| Type: | F1 |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Flag Suffix: | 1928 |
| Grand Prix: | South African |
| Date: | 15 October |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Race No: | 15 |
| Season No: | 15 |
| Course: | Permanent racing facility |
| Course Mi: | 2.550 |
| Course Km: | 4.104 |
| Distance Laps: | 77 |
| Distance Mi: | 196.358 |
| Distance Km: | 316.008 |
| Weather: | Dry |
| Pole Team: | Ferrari |
| Pole Time: | 1:06.554 |
| Pole Country: | France |
| Fast Team: | Brabham-BMW |
| Fast Time: | 1:09.948 |
| Fast Lap: | 6 |
| Fast Country: | Brazil |
| Fast Flag Suffix: | 1968 |
| First Team: | Brabham-BMW |
| First Country: | Italy |
| Second Team: | Alfa Romeo |
| Second Country: | Italy |
| Third Team: | Brabham-BMW |
| Third Country: | Brazil |
| Third Flag Suffix: | 1968 |
The 1983 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 15 October 1983. It was the fifteenth and final race of the 1983 Formula One season. The 77 lap race was won by Riccardo Patrese driving for Brabham. This would be Patrese's last win for nearly seven years until he won for Williams at the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix.
Before the race, three drivers were still in a position to win the World Drivers' Championship: Alain Prost (Renault) led the championship with 57 points, followed by Nelson Piquet (Brabham-BMW) with 55 and René Arnoux (Ferrari) with 49. Piquet qualified second, behind Patrick Tambay (Ferrari) in pole position and ahead of Riccardo Patrese (Brabham), Arnoux and Prost in third, fourth and fifth. At the start Piquet passed Tambay to take the lead, with Patrese moving into second place. Arnoux retired with engine failure on lap 9. Prost fought his way up to third place, but he also retired on lap 35 with turbo failure. Needing only to finish fourth or higher, Piquet slowed and was overtaken by Patrese, Niki Lauda (McLaren) and Andrea de Cesaris (Alfa Romeo). Lauda's engine failed on lap 71. The race finished with Patrese in first place, de Cesaris in second and Piquet in third, and Piquet won the championship by two points. Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship despite not finishing in the points in the last race for the second consecutive year. John Watson, completing his last full Formula One season, was disqualified for overtaking other cars on the parade lap.
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 |  Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | 1:06.554 | 1:07.029 | — | |
| 2 | 5 |  Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | 1:06.792 | 1:06.821 | +0.238 | |
| 3 | 6 |  Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-BMW | 1:08.181 | 1:07.001 | +0.447 | |
| 4 | 28 | René Arnoux | Ferrari | 1:07.222 | 1:07.105 | +0.551 | |
| 5 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:07.186 | 1:08.136 | +0.632 | |
| 6 | 1 |  Keke Rosberg | Williams-Honda | 1:07.256 | 1:07.344 | +0.702 | |
| 7 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Renault | 1:09.443 | 1:07.643 | +1.089 | |
| 8 | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS-BMW | 1:07.726 | 1:07.682 | +1.128 | |
| 9 | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 1:08.970 | 1:07.759 | +1.205 | |
| 10 | 2 | Jacques Laffite | Williams-Honda | 1:07.931 | 1:08.652 | +1.377 | |
| 11 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | 1:07.937 | 1:07.980 | +1.383 | |
| 12 | 8 |  Niki Lauda | McLaren-TAG | 1:07.974 | 1:08.587 | +1.420 | |
| 13 | 35 | Derek Warwick | Toleman-Hart | 1:08.061 | 1:08.301 | +1.507 | |
| 14 | 16 |  Eddie Cheever | Renault | 1:08.069 | 1:08.360 | +1.515 | |
| 15 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren-TAG | 1:08.328 | 1:10.635 | +1.774 | |
| 16 | 36 | Bruno Giacomelli | Toleman-Hart | 1:08.350 | 1:08.439 | +1.796 | |
| 17 | 23 | Mauro Baldi | Alfa Romeo | 1:09.364 | 1:08.628 | +2.074 | |
| 18 | 3 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:11.096 | 1:11.284 | +4.542 | |
| 19 | 4 | Danny Sullivan | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:11.750 | 1:11.382 | +4.828 | |
| 20 | 30 |  Thierry Boutsen | Arrows-Ford | 1:11.988 | 1:11.658 | +5.104 | |
| 21 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier-Ford | 1:12.017 | 1:12.538 | +5.463 | |
| 22 | 29 |  Marc Surer | Arrows-Ford | 1:12.309 | 1:12.049 | +5.495 | |
| 23 | 26 | Raul Boesel | Ligier-Ford | 1:12.745 | 1:13.330 | +6.191 | |
| 24 | 17 | Kenny Acheson | RAM-Ford | 1:13.352 | no time | +6.798 | |
| 25 | 31 | Corrado Fabi | Osella-Alfa Romeo | 1:14.483 | 1:13.656 | +7.102 | |
| 26 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella-Alfa Romeo | 1:14.903 | 1:15.503 | +8.349 | |
| Source: [1] [2] [3] [4] | |||||||
| Pos | Driver | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Piquet | 59 | ||
| 2 | Alain Prost | 57 | ||
| 3 | René Arnoux | 49 | ||
| 4 | Patrick Tambay | 40 | ||
| 5 | Keke Rosberg | 27 | ||
| Source: [7] | ||||
| Pos | Constructor | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 89 | ||
| 2 | Renault | 79 | ||
| 3 | Brabham-BMW | 72 | ||
| 4 | Williams-Ford | 36 | ||
| 5 | McLaren-Ford | 34 | ||
| Source: | ||||