1982 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1982 Belgian Grand Prix was Round 5 of the 1982 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The event was held at the Zolder circuit in Belgium on Sunday, 9 May 1982. Alain Prost started on pole position for Renault and John Watson was the race winner in the McLaren Ford.

This event is sadly but rightly always remembered most for the horrific accident on Saturday afternoon which claimed the life of the great Canadian Gilles Villeneuve. During qualifying, whilst trying to better his Ferrari team-mate Didier Pironi’s provisional pole time, Villeneuve attempted to overtake Jochen Mass‘ March on the run down to the Terlamenbocht corner but struck the back of the German’s slower car. At over 120mph, Villeneuve’s Ferrari 126C2 was launched high up into the air and, as the car somersaulted violently off the circuit, Villeneuve was thrown out of the wreckage and into a catch fence. Although he was taken to hospital in Louvain, he had sustained a broken neck in the accident and was tragically pronounced dead later that evening. As a mark of respect, Ferrari subsequently withdrew Pironi from the race.

Brazilian Chico Serra scored his first and only world championship point by finishing 6th after Niki Lauda was disqualified. This would prove to be the final point scored by the Fittipaldi team.