Carlos Reutemann won a wet Brazilian Grand Prix ahead of Alan Jones, but Williams’s one-two finish exposed a growing rift between its drivers. Carlos Reutemann stayed in front despite pit signals asking him to let Alan Jones through. Riccardo Patrese finished third, while Marc Surer starred for Ensign.
Race Guide
Season: 1981 F1 World Championship
Race date: 29 March 1981
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-03:00)
Circuit: Jacarepaguá
Laps: 62 laps (63 laps scheduled)
Circuit length: 5.031 km
1980 winner: René Arnoux
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| Pole time | 1:35.079 | |
| Fastest lap | Marc Surer | Ensign |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:54.302 on lap 36 | |
| First | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
| Second | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Third | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 25 March 1981 | Familiarisation testing | Start time unconfirmed |
| 27 March 1981 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 27 March 1981 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 28 March 1981 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 28 March 1981 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 29 March 1981 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 29 March 1981 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Alan Jones arrived at round 2 leading the 1981 F1 World Championship on 9 points, with Carlos Reutemann on 6. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 15 points.
Race entries
The race returned to Jacarepaguá after two years at Interlagos. Ricardo Zunino replaced Cogan at Tyrrell, and Jean-Pierre Jabouille attempted a return with Ligier before Jean-Pierre Jarier took over for final qualifying. Londoño participated in preliminary testing for Ensign but lacked the required licence for the official sessions, so Marc Surer retained the drive.
Wednesday familiarisation testing
Wednesday’s unofficial test helped the field reacquaint itself with Jacarepaguá. Londoño drove the Ensign before his licence problem ended his involvement, and Jean-Pierre Jabouille assessed his recovery in the Ligier. The session also gave teams an opportunity to prepare far from their European workshops.
Friday Free Practice
Friday morning ended badly for Derek Daly when a suspension mounting failed and his March hit a barrier, ruling the car out of the meeting. The Lotus 88 again failed to gain acceptance, leaving de Elio de Angelis and Nigel Mansell with the older cars. Brabham’s adjustable ride height also attracted close scrutiny.
Friday Qualifying
Carlos Reutemann was fastest on Friday, but Nelson Piquet beat him on Saturday to claim pole at home. Alan Jones qualified third, still dissatisfied with understeer, and Riccardo Patrese was fourth. The normally aspirated cars had kept the leading turbos behind them.
Saturday Free Practice
Didier Pironi crashed during Saturday’s untimed session and had to use Ferrari’s spare car. Jean-Pierre Jabouille was still struggling to move comfortably between throttle and brake, prompting Ligier’s late decision to put Jean-Pierre Jarier in the car. Mechanical trouble and the difficulty of adapting unfamiliar machinery kept the pit lane busy.
Saturday Qualifying
Alain Prost qualified fifth and Gilles Villeneuve seventh. Jean-Pierre Jarier secured a late place after taking over from Jean-Pierre Jabouille, while both Osellas and Eliseo Salazar failed to qualify. The dry qualifying order offered little certainty once rain arrived for the race.
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 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:35.786 | 1:35.079 | 1:35.079 | — |
| 2 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:35.390 | 1:36.000 | — | — |
| 3 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:36.337 | 1:36.690 | — | — |
| 4 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:37.231 | 1:36.667 | — | — |
| 5 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:37.147 | 1:36.670 | — | — |
| 6 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:38.682 | 1:37.283 | — | — |
| 7 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:37.975 | 1:37.497 | — | — |
| 8 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:38.985 | 1:37.561 | — | — |
| 9 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:37.933 | 1:37.597 | — | — |
| 10 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:38.352 | 1:37.734 | — | — |
| 11 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 1:38.225 | 1:37.777 | — | — |
| 12 | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:37.981 | 1:39.371 | — | — |
| 13 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:38.861 | 1:38.003 | — | — |
| 14 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 1:38.160 | 1:38.521 | — | — |
| 15 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:40.057 | 1:38.263 | — | — |
| 16 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:38.273 | 1:38.713 | — | — |
| 17 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:39.229 | 1:38.565 | — | — |
| 18 | 14 | Marc Surer | Ensign | 1:39.296 | 1:38.570 | — | — |
| 19 | 33 | Patrick Tambay | Theodore | 1:38.726 | 1:39.668 | — | — |
| 20 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | 1:39.409 | 1:38.780 | — | — |
| 21 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 1:40.297 | 1:39.190 | — | — |
| 22 | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | 1:39.326 | 1:39.396 | — | — |
| 23 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | — | 1:39.398 | — | — |
| 24 | 4 | Ricardo Zunino | Tyrrell | 1:41.036 | 1:39.798 | — | — |
| 25 | 9 | Jan Lammers | ATS | 1:40.339 | 1:39.844 | — | — |
| 26 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Ligier | 1:40.306 | withdrew | — | — |
| 27 | 32 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella | 1:41.954 | 1:40.709 | — | — |
| 28 | 31 | Miguel Angel Guerra | Osella | 1:40.984 | 1:44.482 | — | — |
| 29 | 18 | Eliseo Salazar | March | 1:44.730 | 1:43.267 | — | — |
| 30 | 17 | Derek Daly | March | no time | no time | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Rain changed the picture on Sunday morning. The teams hurriedly altered their settings during the warm-up, but Brabham chose slick tyres for Nelson Piquet despite the wet track. Nigel Mansell also damaged his Lotus in a warm-up spin, leaving him with compromised handling for the race.
What happened in the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix?
Nelson Piquet’s slick-tyre gamble failed immediately, allowing the Williams drivers to establish themselves at the front. Carlos Reutemann led Alan Jones, with Riccardo Patrese settling into third. The wet conditions also opened an opportunity for Marc Surer to bring the Ensign into contention.
Carlos Reutemann maintained his advantage despite repeated signals to reverse the Williams order. Alan Jones remained second and was deeply unhappy with the outcome. Behind them, Marc Surer produced an outstanding drive, passing rivals and recording the race’s fastest lap.
Carlos Reutemann won ahead of Alan Jones and Riccardo Patrese, with Marc Surer fourth, de Elio de Angelis fifth and Jacques Laffite sixth. Williams had another maximum team score, but the disagreement between its drivers would remain an important thread in the championship battle.
After the race, Alan Jones headed the drivers’ standings with 15 points, followed by Carlos Reutemann on 15. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 30, with Brabham – Ford on 4.
1981 Brazilian Grand Prix race results
The 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 29 March 1981.
1981 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Marc Surer | Ensign | 36 | 1:54.302 |
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 Brazilian Grand Prix.
1981 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Jones | Australian | Williams | 15 |
| 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Argentine | Williams | 15 |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Brabham | 4 |
| 4 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Arrows | 4 |
| 5 | Marc Surer | Swiss | Ensign | 3 |
| 6 | Mario Andretti | American | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 7 | Eddie Cheever | American | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 8 | Elio de Angelis | Italian | Lotus | 2 |
| 9 | Patrick Tambay | French | Theodore | 1 |
| 10 | Jacques Laffite | French | Ligier | 1 |
| – | Jean-Pierre Jarier | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Chico Serra | Brazilian | Fittipaldi | 0 |
| – | John Watson | British | McLaren | 0 |
| – | René Arnoux | French | Renault | 0 |
| – | Keke Rosberg | Finnish | Fittipaldi | 0 |
| – | Nigel Mansell | British | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Ricardo Zunino | Argentine | Tyrrell | 0 |
| – | Didier Pironi | French | Ferrari | 0 |
| – | Hector Rebaque | Mexican | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Bruno Giacomelli | Italian | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| – | Gilles Villeneuve | Canadian | Ferrari | 0 |
| – | Jan Lammers | Dutch | ATS | 0 |
| – | Alain Prost | French | Renault | 0 |
| – | Beppe Gabbiani | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Siegfried Stohr | Italian | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | McLaren | 0 |
| – | Ricardo Londoño | Colombian | Ensign | 0 |
1981 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 30 |
| 2 | Brabham – Ford | 4 |
| 3 | Arrows – Ford | 4 |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 5 | Ensign – Ford | 3 |
| 6 | Lotus – Ford | 2 |
| 7 | Tyrrell – Ford | 2 |
| 8 | Ligier – Matra | 1 |
| 9 | Theodore – Ford | 1 |
| — | Fittipaldi – Ford | 0 |
| — | Renault | 0 |
| — | McLaren – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ferrari | 0 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 0 |
| — | March – Ford | 0 |
No driver needed to discard a points-scoring result this season. Constructors counted every round.
1981 Formula 1 Race Calendar
Seen in:
