris.

00:59:075th Lauda, 6th Warwick,

00:59:08and Tambay looking to get past Andrea De Cesaris.

00:59:11And De Cesaris, I think, coming in for his fuel stop.

00:59:13Yes, he is.

00:59:14He's through into 3rd place.

00:59:16De Cesaris into the pits.

00:59:19Tambay all by himself now.

00:59:21The lone Ferrari.

00:59:22The man who was in pole position with that superb time.

00:59:26And there, De Cesaris comes to a halt.

00:59:29The clock will go on.

00:59:31The Alfa mechanics around that car.

00:59:355 seconds, 6, 7, 8.

00:59:39The wheels are on.

00:59:41And a good pit stop.

00:59:4211.27 seconds.

00:59:45So out goes Andrea De Cesaris,

00:59:47who drops down only one place.

00:59:50In fact, goes down to 5th.

00:59:52So to recap, Piquet, Patrese, Tambay is in 3rd place,

00:59:56still to make his fuel stop.

00:59:57In 4th place is Nicky Lauda.

01:00:00In 5th place, Andrea De Cesaris.

01:00:026th place is Derek Warwick.

01:00:05Join us again for the conclusion of the South African Grand Prix

01:00:08after these messages.

01:00:12Back to ESPN's coverage of the 1983 South African Grand Prix,

01:00:18the World Championship for Cider.

01:00:20Still, the Palmolat Brabhams in 1st and 2nd place.

01:00:23Patrick Tambay in 3rd place with the Ferrari.

01:00:26He's yet to make his pit stop.

01:00:27Interesting to note, incidentally,

01:00:29that Tambay retired himself from Formula 1 racing

01:00:32at the South African Grand Prix last year

01:00:34when he was driving for the Arrows team

01:00:36because, of course, that was the time of that strike

01:00:38and he didn't agree with the strike,

01:00:39so he decided he had enough Formula 1 politics.

01:00:41He was brought back into Formula 1 racing by Ferrari,

01:00:44of course, at the untimely death of Gilles Villeneuve.

01:00:46He's coming in now to make his fuel stop,

01:00:49so he'll relinquish that 3rd place.

01:00:513rd place will go back into the hands of the incredible Austrian Nicky Lauda

01:00:56with the McLaren Tag Turbo.

01:00:58We have that very long pit stop,

01:01:00but he's been fighting his way back up through the field.

01:01:02Now back up into 3rd place.

01:01:05Nobody's fuel stop as quick, of course,

01:01:07as Piquet's stop, 9.20 seconds he had,

01:01:10which must constitute a record for the fuel stops.

01:01:14And there into 4th place is Tambay.

01:01:17That's soon to be taken away from him by de Cesaris,

01:01:19who has already made his fuel stop.

01:01:21He's on warm tyres.

01:01:23Patrick Tambay's car, a little bit skittish there,

01:01:25going through Crowthorns because, of course,

01:01:27his tyres still have to warm up to full working temperatures.

01:01:31So de Cesaris in 4th place, Tambay in 5th place

01:01:34and Derek Warwick in 6th place.

01:01:367th place for Keke Rosberg.

01:01:388th place will be Eddie Cheever.

01:01:40In 9th place, Michele Alboreto,

01:01:42the first of the Cosworth normally aspirated engines running.

01:01:45And moving into the top ten, Danny Sullivan

01:01:47will be 2nd Benetton Tyrrell.

01:01:49Nelson Piquet there, now about to lap Keke Rosberg.

01:01:54As into the pits comes Riccardo Petrezzi,

01:01:562nd place man, the Palmolat Brabham BMW.

01:02:00The tyres have gone on, the fuel's going in once again.

01:02:04Not quite as quick as Nelson Piquet,

01:02:07but nevertheless just a second slower.

01:02:09Back into the race then goes Riccardo Petrezzi,

01:02:12still in 2nd place.

01:02:14And it's amazing to think that Petrezzi made his fuel stop

01:02:18a full 18 laps later than the race leader, Nelson Piquet.

01:02:23So a very tactical manoeuvre by the Palmolat Brabham team.

01:02:27Out of the pits comes Bruno Giacomelli,

01:02:29who was as high as 8th place earlier on.

01:02:32The battle though still for 4th and 5th place

01:02:34between Andrea de Cesaris and of course Patrick Tambay.

01:02:386th place there still for Derek Warwick.

01:02:45And there Riccardo Petrezzi, now having had his fuel stop.

01:02:50And there is Nelson Piquet, now I am certain

01:02:54turning down the boost on the BMW turbo.

01:02:57Knowing full well a world championship is within his grasp.

01:03:01And in fact Riccardo Petrezzi, his team mate, is closing up on him.

01:03:06De Cesaris seems to be pulling away a little bit from Patrick Tambay.

01:03:10That's Bruno Giacomelli behind,

01:03:12trying I think to unlock himself from Patrick Tambay.

01:03:17Through goes Tambay.

01:03:19Tambay still lying in 5th place.

01:03:21Warwick in 6th place, remember.

01:03:24And there is de Cesaris pulling away now slightly.

01:03:32Patrick Tambay, the man who many people thought

01:03:35would stay at Ferrari next year.

01:03:37And I think he himself thought that he was going to do just that.

01:03:40Seems to be slowing down a little bit,

01:03:42as is Nelson Piquet, who ran a little bit wide there

01:03:45on the entry to the corner.

01:03:47He's got to be very careful, because believe me,

01:03:49Alain Prost is sitting by his television monitor

01:03:52praying to all the gods that there may be up in the heaven

01:03:55that this man, Nelson Piquet, is going to hit some serious problems.

01:03:59The battle for 7th and 8th place now.

01:04:02Eddie Cheever in 7th place.

01:04:04Keke Rosberg with the Williams Honda,

01:04:07its debut race here in 8th place.

01:04:09They've of course been lapped.

01:04:11The Williams Honda.

01:04:13Honda V6, another major manufacturer

01:04:16entering World Grand Prix racing.

01:04:19Early Grand Prix racing, having so many manufacturers

01:04:22vying for the publicity,

01:04:24vying to test their product in front of this world market,

01:04:27world television coverage for the Grand Prix series.

01:04:31And through he goes into 7th place now.

01:04:34Rosberg going through to 7th.

01:04:36And so on lap 56, Tambay has dropped back.

01:04:39Tambay has dropped back behind Warwick.

01:04:42And there, I think Tambay is slowing right down.

01:04:45Tambay has dropped down to 6th place.

01:04:47And up into 6th place, sure enough, goes Keke Rosberg with the Williams Honda.

01:04:50Up now to 7th place will go Eddie Cheever.

01:04:53And Patrick Tambay is slowing right down there.

01:04:56A problem with the engine or a problem with the turbo.

01:04:59It looks to us if on lap 56, Patrick Tambay's race is won.

01:05:04His last ever race for the Ferrari team.

01:05:07A real shame as he was on pole position for this race.

01:05:10He's high of course, and it's 3rd place early on.

01:05:15There is Patrick Tambay slowing down all the while.

01:05:20And yes, it looks to be a cut-out perhaps of the turbo.

01:05:24He's driving across the track.

01:05:27From the entrance to the S's, the exit of Clubhouse Pen.

01:05:32And there, Bruno Giacomelli's car.

01:05:34Bruno Giacomelli's car I think is on fire at the rear end.

01:05:37Oh yes it is, look at that.

01:05:39Bruno Giacomelli's car is on fire.

01:05:42Does he realise it's catching a light?

01:05:44He's going up towards the Leucott Bend.

01:05:47He's going to have to get towards the marshals post.

01:05:49The marshals are running towards him.

01:05:51The flames are licking the back end of the Toleman heart.

01:05:54Giacomelli must get out of that car quickly.

01:05:56It's sensation here at Kyle Army.

01:05:58Remember that car is still well full of fuel.

01:06:02And that car could go up like a blazing torch.

01:06:05This could be serious.

01:06:07The marshals are rushing to the aid of Bruno Giacomelli.

01:06:11Giacomelli must get out of the car.

01:06:13The rear end of the car is alight.

01:06:14Giacomelli should be a little bit quicker.

01:06:16And there the fuel being doused by the marshals.

01:06:21The fire extinguisher is being sprayed all over that car.

01:06:24Look at this.

01:06:25First and second, Piquet slowed right down.

01:06:27Could Piquet have hit trouble?

01:06:29Nelson Piquet could be in problems here.

01:06:31Because Riccardo Patrese is right on his tail.

01:06:34It's all happening here in the last ten laps of the South African Grand Prix.

01:06:37Could be a change of leadership.

01:06:39Could Nelson Piquet have hit trouble?

01:06:41There's Riccardo Patrese.

01:06:42Where's Nelson Piquet?

01:06:43We can't see Piquet.

01:06:45Yes, Piquet is.

01:06:46Or is he not in second place?

01:06:48Can Niki Lauda get past him?

01:06:50And there is Piquet in second place.

01:06:53Patrese has taken the lead in second place now.

01:06:56Is Nelson Piquet...

01:06:58Well, could Piquet be in trouble?

01:07:00Because in third place and closing in on first and second place is Niki Lauda.

01:07:04The World Championship title run is not yet over.

01:07:08Salomon is up into ninth place, of course.

01:07:10But all eyes on Nelson Piquet.

01:07:12There's Patrese.

01:07:14Where is Piquet?

01:07:15There is Piquet in second place.

01:07:17Is Piquet in with a problem?

01:07:19We just don't know.

01:07:20And there is Alain Prost.

01:07:21Well, he is very interested in this, believe you me.

01:07:24René Arnoux, well, I shouldn't think he gives a damn, to be honest.

01:07:27But we could because there is this battle now.

01:07:30It is second, Piquet.

01:07:32Third is Lauda.

01:07:34And Lauda is taking second place off Nelson Piquet.

01:07:37And it's all change here.

01:07:40So just seven laps to go to the end of the South African Grand Prix.

01:07:44Patrese leans.

01:07:45Lauda is in second place.

01:07:47Piquet is in third place.

01:07:49Lauda is pulling away from Piquet.

01:07:51Is Piquet just slowing down on the side of caution?

01:07:55Or could he be in problems?

01:07:56Remember...

01:07:57Ah, look at this!

01:07:58Oh, Nelson Piquet goes back into second place.

01:08:02Because out of the race goes Niki Lauda after an absolutely sensational race.

01:08:07And really, ladies and gentlemen,

01:08:09the South African Grand Prix is turning into quite a spectacular event

01:08:14in these dying moments of the World Championship.

01:08:17We still are not quite sure.

01:08:18And Andre de Cesaris has got past Nelson Piquet.

01:08:21So de Cesaris is now in second place.

01:08:24Patrese leans.

01:08:25De Cesaris is in second place.

01:08:27Piquet is slowing in third place.

01:08:30And so it's lap 77, the last lap of the South African Grand Prix.

01:08:34Riccardo Patrese has gone through.

01:08:35De Cesaris is in second place.

01:08:37Piquet is slowing in third place.

01:08:38Can he make it round the last lap?

01:08:40He's less than two miles from the World Championship victory

01:08:44for himself, for BMW and for the Parmalat Bramham team.

01:08:47And so Riccardo Patrese heading towards victory,

01:08:50his second Grand Prix victory of his career.

01:08:53But all eyes are on the chequered flag.

01:08:56Here's Nelson Piquet in third place.

01:08:58Nelson Piquet finishes third and is the 1983 World Champion.

01:09:04And the Bramham team are jubilant.

01:09:07I think here we should remember that the BMW turbo engine

01:09:11is only in its second full season of Formula One Grand Prix racing

01:09:16because it's made its racing debut in the South African Grand Prix

01:09:19back in March of 1982.

01:09:22The World Manufacturers' Championship is won by Ferrari on 89 points,

01:09:27Renault second with 79, third Bramham BMW with 72.

01:09:32But the eyes of the world are on the new 1983 World Drivers' Champion,

01:09:38Nelson Piquet, driving of course the Parmalat Bramham BMW.

01:09:43And so the most prestigious series in motor racing,

01:09:46the Formula One World Grand Prix Championship,

01:09:49comes to an end here in South Africa

01:09:51after 15 races in 12 countries over four continents.

01:09:56A great drive, your second win ever.

01:09:59Was this more thrilling for you than your Monaco win last year?

01:10:02No, it was not more thrilling.

01:10:05I think Monaco was a little bit more of a surprise than this one

01:10:08because in a stage the race was coming very easy for us,

01:10:11especially the last part of the race, also the beginning.

01:10:14I mean, we planned the race and we played the race how we planned.

01:10:19I mean, we didn't have any sort of a plan.

01:10:22If the points situation would have been where you had to give up a victory

01:10:26for Nelson to win the championship, what would you have done?

01:10:30Yes, it was already planned.

01:10:32The plan was, Nelson started with less fuel than I did.

01:10:36And he had to give up a victory to win the championship.

01:10:39I mean, it was already planned.

01:10:41The plan was, Nelson started with less fuel than I did.

01:10:44And he had to give up a victory to win the championship.

01:10:47I mean, it was already planned.

01:10:49Nelson started with less fuel than I did.

01:10:52And he had to go and lead the race.

01:10:54And I had to hold all the field just to give him a big lead.

01:10:58And he had to lead the race, the first part of the race.

01:11:01At the end, if he had a comfortable lead like he had,

01:11:04and he had to save the car for the championship just to control the race,

01:11:09I had the permission from the team to win the race, how it happened.

01:11:14And so we did.

01:11:15Otherwise, if we had to fight with other people, he had to win.

01:11:19Or even if he was fifth and I was winning the race,

01:11:22I had to stop to let him to get one place to win the championship.

01:11:26And I was doing that, no problem.

01:11:28Alain Prost, how do you feel at this moment?

01:11:31I don't feel very bad because I think I was not very lucky,

01:11:36but my car was not competitive.

01:11:38And, you know, I think Brabham and Nelson were very, very strong.

01:11:43And I couldn't do nothing to win this championship

01:11:46because they won the last three races with Brabham.

01:11:49Brabham's team is very good. Nelson is very strong.

01:11:52And I think I didn't lose by my fault.

01:11:56I think my car was not competitive enough.

01:11:58I noticed in the last corner before the straight,

01:12:01you kept using different gears.

01:12:03Were you having trouble with the gearbox there?

01:12:05No, no trouble with the gearbox, but I had a problem with the engine.

01:12:08And I was obliged to change down the gears

01:12:13because my engine has no power in the low revs.

01:12:17Best of luck in 84.

01:12:19Yeah, I think we have to work a lot

01:12:21because our car is not very, very good.

01:12:23And I hope to have a much more competitive car next year.

01:12:29You will be definitely staying with Renault.

01:12:31Yeah, I stay with Renault. We have to work.

01:12:34Nelson, a very tactical race.

01:12:37Was this your race plan to pull out such a tremendous lead at the first half?

01:12:42Yes, we started the car very light with not much fuel.

01:12:46And we tried to make the people run behind us

01:12:49and maybe blow up the engine or maybe finish the tires.

01:12:52We pulled up the lead and after we had the lead,

01:12:55we slowed down and we did the race to win the championship.

01:12:58Were you in constant communications with your pit?

01:13:01Did you know what was going on with your competition?

01:13:04Exactly, all the time they give all the board, all the signal

01:13:08and they have no problem at all.

01:13:10So you're always computing that in your mind,

01:13:13what the points were and the positions and everything.

01:13:16Yes, I was looking at the seconds I have,

01:13:19what I could spare or how come I could slow down.

01:13:22Nelson, personally, what does it mean for you to win your second championship?

01:13:26I tell you, it means a lot.

01:13:28I really want to win this championship for me.

01:13:31In 1981, maybe I said I want to win for the team,

01:13:36for the mechanic, for everything.

01:13:38But now I really want to win for myself.

01:13:41And for sure I will try to win several other ones

01:13:44because I think I'm just beginning more racing

01:13:47and I think I'm very young still

01:13:50and I still have all the wish to still racing a lot.

01:13:54You've had an incredibly strong combination of tires, engine, chassis.

01:13:58Do you think you'll be able to maintain your edge over the other teams next year?

01:14:02Well, it's very easy to say I will maintain,

01:14:05but we fight for it.

01:14:07Of course, Michelin will be fighting to do the best tire,

01:14:11Gordon Motor will be fighting to do the best car

01:14:14and I think I will be trying to be a very good driver.

01:14:20And your BMW motor too.

01:14:23Oh yeah, I'm sorry about that.

01:14:25I think that Russia has been doing a fantastic job.

01:14:28In two years doing a car that is the most powerful engine

01:14:32and the most powerful car in the straight lines

01:14:35and I think that's very good.

01:14:37How are you going to celebrate tonight?

01:14:39I think getting drunk.

01:14:42This has been John Bisignano and Brian Kreisky.

01:14:45We've enjoyed bringing you this ESPN coverage

01:14:48of the South African Grand Prix

01:14:50and the exciting conclusion of the 1983 Formula 1 season.

01:14:55Thank you for joining us.

01:14:57Next year, we're planning a full schedule of 90-minute Grand Prix coverage

01:15:02and we'll be looking for you in ESPN Auto Racing 84.

01:15:07Goodbye from Johannesburg, South Africa.

F1 1983 - Grand Prix of South Africa

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