F1 CHAMPIONSHIP ARCHIVE Standings 1981 From the first championship in 1950 to today’s grid. History, with the points system of its era.
POS DRIVER / TEAM WINS POINTS
1 NP Nelson Piquet PIQ #5 🇧🇷 Brazil Brabham Ford WORLD CHAMPION
3 WINS 50 PTS LEADER 2 CR Carlos Reutemann REU #2 🇦🇷 Argentina Williams Ford
2 WINS 49 PTS −1 TO LEADER 3 AJ Alan Jones JON #1 🇦🇺 Australia Williams Ford
2 WINS 46 PTS −4 TO LEADER 4 JL Jacques Laffite LAF #26 🇫🇷 France Ligier Matra
2 WINS 44 PTS −6 TO LEADER 5 Alain Prost PRO #15 🇫🇷 France Renault 3 WINS 43 PTS −7 TO LEADER 6 JW John Watson WAT #7 🇬🇧 United Kingdom McLaren Ford
1 WINS 27 PTS −23 TO LEADER 7 GV Gilles Villeneuve VIL #27 🇨🇦 Canada Ferrari
2 WINS 25 PTS −25 TO LEADER 8 Ed Elio de Angelis DEA #11 🇮🇹 Italy Lotus Ford
0 WINS 14 PTS −36 TO LEADER 9ⓘ RA René Arnoux ARN #16 🇫🇷 France Renault
0 WINS 11 PTS −39 TO LEADER 10ⓘ HR Héctor Rebaque REB #6 🇲🇽 Mexico Brabham Ford
0 WINS 11 PTS −39 TO LEADER 11ⓘ RP Riccardo Patrese PAT #29 🇮🇹 Italy Arrows Ford
0 WINS 10 PTS −40 TO LEADER 12ⓘ EC Eddie Cheever CHE #3 🇺🇸 United States Tyrrell Ford
0 WINS 10 PTS −40 TO LEADER 13 DP Didier Pironi PIR #28 🇫🇷 France Ferrari
0 WINS 9 PTS −41 TO LEADER 14 NM Nigel Mansell MAN #12 🇬🇧 United Kingdom Lotus Ford
0 WINS 8 PTS −42 TO LEADER 15 BG Bruno Giacomelli GIA #23 🇮🇹 Italy Alfa Romeo
0 WINS 7 PTS −43 TO LEADER 16 MS Marc Surer SUR 🇨🇭 Switzerland Ensign Ford / Theodore Ford
0 WINS 4 PTS −46 TO LEADER 17 MA Mario Andretti AND #22 🇺🇸 United States Alfa Romeo
0 WINS 3 PTS −47 TO LEADER 18ⓘ PT Patrick Tambay TAM 🇫🇷 France Theodore Ford / Ligier Matra
0 WINS 1 PTS −49 TO LEADER 18ⓘ Ad Andrea de Cesaris DEC #8 🇮🇹 Italy McLaren Ford
0 WINS 1 PTS −49 TO LEADER 18ⓘ SB Slim Borgudd BOR 🇸🇪 Sweden ATS Ford
0 WINS 1 PTS −49 TO LEADER 18ⓘ ES Eliseo Salazar SAL 🇨🇱 Chile March Ford / Ensign Ford
0 WINS 1 PTS −49 TO LEADER NC BG Beppe Gabbiani GAB 🇮🇹 Italy Osella Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC BH Brian Henton HEN #35 🇬🇧 United Kingdom Toleman Hart
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC CS Chico Serra SER #21 🇧🇷 Brazil Fittipaldi Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC DD Derek Daly DAL 🇮🇪 Ireland March Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC DW Derek Warwick WAR #36 🇬🇧 United Kingdom Toleman Hart
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC JL Jan Lammers LAM #9 🇳🇱 Netherlands ATS Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC JJ Jean-Pierre Jabouille JAB #25 🇫🇷 France Ligier Matra
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC JJ Jean-Pierre Jarier JAR 🇫🇷 France Ligier Matra / Osella Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC KR Keke Rosberg ROS #20 🇫🇮 Finland Fittipaldi Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC MA Michele Alboreto ALB #4 🇮🇹 Italy Tyrrell Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC MÁ Miguel Ángel Guerra GUE #31 🇦🇷 Argentina Osella Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC PG Piercarlo Ghinzani GHI 🇮🇹 Italy Osella Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC RZ Ricardo Zunino ZUN #4 🇦🇷 Argentina Tyrrell Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER NC SS Siegfried Stohr STO #30 🇮🇹 Italy Arrows Ford
0 WINS 0 PTS −50 TO LEADER About these data Data: F1DB · Marcel Overdijk and contributors , CC BY 4.0 . Adapted for season-based display; source points are preserved.
Points are retained from the source standings. We do not recalculate historical seasons using the modern scoring system. Drivers who changed teams may have multiple constructors.
Points are taken from the final F1DB standings; historical dropped-score rules are preserved. We do not sum race points.
NC rows document participants with at least one start, no points and no position in the final F1DB standings. NC is the display label for a missing position, not a placing assigned by us. Entries without any starts are excluded.
Team names use the constructor and engine from this season. A driver’s number is shown only when the same number is verified across all of their results that season.
Data source ↗ · Verified 7 Oct 2026
Photos are shown only where an identified portrait and a verified licence are available. Portraits may come from a different year than the selected season. Initials provide a neutral avatar. Photo credits are available in Driver Quick View.
PHOTO CREDITS & LICENSING · 1981 