1983 South African Grand Prix

Championship standings

Prost leads with 57 points. Piquet is two points behind on 55 after winning at Brands Hatch. Arnoux is third on 49. It is the first three-way championship fight in two years, and the fourth consecutive season the title has gone to the final race.

Previous race

Piquet won the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, his second consecutive victory, to close within two points of Prost. Prost fought through to second; Mansell took Lotus’s first podium of the year with third. Tambay’s challenge effectively ended when brake problems caused him to spin off at Druids in the closing laps. Arnoux spun to the back of the field early on and finished ninth, one lap down.

Championship permutations

Any of three drivers can win the title. According to the championship table: Prost wins if he finishes in the top five; if he finishes sixth or lower, the permutations depend on where Piquet and Arnoux finish. Piquet wins the title if he finishes fourth or higher. Arnoux can win only by winning the race outright with Prost failing to score and Piquet finishing no higher than fifth.

Entrants

Williams makes its first appearance with the Honda V6 turbo engine, in the new FW09. This is also the first title decider held in South Africa in 21 years.

Theodore and Spirit do not start: Theodore folded after Brands Hatch, and Spirit chose not to travel to the finale.

This is the last full Formula One season for John Watson. Jean-Pierre Jarier also makes his final Formula One start.