Alan Jones began his championship defence with victory at Long Beach, leading Carlos Reutemann home in a Williams one-two. Nelson Piquet finished third after pole-sitter Riccardo Patrese retired. The opening championship round also introduced Ferrari’s new turbo challenge and renewed controversy over the Lotus 88.
Race Guide
Season: 1981 F1 World Championship
Race date: 15 March 1981
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC-08:00)
Circuit: Long Beach Street Circuit
Laps: 80 laps
Circuit length: 3.251 km
1980 winner: Nelson Piquet
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows |
| Pole time | 1:19.399 | |
| Fastest lap | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:20.901 on lap 31 | |
| First | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Second | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
| Third | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 13 March 1981 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 13 March 1981 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 14 March 1981 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 14 March 1981 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00–14:00 |
| 15 March 1981 | Warm-up | 11:10–11:40 |
| 15 March 1981 | Race | 14:00 |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
The 1981 F1 World Championship began with a fresh points table and the first opportunity to measure the teams in race conditions. Long Beach Street Circuit hosted the opening contest, where qualifying pace, tyre management and reliability would all shape the result.
Race entries
Alain Prost joined Renault, Didier Pironi moved to Ferrari and Mario Andretti switched to Alfa Romeo. Eddie Cheever led Tyrrell’s line-up, while de Andrea de Cesaris joined John Watson at McLaren. Jean-Pierre Jarier deputised for the recovering Jean-Pierre Jabouille at Ligier. Newcomers included Chico Serra, Siegfried Stohr, Miguel Angel Guerra and Eliseo Salazar, with March and Theodore also bringing new machinery.
Friday Free Practice
Friday gave the teams their first chance to settle into the street circuit. Lotus’s twin-chassis 88 became the centre of a legality dispute, and a fuel-pump problem curtailed its running. Ferrari compared Comprex pressure-wave supercharging with conventional turbochargers; Gilles Villeneuve found more speed in the turbocharged spare after a drive-belt failure.
Friday Qualifying
Alan Jones headed Friday’s times, with Jean-Pierre Jarier and Gilles Villeneuve close behind. The Ferrari’s speed was encouraging after the team’s difficult previous season, while Riccardo Patrese also demonstrated that Arrows could challenge the established leaders on the street circuit.
Saturday Free Practice
The Lotus 88 was black-flagged on Saturday morning as the dispute continued. Ferrari endured engine, injection and gearbox-oil problems, while McLaren put aside its new MP4 and returned John Watson to the older car. The busy repair work left several teams chasing preparation time before the final qualifying hour.
Saturday Qualifying
Riccardo Patrese took his first pole on Saturday, ahead of Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann. Alan Jones damaged a suspension component against a wall and switched to the spare Williams. The Arrows had earned its opportunity, but the defending champions still had both cars near the front.
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 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:21.983 | 1:19.399 | 1:19.399 | — |
| 2 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:20.911 | 1:19.408 | — | — |
| 3 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:21.739 | 1:20.149 | — | — |
| 4 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:22.675 | 1:20.289 | — | — |
| 5 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:21.723 | 1:20.462 | — | — |
| 6 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.020 | 1:20.476 | — | — |
| 7 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus | 1:22.461 | 1:20.573 | — | — |
| 8 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 1:22.992 | 1:20.643 | — | — |
| 9 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.592 | 1:20.664 | — | — |
| 10 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | 1:21.722 | 1:20.787 | — | — |
| 11 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:21.828 | 1:20.909 | — | — |
| 12 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:23.140 | 1:20.925 | — | — |
| 13 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:22.380 | 1:20.928 | — | — |
| 14 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:23.049 | 1:20.980 | — | — |
| 15 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 1:23.298 | 1:21.000 | — | — |
| 16 | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:23.356 | 1:21.001 | — | — |
| 17 | 33 | Patrick Tambay | Theodore | 1:23.373 | 1:21.298 | — | — |
| 18 | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | 1:26.730 | 1:21.409 | — | — |
| 19 | 14 | Marc Surer | Ensign | 1:28.045 | 1:21.522 | — | — |
| 20 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:23.363 | 1:21.540 | — | — |
| 21 | 9 | Jan Lammers | ATS | 1:23.802 | 1:21.758 | — | — |
| 22 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | 1:23.728 | 1:22.028 | — | — |
| 23 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:26.419 | 1:22.183 | — | — |
| 24 | 32 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella | 1:24.032 | 1:22.213 | — | — |
| 25 | 4 | Kevin Cogan | Tyrrell | 1:25.164 | 1:22.284 | — | — |
| 26 | 17 | Derek Daly | March | 1:25.017 | 1:22.356 | — | — |
| 27 | 31 | Miguel Angel Guerra | Osella | 1:25.190 | 1:22.673 | — | — |
| 28 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 1:23.504 | no time | — | — |
| 29 | 18 | Eliseo Salazar | March | 1:26.074 | 1:24.383 | — | — |
Sunday warm-up
Sunday’s half-hour warm-up began at 11:10. Ferrari committed its cars to conventional turbochargers, while Alain Prost changed to the spare Renault because of a persistent misfire. Brabham replaced Hector Rebaque’s experimental transmission with its more familiar alternative, favouring reliability before the season’s first championship start.
What happened in the 1981 United States West Grand Prix?
Riccardo Patrese led the opening stages before a fuel-system problem forced repeated pit visits and retirement. Carlos Reutemann inherited the lead, with Alan Jones closing behind him. An early collision had already eliminated Alain Prost and de Andrea de Cesaris from contention.
Alan Jones passed Carlos Reutemann while they negotiated traffic and then built a comfortable advantage. Nelson Piquet worked clear of the Ferraris to secure third, while Mario Andretti and Eddie Cheever fought through to useful points. The Williams pair controlled the closing stages.
Alan Jones won ahead of Carlos Reutemann and Nelson Piquet, with Mario Andretti fourth and Eddie Cheever fifth. Patrick Tambay earned a point for Theodore in sixth. Williams had opened the championship exactly as it hoped, but Riccardo Patrese’s pole and Ferrari’s new engine suggested a varied season ahead.
After the race, Alan Jones headed the drivers’ standings with 9 points, followed by Carlos Reutemann on 6. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 15, with Brabham – Ford on 4.
1981 United States West Grand Prix race results
The 1981 United States West Grand Prix was held on 15 March 1981, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.
1981 United States West Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | 31 | 1:20.901 |
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 United States West Grand Prix.
1981 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Jones | Australian | Williams | 9 |
| 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Argentine | Williams | 6 |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Brabham | 4 |
| 4 | Mario Andretti | American | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 5 | Eddie Cheever | American | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 6 | Patrick Tambay | French | Theodore | 1 |
| – | Chico Serra | Brazilian | Fittipaldi | 0 |
| – | René Arnoux | French | Renault | 0 |
| – | Marc Surer | Swiss | Ensign | 0 |
| – | Didier Pironi | French | Ferrari | 0 |
| – | Jean-Pierre Jarier | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Hector Rebaque | Mexican | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Bruno Giacomelli | Italian | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| – | Jacques Laffite | French | Ligier | 0 |
| – | Keke Rosberg | Finnish | Fittipaldi | 0 |
| – | Jan Lammers | Dutch | ATS | 0 |
| – | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Beppe Gabbiani | Italian | Osella | 0 |
| – | Nigel Mansell | British | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Gilles Villeneuve | Canadian | Ferrari | 0 |
| – | John Watson | British | McLaren | 0 |
| – | Elio de Angelis | Italian | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Alain Prost | French | Renault | 0 |
| – | Andrea de Cesaris | Italian | McLaren | 0 |
1981 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 15 |
| 2 | Brabham – Ford | 4 |
| 3 | Alfa Romeo | 3 |
| 4 | Tyrrell – Ford | 2 |
| 5 | Theodore – Ford | 1 |
| — | Fittipaldi – Ford | 0 |
| — | Renault | 0 |
| — | Ensign – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ferrari | 0 |
| — | Ligier – Matra | 0 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Arrows – Ford | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 0 |
| — | Lotus – Ford | 0 |
| — | McLaren – Ford | 0 |
| — | March – Ford | 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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