1981_Monaco_Grand_Prix
1981 Monaco Grand Prix
Motor car race
| 1981 Monaco Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 6 of 15 in the 1981 Formula One World Championship | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 31 May 1981 | ||
| Location | Circuit de Monaco | ||
| Course | Street circuit | ||
| Course length | 3.312 km (2.057 miles) | ||
| Distance | 76 laps, 251.712 km (156.406 miles) | ||
| Weather | Dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Brabham-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:25.710 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | |
| Time | 1:27.47 on lap 48 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Ferrari | ||
| Second | Williams-Ford | ||
| Third | Ligier-Matra | ||
|
Lap leaders | |||
The 1981 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 31 May 1981. It was the sixth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.[1]
The 76-lap race was won by Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, driving a Ferrari. Brazilian Nelson Piquet took pole position in his Brabham-Ford and led until he crashed out on lap 54. Australian Alan Jones finished second in a Williams-Ford, with Frenchman Jacques Laffite third in a Ligier-Matra.
The start of the race was delayed after a fire in the Loews Hotel kitchens, which necessitated the fire service pumping large quantities of water to put the fires out. Water then seeped through the floors of the hotel and into the tunnel, delaying the race for an hour. Nelson Piquet led for much of the race, but crashed out late on. New race leader Alan Jones then suffered a fuel feed problem in the latter stages of the race, allowing Gilles Villeneuve in his Ferrari, to take his first victory since 1979 as well as becoming the first, and to this day, the only Canadian to win in Monaco. Championship leader Carlos Reutemann retired with gearbox problems, breaking a 15-race streak of consistently finishing in the points.
Pre-qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 |  Patrick Tambay |
Theodore-Ford | 1:30.492 | |
| 2 | 14 |  Marc Surer |
Ensign-Ford | 1:31.249 | +0.757 |
| 3 | 31 |  Beppe Gabbiani |
Osella-Ford | 1:32.704 | +2.212 |
| 4 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani |
Osella-Ford | 1:33.189 | +2.697 |
| 5 | 10 |  Slim Borgudd |
ATS-Ford | 1:33.285 | +2.793 |
| 6 | 18 |  Derek Daly |
March-Ford | 1:33.800 | +3.308 |
| 7 | 17 |  Eliseo Salazar |
March-Ford | 1:35.249 | +4.757 |
| 8 | 35 |  Brian Henton |
Toleman-Hart | 1:37.528 | +7.036 |
| 9 | 36 | Derek Warwick |
Toleman-Hart | 1:41.966 | +11.474 |
Qualifying
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 |  Nelson Piquet |
Brabham-Ford | 1:25.710 | 1:28.667 | |
| 2 | 27 |  Gilles Villeneuve |
Ferrari | 1:26.891 | 1:25.788 | +0.078 |
| 3 | 12 | Nigel Mansell |
Lotus-Ford | 1:27.174 | 1:25.815 | +0.105 |
| 4 | 2 |  Carlos Reutemann |
Williams-Ford | 1:27.643 | 1:26.010 | +0.300 |
| 5 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese |
Arrows-Ford | 1:27.447 | 1:26.040 | +0.330 |
| 6 | 11 | Elio de Angelis |
Lotus-Ford | 1:28.381 | 1:26.259 | +0.549 |
| 7 | 1 | Alan Jones |
Williams-Ford | 1:26.938 | 1:26.538 | +0.828 |
| 8 | 26 | Jacques Laffite |
Ligier-Matra | 1:27.468 | 1:26.704 | +0.994 |
| 9 | 15 | Alain Prost |
Renault | 1:27.623 | 1:26.953 | +1.243 |
| 10 | 7 | John Watson |
McLaren-Ford | 1:28.137 | 1:27.058 | +1.348 |
| 11 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris |
McLaren-Ford | 1:28.966 | 1:27.122 | +1.412 |
| 12 | 22 |  Mario Andretti |
Alfa Romeo | 1:27.512 | 1:28.162 | +1.802 |
| 13 | 16 | René Arnoux |
Renault | 1:28.613 | 1:27.513 | +1.803 |
| 14 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr |
Arrows-Ford | 1:29.789 | 1:27.564 | +1.854 |
| 15 | 3 | Eddie Cheever |
Tyrrell-Ford | 1:29.282 | 1:27.594 | +1.884 |
| 16 | 33 | Patrick Tambay |
Theodore-Ford | 1:28.897 | 1:27.939 | +2.229 |
| 17 | 28 | Didier Pironi |
Ferrari | 1:29.150 | 1:28.266 | +2.556 |
| 18 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli |
Alfa Romeo | 1:28.335 | 1:28.323 | +2.613 |
| 19 | 14 | Marc Surer |
Ensign-Ford | 1:29.611 | 1:28.339 | +2.629 |
| 20 | 4 | Michele Alboreto |
Tyrrell-Ford | 1:30.699 | 1:28.358 | +2.648 |
| 21 | 20 |  Keke Rosberg |
Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:29.924 | 1:28.436 | +2.726 |
| 22 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille |
Ligier-Matra | 1:29.752 | 1:28.841 | +3.131 |
| 23 | 6 |  Héctor Rebaque |
Brabham-Ford | 1:29.188 | 1:29.256 | +3.478 |
| 24 | 21 | Chico Serra |
Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:32.109 | 1:29.434 | +3.724 |
| 25 | 32 | Piercarlo Ghinzani |
Osella-Ford | no time | 1:29.694 | +3.984 |
| 26 | 31 | Beppe Gabbiani |
Osella-Ford | 1:30.963 | 1:29.795 | +4.085 |
| Source: [2] | ||||||
Race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
- Hamilton, Maurice, ed. (1981). AUTOCOURSE 1981–82. Hazleton Publishing Ltd. p. 138. ISBN 0-905138-17-1.
- "1981 Monaco Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- "1981 Monaco Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive". GPArchive.com. 31 May 1981. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- "Monaco 1981 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
| Previous race: 1981 Belgian Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1981 season |
Next race: 1981 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1980 Monaco Grand Prix |
Monaco Grand Prix | Next race: 1982 Monaco Grand Prix |