1981 Belgian Grand Prix | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 5 of 15 in the 1981 Formula One World Championship | |||
Race details | |||
Date | 17 May 1981 | ||
Location | Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium | ||
Course length | 4.262 km (2.648 miles) | ||
Distance | 54 laps, 230.148 km (143.007 miles) | ||
Scheduled distance | 70 laps, 298.340 km (185.380 miles) | ||
Weather | Dry, then wet at the end | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Williams-Ford | ||
Time | 1:22.28 | ||
Fastest lap | |||
Driver | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford | |
Time | 1:23.30 on lap 37 | ||
Podium | |||
First | Williams-Ford | ||
Second | Ligier-Matra | ||
Third | Lotus-Ford | ||
Lap leaders |
The 1981 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 17 May 1981. [1] It was the fifth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship. It was the last of 12 victories for Carlos Reutemann and the last win for an Argentine driver. It was also the first of 59 podiums for 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell.
The race was marred by two serious incidents involving mechanics, one fatal. In Friday practice a mechanic from the Osella team, Giovanni Amadeo, stumbled off the pitwall into the path of the Williams of Carlos Reutemann. Reutemann was unable to avoid the mechanic, who suffered a fractured skull. He died from his injuries on the Monday after the race. Before the start of the race the mechanics of all the teams staged a protest over the safety measures protecting them, which was soon joined by several drivers (Villeneuve, Prost, Laffite, Pironi and Scheckter) [2] who left their cars. According to 1976 World Champion James Hunt who was commentating live for BBC in Sunday Grandstand , the protest was largely over the narrow pits at Zolder and that the pits were overcrowded, especially with people who were nothing more than 'hangers on' who were there to be seen and not for the actual racing.
The race organisers nevertheless flagged the warm-up lap at the normal time, leaving several cars delayed on the grid, either stalled or with their cockpits vacant. The resulting chaos when the grid formed up again at the end of this lap was exacerbated when Nelson Piquet missed his starting position and was sent round on another lap, with the other cars being held in position. As the cars began to overheat, several drivers turned off their engines, among them Arrows driver Riccardo Patrese, expecting another formation lap due to Piquet's error. However, the organisers began the start sequence as usual once Piquet had regained his position. Patrese was unable to restart his car and waved his arms to signal that he could not take the start. His mechanic, Dave Luckett, came onto the track to restart the car from behind. As he did so, the Clerk of the Course had already started the lighting sequence to start the race, and the race went ahead despite his presence and Patrese's gesticulations. The other Arrows driver, Siegfried Stohr, ploughed into the back of his teammate's car, hitting Luckett. Luckett suffered a broken leg and lacerations but survived the incident. The race continued, and as the field was about to start the second lap, Stohr's disabled car was still on the circuit, and some of the furious marshals, who did not have the official authority to stop the race jumped onto the track and frantically waved at the drivers to stop while the cars passed by with very little space on the narrow track. The confused drivers waved back at the marshals, and on the next lap the drivers did stop at their own accord.
As a result of these events, a new rule was introduced forbidding mechanics from being on the grid within fifteen seconds of the formation lap, and the race starter would use greater caution. [3]
In the race, Reutemann was passed by Didier Pironi going into the first corner. Then Alan Jones nudged off Nelson Piquet at the early stages of the race and Piquet crashed into some catch fencing at the chicane. A few laps later, Jones's gearbox failed, and he ploughed into the barriers and badly burned his left thigh after the gearbox oil leaked into his cockpit. Following Jones's retirement, Piquet, still furious after their previous incident, stormed to the Williams garage and had an altercation with Jones and the Williams personnel. Pironi had fallen back and after Jones's accident, Reutemann took the lead, keeping it until the race was called off early because of rain starting to fall on the track. It was his second victory of the season and the 12th and ultimately final victory of his career.
Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford | 1:22.28 | 1:36.27 | — |
2 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford | 1:23.13 | no time | +0.85 |
3 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 1:23.47 | 1:36.76 | +1.19 |
4 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 1:23.67 | 1:38.28 | +1.39 |
5 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | 1:23.73 | 1:30.92 | +1.45 |
6 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 1:23.82 | 1:27.43 | +1.54 |
7 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:23.94 | 1:27.33 | +1.66 |
8 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:24.38 | 1:31.00 | +2.10 |
9 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra | 1:24.41 | 1:44.07 | +2.13 |
10 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Ford | 1:24.44 | no time | +2.16 |
11 | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:24.46 | no time | +2.18 |
12 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 1:24.63 | 1:43.35 | +2.35 |
13 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows-Ford | 1:24.66 | no time | +2.38 |
14 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Ford | 1:24.96 | no time | +2.68 |
15 | 14 | Marc Surer | Ensign-Ford | 1:25.19 | no time | +2.91 |
16 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Ligier-Matra | 1:25.28 | 1:38.87 | +3.00 |
17 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:25.31 | 1:37.77 | +3.03 |
18 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 1:25.56 | 1:32.17 | +3.28 |
19 | 4 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:25.91 | 1:32.21 | +3.63 |
20 | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:25.93 | no time | +3.65 |
21 | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham-Ford | 1:26.52 | 2:49.14 | +4.24 |
22 | 32 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella-Ford | 1:26.69 | no time | +4.41 |
23 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren-Ford | 1:26.95 | 1:30.99 | +4.67 |
24 | 31 | Piercarlo Ghinzani | Osella-Ford | 1:27.48 | no time | +5.20 |
25 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:27.93 | 1:30.71 | +5.65 |
26 | 18 | Eliseo Salazar | March-Ford | 1:28.38 | 1:35.66 | +6.10 |
27 | 9 | Slim Borgudd | ATS-Ford | 1:28.98 | 1:35.79 | +6.70 |
28 | 33 | Patrick Tambay | Theodore-Ford | no time | 1:32.47 | +10.19 |
29 | 36 | Derek Warwick | Toleman-Hart | 1:35.97 | no time | +13.69 |
30 | 35 | Brian Henton | Toleman-Hart | 1:36.37 | 1:42.95 | +14.09 |
31† | 17 | Derek Daly | March-Ford | — | — | — |
Source: [4] |
|
|
Nelson Piquet Souto Maior is a Brazilian former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from 1978 to 1991. Piquet won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in 1981, 1983, and 1987, and won 23 Grands Prix across 14 seasons.
The Belgian Grand Prix is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated with motor sport since the very early years of racing. To accommodate Grand Prix motor racing, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps race course was built in 1921 but until 1924 it was used only for motorcycle racing. After the 1923 success of the new 24 hours of Le Mans in France, the Spa 24 Hours, a similar 24-hour endurance race, was run at the Spa track.
The 1978 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 16 July 1978. It was the tenth race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
The 1978 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 August 1978 at Österreichring. This was the last win for Ronnie Peterson before his death at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, and was also the last win for a Swedish Formula One driver, as of 2024.
The 1978 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 October 1978 at Montreal. This was the 16th and final race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors. It was Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve's and a Canadian driver's first victory in Formula One.
The 1980 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 4 May 1980. It was the fifth round of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the 38th Belgian Grand Prix and the seventh to be held at Zolder. The race was held over 72 laps of the 4.262-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 307 kilometres.
The 1980 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on 29 June 1980. It was the seventh round of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the 58th French Grand Prix, or the 66th Grand Prix de l'ACF and the sixth to be held at Paul Ricard. The race was held over 54 laps of the 5.809-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 314 kilometres.
The 1980 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 September 1980 at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. It was the twelfth race of the 1980 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
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 Formula One World Championship.
The 1981 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 16 August 1981. It was the eleventh race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.
The 1981 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on 30 August 1981. It was the twelfth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.
The 1981 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 13 September 1981. It was the thirteenth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.
The 1981 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Île Notre-Dame, Montreal on 27 September 1981. It was the fourteenth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.
The 1982 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 36th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It included two competitions run over the course of the year, the 33rd Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 25th Formula One World Championship for Constructors. The season featured sixteen rounds between 23 January and 25 September. The Drivers' Championship was won by Keke Rosberg and the Constructors' Championship by Scuderia Ferrari.
The 1981 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 35th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1981 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1981 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, which were contested over a fifteen-race series that commenced on 15 March and ended on 17 October. The 1981 South African Grand Prix, as a non-championship race due to difficulties from the ongoing FISA–FOCA war, was open to Formula One entrants but was not part of the World Championship.
The 1979 Formula One season was the 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-round series which commenced on 21 January 1979, and ended on 7 October 1979. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races.
Siegfried Stohr is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 13 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 15 March 1981. He scored no championship points.
The 1980 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on March 30, 1980, at Long Beach, California. It was the fourth round of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the fifth United States Grand Prix West and the sixth street race to be held at Long Beach. The race was held over 80 laps of the 3.251-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 260 kilometres.
The 1981 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on March 15, 1981, at Long Beach, California. It was the opening race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.
The 1980 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 June 1980 at Circuito Permanente del Jarama. Originally scheduled to be part of the 1980 World Championship of Drivers, following the running of the race it was announced that World Championship points would not be awarded to the competitors, making it a non-championship race. The winner of the race was Alan Jones, driving for the Williams team. Jochen Mass finished second for Arrows and Elio de Angelis third for Team Lotus.