1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix

This is the complete race as broadcast on LIVE TV.

The final race of the 1982 season was held at the Caesar’s Palace facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. This track
was considered a “temporary street course”, and widely considered one of the worst racing venues in
Formula 1 history. While the entire track was visible to the spectators (what few there were), the drivers
had to endure enormous g-forces which put a tremendous strain on their necks. To add to their pain, the
cars ran in a counter-clockwise direction (unlike the rest of the Formula 1 circuits) and of course the brutal
Las Vegas heat, which was frequently over 100 degrees. Not surprisingly, this circuit was only used by
Formula 1 in 1981 and 1982 (the CART Series would use a modified version of this track for 1983-1984,
then the area was covered over with urban development).

Being that this was also the last race of the season, there was of course drama. The championship came
down to British driver John Watson and the always entertaining Keke Rosberg from Finland, who had
scored zero points the previous year. French driver Didier Peroni (Ferrari) actually had a tremendous
points lead when he was seriously injured while testing for the German Grand Prix several weeks earlier.
Unable to complete the season, Peroni had such a large lead at the time of his accident that there was a
possibility he could still win the championship, even having sat out the last 5 races.

Alain Prost (Renault) was on pole, followed by his teammate Rene Arnoux.  Prost would lead for many laps
until he was passed by Arnoux, then Prost regained the lead on lap 15. Rene Arnoux began to slow with
engine problems, and Michele Alboreto (Tyrrell) began to come to life. John Watson fell as low as 12th
position in the opening laps, but soon gathered things up and began passing cars, while Keke Rosberg was
steady running in the top 7 all afternoon. When the checkered flag dropped, Michele Alboreto had his very
first Formula 1 win (and the first Tyrrell win in 4 years) while Keke Rosberg won the 1982 championship.
For the first time in 18 years, three manufacturers had a chance to win the Constructor’s Championship,
with Ferrari taking the title in front of McLaren and Renault. Also of note is that this would be the last
Formula 1 start for Mario Andretti (Ferrari).

This is a Japanese telecast (Japanese graphics) mixed with English titles along the way. Quality is very
good, and commentary is by BBC’s Murray Walker and James Hunt.