1981 Canadian F1 Grand Prix Race Report & Results

Event: Canadian Grand Prix
Track: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Weather: heavy rain, then drying

Jacques Laffite won his 6th F1 World Championship race at the 1981 Canadian Grand Prix. The Ligier-Matra driver started from 10th on the grid and won on the Ile Notre-Dame circuit for the 1st time. It was also his 2nd win of the season and the 8th win for the Ligier F1 team.

Laffite’s wet-weather masterclass

The 1981 Canadian Grand Prix on the Ile Notre-Dame was won in a downpour by Jacques Laffite, his sixth and final F1 victory. Michelin’s wet rubber was on another level; Goodyear had stopped developing wets when it withdrew earlier in the year. Laffite started 10th and was in the lead by lap 14.

The Villeneuve aileron drive

Villeneuve tangled with de Angelis at the hairpin on lap 40 and bent his front wing into the air. He drove three more laps with the wing pointing vertically in front of his cockpit, obstructing his view, threatening at any moment to detach and hit his head, until the piece finally tore off on lap 57. He held on to third, a piece of theatre that became legend.

Watson second for McLaren, Giacomelli fourth for Alfa Romeo’s first points of the year, Piquet fifth and a vital two points, de Angelis sixth. Williams clinched the constructors’ title despite a calamitous race, Jones retired, Reutemann finished tenth, two laps down, after going off in the rain and losing his confidence in the wet. With one race to go: Reutemann 49, Piquet 48, Laffite 43. Niki Lauda signed for McLaren for 1982.

Classification 1981 Canadian F1 GP

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Car & Engine	Grid	Laps	Led	Time	Pts
1	26	JacquesLaffite	Ligier	Ligier JS17Matra MS81	10	63	51	2:01:25.200	9
2	7	JohnWatson	McLaren	McLaren MP4/1Ford DFV	9	63		2:01:31.430+6.230s	6
3	27	GillesVilleneuve	Ferrari	Ferrari 126CKFerrari 021	11	63		2:03:15.470+1:50.270	4
4	23	BrunoGiacomelli	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 179CAlfa Romeo 1260	15	62		+1 lap	3
5	5	NelsonPiquet	Brabham	Brabham BT49CFord DFV	1	62		+1 lap	2
6	11	Eliode Angelis	Team Lotus	Lotus 87Ford DFV	7	62		+1 lap	1
7	22	MarioAndretti	Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo 179DAlfa Romeo 1260	16	62		+1 lap
8	17	DerekDaly	March	March 811Ford DFV	20	61		+2 laps
9	33	MarcSurer	Theodore	Theodore TY01Ford DFV	19	61		+2 laps
10	2	CarlosReutemann	Williams	Williams FW07CFord DFV	2	60		+3 laps
11	4	MicheleAlboreto	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 011Ford DFV	22	59		+4 laps
12	3	EddieCheever	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 011Ford DFV	14	56		Engine
DNF	8	Andreade Cesaris	McLaren	McLaren MP4/1Ford DFV	13	51		Spun Off
DNF	15	AlainProst	Renault	Renault RE30Renault EF1	4	48	6	Collision
DNF	12	NigelMansell	Team Lotus	Lotus 87Ford DFV	5	45		Collision
DNF	9	SlimBorgudd	ATS	ATS HGS1Ford DFV	21	40		Spun Off
DNF	6	HectorRebaque	Brabham	Brabham BT49CFord DFV	6	35		Spun Off
DNF	32	Jean-PierreJarier	Osella	Osella FA1CFord DFV	23	26		Collision
DNF	1	AlanJones	Williams	Williams FW07CFord DFV	3	24	6	Handling
DNF	28	DidierPironi	Ferrari	Ferrari 126CKFerrari 021	12	24		Ignition
DNF	14	EliseoSalazar	Ensign	Ensign N180BFord DFV	24	8		Spun Off
DNF	25	PatrickTambay	Ligier	Ligier JS17Matra MS81	17	6		Spun Off
DNF	29	RiccardoPatrese	Arrows	Arrows A3Ford DFV	18	6		Spun Off
DNF	16	RenéArnoux	Renault	Renault RE30Renault EF1	8	0		Collision
DNQ	20	KekeRosberg	Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi F8CFord DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	21	ChicoSerra	Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi F8CFord DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	35	BrianHenton	Toleman	Toleman TG181Hart 415T		0		No Time
DNQ	30	JacquesVilleneuve Sr.	Arrows	Arrows A3Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	36	DerekWarwick	Toleman	Toleman TG181Hart 415T		0		No Time
DNQ	31	BeppeGabbiani	Osella	Osella FA1BFord DFV		0		No Time

Fastest lap: 1:49.475 min by John Watson (McLaren MP4-1) in lap 43

✅ 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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