On October 13, 1982, the FIA introduced sweeping changes to the technical regulations for Formula 1: mandatory flat bottoms and the banning of side skirts, aimed at drastically reducing ground effect. Most teams had already started designing their 1983 cars for the World Championship and, with no time to create new cars from scratch, they modified their 1982 models to meet the new rules. Brabham, however, already had the new BT51 in development and had begun testing it as early as October 1982.
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| BRABHAM BT52, Riccardo Patrese Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1983 |
Designer Gordon Murray, aided by David North, wasn’t discouraged. He started from scratch and developed a completely new car, the Brabham BT52. Its chassis used carbon fiber only in the upper section, not in the structural base, which was made from aluminum honeycomb panels. Visually, the car was also a significant departure from its predecessor, especially in terms of the side pods. With flat bottoms now required, long side pods became counterproductive, creating lift instead of downforce. The BT52’s were short and sharply angled, giving the car an arrow-like shape and shifting weight toward the rear.
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| BRABHAM BT52, Nelson Piquet Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1983 |
Murray also redesigned the front suspension with a new layout: double wishbones with diagonal push-rods connected to the lower part of the wheel hub, which in turn actuated a rocker arm to compress the spring-damper unit inside the chassis. Another key feature of the BT52 was its very small fuel tank, made possible by the reintroduction of in-race refueling under the new rules. This allowed the cars to start with less fuel on board. The engine, mounted longitudinally, was the BMW M12/13 turbo, a 1499cc inline-four capable of producing 740 hp in race trim and over 800 hp in qualifying. To handle this immense power and torque, Brabham reworked a Hewland gearbox and paired it with a Weismann differential. In the first eight races of the season, the car achieved 1 win and 2 second places with Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet. The second driver, Italy’s Riccardo Patrese, struggled to adapt to the new car and only managed a tenth-place finish.
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| BRABHAM BT52b, Nelson Piquet Brands Hatch, European GP 1983 |
From the British Grand Prix onward, the car was updated and renamed BT52B. It delivered better performance, securing 3 wins (2 for Piquet and 1 for Patrese) and 4 additional podium finishes. The two versions of the car are easily distinguishable by their completely reversed color schemes. At season’s end, Nelson Piquet won his second World Championship with 59 points, while Brabham finished third in the Constructors' standings behind Ferrari and Renault, with 72 points.
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| BRABHAM BT52b, Nelson Piquet Hockenheimring, German GP 1983 |
Unfortunately, the 1983 season was marred by controversy: it was confirmed at the end of the year that Brabham had used illegal fuel in its BMW turbo engine. After the Italian Grand Prix, where Piquet stunned everyone with Brabham’s straight-line speed, the FIA took a fuel sample from his car. The analysis took time, and only at the season’s end did it emerge that Brabham’s fuel had an octane rating well above the legal limit. Nevertheless, no team filed an official protest, likely to avoid clashing with Bernie Ecclestone, Brabham’s owner, but also FOCA president and TV rights manager, who brought significant income to Formula 1 teams.
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