Jacques Laffite beat the turbocharged Renaults at the Österreichring to claim his first victory of the season. René Rene Arnoux finished second and Nelson Piquet third. Jacques Laffite’s combination of tyre performance and decisive overtaking brought Ligier back into the championship contest.
Race Guide
Season: 1981 F1 World Championship
Race date: 16 August 1981
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Österreichring
Laps: 53 laps
Circuit length: 5.942 km
1980 winner: Jean-Pierre Jabouille
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | René Arnoux | Renault |
| Pole time | 1:32.018 | |
| Fastest lap | Jacques Laffite | Ligier |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:37.620 on lap 47 | |
| First | Jacques Laffite | Ligier |
| Second | René Arnoux | Renault |
| Third | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 14 August 1981 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 14 August 1981 | Qualifying 1 | 13:17–14:17 |
| 15 August 1981 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 15 August 1981 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00; interrupted by deer on track |
| 16 August 1981 | Warm-up | 12:10–12:40 |
| 16 August 1981 | Race | 15:00 |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Carlos Reutemann arrived at round 11 leading the 1981 F1 World Championship on 43 points, with Nelson Piquet on 35. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 67 points.
Race entries
Fittipaldi missed the meeting because of financial difficulties, leaving Keke Rosberg and Chico Serra absent. Tyrrell continued developing the 011, with Eddie Cheever on Goodyears and Michele Alboreto retaining Avon tyres on the older car. Ferrari brought revised chassis details for its turbo machines.
Friday Free Practice
Friday morning began late after a communications problem with the course car. Hector Rebaque then crashed and damaged his Brabham’s front suspension, while Didier Pironi also returned with a damaged Ferrari. Teams worked on gearing and cooling for the fast circuit, where an unsuitable ratio could waste a substantial amount of performance.
Friday Qualifying
Rene Arnoux led Alain Prost on Friday, with Gilles Villeneuve third before his engine failed. Brabham’s running ended early with tired engines, while Didier Pironi lost time as his damaged car was repaired. Renault again held the strongest position.
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday was hotter, and Carlos Reutemann suffered a major engine failure during morning practice. Williams rushed to replace it before qualifying. Jacques Laffite’s Ligier looked increasingly competitive, while Ferrari continued fighting reliability problems. The heat added to concerns about tyre durability as well as engines.
Saturday Qualifying
Rene Arnoux retained pole ahead of Alain Prost and Gilles Villeneuve. A deer on the circuit interrupted Saturday’s session, but Jacques Laffite still secured fourth as the best normally aspirated qualifier. Carlos Reutemann and Alan Jones followed, while Eddie Cheever failed to qualify with Tyrrell’s new car.
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Friday Time | Saturday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:32.682 | 1:32.018 | 1:32.018 | — |
| 2 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:32.798 | 1:32.321 | — | — |
| 3 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:33.334 | 1:35.150 | — | — |
| 4 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:35.002 | 1:34.398 | — | — |
| 5 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:34.531 | 1:35.633 | — | — |
| 6 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:34.654 | 1:34.999 | — | — |
| 7 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:34.871 | 1:35.519 | — | — |
| 8 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:35.346 | 1:35.037 | — | — |
| 9 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:35.294 | 1:35.858 | — | — |
| 10 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:35.912 | 1:35.442 | — | — |
| 11 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:36.688 | 1:35.569 | — | — |
| 12 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:36.007 | 1:35.977 | — | — |
| 13 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:36.560 | 1:36.079 | — | — |
| 14 | 32 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella | 1:38.004 | 1:36.117 | — | — |
| 15 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 1:36.511 | 1:36.150 | — | — |
| 16 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:37.637 | 1:36.216 | — | — |
| 17 | 25 | Patrick Tambay | Ligier | 1:36.233 | 1:36.443 | — | — |
| 18 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | 1:36.657 | no time | — | — |
| 19 | 17 | Derek Daly | March | 1:37.777 | 1:37.230 | — | — |
| 20 | 14 | Eliseo Salazar | Ensign | 1:38.273 | 1:37.631 | — | — |
| 21 | 9 | Slim Borgudd | ATS | 1:38.529 | 1:37.709 | — | — |
| 22 | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:39.674 | 1:38.084 | — | — |
| 23 | 33 | Marc Surer | Theodore | 1:38.522 | 1:44.262 | — | — |
| 24 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 1:38.616 | 1:38.546 | — | — |
| 25 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 1:38.583 | 1:39.351 | — | — |
| 26 | 36 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:40.391 | 1:38.593 | — | — |
| 27 | 35 | Brian Henton | Toleman | 1:39.987 | 1:38.691 | — | — |
| 28 | 31 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella | 1:41.198 | 1:46.079 | — | — |
| WD | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | — | — | — | — |
| WD | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | — | — | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Sunday’s warm-up began at 12:10. Gilles Villeneuve lost a turbo almost immediately, denying him useful running in his race car, and Jean-Pierre Jarier needed an engine change. Renault remained concerned about the heavily loaded left-front tyre, while Ligier was confident in the tyre choice developed for Jacques Laffite.
What happened in the 1981 Austrian Grand Prix?
Gilles Villeneuve jumped into the lead, but Alain Prost soon passed him. The Ferrari ran wide, delaying Carlos Reutemann as well, and the Renaults pulled away. Behind them, Didier Pironi’s straight-line speed kept a group of faster-cornering cars trapped in his wake.
Jacques Laffite found a way past Didier Pironi and began closing on the Renaults. Alain Prost retired with suspension trouble, leaving Rene Arnoux to defend the lead. Jacques Laffite caught and passed him through the Texaco section, completing the decisive move of the race.
Jacques Laffite won ahead of Rene Arnoux and Nelson Piquet, with Alan Jones fourth, Carlos Reutemann fifth and John Watson sixth. Carlos Reutemann’s engine failed at the finish, but he retained his points. Nelson Piquet moved within six points of the championship lead, while Jacques Laffite’s victory kept another contender firmly in the fight.
After the race, Carlos Reutemann headed the drivers’ standings with 45 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 39. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 72, with Brabham – Ford on 47.
1981 Austrian Grand Prix race results
The 1981 Austrian Grand Prix was held on 16 August 1981, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.
1981 Austrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 47 | 1:37.620 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1981 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1981 Austrian Grand Prix.
1981 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1981 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 72 |
| 2 | Brabham – Ford | 47 |
| 3 | Ligier – Matra | 34 |
| 4 | Renault | 30 |
| 5 | Ferrari | 28 |
| 6 | McLaren – Ford | 22 |
| 7 | Lotus – Ford | 13 |
| 8 | Arrows – Ford | 10 |
| 9 | Tyrrell – Ford | 10 |
| 10 | Ensign – Ford | 4 |
| 11 | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 12 | Theodore – Ford | 1 |
| 13 | ATS – Ford | 1 |
| — | Fittipaldi – Ford | 0 |
| — | March – Ford | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 0 |
| — | Toleman – Hart | 0 |
No driver needed to discard a points-scoring result this season. Constructors counted every round.
1981 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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