| 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 15 in the1981 Formula One World Championship | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | March 29, 1981 | ||
| Official name | X Grande Prêmio do Brasil | ||
| Location | Jacarepaguá Circuit Jacarepaguá,Rio de Janeiro | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 5.031 km (3.126 miles) | ||
| Distance | 62 laps, 311.922 km (193.819 miles) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 63 laps, 316.953 km (196.945 miles) | ||
| Weather | Overcast, Fresh, Rain | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Brabham-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:35.079 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Ensign-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:54.302 on lap 26 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Williams-Ford | ||
| Second | Williams-Ford | ||
| Third | Arrows-Ford | ||
Lap leaders | |||
The1981 Brazilian Grand Prix was the second race of the1981 Formula One World Championship and was held on 29 March 1981 atJacarepaguá inRio de Janeiro,Brazil. Formula One moved to the Jacarepaguá circuit in Rio de Janeiro from theInterlagos circuit inSão Paulo, after safety concerns with the long Interlagos circuit and the growing slums of São Paulo being at odds with the glamorous image of Formula One.
The Argentine driverCarlos Reutemann won the race in contentious circumstances; he ignored his pit signals to give up the lead to his teammate and team leaderAlan Jones. Jones, who finished second, did not show up on the podium afterwards.
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Brabham-Ford | 1:35.786 | 1:35.079 | — | |
| 2 | 2 | Williams-Ford | 1:35.390 | 1:36.000 | +0.311 | |
| 3 | 1 | Williams-Ford | 1:36.337 | 1:36.690 | +1.258 | |
| 4 | 29 | Arrows-Ford | 1:37.231 | 1:36.667 | +1.588 | |
| 5 | 15 | Renault | 1:37.147 | 1:36.670 | +1.591 | |
| 6 | 23 | Alfa Romeo | 1:38.682 | 1:37.283 | +2.204 | |
| 7 | 27 | Ferrari | 1:37.975 | 1:37.497 | +2.418 | |
| 8 | 16 | Renault | 1:38.985 | 1:37.561 | +2.482 | |
| 9 | 22 | Alfa Romeo | 1:37.933 | 1:37.597 | +2.518 | |
| 10 | 11 | Lotus-Ford | 1:38.352 | 1:37.734 | +2.655 | |
| 11 | 6 | Brabham-Ford | 1:38.225 | 1:37.777 | +2.698 | |
| 12 | 20 | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:37.981 | 1:39.371 | +2.902 | |
| 13 | 12 | Lotus-Ford | 1:38.861 | 1:38.003 | +2.924 | |
| 14 | 3 | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:38.160 | 1:38.521 | +3.081 | |
| 15 | 7 | McLaren-Ford | 1:40.057 | 1:38.263 | +3.184 | |
| 16 | 26 | Ligier-Matra | 1:38.273 | 1:38.713 | +3.194 | |
| 17 | 28 | Ferrari | 1:39.229 | 1:38.565 | +3.486 | |
| 18 | 14 | Ensign-Ford | 1:39.296 | 1:38.570 | +3.491 | |
| 19 | 33 | Theodore-Ford | 1:38.726 | 1:39.668 | +3.647 | |
| 20 | 8 | McLaren-Ford | 1:39.409 | 1:38.780 | +3.701 | |
| 21 | 30 | Arrows-Ford | 1:40.297 | 1:39.190 | +4.111 | |
| 22 | 21 | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:39.326 | 1:39.396 | +4.247 | |
| 23 | 25 | Ligier-Matra | — | 1:39.398 | +4.319 | |
| 24 | 4 | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:41.036 | 1:39.798 | +4.719 | |
| 25 | 9 | ATS-Ford | 1:40.339 | 1:39.844 | +4.765 | |
| 26 | 25 | Ligier-Matra | 1:40.306 | withdrew | +5.227 | |
| 27 | 32 | Osella-Ford | 1:41.954 | 1:40.709 | +5.630 | |
| 28 | 31 | Osella-Ford | 1:40.984 | 1:44.482 | +5.905 | |
| 29 | 18 | March-Ford | 1:44.730 | 1:43.267 | +8.188 | |
| 30 | 17 | March-Ford | no time | no time | — | |
| Source:[1] | ||||||

Colombian driverRicardo Londoño was denied a superlicense, was not allowed to participate in official practice, and unable to race.
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| Previous race: 1981 United States Grand Prix West | FIA Formula One World Championship 1981 season | Next race: 1981 Argentine Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1980 Brazilian Grand Prix | Brazilian Grand Prix | Next race: 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix |