1982 United States Grand Prix West

Previous race

Nelson Piquet won in Brazil despite the intense heat and humidity, with Keke Rosberg second. Piquet fainted on the podium from exhaustion, and Riccardo Patrese was forced to retire due to total exhaustion mid-race. Ferrari and Renault have filed protests against the first- and second-place finishers over the water tanks fitted to the Brabham and Williams cars, which the teams claim are for brake cooling but which allow the cars to run below the minimum weight limit during the race. The case is before FISA in Paris and is unresolved.

Between-race developments

Just five days after the Brazilian Grand Prix, Carlos Reutemann shocked Williams by announcing his immediate retirement from racing. Frank Williams contacted 1978 World Champion Mario Andretti, who agrees to drive the second Williams for this weekend. Andretti’s commitments to the Patrick Indy Car team pose no conflicts for this date.

Track changes

Significant modifications have been made to the Long Beach circuit since last year. The Queen’s Hairpin at the end of Shoreline Drive has been replaced by a right-angle turn leading into a new section with several demanding corners up to Ocean Boulevard. On the opposite end, a chicane has been inserted near the beginning of the Shoreline Drive straight in anticipation of pit lane relocation. The changes add around ten seconds to previous year’s lap times and make the circuit even more demanding.

Entrants

Mario Andretti replaces Carlos Reutemann at Williams for this race. Andrea de Cesaris, who was ousted from McLaren over the winter to make way for Lauda, is now driving for Alfa Romeo.