Alain Prost won the Dutch Grand Prix from pole, while Nelson Piquet’s second place brought him level on points with Carlos Reutemann at the top of the championship. Alan Jones finished third. Carlos Reutemann’s collision with Jacques Laffite proved costly for both title contenders.
Race Guide
Season: 1981 F1 World Championship
Race date: 30 August 1981
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit Zandvoort
Laps: 72 laps
Circuit length: 4.252 km
1980 winner: Nelson Piquet
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Alain Prost | Renault |
| Pole time | 1:18.176 | |
| Fastest lap | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:21.830 on lap 15 | |
| First | Alain Prost | Renault |
| Second | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| Third | Alan Jones | Williams |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 28 August 1981 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 28 August 1981 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 29 August 1981 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 29 August 1981 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 30 August 1981 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 30 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 12 leading the 1981 F1 World Championship on 45 points, with Nelson Piquet on 39. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 72 points.
Race entries
Fittipaldi returned after missing Austria and switched to Pirelli tyres. Tyrrell brought a second 011 for Michele Alboreto, while the other line-ups remained familiar. The season’s increasingly close title contest gave the trip to Zandvoort particular significance.
Friday Free Practice
Sand caused immediate concern on Friday. Derek Warwick’s turbo compressor was damaged, Patrick Tambay lost an engine and both Didier Pironi and Beppe Gabbiani crashed. Beppe Gabbiani had no spare Osella available, costing him the afternoon’s running. Protecting engines from the abrasive surroundings was an important part of the teams’ work.
Friday Qualifying
Rene Arnoux narrowly headed Alain Prost on Friday, but Alain Prost improved on Saturday to take pole. Renault filled the front row for the fourth race in succession. Nelson Piquet qualified third, ahead of Alan Jones, Carlos Reutemann and Jacques Laffite.
Saturday Free Practice
A brief early shower gave way to dry conditions on Saturday, but Brian Henton’s engine failure ended Toleman’s best opportunity to prepare. Didier Pironi also suffered another turbo problem. Fittipaldi struggled to find qualifying pace after its return, leaving both drivers under pressure before the final session.
Saturday Qualifying
De Andrea de Cesaris crashed at the end of Saturday’s session and damaged the McLaren beyond immediate repair. The team withdrew his entry in time for Michele Alboreto to take the final place. Neither Fittipaldi qualified, and both Tolemans again missed 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 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:18.279 | 1:18.176 | 1:18.176 | — |
| 2 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:18.255 | 1:18.301 | — | — |
| 3 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:19.236 | 1:18.652 | — | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:18.672 | 1:19.133 | — | — |
| 5 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:19.067 | 1:18.844 | — | — |
| 6 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:19.386 | 1:19.018 | — | — |
| 7 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:19.896 | 1:19.040 | — | — |
| 8 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:19.312 | 1:19.651 | — | — |
| 9 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:21.662 | 1:19.738 | — | — |
| 10 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:21.010 | 1:19.864 | — | — |
| 11 | 25 | Patrick Tambay | Ligier | 1:20.802 | 1:19.979 | — | — |
| 12 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:21.293 | 1:20.248 | — | — |
| 13 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | 1:20.651 | 1:20.377 | — | — |
| 14 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:20.384 | 1:20.495 | — | — |
| 15 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 1:20.547 | 1:20.872 | — | — |
| 16 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:21.049 | 1:20.595 | — | — |
| 17 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:21.106 | 1:20.663 | — | — |
| 18 | 32 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella | 1:21.086 | 1:21.294 | — | — |
| 19 | 17 | Derek Daly | March | 1:22.274 | 1:21.391 | — | — |
| 20 | 33 | Marc Surer | Theodore | 1:22.389 | 1:21.454 | — | — |
| 21 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 1:21.568 | 1:21.713 | — | — |
| 22 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 1:21.849 | 1:21.698 | — | — |
| 23 | 9 | Slim Borgudd | ATS | 1:21.760 | 1:22.302 | — | — |
| 24 | 14 | Eliseo Salazar | Ensign | 1:22.382 | 1:22.024 | — | — |
| 25 | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:25.976 | 1:22.030 | — | — |
| DNQ | 35 | Brian Henton | Toleman | 1:22.226 | 1:24.167 | — | — |
| DNQ | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:23.518 | 6:09.795 | — | — |
| DNQ | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | 1:23.677 | 1:23.613 | — | — |
| DNQ | 31 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella | no time | 1:23.898 | — | — |
| DNQ | 36 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:25.104 | 1:24.028 | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Sunday’s preparations began with a changed field after de Andrea de Cesaris’s withdrawal. Michele Alboreto was admitted as first reserve, giving Tyrrell another race opportunity. The leading teams now had to translate their qualifying speed into tyre performance over 72 laps, with Renault facing close attention from Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet.
What happened in the 1981 Dutch Grand Prix?
Alain Prost led as several opening-lap incidents removed cars behind him. Gilles Villeneuve crashed after contact with Bruno Giacomelli, while Patrick Tambay and Didier Pironi also collided. Alan Jones moved past Rene Arnoux and challenged Alain Prost before his tyres began to lose performance.
Carlos Reutemann and Jacques Laffite fought over fourth until they collided and retired. Nelson Piquet remained in contention and passed the slowing Alan Jones late in the race, gaining two extra championship points that would become particularly significant.
Alain Prost won ahead of Nelson Piquet and Alan Jones, with Hector Rebaque fourth, de Elio de Angelis fifth and Eliseo Salazar sixth. Nelson Piquet and Carlos Reutemann now had equal points, with Nelson Piquet ahead on wins. Three rounds remained in an increasingly tense championship.
After the race, Nelson Piquet headed the drivers’ standings with 45 points, followed by Carlos Reutemann on 45. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 76, with Brabham – Ford on 56.
1981 Dutch Grand Prix race results
The 1981 Dutch Grand Prix was held on 30 August 1981, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.
1981 Dutch Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 15 | 1:21.830 |
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 Dutch Grand Prix.
1981 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1981 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 76 |
| 2 | Brabham – Ford | 56 |
| 3 | Renault | 39 |
| 4 | Ligier – Matra | 34 |
| 5 | Ferrari | 28 |
| 6 | McLaren – Ford | 22 |
| 7 | Lotus – Ford | 15 |
| 8 | Arrows – Ford | 10 |
| 9 | Tyrrell – Ford | 10 |
| 10 | Ensign – Ford | 5 |
| 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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