Nelson Piquet won at Hockenheim to bring himself back into close championship contention. Alain Prost finished second and Jacques Laffite third after Alan Jones lost the lead with engine trouble. Carlos Reutemann retired, cutting his advantage over Nelson Piquet to eight points.
Race Guide
Season: 1981 F1 World Championship
Race date: 2 August 1981
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Hockenheimring
Laps: 45 laps
Circuit length: 6.790 km
1980 winner: Jacques Laffite
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Alain Prost | Renault |
| Pole time | 1:47.500 | |
| Fastest lap | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:52.420 on lap 4 | |
| First | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| Second | Alain Prost | Renault |
| Third | Jacques Laffite | Ligier |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 31 July 1981 | Practice 1 | 10:00–11:30 |
| 31 July 1981 | Qualifying 1 | 13:00–14:00 |
| 1 August 1981 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 1 August 1981 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00–14:00 |
| 2 August 1981 | Warm-up | 12:10–12:40 |
| 2 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 10 leading the 1981 F1 World Championship on 43 points, with Nelson Piquet on 26. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 67 points.
Race entries
The driver line-ups remained unchanged, but Hockenheim’s rebuilt pits and revised pit-lane access gave the teams a different working environment. Lotus returned with its cars in conventional 87 form after the Silverstone dispute. Renault again expected the circuit’s long straights to favour its turbo engines.
Friday Free Practice
Friday began in cool, uncertain weather. Didier Pironi lost an engine and Gilles Villeneuve suffered a turbo failure, keeping Ferrari busy. Carlos Reutemann’s clutch hydraulics developed a leak, forcing him towards the spare Williams, while the continuing ride-height checks complicated everyone’s preparation.
Friday Qualifying
Rene Arnoux was fastest on Friday, with Alain Prost and Alan Jones among the leading challengers. The Renaults’ pace was clear, while Carlos Reutemann had to use the spare Williams because repairing his clutch system required more time than was available.
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday morning began on a drying track after rain. Teams had to judge tyres and settings while showers remained possible. Gilles Villeneuve tried Ferrari’s revised car without finding a clear improvement, and Nigel Mansell ran out of fuel as the long lap and sustained full-throttle running tested consumption estimates.
Saturday Qualifying
Alain Prost secured his first pole on Saturday, ahead of Rene Arnoux. Carlos Reutemann and Alan Jones filled the second row, followed by Didier Pironi and Nelson Piquet. Both Fittipaldis and both Tolemans failed to qualify, despite Brian Henton’s earlier promise.
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 | 1:48.09 | 1:47.50 | 1:47.500 | — |
| 2 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:47.96 | 1:48.08 | — | — |
| 3 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:50.20 | 1:48.43 | — | — |
| 4 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:48.49 | 1:49.38 | — | — |
| 5 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:49.00 | 1:49.97 | — | — |
| 6 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:49.03 | 1:49.26 | — | — |
| 7 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:50.27 | 1:49.28 | — | — |
| 8 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:49.44 | 1:50.24 | — | — |
| 9 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:49.52 | 1:50.36 | — | — |
| 10 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | 1:50.07 | 1:49.58 | — | — |
| 11 | 25 | Patrick Tambay | Ligier | 1:50.00 | 1:50.61 | — | — |
| 12 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:50.64 | 1:50.73 | — | — |
| 13 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:50.68 | 1:50.65 | — | — |
| 14 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:52.36 | 1:50.74 | — | — |
| 15 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:51.98 | 1:50.86 | — | — |
| 16 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 1:51.17 | 1:51.49 | — | — |
| 17 | 32 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella | 1:52.19 | 1:52.95 | — | — |
| 18 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 1:52.19 | 1:52.44 | — | — |
| 19 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:52.21 | 1:52.59 | — | — |
| 20 | 9 | Slim Borgudd | ATS | 1:52.54 | 1:54.14 | — | — |
| 21 | 17 | Derek Daly | March | 1:55.80 | 1:52.65 | — | — |
| 22 | 33 | Marc Surer | Theodore | 1:52.85 | 1:53.50 | — | — |
| 23 | 14 | Eliseo Salazar | Ensign | 1:55.58 | 1:53.16 | — | — |
| 24 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 1:53.19 | 1:53.33 | — | — |
| DNQ | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:53.28 | 1:53.38 | — | — |
| DNQ | 35 | Brian Henton | Toleman | 1:53.31 | 1:54.77 | — | — |
| DNQ | 31 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella | 1:55.53 | 1:53.39 | — | — |
| DNQ | 36 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:54.59 | 1:53.58 | — | — |
| DNQ | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:53.69 | 1:54.19 | — | — |
| DNQ | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | 1:55.22 | 1:54.89 | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Sunday’s warm-up ran from 12:10 to 12:40. Gilles Villeneuve spun and damaged his rear wing, John Watson’s McLaren used too much oil, Carlos Reutemann suffered a misfire and Jean-Pierre Jarier lost an engine. Several teams therefore faced major work or spare-car decisions before the 15:00 start.
What happened in the 1981 German Grand Prix?
Alain Prost led initially, with the Williams drivers and Nelson Piquet in pursuit. Rene Arnoux lost ground after contact with Nelson Piquet caused a puncture. Alan Jones eventually passed Alain Prost in traffic, while Carlos Reutemann’s engine failure removed the championship leader.
Light rain complicated the closing stages. Nelson Piquet passed Alain Prost and then inherited the lead when Alan Jones’s engine began misfiring. The Williams needed a pit stop, leaving Nelson Piquet clear to manage the race to the finish.
Nelson Piquet won ahead of Alain Prost and Jacques Laffite, with Hector Rebaque fourth, Eddie Cheever fifth and John Watson sixth. His third victory of the season significantly reduced Carlos Reutemann’s championship lead and restored momentum to Brabham’s challenge.
After the race, Carlos Reutemann headed the drivers’ standings with 43 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 35. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 67, with Brabham – Ford on 43.
1981 German Grand Prix race results
The 1981 German Grand Prix was held on 2 August 1981, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.
1981 German Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 4 | 1:52.420 |
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 German 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 | 43 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 28 |
| 4 | Ligier – Matra | 25 |
| 5 | Renault | 24 |
| 6 | McLaren – Ford | 21 |
| 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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