1981 South African Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Championship race in the 1981 Formula One season | |||
 | |||
| Date | 7 February 1981 | ||
| Location |
Kyalami Gauteng, South Africa | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.104 km (2.550 mi) | ||
| Distance | 77 laps, 316.008 km (196.358 mi) | ||
| Weather | Hot | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Brabham-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:12.78 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford | |
| Time | 1:13.61 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Williams-Ford | ||
| Second | Brabham-Ford | ||
| Third | Lotus-Ford | ||
The 1981 South African Grand Prix was a Formula Libre motor race held on 7 February 1981 at Kyalami.
The race was originally scheduled to be the opening round of the 1981 FIA Formula One World Championship. However, the ongoing FISA-FOCA war resulted in Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) insisting on a date change which was not acceptable to the race organisers.[1] Approval was ultimately given for the race to go ahead on its original date but as a Formula Libre race rather than as a round of the Formula One World Championship.[1] The downgraded race was supported by the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) aligned teams but not by the teams of the manufacturers, whose allegiances lay with FISA.[1] Every team present fielded cars which were fitted with sliding side skirts, aerodynamic devices which were illegal in Formula One for 1981 but acceptable under Formula Libre regulations.[1] The absence of the manufacturer and/or turbocharged engine teams (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Renault, Ligier and Osella) meant that all 19 cars in the race were powered by Ford Cosworth engines.[1]
Race result
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Qual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Reutemann |
Williams-Ford | 77 | 1.44:54.03 | 2 |
| 2 |  Nelson Piquet |
Brabham-Ford | 77 | + 20.2 | 1 |
| 3 |  Elio de Angelis |
Lotus-Ford | 77 | + 1:06.03 | 5 |
| 4 |  Keke Rosberg |
Fittipaldi-Ford | 76 | + 1 lap | 4 |
| 5 |  John Watson |
McLaren-Ford | 76 | + 1 lap | 15 |
| 6 | Riccardo Patrese |
Arrows-Ford | 76 | + 1 lap | 6 |
| 7 |  Eddie Cheever |
Tyrrell-Ford | 76 | + 1 lap | 12 |
| 8 | Ricardo Zunino |
Brabham-Ford | 75 | + 2 laps | 7 |
| 9 | Chico Serra |
Fittipaldi-Ford | 75 | + 2 laps | 13 |
| 10 | Nigel Mansell |
Lotus-Ford | 74 | + 3 laps | 8 |
| 11 |  Derek Daly |
March-Ford | 74 | + 3 laps | 17 |
| Ret |  Alan Jones |
Williams-Ford | 62 | Skirt | 3 |
| Ret |  Marc Surer |
Ensign-Ford | 58 | Battery | 14 |
| Ret | Andrea de Cesaris |
McLaren-Ford | 54 | Accident | 9 |
| Ret | .svg.png){kind=small} Desiré Wilson |
Tyrrell-Ford | 51 | Accident | 16 |
| Ret |  Eliseo Salazar |
March-Ford | 32 | Gearbox | 19 |
| Ret |  Jan Lammers |
ATS-Ford | 16 | Brakes | 10 |
| Ret | Siegfried Stohr |
Arrows-Ford | 12 | Engine | 11 |
| Ret | Geoff Lees |
Theodore-Ford | 11 | Accident | 18 |
References
External links
- "Formula One World". Retrieved 2008-01-27.
| Previous race: 1980 Spanish Grand Prix |
Formula One Non-Championship races 1981 season |
Next race: 1983 Race of Champions |
| Previous race: 1980 South African Grand Prix |
South African Grand Prix | Next race: 1982 South African Grand Prix |