1981 German Grand Prix
1981 German Grand Prix | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 10 of 15 in the 1981 Formula One World Championship | |||
![]() Hockenheim in 1981 | |||
Race details | |||
Date | 2 August 1981 | ||
Official name | XLIII Großer Preis von Deutschland | ||
Location |
Hockenheimring Hockenheim, West Germany | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
Course length | 6.789 km (4.218 mi) | ||
Distance | 45 laps, 305.505 km (189.81 mi) | ||
Weather | Wet / Dry | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver |
| Renault | |
Time | 1:47.50 | ||
Fastest lap | |||
Driver |
![]() | Williams-Ford | |
Time | 1:52.42 on lap 4 | ||
Podium | |||
First | Brabham-Ford | ||
Second |
| Renault | |
Third | Ligier-Matra | ||
Lap leaders |
The 1981 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Hockenheimring on 2 August 1981. It was the tenth race of the 1981 FIA Formula One World Championship.[1]
The 45-lap race was won by Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet, driving a Brabham-Ford. Frenchman Alain Prost finished second in a Renault, having started from pole position, with compatriot Jacques Laffite third in a Ligier-Matra. The win, Piquet's third of the season, allowed him to move to within eight points of Drivers' Championship leader, Argentine Carlos Reutemann, who retired with an engine failure.
Report[]
Qualifying[]
The pit entrance had been modified and slowed down; the drivers now entered the pits earlier than before. The two Renault turbo cars were on the front row with Alain Prost almost half a second quicker than teammate René Arnoux. It was the first pole position of Prost's F1 career. Williams locked out the second row with World Championship leader Carlos Reutemann third and teammate Alan Jones fourth. Didier Pironi was fifth in his Ferrari and Nelson Piquet was sixth in his Brabham. The top 10 was completed by Jacques Laffite (Ligier), Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) and the two McLarens of John Watson and Andrea de Cesaris.
Race[]
The two Williams on the second row enjoyed a better start than the Renaults of Prost and Arnoux. Arnoux was overtaken both by Reutemann and Pironi before the first corner, and by Piquet tried a move in the Ostkurve but the two cars collided, deflating Arnoux's right rear tire and causing him to pit at the end of the lap. Piquet lost a place to Jones in the process, whilst Arnoux dropped through the field. On the second lap, Pironi's engine failed, making him retire from fourth. Consequently, Prost led from Reutemann, Jones, Piquet and Laffite, and the top 5 pulled away from the rest of the pack, led by Villeneuve in sixth. Reutemann was quickly overtaken by both Jones and Piquet, beginning a 3-way fight from the lead until Piquet's tires fell off the pace and he dropped to fourth behind Reutemann.
On Lap 21, the lead changed when Prost was overtaken by Jones as the duo were lapping Arnoux. 7 laps later, Reutemann's engine failed on Lap 28, dropping out of the race. After around 30 laps, rain started to fall on the circuit and the Renaults suffered from poor handling and third place Piquet quickly overtook Prost for second. Jones' lead was diminished when his engine began to misfire, eventually dropping behind Piquet and Prost before heading to the pits, and he eventually finished a lap behind.
Piquet held on to his lead and finished first, in front of Prost, Laffite and Héctor Rebaque. Eddie Cheever finished fifth to round up the top 5, in front of John Watson in sixth.
Classification[]
Qualifying[]
Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | ![]() |
Renault | 1:48.09 | 1:47.50 | — |
2 | 16 | ![]() |
Renault | 1:47.96 | 1:48.08 | +0.46 |
3 | 2 | ![]() |
Williams-Ford | 1:50.20 | 1:48.43 | +0.93 |
4 | 1 | ![]() |
Williams-Ford | 1:48.49 | 1:49.38 | +0.99 |
5 | 28 | ![]() |
Ferrari | 1:49.00 | 1:49.97 | +1.50 |
6 | 5 | ![]() |
Brabham-Ford | 1:49.03 | 1:49.26 | +1.53 |
7 | 26 | ![]() |
Ligier-Matra | 1:50.27 | 1:49.28 | +1.78 |
8 | 27 | ![]() |
Ferrari | 1:49.44 | 1:50.24 | +1.94 |
9 | 7 | ![]() |
McLaren-Ford | 1:49.52 | 1:50.36 | +2.02 |
10 | 8 | ![]() |
McLaren-Ford | 1:50.07 | 1:49.58 | +2.08 |
11 | 25 | ![]() |
Ligier-Matra | 1:50.00 | 1:50.61 | +2.50 |
12 | 22 | ![]() |
Alfa Romeo | 1:50.64 | 1:50.73 | +3.14 |
13 | 29 | ![]() |
Arrows-Ford | 1:50.68 | 1:50.65 | +3.15 |
14 | 11 | ![]() |
Lotus-Ford | 1:52.36 | 1:50.74 | +3.24 |
15 | 12 | ![]() |
Lotus-Ford | 1:51.98 | 1:50.86 | +3.36 |
16 | 6 | ![]() |
Brabham-Ford | 1:51.17 | 1:51.49 | +3.67 |
17 | 32 | ![]() |
Osella-Ford | 1:52.19 | 1:52.95 | +4.69 |
18 | 3 | ![]() |
Tyrrell-Ford | 1:52.19 | 1:52.44 | +4.69 |
19 | 23 | ![]() |
Alfa Romeo | 1:52.21 | 1:52.59 | +4.71 |
20 | 9 | ![]() |
ATS-Ford | 1:52.54 | 1:54.14 | +5.04 |
21 | 17 | ![]() |
March-Ford | 1:55.80 | 1:52.65 | +5.15 |
22 | 33 | ![]() |
Theodore-Ford | 1:52.85 | 1:53.50 | +5.35 |
23 | 14 | ![]() |
Ensign-Ford | 1:55.58 | 1:53.16 | +5.66 |
24 | 30 | ![]() |
Arrows-Ford | 1:53.19 | 1:53.33 | +5.69 |
DNQ | 20 | ![]() |
Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:53.28 | 1:53.38 | +5.78 |
DNQ | 35 | ![]() |
Toleman-Hart | 1:53.31 | 1:54.77 | +5.81 |
DNQ | 31 | ![]() |
Osella-Ford | 1:55.53 | 1:53.39 | +5.89 |
DNQ | 36 | ![]() |
Toleman-Hart | 1:54.59 | 1:53.58 | +6.08 |
DNQ | 4 | ![]() |
Tyrrell-Ford | 1:53.69 | 1:54.19 | +6.19 |
DNQ | 21 | ![]() |
Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:55.22 | 1:54.89 | +7.39 |
Source: [2] |
Race[]
Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Tyre | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | ![]() |
Brabham-Ford | G | 45 | 1:25:55.60 | 6 | 9 |
2 | 15 | ![]() |
Renault | M | 45 | + 11.52 | 1 | 6 |
3 | 26 | ![]() |
Ligier-Matra | M | 45 | + 1:04.60 | 7 | 4 |
4 | 6 | ![]() |
Brabham-Ford | G | 45 | + 1:39.69 | 16 | 3 |
5 | 3 | ![]() |
Tyrrell-Ford | A | 45 | + 1:50.52 | 18 | 2 |
6 | 7 | ![]() |
McLaren-Ford | M | 44 | + 1 Lap | 9 | 1 |
7 | 11 | ![]() |
Lotus-Ford | G | 44 | + 1 Lap | 14 | |
8 | 32 | ![]() |
Osella-Ford | M | 44 | + 1 Lap | 17 | |
9 | 22 | ![]() |
Alfa Romeo | M | 44 | + 1 Lap | 12 | |
10 | 27 | ![]() |
Ferrari | M | 44 | + 1 Lap | 8 | |
11 | 1 | ![]() |
Williams-Ford | G | 44 | + 1 Lap | 4 | |
12 | 30 | ![]() |
Arrows-Ford | P | 44 | + 1 Lap | 24 | |
13 | 16 | ![]() |
Renault | M | 44 | + 1 Lap | 2 | |
14 | 33 | ![]() |
Theodore-Ford | A | 43 | Suspension | 22 | |
15 | 23 | ![]() |
Alfa Romeo | M | 43 | + 2 Laps | 19 | |
NC | 14 | ![]() |
Ensign-Ford | A | 39 | + 6 Laps | 23 | |
Ret | 9 | ![]() |
ATS-Ford | A | 35 | Engine | 20 | |
Ret | 2 | ![]() |
Williams-Ford | G | 27 | Engine | 3 | |
Ret | 29 | ![]() |
Arrows-Ford | P | 27 | Engine | 13 | |
Ret | 25 | ![]() |
Ligier-Matra | M | 27 | Transmission | 11 | |
Ret | 17 | ![]() |
March-Ford | A | 15 | Suspension | 21 | |
Ret | 12 | ![]() |
Lotus-Ford | G | 12 | Fuel Leak | 15 | |
Ret | 8 | ![]() |
McLaren-Ford | M | 4 | Collision | 10 | |
Ret | 28 | ![]() |
Ferrari | M | 1 | Electrical | 5 | |
DNQ | 20 | ![]() |
Fittipaldi-Ford | M | ||||
DNQ | 35 | ![]() |
Toleman-Hart | P | ||||
DNQ | 31 | ![]() |
Osella-Ford | M | ||||
DNQ | 36 | ![]() |
Toleman-Hart | P | ||||
DNQ | 4 | ![]() |
Tyrrell-Ford | A | ||||
DNQ | 21 | ![]() |
Fittipaldi-Ford | M | ||||
Championship standings after the race[]
|
|
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References[]
- ^ "1981 German Grand Prix Entry list".
- ^ Hamilton, Maurice, ed. (1981). AUTOCOURSE 1981–82. Hazleton Publishing Ltd. p. 174. ISBN 0-905138-17-1.
- ^ "1981 German Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ "1981 German Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive". GPArchive.com. 2 August 1981. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Germany 1981 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- 1981 Formula One races
- German Grand Prix
- 1981 in West German motorsport