1981 United States Grand Prix West
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Winner |
|
| Pole position |
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| Fastest lap |
|
| Circuit | Long Beach, 80 laps |
| Round | 1 of 15 |
| Race numbers | The 1981 United States Grand Prix West was the:
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| More 1981 season | |
| More United States Grands Prix West | |
| Previous race | 1980 United States Grand Prix |
Race result
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | (AUS) Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 80 | 1hr 50m 41.330s | 9 |
| 2 | +1 | (ARG) Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 80 | +9.190s | 6 |
| 3 | +1 | (BRA) Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 80 | +34.920s | 4 |
| 4 | +2 | (USA) Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 80 | +49.310s | 3 |
| 5 | +3 | (USA) Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth | 80 | +1m 06.700s | 2 |
| 6 | +11 | (FRA) Patrick Tambay | Theodore-Ford Cosworth | 79 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | +11 | (BRA) Chico Serra | Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth | 78 | +2 laps | |
| 8 | +12 | (FRA) Rene Arnoux | Renault | 77 | +3 laps | |
| R | (CHE) Marc Surer | Ensign-Ford Cosworth | 70 | DNF | ||
| R | (FRA) Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 67 | DNF | ||
| R | (FRA) Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier-Matra | 64 | DNF | ||
| R | (MEX) Hector Rebaque | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 49 | DNF | ||
| R | (ITA) Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 41 | DNF | ||
| R | (FRA) Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra | 41 | DNF | ||
| R | (FIN) Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth | 41 | DNF | ||
| R | (NLD) Jan Lammers | ATS-Ford Cosworth | 41 | DNF | ||
| R | (ITA) Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford Cosworth | 33 | DNF | ||
| R | (ITA) Beppe Gabbiani | Osella-Ford Cosworth | 26 | DNF | ||
| R | (GBR) Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 25 | DNF | ||
| R | (CAN) Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 17 | DNF | ||
| R | (GBR) John Watson | McLaren-Ford Cosworth | 16 | DNF | ||
| R | (ITA) Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 13 | DNF | ||
| R | (FRA) Alain Prost | Renault | 0 | DNF | ||
| R | (ITA) Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren-Ford Cosworth | 0 | DNF | ||
Starting grid
Pole time: 1:19.399
| Pos | Driver | Constructor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (ITA) Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford Cosworth |
| 2 | (AUS) Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 3 | (ARG) Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 4 | (BRA) Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford Cosworth |
| 5 | (CAN) Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| 6 | (USA) Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo |
| 7 | (GBR) Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 8 | (USA) Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth |
| 9 | (ITA) Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo |
| 10 | (FRA) Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier-Matra |
| 11 | (FRA) Didier Pironi | Ferrari |
| 12 | (FRA) Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra |
| 13 | (ITA) Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 14 | (FRA) Alain Prost | Renault |
| 15 | (MEX) Hector Rebaque | Brabham-Ford Cosworth |
| 16 | (FIN) Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth |
| 17 | (FRA) Patrick Tambay | Theodore-Ford Cosworth |
| 18 | (BRA) Chico Serra | Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth |
| 19 | (CHE) Marc Surer | Ensign-Ford Cosworth |
| 20 | (FRA) Rene Arnoux | Renault |
| 21 | (NLD) Jan Lammers | ATS-Ford Cosworth |
| 22 | (ITA) Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren-Ford Cosworth |
| 23 | (GBR) John Watson | McLaren-Ford Cosworth |
| 24 | (ITA) Beppe Gabbiani | Osella-Ford Cosworth |
Championship standings
How the championship standings stood post-race.
Driver
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (AUS) Alan Jones | 9 |
| 2 | (ARG) Carlos Reutemann | 6 |
| 3 | (BRA) Nelson Piquet | 4 |
| 4 | (USA) Mario Andretti | 3 |
| 5 | (USA) Eddie Cheever | 2 |
| 6 | (FRA) Patrick Tambay | 1 |
Constructor
| Pos | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 15 |
| 2 | Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 4 |
| 3 | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 4 | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth | 2 |
| 5 | Theodore-Ford Cosworth | 1 |
Statistics & milestones
- Race debut
- Beppe Gabbiani
- Chico Serra
- Wins
- 11th for Alan Jones
- 12th for Williams
- Race 1-2
- 4th for Williams
- Podiums
- 38th for Carlos Reutemann
- 19th for Alan Jones
- 7th for Nelson Piquet
- 93rd for Brabham
- 31st & 32nd for Williams
- Poles
- 1st for Riccardo Patrese (60th different polesitter, 7th Italian driver; last until 1983; only pole for Arrows)
- 1st and only for Arrows (28th different polesitter)
- Fastest laps
- 9th for Alan Jones
- 12th for Williams
- Front row starts
- 11th for Alan Jones
- 1st for Riccardo Patrese (100th different front row starter, 14th Italian driver; only front row start for Arrows)
- Points finishes
- 1st for Eddie Cheever (203rd different point scorer, 49th American driver)
- Win & fastest lap
- 5th and last for Alan Jones (last Australian driver to win and set the fastest lap until 2009)