Rosso 27 | Michele Alboreto Tribute Website

Alboreto on the Podium at the German GP 1985

Victories

Michele didn't win as much as he deserved.
5 Victories in Formula 1, the European Formula 3 Championship, and especially the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997, were the Highlights of his Career
The best year in Formula 1 was in the 1985 World Championship. When he was in the lead for most of the season, he had to retire 4 times in the last 5 Races for Engine and Turbo failures

September 25, 1982-United States Grand Prix-Caesars Palace Circuit

Summary

The 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix was the sixteenth and final race of the 1982 FIA Formula One World Championship. The 75-lap race was won by Michele Alboreto, driving a Tyrrell-Ford.John Watson finished second in a McLaren-Ford, with Eddie Cheever third in a Ligier-Matra. Keke Rosberg finished fifth in his Williams-Ford to secure the Drivers' Championship, with Ferrari taking the Constructors' Championship.

The race

At the green light for the race on Saturday, Prost led from the pole, followed by teammate Arnoux. Cheever, from the fourth spot on the grid, was determined to get around the outside of Alboreto on the first left-hander.

For the first ten laps, the Renaults steadily pulled away from Alboreto, with Arnoux now leading Prost. The Tyrrell began to match Arnoux's times, however, and then to close on him, as Prost took back the lead on lap 15. Speculation of a problem with Arnoux's car proved true, as the Renault was faltering, and he retired on lap 21.

Watson, meanwhile, had dropped to twelfth in the opening laps, but passed Piquet on lap 12, then Rosberg, Andretti and Cheever on successive laps, eventually reaching third place, with a thirty-second gap to the two leaders. However, when Andretti, hoping to help clinch the Constructors' title for Ferrari, slid off directly in front of Rosberg on lap 27 with a broken rear suspension link, Rosberg took over the fifth place he sought.

Among the leaders, Alboreto began inching closer to Prost again, and Watson continued to close on both of them. Alboreto had eliminated the gap to Prost, and gotten by him to take the lead in a Grand Prix for the first time. In four more laps, Watson had also caught and passed him, but he could make no progress on Alboreto. Alboreto cruised to a comfortable victory, his first ever and the first for Tyrrell in four years