F1 pole positions
Polesitters
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor | Race | Pole margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brazil | Jacarepagua |  Keke Rosberg |  Williams-Ford Cosworth | DSQ | 0.146s |
| 2 |  USA West | Long Beach |  Patrick Tambay |  Ferrari | DNF | 0.818s |
| 3 | France | Le Castellet | Alain Prost | Renault | 1 | 2.308s |
| 4 |  San Marino | Imola | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 3 | 0.726s |
| 5 |  Monaco | Monte Carlo | Alain Prost | Renault | 3 | 0.342s |
| 6 |  Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps | Alain Prost | Renault | 1 | 0.011s |
| 7 | Detroit | Detroit | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | DNF | 0.199s |
| 8 |  Canada | Montreal | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 1 | 0.101s |
| 9 | Britain | Silverstone | Rene Arnoux | Ferrari | 5 | 0.642s |
| 10 |  Germany | Hockenheim | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | DNF | 0.107s |
| 11 |  Austria | Osterreichring | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | DNF | 0.064s |
| 12 |  Netherlands | Zandvoort | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-BMW | DNF | 0.740s |
| 13 | Italy | Monza | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham-BMW | DNF | 0.528s |
| 14 |  Europe | Brands Hatch | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Renault | DNF | 0.366s |
| 15 |  South Africa | Kyalami | Patrick Tambay | Ferrari | DNF | 0.238s |