In the run up to the Belgian Grand Prix in a few weeks, we are looking at classic and significant Belgian Grand Prix held at Spa. In a special, this article will look at a very significant race held at Belgium’s second Formula One circuit, Zolder. The 1982 Belgian Grand Prix turned what was already a highly controversial Formula One season into one of pain for Formula One’s greatest team, Scuderia Ferrari.

The previous round at San Marino was a race that was only contested by a handful of teams, as the FISA-FOCA (Federation Internationale du Sport Automobile and Formula One Constructors Association respectively) war hit breaking point. Just 14 cars took the start and five finished the race. The most significant talking point of this race was the duel between the Ferrari drivers, Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi. In short, Pironi overtook Villeneuve despite both drivers receiving a ‘slow’ signal, and Villeneuve claimed to never speak to the Frenchman as a result.

The 1982 Belgian Grand Prix

Despite retiring due to an engine problem at Imola, Alain Prost led the way in his Renault, with 18 points ahead of the McLaren of Niki Lauda, making his Formula One comeback. In third was Pironi, level with the Tyrrell of Michele Alboreto. In fifth place, was Keke Rosberg’s Williams, just 10 points behind Prost meaning that the championship was incredibly tight. Heading into the race, 1981 runner-up Carlos Reutemann announced his retirement from Formula One, after deciding to continue on in 1982 despite choosing to quit after 1981. Derek Daly replaced him at Williams, who brought the FW08 to the paddock for the first time.

During the final qualifying session, Villeneuve was attempting to beat Pironi’s time, the latter being 0.1s ahead in sixth place. However, when Villeneuve came up behind Jochen Mass’ March which was travelling quite slowly, an on-track disagreement saw both drivers move off the racing line at the same time – Mass to let Villeneuve through, Villeneuve to pass Mass, and the two made contact. Villeneuve was launched into the air, came crashing down, and was launched from his car along with the seat straight into the catch fencing, his helmet was torn from his head in the process. The McLaren of John Watson and the Toleman of Derek Warwick rushed to the scene before doctors arrived and pulled Villeneuve from the catch fence. He was transferred to the on-site medical centre before being flown to hospital where it was announced at 21:12 that Villeneuve, without a doubt one of the greatest drivers of his time, had died due to a fatal neck fracture.

Despite this the race went on. Ferrari immediately withdrew from the race and left the circuit. Alain Prost took pole, alongside team mate Rene Arnoux. Rosberg was third, alongside Lauda. Alboreto, Andrea de Cesaris, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Riccardo Patrese and Watson rounded out the top 10. 26 cars took the grid for the first time since Long Beach.

Arnoux took the lead at the start, but Renault’s woeful reliability meant that he was out after just seven laps, giving the lead to Rosberg who was ahead of Prost, who didn’t get away well. A clutch failure for Mansell meant that two other cars were eliminated while trying to avoid the British driver. Prost fell further down the order and Rosberg was now being hunted by Lauda and de Cesaris. Meanwhile, a bit further back, Lauda’s team mate Watson was looking after his tyres and made his way up through the pack, passing Patrese and then the Austrian into second place. Rosberg could well have won the race, but he was beginning to struggle and Watson reeled him in. Watson got by Rosberg with just three laps to go. Watson took his first win of the season to throw his name into the championship ring, ahead of Rosberg and Lauda, the latter being disqualified for being underweight. This promoted Eddie Cheever’s Ligier into third place. Elio de Angelis was fourth ahead of Piquet and Chico Serra’s Fittipaldi.

The result meant that Prost was now just one point ahead of Watson in the championship and ahead of Rosberg by four points. It was still early days in the championship but it almost seemed as if anybody could win it. Unfortunately nobody cared about the championship as all eyes were on Ferrari, as they had lost the massively popular Villeneuve. Ferrari ran just one car for the next few rounds, but it almost seemed as if the gap left by Villeneuve was simply impossible to fill. In what was already a sombre season, more nasty incidents saw career-ending injuries to Pironi, and the death of Riccardo Paletti. It is a shame that an exciting race and an exciting season were to be remembered for the incredibly dark side of Formula One.

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