1981 Spanish F1 Grand Prix Race Report & Results

Event: Spanish Grand Prix
Track: Circuito del Jarama

Weather: warm, dry, sunny

Gilles Villeneuve won his 6th F1 World Championship race at the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver started from 7th on the grid and won on the Jarama circuit for the 2nd time. It was also his 2nd win of the season and the 81st win for the Ferrari F1 team.

Villeneuve’s defensive masterpiece

The 1981 Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama produced one of the most extraordinary defensive drives in F1 history. Alan Jones led from pole until lap 14, when he locked up at Ascari, ran into the gravel, and waved to marshals to push him out, dropping him to 16th. Villeneuve inherited the lead and held off Laffite, Watson, Reutemann and de Angelis for 66 laps in a Ferrari 126CK whose tyres were destroyed and whose chassis slid through every corner. Five cars crossed the line within 1.24 seconds.

The race

Villeneuve’s tactic was simple: brake unbelievably late, exit corners at walking pace, then use the turbo’s 200 hp advantage to be unpassable in the straight. Reutemann tried at Peraltada, Laffite at every turn of the long left, Watson tried to slipstream past in front of the pits, nothing worked. Prost’s Renault could have been the only realistic threat but he locked up at La Ciega from third on lap 30 and went into the gravel.

Laffite second, Watson third for McLaren’s first podium since the Spanish GP 1979, Reutemann fourth, de Angelis fifth, Mansell sixth. Piquet ran into the back of Andretti at La Ciega and crashed out from sixth. Villeneuve called it the most satisfying win of his career. Reutemann’s championship lead grew to 13 points.

Classification 1981 Spanish F1 GP

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Car & Engine	Grid	Laps	Led	Time	Pts
1	27	GillesVilleneuve	Ferrari	Ferrari 126CKFerrari 021	7	80	67	1:46:35.010	9
2	26	JacquesLaffite	Ligier	Ligier JS17Matra MS81	1	80		1:46:35.230+0.220s	6
3	7	JohnWatson	McLaren	McLaren MP4/1Ford DFV	4	80		1:46:35.590+0.580s	4
4	2	CarlosReutemann	Williams	Williams FW07CFord DFV	3	80		1:46:36.020+1.010s	3
5	11	Eliode Angelis	Team Lotus	Lotus 87Ford DFV	10	80		1:46:36.250+1.240s	2
6	12	NigelMansell	Team Lotus	Lotus 87Ford DFV	11	80		1:47:03.590+28.580s	1
7	1	AlanJones	Williams	Williams FW07CFord DFV	2	80	13	1:47:31.590+56.580s
8	22	MarioAndretti	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 179CAlfa Romeo 1260	8	80		1:47:35.810+1:00.800
9	16	RenéArnoux	Renault	Renault RE30Renault EF1	17	80		1:47:42.090+1:07.080
10	23	BrunoGiacomelli	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 179CAlfa Romeo 1260	6	80		1:47:48.660+1:13.650
11	21	ChicoSerra	Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi F8CFord DFV	21	79		+1 lap
12	20	KekeRosberg	Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi F8CFord DFV	15	78		+2 laps
13	33	PatrickTambay	Theodore	Theodore TY01Ford DFV	16	78		+2 laps
14	14	EliseoSalazar	Ensign	Ensign N180BFord DFV	24	77		+3 laps
15	28	DidierPironi	Ferrari	Ferrari 126CKFerrari 021	13	76		+4 laps
16	17	DerekDaly	March	March 811Ford DFV	22	75		+5 laps
NC	3	EddieCheever	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 010Ford DFV	20	62		Not Classified
DNF	25	Jean-PierreJabouille	Ligier	Ligier JS17Matra MS81	19	51		Brakes
DNF	6	HectorRebaque	Brabham	Brabham BT49CFord DFV	18	46		Gearbox
DNF	30	SiegfriedStohr	Arrows	Arrows A3Ford DFV	23	43		Ignition
DNF	5	NelsonPiquet	Brabham	Brabham BT49CFord DFV	9	43		Accident
DNF	15	AlainProst	Renault	Renault RE30Renault EF1	5	28		Spun Off
DNF	29	RiccardoPatrese	Arrows	Arrows A3Ford DFV	12	21		Brakes
DNF	8	Andreade Cesaris	McLaren	McLaren MP4/1Ford DFV	14	9		Accident
DNQ	4	MicheleAlboreto	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 010Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	31	BeppeGabbiani	Osella	Osella FA1BFord DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	9	SlimBorgudd	ATS	ATS HGS1Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	35	BrianHenton	Toleman	Toleman TG181Hart 415T		0		No Time
DNQ	36	DerekWarwick	Toleman	Toleman TG181Hart 415T		0		No Time
DNQ	32	GiorgioFrancia	Osella	Osella FA1BFord DFV		0		No Time

Fastest lap: 1:17.818 min by Alan Jones (Williams FW07C) in lap 5

✅ Check out 1981 F1 Championship Standings
✅ Check out 1981 F1 Teams & Drivers

✅ Check out All Time F1 Drivers Rankings
✅ Check out All Time F1 Driver Records
✅ Check out All Time F1 Teams Rankings

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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