John Watson delighted the Silverstone crowd with victory in the British Grand Prix, ending McLaren’s long wait for a win. Carlos Reutemann finished second and Jacques Laffite third after Renault’s challenge collapsed. John Watson’s success also marked the first Grand Prix victory for a carbon-composite monocoque car.
Race Guide
Season: 1981 F1 World Championship
Race date: 18 July 1981
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+01:00)
Circuit: Silverstone Circuit
Laps: 68 laps
Circuit length: 4.718 km
1980 winner: Alan Jones
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | René Arnoux | Renault |
| Pole time | 1:11.000 | |
| Fastest lap | Rene Arnoux | Renault |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:15.067 on lap 50 | |
| First | John Watson | McLaren |
| Second | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
| Third | Jacques Laffite | Ligier |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 16 July 1981 | Practice 1 | 10:00–11:30 |
| 16 July 1981 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 17 July 1981 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 17 July 1981 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 18 July 1981 | Warm-up | After 12:00; thirty minutes |
| 18 July 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 9 leading the 1981 F1 World Championship on 37 points, with Nelson Piquet on 26. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 61 points.
Race entries
Jean-Pierre Jarier joined Osella, Tyrrell brought its new 011 for Eddie Cheever and Brabham tried its BMW-powered BT50. Lotus returned with the revised twin-chassis 88B, while Arrows switched to Pirelli tyres. The British race again ran on Saturday, with practice beginning on Thursday.
Thursday Free Practice
The Lotus 88B ran on Thursday while officials considered protests against it. Renault looked well suited to Silverstone’s fast corners, but Ligier suffered rear-hub problems. Brabham compared its turbocharged BMW car with the established Cosworth machine, finding the older package quicker over a lap.
Thursday Qualifying
Rene Arnoux headed Thursday’s times ahead of Alain Prost. Eddie Cheever crashed the new Tyrrell, and Brian Henton’s promising Toleman performance ended with a heavy accident. The Lotus drivers’ Thursday times were subsequently removed when the 88B was rejected.
Friday Free Practice
By Friday morning the Lotus 88B had been ruled out, forcing hurried conversion work to produce eligible 87s. Didier Pironi spun Ferrari’s experimental car after its rear brakes locked, while several teams faced repairs from Thursday’s incidents. The lost preparation proved particularly damaging for Lotus.
Friday Qualifying
Renault retained the front row, with Rene Arnoux narrowly ahead of Alain Prost. Nelson Piquet qualified third and Didier Pironi fourth. De Elio de Angelis scraped onto the grid in the rebuilt Lotus, but Nigel Mansell missed out; fires during Friday’s running also ended Toleman’s hopes of qualifying.
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Thursday Time | Friday Time | Best Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:12.158 | 1:11.000 | 1:11.000 | — |
| 2 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:12.237 | 1:11.046 | — | — |
| 3 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:12.328 | 1:11.952 | — | — |
| 4 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:14.070 | 1:12.644 | — | — |
| 5 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:13.370 | 1:12.712 | — | — |
| 6 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | 1:13.976 | 1:12.728 | — | — |
| 7 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:12.998 | 1:13.250 | — | — |
| 8 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:14.182 | 1:13.311 | — | — |
| 9 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:13.467 | 1:13.371 | — | — |
| 10 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:15.217 | 1:13.762 | — | — |
| 11 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:14.440 | 1:13.928 | — | — |
| 12 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:14.119 | 1:14.442 | — | — |
| 13 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 1:14.594 | 1:14.542 | — | — |
| 14 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:15.313 | 1:14.798 | — | — |
| 15 | 25 | Patrick Tambay | Ligier | 1:15.656 | 1:14.976 | — | — |
| 16 | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:16.695 | 1:15.165 | — | — |
| 17 | 17 | Derek Daly | March | 1:15.189 | 1:15.303 | — | — |
| 18 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 1:17.229 | 1:15.304 | — | — |
| 19 | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:16.446 | 1:15.850 | — | — |
| 20 | 32 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella | 1:15.943 | 1:15.898 | — | — |
| 21 | 9 | Slim Borgudd | ATS | 1:16.758 | 1:15.959 | — | — |
| 22 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:16.029† | 1:15.971 | — | — |
| 23 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 1:16.381 | 1:16.099 | — | — |
| 24 | 33 | Marc Surer | Theodore | 1:17.124 | 1:16.155 | — | — |
| 25 | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | 1:18.173 | 1:16.360 | — | — |
| 26 | 35 | Brian Henton | Toleman | 1:16.388 | 1:19.602 | — | — |
| 27 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:15.992† | 1:16.432 | — | — |
| 28 | 14 | Eliseo Salazar | Ensign | 1:17.053 | 1:16.694 | — | — |
| 29 | 36 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:17.998 | 1:16.891 | — | — |
| 30 | 31 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella | 1:20.377 | 1:17.784 | — | — |
Saturday warm-up
Saturday’s warm-up brought an engine failure for Mario Andretti and a spin for de Andrea de Cesaris that damaged both ends of his McLaren. Ferrari put aside its experimental car, while Nelson Piquet prepared to race with carbon brakes. Repairs continued during the interval before the 15:00 start.
What happened in the 1981 British Grand Prix?
Alain Prost led early, while a spin by Gilles Villeneuve at Woodcote triggered a collision that also removed Alan Jones and de Andrea de Cesaris. John Watson avoided the wreckage but lost places. Nelson Piquet later crashed after a tyre failure, and de Elio de Angelis was disqualified for passing under yellow flags.
Alain Prost retired, leaving Rene Arnoux ahead of the recovering John Watson. The Renault seemed set to win until it developed engine trouble late in the race. John Watson closed rapidly and took the lead to an enormous reception from the crowd.
John Watson won ahead of Carlos Reutemann and Jacques Laffite, with Eddie Cheever fourth, Hector Rebaque fifth and Slim Borgudd sixth. Rene Arnoux and Riccardo Patrese had both retired near the finish. McLaren’s new car had delivered its breakthrough, while Carlos Reutemann added another valuable result to his championship campaign.
After the race, Carlos Reutemann headed the drivers’ standings with 43 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 26. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 67, with Brabham – Ford on 31.
1981 British Grand Prix race results
The 1981 British Grand Prix was held on 18 July 1981, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.
1981 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Rene Arnoux | Renault | 50 | 1:15.067 |
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 British Grand Prix.
1981 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1981 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 67 |
| 2 | Brabham – Ford | 31 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 28 |
| 4 | Ligier – Matra | 21 |
| 5 | McLaren – Ford | 20 |
| 6 | Renault | 18 |
| 7 | Lotus – Ford | 13 |
| 8 | Arrows – Ford | 10 |
| 9 | Tyrrell – Ford | 8 |
| 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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