43°44′4.74″N7°25′16.8″E / 43.7346500°N 7.421333°E /43.7346500; 7.421333
| 1981 Monaco Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 6 of 15 in the1981 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 | |||
The1981 Monaco Grand Prix was aFormula Onemotor race held atMonaco on 31 May 1981. It was the sixth race of the1981 Formula One World Championship.[1]
The 76-lap race was won by Canadian driverGilles Villeneuve, driving aFerrari. BrazilianNelson Piquet tookpole position in hisBrabham-Ford and led until he crashed out on lap 54. AustralianAlan Jones finished second in aWilliams-Ford, with FrenchmanJacques Laffite third in aLigier-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, allowingGilles Villeneuve in hisFerrari, 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 leaderCarlos Reutemann retired with gearbox problems, breaking a 15-race streak of consistently finishing in the points.
| 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 |
| 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] | ||||||
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| 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 |
