1982 German F1 Grand Prix Race Report & Results

Event: German Grand Prix
Track: Hockenheimring

Weather: cool, dry race day

Patrick Tambay won his 1st F1 World Championship race at the 1982 German Grand Prix on the road. The Ferrari driver started from 5th on the grid and won on the Hockenheim circuit for the 1st time. It was his 1st win of the season and the 84th win for the Ferrari F1 team, a victory in the shadow of championship leader Didier Pironi's career-ending crash a day earlier.

Saturday morning: the end of Pironi's career

The circuit was under standing water on Saturday morning when Pironi went out on Goodyears. At around 10:30, having taken the third chicane flat in fifth gear, he was approaching 280 km/h on the run to the Stadium when he came upon Daly and Prost slowing to enter the pits. Daly pulled right to pass Prost, who was completely hidden in the Renault's spray. Pironi pulled left to pass Daly. The Ferrari rode up over Prost's right-rear wheel, was launched more than 100 metres through the air, bounced, took off again, and crashed nose-first into the grass. Prost stopped and ran back; Cheever, Mansell and Piquet were there within seconds. Piquet unbuckled the harness and found Pironi's right leg crushed. Five doctors worked under the rain. One wanted to amputate on the spot. Pironi refused. Four hours of surgery in Heidelberg saved both legs. He would never race in Formula 1 again. Mauro Forghieri's strengthened nose box, ordered after Villeneuve's Zolder accident, saved Pironi's life. So did his harness, one mount sheared, but the other held him in the cockpit.

Tambay carries the team alone

Ferrari did not consider withdrawing Tambay's car. Pironi's pole position was technically still on the grid because the team had not formally filed his withdrawal, putting Prost into the virtual pole, but starting from his spare, since his race car had been wrecked the day before. Lauda had withdrawn on Friday afternoon after spraining his wrist in a separate accident. Arnoux jumped Prost at the start; Piquet took the lead through the first chicane on lap 2. Tambay was past Arnoux for second on lap 10. Patrese's Brabham burned out on lap 14, another pump-induced piston failure.

Piquet vs Salazar

Piquet was leading by 22 seconds, on schedule for his refuelling stop, when on lap 19 he came upon Salazar's ATS at the Ostkurve. The Chilean braked late, hit the Brabham square in the back, and pitched both into the tyre wall. Piquet climbed out, walked back to Salazar's car and punched him in the face, twice, then aimed a kick, all of it caught on television. Tambay inherited the lead. Watson's right-front suspension broke on lap 37 and he hit the Ostkurve wall. Tambay cruised home 16 seconds clear of Arnoux. Rosberg was third a lap down, Alboreto fourth, Giacomelli fifth for his first points of the season, Surer sixth for Arrows after being initially non-qualified.

Aftermath

On the podium Tambay was composed. "I could dedicate this victory to Gilles or to Didier," he said, "but I offer it to Enzo Ferrari, for the trust he placed in me." Six months earlier his F1 career had seemed over after Ligier dropped him; the Commendatore had picked him up. He was now driving Villeneuve's car, winning races. Pironi held the championship lead from a hospital bed, Watson 30, Rosberg 27, Tambay 25, Prost 25. Ferrari took over the constructors' lead. Pironi began a long battle to walk again under Professor Emile Letournel in Paris, vowing to return. He never would. The 1982 championship was now entirely open.

Classification 1982 German F1 GP

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Car & Engine	Grid	Laps	Led	Time	Pts
1	27	PatrickTambay	Ferrari	Ferrari 126C2Ferrari 021	5	45	27	1:27:25.178	9
2	16	RenéArnoux	Renault	Renault RE30BRenault EF1	3	45	1	1:27:41.557+16.379s	6
3	6	KekeRosberg	Williams	Williams FW08Ford DFV	9	44		+1 lap	4
4	3	MicheleAlboreto	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 011Ford DFV	7	44		+1 lap	3
5	23	BrunoGiacomelli	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 182Alfa Romeo 1260	11	44		+1 lap	2
6	29	MarcSurer	Arrows	Arrows A4Ford DFV	26	44		+1 lap	1
7	4	BrianHenton	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 011Ford DFV	17	44		+1 lap
8	14	RobertoGuerrero	Ensign	Ensign N181Ford DFV	21	44		+1 lap
9	12	NigelMansell	Team Lotus	Lotus 91Ford DFV	18	43		+2 laps
10	35	DerekWarwick	Toleman	Toleman TG181CHart 415T	14	43		+2 laps
11	20	ChicoSerra	Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi F9Ford DFV	25	43		+2 laps
DNF	7	JohnWatson	McLaren	McLaren MP4/1Ford DFV	10	36		Suspension failure
DNF	26	JacquesLaffite	Ligier	Ligier JS19Matra MS81	15	36		Handling
DNF	5	DerekDaly	Williams	Williams FW08Ford DFV	19	25		Engine
DNF	18	RaulBoesel	March	March 821Ford DFV	24	22		Tyre
DNF	11	Eliode Angelis	Team Lotus	Lotus 91Ford DFV	13	21		Handling
DNF	1	NelsonPiquet	Brabham	Brabham BT50BMW M12/13	4	18	17	Collision
DNF	10	EliseoSalazar	ATS	ATS D5Ford DFV	22	17		Collision
DNF	15	AlainProst	Renault	Renault RE30BRenault EF1	2	14		Injection
DNF	2	RiccardoPatrese	Brabham	Brabham BT50BMW M12/13	6	13		Engine
DNF	22	Andreade Cesaris	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 182Alfa Romeo 1260	8	9		Gearbox
DNF	25	EddieCheever	Ligier	Ligier JS19Matra MS81	12	8		Fuel System
DNF	30	MauroBaldi	Arrows	Arrows A4Ford DFV	23	6		Fuel System
DNF	31	Jean-PierreJarier	Osella	Osella FA1DFord DFV	20	3		Steering
DNF	9	ManfredWinkelhock	ATS	ATS D5Ford DFV	16	3		Clutch
DNS	28	DidierPironi	Ferrari	Ferrari 126C2Ferrari 021	1	0		Practice accident
DNQ	33	TommyByrne	Theodore	Theodore TY02Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	17	RupertKeegan	March	March 821Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	36	TeoFabi	Toleman	Toleman TG181CHart 415T		0		No Time

Fastest lap: 1:54.035 min by Nelson Piquet (Brabham BT50) in lap 7

✅ Check out 1982 F1 Championship Standings
✅ Check out 1982 F1 Teams & Drivers

✅ Check out All Time F1 Drivers Rankings
✅ Check out All Time F1 Driver Records
✅ Check out All Time F1 Teams Rankings

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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