1983 British Grand Prix

Championship standings

Prost leads by three points from Piquet and Tambay, who are joint second. Rosberg is two points further back. Renault and Ferrari are tied at the head of the Constructors’ Championship.

Previous race

Arnoux won Canada for Ferrari — his and the team’s first victory of the season. Cheever gave Renault second place, with Tambay third to close on Prost at the top of the championship. Patrese retired yet again with a mechanical failure despite running strongly; Rosberg finished fourth and Prost fifth.

Entrants

Spirit Racing makes its first championship appearance with factory Honda backing. Swedish driver Stefan Johansson — who drove for Spirit in Formula Two — pilots the Honda-powered car. The team is running a limited programme in 1983 with a view to a full 1984 campaign.

Kenny Acheson has been hired by RAM for this race and the remainder of the season, taking the seat vacated by Jacques Villeneuve from Montreal.

Nigel Mansell starts his first Grand Prix in the Lotus-Renault turbo at his home race. He had previously driven the turbo Lotus 93T at the non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in April, but all his World Championship starts until now have been in the Ford-powered car.

Milestones

René Arnoux sets the first ever sub-70-second lap of Silverstone in the new Ferrari 126C3.