Speedrun Through F1 - 1981 Round 2 - Brazilian GP
March 29, 1981, Alan Jones leads the world championship on this rainy day in Brazil with Nelson Piquet lining up for pole position. The new Lotus 88s are once again excluded due to regulation infractions.
Piquet gets swallowed up by Ruetemann, Patrese and Jones at the start. Jones soon takes Patrese for 2nd without much effort. Referring to the leading Williams, Murray notes the 2 Williams drivers setting a new record for the same 2 drivers to come in 1st and 2nd in 3 successive point scoring races.
Gilles Villanueve is seen with a broken front wing before the listings for top 6 appear indicating current point scorers after 5 completed laps: 1st Reutemann, then Jones, Patrese, De Angelis, Giacomelli (pronounced by commentators “Jack-uh-melly”) and Finnish Keke Rosberg, Father of 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg.
In the midfield, while Prost attempts to pass the Ferrari of Didier Pironi, Pironi dips his right tires into puddles off the racing line, loses grip and veers nose-first into the passing prost, throwing them both into 3 layers of cyclone fencing. Murray Walker praising the fencing as the latest step in safety technology, despite what looked to be a couple people being thrown into a meat shredder. Thankfully, they stop short after only penetrating 2 layers of the fencing, with metal poles and fencing flailing about.
While Reutemann leads approximately 25 laps into the race, Marc Surer in the Ensign manages to relieve 6th from Jarier and now follows the experienced John Watson slowly and steadily.
Nearly Halfway through race at lap 30, ranking was shown to be from 1st: Reutemann, Jones, Patrese, De Angelis, Watson, and Surer. While the heavy rain had long since stopped, there were still plenty of puddles of standing water strewn along the track. The track’s slickness was demonstrated by John Watson’s 360 degree spin, although corrected after 1 exact revolution, he expertly navigated from the wet grass and back onto the track albeit in eighth position
Murray mentions Reutemann has broken a record for scoring in 11 consecutive races, a fairly common occurrence nowadays. As mentioned in the last race, Alan Jones’s contract states, that as team leader, if he is within 10 seconds of Reutemann who is in the lead, Reutemann is obligated to allow Jones to pass. As the race winds down the last few laps of the 63 lap Grand Prix, no change can be seen in the front, although Lafitte and Jarier were fighting for 6th after Marc Surer dug even deeper.
Murray states that he is unsure if Reutemann is being signaled to allow Jones to pass, or if he is willingly not allowing him to pass, but both Williams enter the last lap with Reutemann leading Jones. Rooster tails still explode high into the air behind each williams indicating the track’s wetness.
Marc Surer’s steady climb through the field ended in 4th when the flagwaver performed a jump-wave, landing just as Reutemann crossed the finish line for first. Each subsequent wave had half the energy of each previous wave. Flagwaving 5/10.
Alan Jones refused to make an appearance for the podium ceremonies.
Race Results
1 Carlos Reutemann - Williams
2 Alan Jones - Williams
3 Ricardo Patrese - Arrows
4 Marc Surer - Ensign
5 Elio De Angelis - Lotus
6 Jacques Lafitte - Ligier
Drivers Championship Rankings:
Jones 15 points
Reutemann 15 points
Piquet 4 points
Patrese 4 points
Andretti 3 points
Constructor’s Ranking:
Williams 30
Brabham 4 points
Arrows 4 points
Alfa Romeo Points
Ensign 3 points
Next race would be Round 3, the Argentine GP on April 12th, 1981.
