[1] This was the first race meeting following the death of Gilles Villeneuve at the Belgian Grand Prix qualifying two weeks previously.

René Arnoux took pole position in his Renault and led until he spun off at the Swimming Pool on lap 15.

On lap 74, three from the end, Prost pushed too hard and crashed into the Armco barriers coming out of the Chicane du Port (also known as the Dog Leg), handing the lead to Riccardo Patrese in the Brabham.

Andrea de Cesaris then ran out of fuel before he could pass Pironi, and Derek Daly, the next leader, had already lost the wings from his Williams after an accident and had also damaged his gearbox, which seized up before he could start the final lap.

Patrese, who had managed to restart his car by rolling downhill and bump-starting, came through to take his first Formula One victory, with Pironi, de Cesaris and Daly classified second, third and sixth respectively.