The 1981 FIA Formula 1 World Championship was the 32nd F1 season. It consisted of 15 Grand Prix rounds, held across 13 different countries. Nelson Piquet won the Drivers’ Championship and Williams won the Constructors’ Championship.
1981 Races
| Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date | Winner | Team | Laps | Race Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA West | Long Beach Street Circuit | 15 March 1981 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 80 | 1:50:41.330 |
| 2 | Brazil | Autódromo Internacional do Rio de Janeiro | 29 March 1981 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 62 | 2:00:23.660 |
| 3 | Argentina | Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez | 12 April 1981 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Ford | 53 | 1:34:32.740 |
| 4 | San Marino | Autodromo Dino Ferrari | 3 May 1981 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Ford | 60 | 1:51:23.970 |
| 5 | Belgium | Circuit Zolder | 17 May 1981 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 54 | 1:16:31.610 |
| 6 | Monaco | Circuit de Monaco | 31 May 1981 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 76 | 1:54:23.380 |
| 7 | Spain | Circuito Permanente del Jarama | 21 June 1981 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 80 | 1:46:35.010 |
| 8 | France | Circuit Dijon-Prenois | 5 July 1981 | Alain Prost | Renault | 80 | 1:35:48.130 |
| 9 | Great Britain | Silverstone Circuit | 18 July 1981 | John Watson | McLaren Ford | 68 | 1:26:54.800 |
| 10 | Germany | Hockenheimring | 2 August 1981 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Ford | 45 | 1:25:55.600 |
| 11 | Austria | Österreichring | 16 August 1981 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 53 | 1:27:36.470 |
| 12 | Netherlands | Circuit Park Zandvoort | 30 August 1981 | Alain Prost | Renault | 72 | 1:40:22.430 |
| 13 | Italy | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | 13 September 1981 | Alain Prost | Renault | 52 | 1:26:33.897 |
| 14 | Canada | Circuit Île Notre-Dame | 27 September 1981 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 63 | 2:01:25.205 |
| 15 | Las Vegas | Caesars Palace | 17 October 1981 | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 75 | 1:44:09.077 |
1981 Driver Standings
| Pos. | Driver | Driver Nationality | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brazil | Brabham Ford | 50 |
| 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Argentina | Williams Ford | 49 |
| 3 | Alan Jones | Australia | Williams Ford | 46 |
| 4 | Jacques Laffite | France | Ligier Matra | 44 |
| 5 | Alain Prost | France | Renault | 43 |
| 6 | John Watson | Great Britain | McLaren Ford | 27 |
| 7 | Gilles Villeneuve | Canada | Ferrari | 25 |
| 8 | Elio de Angelis | Italy | Lotus Ford | 14 |
| 9 | René Arnoux | France | Renault | 11 |
| 9 | Hector Rebaque | Mexico | Brabham Ford | 11 |
| 11 | Riccardo Patrese | Italy | Arrows Ford | 10 |
| 11 | Eddie Cheever | United States | Tyrrell Ford | 10 |
| 13 | Didier Pironi | France | Ferrari | 9 |
| 14 | Nigel Mansell | Great Britain | Lotus Ford | 8 |
| 15 | Bruno Giacomelli | Italy | Alfa Romeo | 7 |
| 16 | Marc Surer | Switzerland | Theodore Ford | 4 |
| 17 | Mario Andretti | United States | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 18 | Patrick Tambay | France | Ligier Matra | 1 |
| 18 | Andrea de Cesaris | Italy | McLaren Ford | 1 |
| 18 | Slim Borgudd | Sweden | ATS Ford | 1 |
| 18 | Eliseo Salazar | Chile | Ensign Ford | 1 |
1981 Constructor Standings
| Pos. | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams Ford | 95 |
| 2 | Brabham Ford | 61 |
| 3 | Renault | 54 |
| 4 | Ligier Matra | 44 |
| 5 | Ferrari | 34 |
| 6 | McLaren Ford | 28 |
| 7 | Lotus Ford | 22 |
| 8 | Arrows Ford | 10 |
| 9 | Alfa Romeo | 10 |
| 10 | Tyrrell Ford | 10 |
| 11 | Ensign Ford | 5 |
| 12 | Theodore Ford | 1 |
| 13 | ATS Ford | 1 |
1981 Fastest Laps
| Round | Grand Prix | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA West | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 1:20.901 |
| 2 | Brazil | Marc Surer | Ensign Ford | 1:54.302 |
| 3 | Argentina | Nelson Piquet | Brabham Ford | 1:45.287 |
| 4 | San Marino | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:48.064 |
| 5 | Belgium | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 1:23.300 |
| 6 | Monaco | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 1:27.470 |
| 7 | Spain | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 1:17.818 |
| 8 | France | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:09.140 |
| 9 | Great Britain | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:15.067 |
| 10 | Germany | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 1:52.420 |
| 11 | Austria | Jacques Laffite | Ligier Matra | 1:37.620 |
| 12 | Netherlands | Alan Jones | Williams Ford | 1:21.830 |
| 13 | Italy | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 1:37.528 |
| 14 | Canada | John Watson | Williams Ford | 1:49.475 |
| 15 | Las Vegas | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:20.156 |
1981 Non-Championship Races
| Grand Prix | Circuit | Date | Winner | Team | Laps | Race Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit | 7 February 1981 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams Ford | 77 | 1:44:54.03 |