Round 9 · 18 July 1981
1981 British Grand Prix: results
John Watson (McLaren) won the 1981 British Grand Prix, round 9 of the championship, held on 18 July 1981 at Silverstone Circuit (UK), starting from position 5. Carlos Reutemann (Williams) and Jacques Laffite (Ligier) completed the podium. Pole position went to René Arnoux.
Final classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Grid | Time / gap | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Watson | McLaren | 5 | 1:26:54.800 | 9 | Finished |
| 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 9 | +40.650 s | 6 | Finished |
| 3 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 14 | +1 Lap | 4 | +1 Lap |
| 4 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | 23 | +1 Lap | 3 | +1 Lap |
| 5 | Hector Rebaque | Brabham | 13 | +1 Lap | 2 | +1 Lap |
| 6 | Slim Borgudd | ATS | 21 | +1 Lap | 1 | +1 Lap |
| 7 | Derek Daly | March | 17 | +2 Laps | — | +2 Laps |
| 8 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Osella | 20 | +3 Laps | — | +3 Laps |
| 9 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1 | — | — | Distributor |
| 10 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 10 | — | — | Engine |
| 11 | Marc Surer | Theodore | 24 | — | — | Out of fuel |
| 12 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 11 | — | — | Throttle |
| 13 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 14 | — | — | Suspension |
| 14 | Elio de Angelis | Team Lotus | 22 | — | — | Disqualified |
| 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 2 | — | — | Distributor |
| 16 | Patrick Tambay | Ligier | 15 | — | — | Clutch |
| 17 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 4 | — | — | Turbo |
| 18 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 3 | — | — | Tyre |
| 19 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 12 | — | — | Transmission |
| 20 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 8 | — | — | Spun off |
| 21 | Alan Jones | Williams | 7 | — | — | Collision |
| 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | 6 | — | — | Spun off |
| 23 | Michele Alboreto | Tyrrell | 19 | — | — | Clutch |
| 24 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | 18 | — | — | Spun off |