1982 Australian Grand Prix
# 1982 Australian Grand Prix

The 1982 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Melbourne International Raceway, formerly Calder Raceway, in Victoria, Australia on 8 November 1982.

The race, which was the 47th Australian Grand Prix, was open to racing cars complying with Australian Formula 1 regulations, which for this year included only Formula Pacific cars. It was the second Australian Grand Prix to feature only Formula Pacific cars. For the Australian-based competitors the race was also the eighth and final round of the 1982 Australian Drivers' Championship.

The race was won by Alain Prost of France driving a Ralt RT4. His subsequent victory in the 1986 Australian Grand Prix would see him secure his second straight Formula One World Championship for Drivers title and become the first driver to win the Australian Grand Prix in both its Australian domestic and World Championship formats. As of 2022

he remains as the only driver to have achieved this.

The 1982 race was the first Australian Grand Prix since 1968 in which no Australian driver placed in the first three positions. The highest-placed Australian was the Alfredo Costanzo who finished fifth in a Tiga FA81 Ford, thus clinching the 1982 Australian Drivers' Championship title. Costanzo was also the fastest Australian qualifier, starting from the third grid position behind the Ralt RT4 Fords of French Formula One drivers Alain Prost and Jacques Laffite.

## Classification

Results as follows:

### Qualifying

| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Qual | Gap |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 15 | Alain Prost | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.18 | — |
| 2 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.42 | +0.24 |
| 3 | 1 | Alfredo Costanzo | Tiga FA81 Ford | 0:39.59 | +0.41 |
| 4 | 4 | John Bowe | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.67 | +0.49 |
| 5 | 18 | Nelson Piquet | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.67 | +0.49 |
| 6 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.77 | +0.59 |
| 7 | 27 | Alan Jones | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.81 | +0.63 |
| 8 | 71 | John Smith | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.89 | +0.70 |
| 9 | 41 | David McMillan | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.93 | +0.74 |
| 10 | 14 | Robert Handford | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.98 | +0.79 |
| 11 | 2 | Andrew Miedecke | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:39.99 | +0.80 |
| 12 | 9 | Graham Watson | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:40.01 | +0.83 |
| 13 | 8 | Richard Davison | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:40.07 | +0.89 |
| 14 | 20 | Lucio Cesario | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:40.09 | +0.91 |
| 15 | 64 | Phillip Revell | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:40.16 | +0.98 |
| 16 | 25 | Paul Radisich | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:40.30 | +1.12 |
| 17 | 3 | Charlie O'Brien | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:40.36 | +1.18 |
| 18 | 12 | Doug MacArthur | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:40.41 | +1.23 |
| 19 | 10 | Neil Crang | Tiga FA82 Ford | 0:41.25 | +2.07 |
| 20 | 7 | Peter Williamson | Toleman TA860 Toyota | 0:41.25 | +2.07 |
| 21 | 74 | Chris Hocking | Cheetah Mk.8 Ford | 0:41.25 | +2.07 |
| 22 | 23 | Willy Stobart | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:41.27 | +2.09 |
| 23 | 78 | Brian Sampson | Cheetah Mk.8 Ford | 0:41.38 | +2.20 |
| 24 | 16 | Bob Creasy | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:41.65 | +2.47 |
| 25 {1) | 24 | Ray Hangar | Ralt RT4 Ford | 0:42.10 | +2.92 |
| 26 {1) | 13 | Brett Fisher | Ralt RT1 Ford | 0:43.87 | +4.69 |

Note 1: Hanger and Fisher were listed as reserves for the race however Hanger was allowed to start after Jones withdrew during the warm-up laps.

### Race

| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Entrant | Laps | Time | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 15 | Alain Prost | Ralt RT4 Ford | Melbourne International Raceway | 100 | 1h 07m 18.65s | |
| 2 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ralt RT4 Ford | Melbourne International Raceway | 100 | 1h 07m 33.97s | |
| 3 | 19 | Roberto Moreno | Ralt RT4 Ford | Goold Motorsport | 100 | 1h 07m 43.48s | |
| 4 | 41 | David McMillan | Ralt RT4 Ford | D McMillan | 99 | | |
| 5 | 1 | Alfredo Costanzo | Tiga FA81 Ford | Porsche Cars Australia | 99 | | 9 |
| 6 | 2 | Andrew Miedecke | Ralt RT4 Ford | A Miedecke | 99 | | 6 |
| 7 | 4 | John Bowe | Ralt RT4 Ford | Chris Leach Racing | 99 | | 4 |
| 8 | 14 | Robert Handford | Ralt RT4 Ford | R Handford | 98 | | 3 |
| 9 | 71 | John Smith | Ralt RT4 Ford | J Smith | 98 | | 2 |
| 10 | 64 | Phillip Revell | Ralt RT4 Ford | Aub Revell | 98 | | 1 |
| 11 | 8 | Richard Davison | Ralt RT4 Ford | Clive Milis Motors Pty Ltd | 98 | | |
| 12 | 12 | Doug MacArthur | Ralt RT4 Ford | DM MacArthur | 97 | | |
| 13 | 10 | Neil Crang | Tiga FA82 Ford | N Crang | 96 | | |
| 14 | 74 | Chris Hocking | Cheetah Mk.8 Ford | C Hocking | 96 | | |
| 15 | 78 | Brian Sampson | Cheetah Mk.8 Ford | B Sampson | 96 | | |
| 16 | 25 | Paul Radisich | Ralt RT4 Ford | P Radisich | 93 | | |
| 17 | 16 | Bob Creasy | Ralt RT4 Ford | B Creasy | 91 | | |
| 18 | 24 | Ray Hangar | Ralt RT4 Ford | R Hanger | 90 | | |
| Ret | 20 | Lucio Cesario | Ralt RT4 Ford | L Cesario | 51 | lost fourth gear | |
| Ret | 18 | Nelson Piquet | Ralt RT4 Ford | Goold Motorsport | 35 | accident | |
| Ret | 9 | Graham Watson | Ralt RT4 Ford | Graham Watson Motor Racing Pty Ltd | 34 | accident | |
| Ret | 7 | Peter Williamson | Toleman TA860 Toyota | National Panasonic (Australia) Pty Ltd | 33 | accident | |
| Ret | 3 | Charlie O'Brien | Ralt RT4 Ford | C O'Brien | 27 | head gasket | |
| Ret | 23 | Willy Stobart | Ralt RT4 Ford | W Stobart | 26 | brakes / handling | |
| DNS | 27 | Alan Jones | Ralt RT4 Ford | Alan Jones Racing | | flywheel (warm up laps) | |
| DNQ | 13 | Brett Fisher | Ralt RT1 Ford | Paul Liston | | | |
