Formula 1 historical archive

Gilles Villeneuve won the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix

Gilles Villeneuve won the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix for Ferrari, ahead of Alan Jones and Jacques Laffite at Circuit de Monaco.

Browse the full classification, related season, driver, team, circuit, and championship history.

Race recap

Winner
Gilles Villeneuve
Team
Ferrari
Top listed
Gilles Villeneuve, Alan Jones, and Jacques Laffite
Race date
May 31, 1981
Pole
Nelson Piquet
Fastest lap
Alan Jones
Classified drivers
31
Circuit
Circuit de Monaco

The decisive result

Gilles Villeneuve finished first for Ferrari. Alan Jones is listed 2 for Williams, with Jacques Laffite 3 for Ligier.

Grid to finish

Didier Pironi from P17 to P4 (+13), Marc Surer from P19 to P6 (+13), and Eddie Cheever from P15 to P5 (+10) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. Nelson Piquet started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 6 DNQ, 5 DNPQ, 4 Collision, 3 Engine, and 3 Finished. Alan Jones holds the fastest-lap entry at 1:27.470 on lap 48. It records the result without speculating about incidents or strategy.

This summary sticks to the classification and does not speculate about incidents, strategy, weather, or causes. Source: F1DB (CC BY 4.0) · updated Jul 26, 2026.

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Race classification
PosDriverConstructorTime / statusPoints
1Gilles VilleneuveFerrari1:54:23.3809
2Alan JonesWilliams1:55:03.2906
3Jacques LaffiteLigier1:55:52.6204
4Didier PironiFerrari+1 lap3
5Eddie CheeverTyrrell+2 laps2
6Marc SurerEnsign+2 laps1
7Patrick TambayTheodore+4 laps0
DNFNelson PiquetBrabhamSpun off0
DNFJohn WatsonMcLarenEngine0
DNFMichele AlboretoTyrrellCollision0
DNFBruno GiacomelliAlfa RomeoCollision0
DNFAlain ProstRenaultEngine0
DNFCarlos ReutemannWilliamsGearbox0
DNFElio de AngelisTeam LotusEngine0
DNFRené ArnouxRenaultSpun off0
DNFRiccardo PatreseArrowsGearbox0
DNFNigel MansellTeam LotusSuspension0
DNFSiegfried StohrArrowsFuel system0
DNFAndrea de CesarisMcLarenCollision0
DNFMario AndrettiAlfa RomeoCollision0