Alain Prost led every lap at Monza to take his third victory of the season. Alan Jones finished second, while Carlos Reutemann reclaimed the championship lead after Nelson Piquet’s engine failed on the final lap. John Watson escaped a spectacular accident that demonstrated the strength of McLaren’s carbon-composite chassis.
Race Guide
Season: 1981 F1 World Championship
Race date: 13 September 1981
Race start time: 15:30 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Laps: 52 laps
Circuit length: 5.8 km
1980 winner: Nelson Piquet
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | René Arnoux | Renault |
| Pole time | 1:33.467 | |
| Fastest lap | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:37.528 on lap 48 | |
| First | Alain Prost | Renault |
| Second | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Third | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 11 September 1981 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 11 September 1981 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 12 September 1981 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 12 September 1981 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 13 September 1981 | Warm-up | After 12:00; thirty minutes |
| 13 September 1981 | Race | 15:30 |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Nelson Piquet arrived at round 13 leading the 1981 F1 World Championship on 45 points, with Carlos Reutemann on 45. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 76 points.
Race entries
The Italian Grand Prix returned to Monza after the previous year’s visit to Imola. Osella introduced the FA1C for Jean-Pierre Jarier, and Lotus brought another new 87. The established driver line-ups continued, with Toleman still searching for its first race qualification.
Friday Free Practice
De Andrea de Cesaris crashed on Friday morning, leaving McLaren with another repair job. Hector Rebaque suffered an engine failure, while Osella worked through the new car’s early problems. Brian Henton showed encouraging pace before intercooler trouble forced him towards Toleman’s older spare.
Friday Qualifying
The Renaults led Friday’s times, while Didier Pironi crashed heavily at the second Lesmo and switched to the spare Ferrari. Carlos Reutemann was the strongest challenger to the French cars, with Alan Jones nursing a hand injury.
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday brought an oil leak for John Watson, turbo trouble for Didier Pironi and ignition problems for Marc Surer. Alfa Romeo compared exhaust arrangements on Mario Andretti’s car, while Ferrari paid close attention to Gilles Villeneuve’s brakes. Repairs and experiments occupied much of the final morning before qualifying.
Saturday Qualifying
Rene Arnoux took pole ahead of Carlos Reutemann and Alain Prost. Jacques Laffite qualified fourth, followed by Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet. Brian Henton finally qualified a Toleman in 23rd, while Derek Warwick missed out. Siegfried Stohr’s difficult final appearance for Arrows also ended without qualification.
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 | 1:34.042 | 1:33.467 | 1:33.467 | — |
| 2 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:35.153 | 1:34.140 | — | — |
| 3 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:34.492 | 1:34.374 | — | — |
| 4 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:36.529 | 1:35.062 | — | — |
| 5 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:35.983 | 1:35.359 | — | — |
| 6 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:35.449 | 1:35.484 | — | — |
| 7 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:35.795 | 1:35.557 | — | — |
| 8 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:35.977 | 1:35.596 | — | — |
| 9 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:35.627 | 1:55.012 | — | — |
| 10 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:38.617 | 1:35.946 | — | — |
| 11 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:36.158 | 1:36.309 | — | — |
| 12 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:38.100 | 1:36.210 | — | — |
| 13 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:37.166 | 1:36.296 | — | — |
| 14 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 1:37.131 | 1:36.472 | — | — |
| 15 | 25 | Patrick Tambay | Ligier | 1:36.515 | 1:36.545 | — | — |
| 16 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | no time | 1:37.019 | — | — |
| 17 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 1:38.736 | 1:37.160 | — | — |
| 18 | 32 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella | 1:38.167 | 1:37.264 | — | — |
| 19 | 17 | Derek Daly | March | 1:38.852 | 1:37.303 | — | — |
| 20 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:37.355 | 1:37.552 | — | — |
| 21 | 9 | Slim Borgudd | ATS | 1:39.106 | 1:37.807 | — | — |
| 22 | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:38.411 | 1:37.912 | — | — |
| 23 | 35 | Brian Henton | Toleman | 1:41.369 | 1:38.012 | — | — |
| 24 | 14 | Eliseo Salazar | Ensign | 1:39.033 | 1:38.053 | — | — |
| DNQ | 33 | Marc Surer | Theodore | 1:38.778 | 1:38.114 | — | — |
| DNQ | 31 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella | 1:40.930 | 1:38.474 | — | — |
| DNQ | 36 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:39.936 | 1:39.279 | — | — |
| DNQ | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 1:39.713 | 1:39.776 | — | — |
| DNQ | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:42.229 | 1:40.345 | — | — |
| DNQ | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | 1:41.185 | 1:40.437 | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Sunday’s warm-up took place after midday ahead of a 15:30 start. Didier Pironi suffered a piston failure and needed an engine change. Brian Henton briefly alarmed Toleman by failing to return, but had only slid into the sand after locking his brakes; the car could be recovered for the team’s first start.
What happened in the 1981 Italian Grand Prix?
Alain Prost took the lead at the start and never surrendered it. Rene Arnoux spun out after rain arrived, while Alan Jones moved into second. Carlos Reutemann briefly lost several positions as conditions changed, then worked his way back towards the front.
John Watson crashed heavily exiting the second Lesmo, with the rear of the McLaren separating from the cockpit structure. He escaped injury, although debris also ended Michele Alboreto’s race. Further retirements promoted Nelson Piquet into third, ahead of the recovering Carlos Reutemann.
Alain Prost won comfortably ahead of Alan Jones. Nelson Piquet’s engine failed on the final lap, allowing Carlos Reutemann, de Elio de Angelis and Didier Pironi past; the Brabham was classified sixth. Carlos Reutemann therefore left Monza three points ahead in the championship, with two races remaining.
After the race, Carlos Reutemann headed the drivers’ standings with 49 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 46. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 86, with Brabham – Ford on 57.
1981 Italian Grand Prix race results
The 1981 Italian Grand Prix was held on 13 September 1981, with a scheduled start of 15:30 local time.
1981 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 48 | 1:37.528 |
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 Italian Grand Prix.
1981 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1981 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 86 |
| 2 | Brabham – Ford | 57 |
| 3 | Renault | 48 |
| 4 | Ligier – Matra | 34 |
| 5 | Ferrari | 30 |
| 6 | McLaren – Ford | 22 |
| 7 | Lotus – Ford | 18 |
| 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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