The 1981 F1 season introduced the first Concorde Agreement, shaping modern Formula One as a commercial enterprise, while Nelson Piquet claimed his first drivers' title.
Key Facts
- Season number
- 35th FIA Formula One season
- Number of races
- 15 races
- Season start
- 15 March 1981
- Season end
- 17 October 1981
- Drivers' Champion
- Nelson Piquet (first of three titles)
- Constructors' Champion
- Williams (second consecutive year)
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
Ongoing tensions in the FISA–FOCA war had disrupted race organisation and excluded the 1981 South African Grand Prix from championship status. To stabilise the sport, Brabham team owner Bernie Ecclestone and the FOCA organisation pressed teams to formalise their relationship with the FIA, leading to negotiations for a binding structural agreement.
The 1981 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 35th season of Formula One racing, contested over fifteen rounds from March to October. It was the first season run under the unified FIA Formula One World Championship name and the first governed by the Concorde Agreement, which required teams to enter the full championship and standardised rules and prize money across all rounds.
The Concorde Agreement set Formula One on a commercial trajectory, clarifying the rights and obligations of teams, the FIA, and race organisers. From 1982, entrants were required to own the intellectual rights to their chassis, blurring the traditional distinction between entrant and constructor. Nelson Piquet won the Drivers' Championship and Williams retained the Constructors' title for a second successive year.