1983 Detroit Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 15 in the 1983 Formula One season | |||
 |
|||
| Date | June 5, 1983 | ||
| Official name | 2nd Detroit Grand Prix | ||
| Location |
Detroit street circuit Detroit, Michigan |
||
| Course | Temporary street course | ||
| Course length | 4.120 km (2.56 mi) | ||
| Distance | 60 laps, 247.195 km (153.60 mi) | ||
| Weather | Sunny, warm | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:44.734 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 John Watson
|
McLaren-Ford | |
| Time | 1:47.668 on lap 55 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
| Second | Williams-Ford | ||
| Third | McLaren-Ford | ||
The 1983 Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on June 5, 1983, in Detroit, Michigan.
Tyrrell's Michele Alboreto scored his second Grand Prix win and first points of the season, after inheriting the lead from Nelson Piquet with just nine laps to go when the Brabham driver stopped to replace a deflating rear tire. The tight downtown street course took away much of the advantage of the turbocharged cars, and Alboreto's win for Cosworth-Ford was the last of the season's three non-turbo victories. It was also the last for a normally aspirated engine until the turbos were outlawed after the 1988 season, and the last of a record 155 wins for the legendary Cosworth DFV and also the last victory for the Tyrrell team.
The circuit had been slightly modified from its original configuration the year before, with the pit lane extended to place the entrance before the final chicane, and a short new section of track eliminating the extremely tight hairpin at Turn Five. The new layout was faster and much preferred by the drivers. Friday's entire agenda was run in the rain, however, and it was left to a single hour on Saturday to decide the starting grid.
Contrary to the usual pattern, after the first fifteen minutes or so of qualifying, the track became slower as more rubber was laid down. This was apparently due to moisture still in the track being drawn out by the now-present sunshine. The pole-winning time of 1:44.734 was posted by René Arnoux on his Ferrari's first set of qualifying tires; on his second set, he was more than two seconds slower! Many who did not record a quick time early in the session were caught out by the changing conditions, and the grid held many surprises as a result. Defending Champion Keke Rosberg was twelfth, Alain Prost thirteenth and Niki Lauda eighteenth, while the non-turbocharged cars of Marc Surer and Alboreto were fifth and sixth. American Eddie Cheever, in the only competitive ride of his F1 career with Renault, was in seventh spot, six places ahead of his highly-regarded teammate!
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