1981 F1 World Championship Season
| Season: | 32nd World Championship season |
|---|---|
| Drivers’ Champion: |  Nelson Piquet (1st title, 19th different world champion, 2nd Brazilian champion) |
| Constructors’ Champion: |  Williams-Ford Cosworth (2nd title for Williams) |
| Reigning drivers’ champion: |  Alan Jones |
| Reigning constructors’ champion: | Williams |
| Races: | 15 |
| Winning drivers: | Nelson Piquet (3)  Alain Prost (3)  Carlos Reutemann (2)  Gilles Villeneuve (2) Jacques Laffite (2) Alan Jones (2) John Watson (1) |
| Winning constructors: | Williams (4) Brabham (3) Renault (3)  Ferrari (2) Ligier (2) McLaren (1) |
| First-time winners (driver): | Alain Prost |
| First-time winners (constructor): | none |
| Other seasons: |
Jump to: Calendar | Driver & constructor entries | Race winners | Pole positions | Fastest laps | Qualifying results | Driver standings | Constructor standings | Statistics
Calendar
- DT: Drivers’ title decider
- CT: Constructors’ title decider
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date | Race Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  USA West | Long Beach | 15 March | 1981 United States Grand Prix West |
| 2 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | 29 March | 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| 3 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | 12 April | 1981 Argentine Grand Prix |
| 4 |  San Marino | Imola | 03 May | 1981 San Marino Grand Prix |
| 5 |  Belgium | Zolder | 17 May | 1981 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 6 |  Monaco | Monte Carlo | 31 May | 1981 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 7 |  Spain | Jarama | 21 June | 1981 Spanish Grand Prix |
| 8 | France | Dijon-Prenois | 05 July | 1981 French Grand Prix |
| 9 | Britain | Silverstone | 18 July | 1981 British Grand Prix |
| 10 |  Germany | Hockenheim | 02 August | 1981 German Grand Prix |
| 11 |  Austria | Osterreichring | 16 August | 1981 Austrian Grand Prix |
| 12 |  Netherlands | Zandvoort | 30 August | 1981 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 13 | Italy | Monza | 13 September | 1981 Italian Grand Prix |
| 14 | Canada CT | Montreal | 27 September | 1981 Canadian Grand Prix |
| 15 | Caesars Palace DT | Las Vegas | 17 October | 1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix |
Driver and constructor entries
Race winners
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor | Start | Win Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA West | Long Beach | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 2 | 9.190s |
| 2 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 2 | 4.440s |
| 3 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 26.610s |
| 4 | San Marino | Imola | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 5 | 4.580s |
| 5 | Belgium | Zolder | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 36.060s |
| 6 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 2 | 39.910s |
| 7 | Spain | Jarama | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 7 | 0.211s |
| 8 | France | Dijon-Prenois | Alain Prost | Renault | 3 | 2.290s |
| 9 | Britain | Silverstone | John Watson | McLaren-Ford Cosworth | 5 | 40.650s |
| 10 | Germany | Hockenheim | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 6 | 11.520s |
| 11 | Austria | Osterreichring | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra | 4 | 5.170s |
| 12 | Netherlands | Zandvoort | Alain Prost | Renault | 1 | 8.240s |
| 13 | Italy | Monza | Alain Prost | Renault | 3 | 22.175s |
| 14 | Canada | Montreal | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra | 10 | 6.233s |
| 15 | Caesars Palace | Las Vegas | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 2 | 20.048s |
Polesitters
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor | Race | Pole Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA West | Long Beach | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford Cosworth | DNF | 0.009s |
| 2 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 12 | 0.311s |
| 3 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 0.316s |
| 4 | San Marino | Imola | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 7 | 0.706s |
| 5 | Belgium | Zolder | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 0.850s |
| 6 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | DNF | 0.078s |
| 7 | Spain | Jarama | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra | 2 | 0.270s |
| 8 | France | Dijon-Prenois | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 4 | 0.410s |
| 9 | Britain | Silverstone | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 9R | 0.046s |
| 10 | Germany | Hockenheim | Alain Prost | Renault | 2 | 0.460s |
| 11 | Austria | Osterreichring | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 2 | 0.303s |
| 12 | Netherlands | Zandvoort | Alain Prost | Renault | 1 | 0.079s |
| 13 | Italy | Monza | Rene Arnoux | Renault | DNF | 0.673s |
| 14 | Canada | Montreal | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 5 | 0.148s |
| 15 | Caesars Palace | Las Vegas | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 8 | 0.174s |
Fastest laps
- Highlight: Home driver/constructor
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA West | Long Beach | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 2 | Brazil | Jacarepagua |  Marc Surer | Ensign-Ford Cosworth |
| 3 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth |
| 4 | San Marino | Imola | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| 5 | Belgium | Zolder | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 6 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 7 | Spain | Jarama | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 8 | France | Dijon-Prenois | Alain Prost | Renault |
| 9 | Britain | Silverstone | Rene Arnoux | Renault |
| 10 | Germany | Hockenheim | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 11 | Austria | Osterreichring | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra |
| 12 | Netherlands | Zandvoort | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 13 | Italy | Monza | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 14 | Canada | Montreal | John Watson | McLaren-Ford Cosworth |
| 15 | Caesars Palace | Las Vegas | Didier Pironi | Ferrari |
Qualifying results
World Drivers’ Championship standings
The top six classified finishers of each race were awarded points on the following basis: 1st (9), 2nd (6), 3rd (4), 4th (3), 5th (2), 6th (1)
Only the best 11 results counted towards the championship.
- Highlight: Rookie
- Bold: pole position
- Underline: fastest lap
- Bold & underline: pole & fastest lap
| Pos | Driver | USW | BRA | ARG | SMR | BEL | MCO | ESP | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | CAN | CPL | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Piquet | 3 | 12 | 1 | 1 | R | R | R | 3 | R | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6R | 5 | 5 | 50 |
| 2 | Carlos Reutemann | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | R | 4 | 10 | 2 | R | 5 | R | 3 | 10 | 8 | 49 |
| 3 | Alan Jones | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 | R | 2 | 7 | 17 | R | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | R | 1 | 46 |
| 4 | Jacques Laffite | R | 6 | R | R | 2 | 3 | 2 | R | 3 | 3 | 1 | R | R | 1 | 6 | 44 |
| 5 | Alain Prost | R | R | 3 | R | R | R | R | 1 | R | 2 | R | 1 | 1 | R | 2 | 43 |
| 6 | John Watson | R | 8 | R | 10 | 7 | R | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | R | R | 2 | 7 | 27 |
| 7 | Gilles Villeneuve | R | R | R | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | R | R | 10 | R | R | R | 3 | DSQ | 25 |
| 8 | Elio de Angelis | R | 5 | 6 | 5 | R | 5 | 6 | DSQ | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | R | 14 | |
| 9 | Rene Arnoux | 8 | R | 5 | 8 | DNQ | R | 9 | 4 | 9R | 13 | 2 | R | R | R | R | 11 |
| = |  Hector Rebaque | R | R | R | 4 | R | DNQ | R | 9 | 5 | 4 | R | 4 | R | R | R | 11 |
| 11 | Riccardo Patrese | R | 3 | 7 | 2 | R | R | R | 14 | 10R | R | R | R | R | R | 11 | 10 |
| = | Eddie Cheever | 5 | NC | R | R | 6 | 5 | NC | 13 | 4 | 5 | DNQ | R | R | 12R | R | 10 |
| 13 | Didier Pironi | R | R | R | 5 | 8 | 4 | 15 | 5 | R | R | 9 | R | 5 | R | 9 | 9 |
| 14 | Nigel Mansell | R | 11 | R | 3 | R | 6 | 7 | DNQ | R | R | R | R | R | 4 | 8 | |
| 15 | Bruno Giacomelli | R | NC | 10R | R | 9 | R | 10 | 15 | R | 15 | R | R | 8 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 16 | Marc Surer | R | 4 | R | 9 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 11R | 14R | R | 8 | DNQ | 9 | R | 4 | |
| 17 | Mario Andretti | 4 | R | 8 | R | 10 | R | 8 | 8 | R | 9 | R | R | R | 7 | R | 3 |
| 18 | Patrick Tambay | 6 | 10 | R | 11 | DNQ | 7 | 13 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | 1 |
| = | Andrea de Cesaris | R | R | 11 | 6 | R | R | R | 11 | R | R | 8 | DNS | 7R | R | 12 | 1 |
| = |  Slim Borgudd | 13 | DNQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | 6 | R | R | 10 | R | R | DNQ | 1 | |||
| = |  Eliseo Salazar | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNPQ | 14 | R | DNQ | NC | R | 6 | R | R | NC | 1 |
| Jean-Pierre Jarier | R | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | R | 9 | R | R | ||||||||
| Siegfried Stohr | DNQ | R | 9 | DNQ | R | R | R | DNQ | R | 12 | R | 7 | DNQ | ||||
 Derek Daly | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNPQ | 16 | R | 7 | R | 11 | R | R | 8 | DNQ | ||
| Chico Serra | 7 | R | R | DNQ | R | DNQ | 11 | DNS | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | |||
 Keke Rosberg | R | 9 | R | R | R | DNQ | 12 | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 10 | |||
| Michele Alboreto | R | 12 | R | DNQ | 16 | R | DNQ | R | 9R | R | 11 | 13R | |||||
| Brian Henton | DNQ | DNQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 10 | DNQ | DNQ | |||||
| Jan Lammers | R | DNQ | 12 | DNQ | |||||||||||||
| Ricardo Zunino | 13 | 13 | |||||||||||||||
| Piercarlo Ghinzani | 13 | DNQ | |||||||||||||||
| Jean-Pierre Jabouille | DNQ | NC | R | DNQ | R | ||||||||||||
| Beppe Gabbiani | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | ||
| Derek Warwick | DNQ | DNQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | |||||
| Miguel Angel Guerra | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | |||||||||||||
| Jacques Villeneuve Sr | DNQ | DNQ | |||||||||||||||
| Kevin Cogan | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||
| Giorgio Francia | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||
| Emilio de Villota | WD | ||||||||||||||||
| No. | Driver | USW | BRA | ARG | SMR | BEL | MCO | ESP | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | CAN | CPL | Points |
Race to the title
The Race to the title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season between the top five drivers of 1981.
World Constructors’ Championship standings
The top six classified finishers of each race were awarded points on the following basis: 1st (9), 2nd (6), 3rd (4), 4th (3), 5th (2), 6th (1)
Every race counted towards the championship.
- Bold: pole position
- Underline: fastest lap
- Bold & underline: pole & fastest lap
| Pos | Constructor | USW | BRA | ARG | SMR | BEL | MCO | ESP | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | CAN | CPL | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 95 |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | R | R | 7 | 17 | R | R | 5 | R | 3 | R | 8 | |||
| WD | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 3 | 12 | 1 | 1 | R | R | R | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6R | 5 | 5 | 61 |
| R | R | R | 4 | R | DNQ | R | 9 | R | 4 | R | 4 | R | R | R | |||
| 3 | Renault | 8 | R | 3 | 8 | R | R | 9 | 1 | 9R | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | R | 2 | 54 |
| R | R | 5 | R | DNQ | R | R | 4 | R | 13 | R | R | R | R | R | |||
| 4 | Ligier-Matra | R | 6 | R | NC | 2 | 3 | 2 | R | 3 | 3 | 1 | R | R | 1 | 6 | 44 |
| R | 7 | DNQ | R | R | DNQ | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | |||
| 5 | Ferrari | R | R | R | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | R | 10 | 9 | R | 5 | 3 | 9 | 34 |
| R | R | R | 7 | 8 | 4 | 15 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | DSQ | |||
| 6 | McLaren-Ford Cosworth | R | 8 | 11 | 6 | 7 | R | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | R | 7R | 2 | 7 | 28 |
| R | R | R | 10 | R | R | R | 11 | R | R | 8 | DNS | R | R | 12 | |||
| 7 | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | R | 5 | 6 | 3 | R | 5 | 6 | DSQ | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 22 | |
| R | 11 | R | 5 | R | 6 | 7 | DNQ | R | R | R | R | R | R | ||||
| 8 | Arrows-Ford Cosworth | R | 3 | 7 | 2 | R | R | R | 14 | 10R | 12 | R | 7 | R | R | 11 | 10 |
| DNQ | R | 9 | DNQ | R | R | R | DNQ | R | R | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | |||
| 9 | Alfa Romeo | 4 | NC | 8 | R | 9 | R | 8 | 8 | R | 9 | R | R | 8 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| R | R | 10R | R | 10 | R | 10 | 15 | R | 15 | R | R | R | 7 | R | |||
| 10 | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth | 5 | 13 | 13 | R | 6 | 5 | NC | 13 | 4 | 5 | R | 9R | R | 11 | 13R | 10 |
| DNQ | NC | R | R | 12 | R | DNQ | 16 | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | R | 12R | R | |||
| 11 | Ensign-Ford Cosworth | R | 4 | R | 9 | 11 | 6 | 14 | R | DNQ | NC | R | 6 | R | R | NC | 5 |
| 12 |  Theodore-Ford Cosworth | 6 | 10 | R | 11 | DNQ | 7 | 13 | 12 | 11R | 14R | R | 8 | DNQ | 9 | R | 1 |
| 13 | ATS-Ford Cosworth | R | DNQ | 12 | 13 | DNQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | 6 | R | R | 10 | R | R | DNQ | 1 |
| DNQ | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | March-Ford Cosworth | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNPQ | 16 | R | 7 | R | 11 | R | R | 8 | DNQ | |
| DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNPQ | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth | 7 | 9 | R | R | R | DNQ | 11 | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 10 | ||
| R | R | R | DNQ | R | DNQ | 12 | DNS | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | ||||
| 16 | Osella-Ford Cosworth | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | 13 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 8 | 8 | 10 | R | 9 | R | R | |
| DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | ||||
| 17 | Toleman-Hart | DNQ | DNQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 10 | DNQ | R | ||||
| DNQ | DNQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | ||||||
| No. | Constructor | USW | BRA | ARG | SMR | BEL | MCO | ESP | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | CAN | CPL | Points |
Race to the title
The Race to the title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season between the top five constructors of 1981.