1981 French Grand Prix
| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 15 in the 1981 Formula One season | ||
 | ||
| Date | July 5, 1981 | |
| Location | Dijon | |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 3.801 km (2.361 mi) | |
| Distance | 80 laps, 304.08 km (188.88 mi) | |
| Weather | Wet | |
| Pole position | ||
| Driver |  René Arnoux |
Renault |
| Time | 1:05.95 | |
| Fastest lap | ||
| Driver | Alain Prost |
Renault |
| Time | 1:09.14 on lap 64 | |
| Podium | ||
| First | Alain Prost |
Renault |
| Second |  John Watson |
McLaren-Ford |
| Third |  Nelson Piquet |
Brabham-Ford |
The 1981 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Dijon on July 5, 1981. The race was the first of an eventual 51 Grand Prix wins for Renault driver Alain Prost.
Classification
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Alain Prost |
Renault | 80 | 1:35:48.13 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | 7 | John Watson |
McLaren-Ford | 80 | + 2.29 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | Nelson Piquet |
Brabham-Ford | 80 | + 24.22 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 16 | René Arnoux |
Renault | 80 | + 42.30 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | 28 | Didier Pironi |
Ferrari | 79 | + 1 Lap | 14 | 2 |
| 6 | 11 |  Elio de Angelis |
Lotus-Ford | 79 | + 1 Lap | 8 | 1 |
| 7 | 12 | Nigel Mansell |
Lotus-Ford | 79 | + 1 Lap | 13 | |
| 8 | 22 |  Mario Andretti |
Alfa Romeo | 79 | + 1 Lap | 10 | |
| 9 | 6 |  Hector Rebaque |
Brabham-Ford | 78 | + 2 Laps | 15 | |
| 10 | 2 |  Carlos Reutemann |
Williams-Ford | 78 | + 2 Laps | 7 | |
| 11 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris |
McLaren-Ford | 78 | + 2 Laps | 5 | |
| 12 | 33 |  Marc Surer |
Theodore-Ford | 78 | + 2 Laps | 21 | |
| 13 | 3 | Eddie Cheever |
Tyrrell-Ford | 77 | + 3 Laps | 19 | |
| 14 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese |
Arrows-Ford | 77 | + 3 Laps | 18 | |
| 15 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli |
Alfa Romeo | 77 | + 3 Laps | 12 | |
| 16 | 4 | Michele Alboreto |
Tyrrell-Ford | 77 | + 3 Laps | 23 | |
| 17 | 1 |  Alan Jones |
Williams-Ford | 76 | Collision | 9 | |
| Ret | 26 | Jacques Laffite |
Ligier-Matra | 57 | Suspension | 6 | |
| Ret | 17 |  Derek Daly |
March-Ford | 55 | Engine | 20 | |
| Ret | 27 |  Gilles Villeneuve |
Ferrari | 41 | Electrical | 11 | |
| Ret | 25 | Patrick Tambay |
Ligier-Matra | 30 | Wheel Bearing | 16 | |
| Ret | 20 |  Keke Rosberg |
Fittipaldi-Ford | 11 | Suspension | 17 | |
| Ret | 14 |  Eliseo Salazar |
Ensign-Ford | 6 | Suspension | 22 | |
| DNS | 21 | Chico Serra |
Fittipaldi-Ford | 0 | Non starter | 24 | |
| DNQ | 30 | Siegfried Stohr |
Arrows-Ford | ||||
| DNQ | 35 | Brian Henton |
Toleman-Hart | ||||
| DNQ | 9 |  Slim Borgudd |
ATS-Ford | ||||
| DNQ | 31 | Beppe Gabbiani |
Osella-Ford | ||||
| DNQ | 36 | Derek Warwick |
Toleman-Hart |
Notes
- Alain Prost's first F1 victory
- Race was stopped after 58 laps due to rain. Aggregate time was used.
Standings after the race
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|
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
Unless otherwise indicated, all race results are taken from "The Official Formula 1 website". Retrieved 2007-06-16.
| Previous race: 1981 Spanish Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1981 season |
Next race: 1981 British Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1980 French Grand Prix |
French Grand Prix | Next race: 1982 French Grand Prix |
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