Formula 1 historical archive

John Watson won the 1982 Detroit Grand Prix

John Watson won the 1982 Detroit Grand Prix for McLaren, ahead of Eddie Cheever and Didier Pironi at Detroit Street Circuit.

Browse the full classification, related season, driver, team, circuit, and championship history.

Race recap

Winner
John Watson
Team
McLaren
Top listed
John Watson, Eddie Cheever, and Didier Pironi
Race date
June 6, 1982
Pole
Alain Prost
Fastest lap
Alain Prost
Classified drivers
29
Circuit
Detroit Street Circuit

The decisive result

John Watson finished first for McLaren. Eddie Cheever is listed 2 for Ligier, with Didier Pironi 3 for Ferrari.

Grid to finish

John Watson from P17 to P1 (+16), Chico Serra from P26 to P11 (+15), and Jochen Mass from P18 to P7 (+11) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. Alain Prost started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 6 Collision, 5 Finished, 3 +1 lap, 3 DNQ, and 3 Spun off. Alain Prost holds the fastest-lap entry at 1:50.438 on lap 45. It records the result without speculating about incidents or strategy.

This summary sticks to the classification and does not speculate about incidents, strategy, weather, or causes. Source: F1DB (CC BY 4.0) · updated Jul 26, 2026.

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Race classification
PosDriverConstructorTime / statusPoints
1John WatsonMcLaren1:58:41.0439
2Eddie CheeverLigier1:58:56.7736
3Didier PironiFerrari1:59:09.1234
4Keke RosbergWilliams1:59:53.0233
5Derek DalyWilliams2:00:4.8032
6Jacques LaffiteLigier+1 lap1
7Jochen MassMarch+1 lap0
8Marc SurerArrows+1 lap0
9Brian HentonTyrrell+2 laps0
10René ArnouxRenault+3 laps0
11Chico SerraFittipaldi+3 laps0
NCAlain ProstRenault+8 laps0
DNFNigel MansellTeam LotusEngine0
DNFNiki LaudaMcLarenCollision0
DNFMichele AlboretoTyrrellSpun off0
DNFBruno GiacomelliAlfa RomeoCollision0
DNFElio de AngelisTeam LotusGearbox0
DNFEliseo SalazarATS WheelsSpun off0
DNFRoberto GuerreroEnsignCollision0
DNFRiccardo PatreseBrabhamCollision0