Nelson Piquet won the first championship San Marino Grand Prix after Ferrari’s early promise faded in changing conditions. Riccardo Patrese finished second and Carlos Reutemann third. Gilles Villeneuve’s gamble on slick tyres cost him the lead, while Didier Pironi was unable to hold Nelson Piquet off late in the race.
Race Guide
Season: 1981 F1 World Championship
Race date: 3 May 1981
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Dino Ferrari
Laps: 60 laps
Circuit length: 5.040 km
Previous winner: None — no previous Formula 1 World Championship edition
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| Pole time | 1:34.523 | |
| Fastest lap | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:48.064 on lap 46 | |
| First | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
| Second | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows |
| Third | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1981 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 1 May 1981 | Additional free practice | After lunch; start time unconfirmed |
| 1 May 1981 | Qualifying 1 | 16:30–17:30 |
| 2 May 1981 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 2 May 1981 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 3 May 1981 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 3 May 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 4 leading the 1981 F1 World Championship on 21 points, with Alan Jones on 18. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 39 points.
Race entries
Lotus withdrew after the ban on its 88 was upheld. Toleman made its first Grand Prix appearance with Hart-powered cars for Brian Henton and Derek Warwick. Michele Alboreto joined Tyrrell and Slim Borgudd appeared with ATS. Imola returned to the calendar under the San Marino name after hosting the Italian Grand Prix the previous year.
Friday Free Practice
Friday began amid disputes over flexible bodywork and ride-height checks. Several teams initially stayed in their garages while others ran, with the new Tolemans among the first cars on track. Derek Warwick suffered turbo trouble and Didier Pironi lost an engine. An extra afternoon test was added and qualifying moved to 16:30.
Friday Qualifying
Rene Arnoux headed Friday’s delayed session ahead of Gilles Villeneuve and Alain Prost. Carlos Reutemann was the strongest normally aspirated contender, keeping Williams in touch with the turbo cars. The faster revised Acque Minerali section also changed the character of the lap.
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday morning was more orderly, but reliability still caused problems. Brian Henton’s engine showed signs of piston damage, leaving too little time for a replacement before qualifying. Renault also faced boost trouble, while teams continued working with the suspension systems devised around the six-centimetre clearance rule.
Saturday Qualifying
Gilles Villeneuve took pole on Saturday, ahead of Carlos Reutemann and Rene Arnoux. Nelson Piquet qualified fourth, followed by Didier Pironi and John Watson. Neither Toleman made the grid, but Michele Alboreto qualified for his debut and the Ferraris had given the home crowd real reason for optimism.
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 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:35.576 | 1:34.523 | 1:34.523 | — |
| 2 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:35.844 | 1:35.229 | — | — |
| 3 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:35.281 | 1:35.292 | — | — |
| 4 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:35.579 | 3:58.089 | — | — |
| 5 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:37.417 | 1:35.733 | — | — |
| 6 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:36.168 | 1:35.868 | — | — |
| 7 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:37.639 | 1:36.241 | — | — |
| 8 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:36.280 | 1:36.317 | — | — |
| 9 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:37.061 | 1:36.390 | — | — |
| 10 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:38.908 | 1:36.477 | — | — |
| 11 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:39.372 | 1:36.776 | — | — |
| 12 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:37.587 | 1:36.919 | — | — |
| 13 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 1:38.822 | 1:37.264 | — | — |
| 14 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | 1:38.019 | 1:37.382 | — | — |
| 15 | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:37.459 | 1:37.906 | — | — |
| 16 | 33 | Patrick Tambay | Theodore | 1:39.215 | 1:37.545 | — | — |
| 17 | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 1:39.341 | 1:37.771 | — | — |
| 18 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Ligier | 1:38.140 | 1:38.702 | — | — |
| 19 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 1:38.369 | 1:38.266 | — | — |
| 20 | 32 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella | 1:39.245 | 1:38.302 | — | — |
| 21 | 14 | Marc Surer | Ensign | 1:38.341 | 1:38.488 | — | — |
| 22 | 31 | Miguel Angel Guerra | Osella | 1:39.799 | 1:38.773 | — | — |
| 23 | 18 | Eliseo Salazar | March | 1:39.161 | 1:38.827 | — | — |
| 24 | 10 | Slim Borgudd | ATS | 1:41.196 | 1:39.079 | — | — |
| 25 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 1:39.112 | 1:39.553 | — | — |
| 26 | 17 | Derek Daly | March | 1:39.453 | 1:39.157 | — | — |
| 27 | 9 | Jan Lammers | ATS | 1:40.872 | 1:39.419 | — | — |
| 28 | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | 1:51.453 | 1:41.114 | — | — |
| 29 | 36 | Derek Warwick | Toleman | 1:54.020 | 1:43.187 | — | — |
| 30 | 35 | Brian Henton | Toleman | 1:49.951 | no time | — | — |
| WD | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | — | — | — | — |
| WD | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | — | — | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Overnight storms left a wet circuit for Sunday’s warm-up. Alain Prost used the spare Renault and John Watson ran McLaren’s original MP4 while the newer car received an engine change. Ferrari prepared fresh engines with reduced boost, but the uncertain weather left tyre choice unresolved as the race approached.
What happened in the 1981 San Marino Grand Prix?
Gilles Villeneuve led initially before changing to slicks too early. More rain forced another stop, leaving Didier Pironi in front. Nelson Piquet kept himself in contention as the changing surface punished the wrong tyre choice.
Didier Pironi’s performance faded late in the race, allowing Nelson Piquet to move ahead. Riccardo Patrese and Carlos Reutemann also passed the Ferrari, and Hector Rebaque brought the second Brabham into fourth. Gilles Villeneuve recovered ground but could not return to the points.
Nelson Piquet won ahead of Riccardo Patrese and Carlos Reutemann, with Hector Rebaque fourth, Didier Pironi fifth and de Andrea de Cesaris sixth. The Brazilian had secured consecutive victories, while Ferrari’s pace had demonstrated how dangerous its turbo cars could become once they sustained that speed over a complete race.
After the race, Carlos Reutemann headed the drivers’ standings with 25 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 22. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 43, with Brabham – Ford on 25.
1981 San Marino Grand Prix race results
The 1981 San Marino Grand Prix was held on 3 May 1981, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.
1981 San Marino Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 46 | 1:48.064 |
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 San Marino Grand Prix.
1981 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1981 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 43 |
| 2 | Brabham – Ford | 25 |
| 3 | Arrows – Ford | 10 |
| 4 | Renault | 6 |
| 5 | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 6 | Ensign – Ford | 3 |
| 7 | Lotus – Ford | 3 |
| 8 | Ferrari | 2 |
| 9 | Tyrrell – Ford | 2 |
| 10 | Ligier – Matra | 1 |
| 11 | McLaren – Ford | 1 |
| 12 | Theodore – Ford | 1 |
| — | Fittipaldi – Ford | 0 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 0 |
| — | March – 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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