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Formula 1 season

1981

15 championship rounds

World Drivers' Championship

Driver standings

36 classified

1 Nelson Piquet Brabham 50 points · 3 wins

2 Carlos Reutemann Williams 49 points · 2 wins

3 Alan Jones Williams 46 points · 2 wins

View full driver standings

4 Jacques Laffite Ligier 44 points · 2 wins

5 Alain Prost Renault 43 points · 3 wins

6 John Watson McLaren 27 points · 1 wins

7 Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari 25 points · 2 wins

8 Elio de Angelis Team Lotus 14 points · 0 wins

9 René Arnoux Renault 11 points · 0 wins

10 Hector Rebaque Brabham 11 points · 0 wins

11 Riccardo Patrese Arrows 10 points · 0 wins

12 Eddie Cheever Tyrrell 10 points · 0 wins

13 Didier Pironi Ferrari 9 points · 0 wins

14 Nigel Mansell Team Lotus 8 points · 0 wins

15 Bruno Giacomelli Alfa Romeo 7 points · 0 wins

16 Marc Surer Theodore 4 points · 0 wins

17 Mario Andretti Alfa Romeo 3 points · 0 wins

18 Andrea de Cesaris McLaren 1 points · 0 wins

19 Patrick Tambay Ligier 1 points · 0 wins

20 Slim Borgudd ATS 1 points · 0 wins

21 Eliseo Salazar Ensign 1 points · 0 wins

- Jean-Pierre Jarier Osella 0 points · 0 wins

- Derek Daly March 0 points · 0 wins

- Siegfried Stohr Arrows 0 points · 0 wins

- Chico Serra Fittipaldi 0 points · 0 wins

- Keke Rosberg Fittipaldi 0 points · 0 wins

- Michele Alboreto Tyrrell 0 points · 0 wins

- Brian Henton Toleman 0 points · 0 wins

- Jan Lammers ATS 0 points · 0 wins

- Ricardo Zunino Tyrrell 0 points · 0 wins

- Piercarlo Ghinzani Osella 0 points · 0 wins

- Jean-Pierre Jabouille Ligier 0 points · 0 wins

- Derek Warwick Toleman 0 points · 0 wins

- Beppe Gabbiani Osella 0 points · 0 wins

- Miguel Ángel Guerra Osella 0 points · 0 wins

- Ricardo Londoño Ensign 0 points · 0 wins

World Constructors' Championship

Team standings

17 classified

1 Williams British 95 points · 4 wins

2 Brabham British 61 points · 3 wins

3 Renault French 54 points · 3 wins

View full team standings

4 Ligier French 44 points · 2 wins

5 Ferrari Italian 34 points · 2 wins

6 McLaren British 28 points · 1 wins

7 Team Lotus British 22 points · 0 wins

8 Arrows British 10 points · 0 wins

9 Alfa Romeo Swiss 10 points · 0 wins

10 Tyrrell British 10 points · 0 wins

11 Ensign British 5 points · 0 wins

12 Theodore Hong Kong 1 points · 0 wins

13 ATS Italian 1 points · 0 wins

- March British 0 points · 0 wins

- Fittipaldi Brazilian 0 points · 0 wins

- Osella Italian 0 points · 0 wins

- Toleman British 0 points · 0 wins

Season story

Championship progression

Position after each round

Follow how the Drivers' Championship order changed throughout 1981. First place is shown at the top.

Championship calendar

Race results

15 rounds

01 United States Grand Prix West Long Beach · California, USA 15 March 1981 → 02 Brazilian Grand Prix Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 29 March 1981 → 03 Argentine Grand Prix Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez · Buenos Aires, Argentina 12 April 1981 → 04 San Marino Grand Prix Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari · Imola, Italy 3 May 1981 → 05 Belgian Grand Prix Zolder · Heusden-Zolder, Belgium 17 May 1981 → 06 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco · Monte Carlo, Monaco 31 May 1981 → 07 Spanish Grand Prix Jarama · Madrid, Spain 21 June 1981 → 08 French Grand Prix Dijon-Prenois · Dijon, France 5 July 1981 → 09 British Grand Prix Silverstone Circuit · Silverstone, UK 18 July 1981 → 10 German Grand Prix Hockenheimring · Hockenheim, Germany 2 August 1981 → 11 Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull Ring · Spielberg, Austria 16 August 1981 → 12 Dutch Grand Prix Circuit Park Zandvoort · Zandvoort, Netherlands 30 August 1981 → 13 Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale di Monza · Monza, Italy 13 September 1981 → 14 Canadian Grand Prix Circuit Gilles Villeneuve · Montreal, Canada 27 September 1981 → 15 Caesars Palace Grand Prix Las Vegas Street Circuit · Nevada, USA 17 October 1981 →