United States Grand Prix West
Long Beach
Grand Prix starting grid
Race starts
Grid positions from race-result records; not a separately verified pre-race grid.
| POS | DRIVER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo |
| 2 | Niki Lauda | McLaren |
| 3 | René Arnoux | Renault |
| 4 | Alain Prost | Renault |
| 5 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo |
| 6 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| 7 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| 8 | Keke Rosberg | Williams |
| 9 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari |
| 10 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella |
| 11 | John Watson | McLaren |
| 12 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell |
| 13 | Eddie Cheever | Ligier |
| 14 | Mario Andretti | Williams |
| 15 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier |
| 16 | Elio de Angelis | Team Lotus |
| 17 | Nigel Mansell | Team Lotus |
| 18 | Riccardo Patrese | Brabham |
| 19 | Roberto Guerrero | Ensign |
| 20 | Brian Henton | Arrows |
| 21 | Jochen Mass | March |
| 22 | Derek Daly | Theodore |
| 23 | Raul Boesel | March |
| 24 | Slim Borgudd | Tyrrell |
| 25 | Manfred Winkelhock | ATS |
| 26 | Eliseo Salazar | ATS |