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Formula 1 1981 season
The 1981 Formula 1 season ran 15 races and ended with the title going to Nelson Piquet, driving for Brabham. Below, every GP with circuit and winner, plus the drivers championship top 10.
The 15 races of 1981
| GP | Circuit | Country | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States Grand Prix West | Long Beach | USA | Alan Jones (Williams) |
| Brazilian Grand Prix | Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet | Brazil | Carlos Reutemann (Williams) |
| Argentine Grand Prix | Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez | Argentina | Nelson Piquet (Brabham) |
| San Marino Grand Prix | Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari | Italy | Nelson Piquet (Brabham) |
| Belgian Grand Prix | Zolder | Belgium | Carlos Reutemann (Williams) |
| Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | Monaco | Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) |
| Spanish Grand Prix | Jarama | Spain | Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) |
| French Grand Prix | Dijon-Prenois | France | Alain Prost (Renault) |
| British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | UK | John Watson (McLaren) |
| German Grand Prix | Hockenheimring | Germany | Nelson Piquet (Brabham) |
| Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | Austria | Jacques Laffite (Ligier) |
| Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Park Zandvoort | Netherlands | Alain Prost (Renault) |
| Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Italy | Alain Prost (Renault) |
| Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | Canada | Jacques Laffite (Ligier) |
| Caesars Palace Grand Prix | Las Vegas Street Circuit | USA | Alan Jones (Williams) |
1981 championship top 10
| # | Driver | Team | Wins | Points scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Piquet (champion) | Brabham | 3 | 50 |
| 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 2 | 49 |
| 3 | Alan Jones | Williams | 2 | 46 |
| 4 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 2 | 44 |
| 5 | Alain Prost | Renault | 3 | 43 |
| 6 | John Watson | McLaren | 1 | 27 |
| 7 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 2 | 25 |
| 8 | Elio de Angelis | Team Lotus | 0 | 14 |
| 9 | Hector Rebaque | Brabham | 0 | 11 |
| 10 | René Arnoux | Renault | 0 | 11 |
The year in numbers
The season packed 15 races across 13 countries, with 7 different winners over 1981: Nelson Piquet (3), Alain Prost (3), Alan Jones (2), Carlos Reutemann (2), Gilles Villeneuve (2), Jacques Laffite (2), John Watson (1). Nelson Piquet won more than anyone, 3 of the 15 races. The title went to Nelson Piquet (Brazil), driving for Brabham, the first of the driver's career. On the raw sums of the table, Nelson Piquet closed the year on 50 points, 1 more than Carlos Reutemann. A note for anyone checking official records: until 1990 the rules dropped each driver's worst results, so the raw sums in the table can differ from the official 1981 scores.
To follow the championship thread, see the 1980 season and the 1982 season, or the full list of Formula 1 world champions.
Source: jolpica-f1 historical archive (Apache 2.0 license), successor to Ergast, snapshot of 2026-07-09. This site is independent and not affiliated with Formula One or any team, driver or circuit mentioned.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources