45. 1983 USA GP West: Watson takes record win from 22nd on the grid
This was a race whose grid bore little relation to the racing reality. Ferrari seemed in good shape, with Patrick Tambay and René Arnoux locking out the front row, but McLaren’s drivers struggled to make their Michelin qualifiers work
Tambay leads from pole with Watson so far behind he’s not even pictured
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March 27, Long Beach
They lined up in close company, though, John Watson 22nd and Niki Lauda 23rd…
Tambay led into the first corner as Keke Rosberg separated the Ferraris, the Finn thumping Arnoux’s front-right wheel in the process. Rosberg then spun a couple of corners later, but lost a place only to team-mate Jacques Laffite.
Rosberg hunts the Ferrari before their clash.
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Tambay continued to lead, using his Ferrari’s straight-line speed to repel the nimbler Williams-Cosworths (Rosberg ahead once again after slicing cleanly past Laffite). On the 26th lap, however, Rosberg dived inside Tambay at the hairpin and tipped the Ferrari into a spin. Rosberg then collided with both Laffite and Jean-Pierre Jarier’s Ligier before the lap was out, leaving Laffite at the head of the field from Riccardo Patrese’s Brabham and the two McLarens, which worked brilliantly in race trim and had carved through the field. Lauda was now ahead, but Watson passed him on lap 31.
Watson won and set a record that may never be beaten
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The McLarens moved up again when Patrese slid wide in his endeavours to usurp Laffite, but Watson showed how it should be done on lap 45. Lauda followed suit and the McLarens romped home well clear of Arnoux, the only other driver to finish on the same lap as Laffite slowed with tyre wear. An eventful sign-off, then, as Long Beach prepared to abandon F1 in favour of CART… SA
Results
1st John Watson (McLaren-Cosworth), 1hr 53min 34.889sec, 80.62mph
2nd Niki Lauda (McLaren-Cosworth)
3rd René Arnoux (Ferrari)
Pole position Patrick Tambay (Ferrari), 1min 26.117sec, 85.07mph