74th, Prost's Commanding Triumph: Renault's Speed Masterclass at Kyalami
The ill-starred drivers’ strike tends to dominate when thoughts turn to South Africa 1982. But after the politics, bus trips and ‘lock-ins’, the drivers delivered a classic Grand Prix as the turbo era began to get into its stride.
The Renaults, Ferraris and Brabham–BMWs showed dominant pace, and no one could live with Alain Prost and René Arnoux come Sunday, but poor reliability and tyre dramas gave the Cosworth hordes hope and brought the race alive.
These days, Prost is too easily labelled as the intelligent driver who won by stealth. His sheer speed, particularly at this early stage of his F1 career, can be overlooked. Perhaps that was because he made it look so easy. When he lost a dominant lead with a puncture, the Frenchman used his power advantage to charge back to the front from eighth. As Jenks put it: “It had not been spectacular to watch for Prost is not a spectacular driver, but fast he undoubtedly is, his driving well suited to the very efficient Renault.”
His team-mate Arnoux also suffered Michelin problems, picking up a chronic tyre vibration that forced him to slow. It allowed Carlos Reutemann’s normally aspirated Williams to finish second, outlasting the ailing turbos. What a difference from the final race of ’81 in Las Vegas, when a watery performance cost him the title. On this occasion, the ‘real’ Carlos turned up. But soon he would be gone, quitting Williams and F1 to return home for a life in politics, enigmatic to the last. DS