1981 F1 World Championship

The 1981 FIA Formula One World Championship began on 15 March and concluded on 17 October, over 15 race weekends.

Season

Although the season included the South African Grand Prix, that event was run as a non-championship race due to the ongoing political conflict within the sport known as the FISA–FOCA war. While the race was open to Formula One entrants, its results did not count toward the official World Championship standings.

The 1981 season represented an important turning point in the governance and structure of Formula One. It was the first championship officially run under the name “FIA Formula One World Championship,” replacing the previous titles of World Championship of Drivers and the International Cup for Constructors. During this period, Bernie Ecclestone, then owner of the Brabham team and a leading figure within the Formula One Constructors’ Association (FOCA), played a major role in reshaping the sport’s commercial framework.

Teams were encouraged to sign the first Concorde Agreement, a landmark contract that established many of the commercial and regulatory foundations that still underpin Formula One today. Under the terms of this agreement, teams were committed to entering the entire championship season rather than individual races, while the FIA assumed responsibility for distributing prize money. The agreement also ensured that a consistent set of regulations would apply across all events.

Another key change followed shortly afterwards: from 1982 onward, teams were required to own the intellectual property rights to the chassis they entered in competition. This rule helped clarify the relationship between the concepts of entrant, constructor, and team, gradually merging these roles into the modern understanding of a Formula One team as both designer and entrant of its own cars.

On the track, the Drivers’ Championship was won by Nelson Piquet, who secured the first of his three Formula One world titles driving for Brabham. In the Constructors’ Championship, Williams continued their strong form by claiming the title for the second consecutive season, confirming their position as one of the leading teams of the early 1980s.

1981 F1 Entries Drivers and Teams

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	No	Driver	Rounds
Albilad Williams Racing Team TAG Williams Team	Williams-Ford	FW07C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M G	1	Alan Jones	All
					2	Carlos Reutemann	All
Tyrrell Racing Team	Tyrrell-Ford	010 011	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M A	3	Eddie Cheever	All
					4	Kevin Cogan	1
					4	Ricardo Zunino	2–3
					4	Michele Alboreto	4–15
Parmalat Racing	Brabham-Ford	BT49C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M G	5	Nelson Piquet	All
					6	Héctor Rebaque	All
Marlboro McLaren International	McLaren-Ford	M29F MP4/1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M	7	John Watson	All
					8	Andrea de Cesaris	All
Team ATS	ATS-Ford	D4 HGS1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M A	9	Jan Lammers	1–4
					9	Slim Borgudd	5, 7–15
					10		4, 6
Team Essex Lotus John Player Team Lotus	Lotus-Ford	81B 87 88 88B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M G	11	Elio de Angelis	1–3, 5–15
					12	Nigel Mansell	1–3, 5–15
Ensign Racing	Ensign-Ford	N180B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M A	14	Marc Surer	1–6
					14	Ricardo Londoño	2
					14	Eliseo Salazar	7–15
Équipe Renault Elf	Renault	RE20B RE30	Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6t	M	15	Alain Prost	All
					16	René Arnoux	All
March Grand Prix Team Guinness RIzla+. March	March-Ford	811	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M A	17	Derek Daly	1–3, 7–15
					17	Eliseo Salazar	4–6
					18		1–3
					18	Derek Daly	4–6
Fittipaldi Automotive	Fittipaldi-Ford	F8C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M A P	20	Keke Rosberg	1–10, 12–15
					21	Chico Serra	1–10, 12–15
Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo	179B 179C 179D	Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12	M	22	Mario Andretti	All
					23	Bruno Giacomelli	All
Équipe Talbot Gitanes	Talbot Ligier-Matra	JS17	Matra MS81 3.0 V12	M	25	Jean-Pierre Jarier	1–2
					25	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	2–7
					25	Patrick Tambay	8–15
					26	Jacques Laffite	All
Ferrari	Ferrari	126CK	Ferrari 021 1.5 V6t	M	27	Gilles Villeneuve	All
					28	Didier Pironi	All
Ragno Arrows Beta Racing Team	Arrows-Ford	A3	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M P	29	Riccardo Patrese	All
					30	Siegfried Stohr	1–13
					30	Jacques Villeneuve Sr.	14–15
Denim Osella	Osella-Ford	FA1B FA1C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M	31	Miguel Ángel Guerra	1–4
					31	Piercarlo Ghinzani	5
					31	Beppe Gabbiani	6–15
					32		1–5
	Osella-Ford				32	Piercarlo Ghinzani	6
					32	Giorgio Francia	7
Theodore Racing Team	Theodore-Ford	TY01	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M A	33	Patrick Tambay	1–7
					33	Marc Surer	8–15
Candy Toleman Motorsport	Toleman-Hart	TG181	Hart 415T 1.5 L4t	P	35	Brian Henton	4–15
					36	Derek Warwick	4–15
Equipe Banco Occidental	Williams-Ford	FW07	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M	37	Emilio de Villota	7

1981 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1981 United States Grand Prix West	Long Beach Street Circuit, California	15 March
2	1981 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo de Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro	29 March
3	1981 Argentine Grand Prix	Autodromo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires	12 April
4	1981 San Marino Grand Prix	Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola	3 May
5	1981 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder	17 May
6	1981 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	31 May
7	1981 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito Permanente Del Jarama, Madrid	21 June
8	1981 French Grand Prix	Dijon-Prenois, Prenois	5 July
9	1981 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	18 July
10	1981 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	2 August
11	1981 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	16 August
12	1981 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	30 August
13	1981 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	13 September
14	1981 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Île Notre-Dame, Montréal	27 September
15	1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix	Caesars Palace Grand Prix Circuit, Las Vegas	17 October1

The following races were included on the original calendar but were cancelled:

Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
South African Grand Prix	Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand	7 February
United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, New York	4 October

The South African Grand Prix at Kyalami was originally scheduled to open the season on 7 February. However, tensions arising from the ongoing FISA–FOCA war resulted in the race being held as a non-championship event. Only teams using Ford-Cosworth engines took part, all running cars fitted with aerodynamic devices that had been banned for the 1981 championship season.

The race at Long Beach Street Circuit, therefore, became the official championship opener after the Argentine and Brazilian Grands Prix were postponed to March and April. The Brazilian event was also relocated from the Interlagos Circuit to the Jacarepaguá Circuit because of numerous safety concerns at the São Paulo venue.

The Italian Grand Prix returned to Autodromo Nazionale Monza after a one-year absence, with the circuit undergoing significant upgrades, including the construction of a new pit building. Meanwhile, Autodromo Dino Ferrari also hosted a race that season, which was titled the San Marino Grand Prix.

The Spanish Grand Prix reappeared on the championship calendar after the 1980 edition had been excluded. In accordance with the alternating arrangement between venues, the French Grand Prix moved from Circuit Paul Ricard to Circuit de Dijon-Prenois, while the British Grand Prix switched from Brands Hatch to Silverstone Circuit.

The United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International was initially scheduled for 4 October but was cancelled due to financial difficulties faced by the organisers. It was replaced by the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, which was staged on a temporary circuit set up in the car park of Caesars Palace.

1981 Formula 1 Race Results

Grands Prix

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Report
1	1981 United States Grand Prix West	Riccardo Patrese	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford	Report
2	1981 Brazilian Grand Prix	Nelson Piquet	Marc Surer	Carlos Reutemann	Williams-Ford	Report
3	1981 Argentine Grand Prix	Nelson Piquet	Nelson Piquet	Nelson Piquet	Brabham-Ford	Report
4	1981 San Marino Grand Prix	Gilles Villeneuve	Gilles Villeneuve	Nelson Piquet	Brabham-Ford	Report
5	1981 Belgian Grand Prix	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Williams-Ford	Report
6	1981 Monaco Grand Prix	Nelson Piquet	Alan Jones	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	Report
7	1981 Spanish Grand Prix	Jacques Laffite	Alan Jones	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	Report
8	1981 French Grand Prix	René Arnoux	Alain Prost	Alain Prost	Renault	Report
9	1981 British Grand Prix	René Arnoux	René Arnoux	John Watson	McLaren-Ford	Report
10	1981 German Grand Prix	Alain Prost	Alan Jones	Nelson Piquet	Brabham-Ford	Report
11	1981 Austrian Grand Prix	René Arnoux	Jacques Laffite	Jacques Laffite	Talbot Ligier-Matra	Report
12	1981 Dutch Grand Prix	Alain Prost	Alan Jones	Alain Prost	Renault	Report
13	1981 Italian Grand Prix	René Arnoux	Carlos Reutemann	Alain Prost	Renault	Report
14	1981 Canadian Grand Prix	Nelson Piquet	John Watson	Jacques Laffite	Talbot Ligier-Matra	Report
15	1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix	Carlos Reutemann	Didier Pironi	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford	Report

1981 Formula 1 Standings

Driver standings

Team standings