View source for 1981 Canadian Grand Prix

{{more citations needed|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox Grand Prix race report
|Type          = F1
|Country       = Canada
|Grand Prix    = Canadian
|Date          = 27 September
|Year          = 1981
|Image         = Gilles Villeneuve Circuit Montreal (78-86).svg
|Caption       = 
|Race_No       = 14
|Season_No     = 15
|Official name = [[Canadian Grand Prix|XX Grand Prix du Canada]]
|Location      = [[Circuit Gilles Villeneuve|Circuit Île Notre-Dame]]<br>[[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]
|Course        = Temporary street circuit
|Course_mi     = 2.740
|Course_km     = 4.410
|Distance_laps = 63
|Distance_mi   = 172.636
|Distance_km   = 277.830
|Scheduled_laps= 70
|Scheduled_mi  = 191.817
|Scheduled_km  = 308.700
|Weather       = Wet and cold with temperatures up to {{convert|20|C|F}}; wind speeds up to {{convert|15|km/h|mph}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/QC/Montreal/1981-09-27 |title=Weather information for the "1981 Canadian Grand Prix" |publisher=The Old Farmers' Almanac |access-date=8 September 2014}}</ref>
|Pole_Driver    = [[Nelson Piquet]]
|Pole_Team      = [[Brabham]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
|Pole_Time      = 1:29.211
|Pole_Country   = Brazil
|pole_flag_suffix = 1968
|Fast_Driver    = [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]
|Fast_Team      = [[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
|Fast_Time      = 1:49.475
|Fast_Lap       = 43
|Fast_Country   = UK
|First_Driver   = [[Jacques Laffite]]
|First_Team     = [[Equipe Ligier|Talbot Ligier]]-[[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]]
|First_Country  = France
|Second_Driver  = [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]
|Second_Team    = [[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
|Second_Country = UK
|Third_Driver   = [[Gilles Villeneuve]]
|Third_Team     = [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
|Third_Country  = Canada
|Lapchart       = {{F1Laps1981|CAN}}
}}

The '''1981 Canadian Grand Prix''' was a [[Formula One]] [[motor race]] held at [[Circuit Gilles Villeneuve|Circuit Île Notre-Dame]], [[Montreal]] on 27 September 1981. It was the fourteenth race of the [[1981 Formula One World Championship]].

The race was run in wet conditions, and ended after 63 of the scheduled 70 laps due to the two-hour time limit.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Jenkinson |first=Denis |author-link=Denis Jenkinson |date=November 1981 |title=The Canadian Grand Prix: Heroes all |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-1981/72/canadian-grand-prix |magazine=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]] |page=72 |access-date=17 February 2018}}</ref> Frenchman [[Jacques Laffite]] won in a [[Ligier JS17|Talbot Ligier]]-[[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]], with Northern Ireland's [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]] second in a [[McLaren MP4/1|McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] and local hero [[Gilles Villeneuve]] third in a [[Ferrari 126C|Ferrari]]. Brazilian [[Nelson Piquet]] finished fifth in his [[Brabham BT49|Brabham]]-Ford, having started from [[pole position]], while Drivers' Championship rival, Argentine [[Carlos Reutemann]], could only manage tenth in his [[Williams FW07|Williams]]-Ford. Piquet thus moved within one point of Reutemann with one race to go, while the win gave Laffite an outside chance of the title. Despite both Reutemann and Australian teammate [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]] failing to score, Williams clinched the Constructors' Championship.

This would turn out to be Laffite's final F1 victory, as well as the last for the Ligier team for fifteen years, until the [[1996 Monaco Grand Prix]]. It was also the last time the Canadian Grand Prix was held in the fall, as the race would move to June [[1982 Canadian Grand Prix|the following year]].

== Pre-race ==
Prior to the race, [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]] announced that he was retiring from the sport after clinching the title [[1980 Formula One season|the previous year]]. Rumors were also spreading around in paddock that [[Niki Lauda]] had tested for [[McLaren]] at [[Donington Park]] and that he was planning a comeback.

== Qualifying ==
Nelson Piquet clinched pole with a time of 1:29.221, with rival [[Carlos Reutemann]] alongside him on the front row. The top ten were completed by: Jones, Prost, Mansell, Rebaque, de Angelis, Arnoux, Watson and Laffite respectively.

==Race==
The race start was marred with bad weather. Immediately after the start, Jones took the lead after a minor collision with Reutemann which left Reutemann behind. Toward the middle of the pack, Arnoux and Pironi had a collision which resulted in Arnoux spinning out of the race. On lap 7, Jones spun and Piquet had to take evasive action, resulting in both drivers dropping down the pecking order. Prost took the lead with Laffite, who had climbed from tenth, second. Prost's lead did not last long, as Laffite overtook him on lap 13, and kept the lead to the end of the race.

Villeneuve had a minor accident that damaged his front wing. The wing flew up only to be stuck up in the air, blocking Villeneuve's race-line vision. With his forward vision impaired, he used his peripheral vision to navigate using the yellow track markers as reference. After racing this way for minutes he used vibration on the ribbed curbing,  to the point it flew off the car.  This way he managed to keep control until the end of the race, without a front wing and under the rain.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/quVzsvnK9MQ Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130926231310/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quVzsvnK9MQ Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quVzsvnK9MQ| title = tJ13_TV presents 1981 Canadian GP - Gilles driving blind | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Mansell pitted for slicks, convinced the weather would turn. It did not. Within minutes he spun, heavily damaging his rear wing, and was pushed by marshals back onto the circuit. Driving slowly toward the L'Epingle at the northern end, he placed his JPS Lotus in the middle of the track but slowly edging to his left onto the racing line, at the braking area. Prost, on the racing line and much faster, tried unsuccessfully to avoid colliding but could not, resulting in both drivers retiring from the race.<ref>{{cite book |title=Grand Prix! |volume=4 |first=Mike |last=Lang |year=1992 |isbn=0-85429-733-2 |publisher=Haynes |page=67}}</ref>

Watson was able to catch and pass Villeneuve a few laps later and the two finished second and third respectively, with Villeneuve clinching his third and last podium of the year on home soil. Bruno Giacomelli of Alfa Romeo, who had started fifteenth, came home fourth, with pole-man Piquet coming in behind him.

== Classification ==

=== Qualifying ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|- 
! Pos !! No !! Driver !! Constructor !! Q1 !! Q2 !! Gap
|-
! 1
| 5
| {{flagicon|Brazil|1968}} [[Nelson Piquet]]
| [[Brabham]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| '''1:29.211'''
| 1:29.537
| style="text-align: center" |&nbsp;—
|-
! 2
| 2
| {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Carlos Reutemann]]
| [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:29.601
| '''1:29.359'''
| +0.148
|-
! 3
| 1
| {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]]
| [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| '''1:29.728'''
| 1:29.781
| +0.517
|-
! 4
| 15
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Alain Prost]]
| [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| 1:31.629
| '''1:29.908'''
| +0.697
|-
! 5
| 12
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Nigel Mansell]]
| [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:32.233
| '''1:29.997'''
| +0.786
|-
! 6
| 6
| {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Héctor Rebaque]]
| [[Brabham]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:31.545
| '''1:30.182'''
| +0.971
|-
! 7
| 11
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Elio de Angelis]]
| [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:31.212
| '''1:30.231'''
| +1.020
|-
! 8
| 16
| {{flagicon|France}} [[René Arnoux]]
| [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| 1:34.151
| '''1:30.232'''
| +1.021
|-
! 9
| 7
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]
| [[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:31.617
| '''1:30.566'''
| +1.355
|-
! 10
| 26
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Jacques Laffite]]
| [[Equipe Ligier|Talbot Ligier]]-[[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]]
| 1:31.593
| '''1:30.705'''
| +1.494
|-
! 11
| 27
| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Gilles Villeneuve]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| 1:32.077
| '''1:31.115'''
| +1.904
|-
! 12
| 28
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Didier Pironi]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| 1:31.976
| '''1:31.350'''
| +2.139
|-
! 13
| 8
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Andrea de Cesaris]]
| [[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:32.281
| '''1:31.507'''
| +2.296
|-
! 14
| 3
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eddie Cheever]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:32.652
| '''1:31.547'''
| +2.336
|-
! 15
| 23
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Bruno Giacomelli]]
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]]
| 1:34.995
| '''1:31.600'''
| +2.389
|-
! 16
| 22
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]]
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]]
| 1:32.648
| '''1:31.740'''
| +2.529
|-
! 17
| 25
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Patrick Tambay]]
| [[Equipe Ligier|Talbot Ligier]]-[[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]]
| '''1:31.747'''
| 1:31.817
| +2.536
|-
! 18
| 29
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Riccardo Patrese]]
| [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| '''1:31.969'''
| 1:32.277
| +2.758
|-
! 19
| 33
| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Marc Surer]]
| [[Theodore Racing|Theodore]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:34.424
| '''1:32.253'''
| +3.042
|-
! 20
| 17
| {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Derek Daly]]
| [[March Engineering|March]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:35.552
| '''1:32.305'''
| +3.094
|-
! 21
| 9
| {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Slim Borgudd]]
| [[ATS (wheels)|ATS]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:34.002
| '''1:32.652'''
| +3.441
|-
! 22
| 4
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Michele Alboreto]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:34.245
| '''1:32.709'''
| +3.498
|-
! 23
| 32
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Jean-Pierre Jarier]]
| [[Osella]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| '''1:33.432'''
| 1:33.643
| +4.221
|-
! 24
| 14
| {{flagicon|Chile}} [[Eliseo Salazar]]
| [[Ensign Racing|Ensign]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:36.016
| '''1:33.848'''
| +4.637
|-
! DNQ
| 20
| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Keke Rosberg]]
| [[Fittipaldi Automotive|Fittipaldi]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:34.634
| '''1:34.310'''
| +5.099
|-
! DNQ
| 21
| {{flagicon|Brazil|1968}} [[Chico Serra]]
| [[Fittipaldi Automotive|Fittipaldi]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| 1:36.937
| '''1:36.546'''
| +7.335
|-
! DNQ
| 35
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Brian Henton]]
| [[Toleman]]-[[Hart Racing Engines|Hart]]
| 1:40.505
| '''1:36.648'''
| +7.437
|-
! DNQ
| 30
| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Jacques Villeneuve (racing driver, born 1953)|Jacques Villeneuve]]
| [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| '''1:36.720'''
| 1:38.308
| +7.509
|-
! DNQ
| 36
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Derek Warwick]]
| [[Toleman]]-[[Hart Racing Engines|Hart]]
| '''1:36.999'''
| 1:37.256
| +7.788
|-
! DNQ
| 31
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Beppe Gabbiani]]
| [[Osella]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| '''1:37.493'''
| 1:55.307
| +8.282
|-
!colspan="7" style="text-align: center"|Source: <ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Hamilton |editor-first=Maurice |title=[[AUTOCOURSE]] 1981–82 |publisher=Hazleton Publishing Ltd |year=1981 |pages=214 |isbn=0-905138-17-1}}</ref>
|}

=== Race ===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|- 
! Pos !! No !! Driver !! Constructor !! Tyre !! Laps !! Time/Retired !! Grid !! Points
|-
! 1
| 26
| {{flagicon|France}} '''[[Jacques Laffite]]'''
| '''[[Equipe Ligier|Talbot Ligier]]-[[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]]'''
| {{Michelin}}
| 63
| 2:01:25.20
| 10
| '''9'''
|-
! 2
| 7
| {{flagicon|UK}} '''[[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]'''
| '''[[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'''
| {{Michelin}}
| 63
| + 6.23
| 9
| '''6'''
|-
! 3
| 27
| {{flagicon|Canada}} '''[[Gilles Villeneuve]]'''
| '''[[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]'''
| {{Michelin}}
| 63
| + 1:50.27
| 11
| '''4'''
|-
! 4
| 23
| {{flagicon|Italy}} '''[[Bruno Giacomelli]]'''
| '''[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]]'''
| {{Michelin}}
| 62
| + 1 Lap
| 15
| '''3'''
|-
! 5
| 5
| {{flagicon|Brazil|1968}} '''[[Nelson Piquet]]'''
| '''[[Brabham]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'''
| {{Goodyear}}
| 62
| + 1 Lap
| 1
| '''2'''
|-
! 6
| 11
| {{flagicon|Italy}} '''[[Elio de Angelis]]'''
| '''[[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'''
| {{Goodyear}}
| 62
| + 1 Lap
| 7
| '''1'''
|-
! 7
| 22
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]]
| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]]
| {{Michelin}}
| 62
| + 1 Lap
| 16
| &nbsp;
|-
! 8
| 17
| {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Derek Daly]]
| [[March Engineering|March]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Avon}}
| 61
| + 2 Laps
| 20
| &nbsp;
|-
! 9
| 33
| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Marc Surer]]
| [[Theodore Racing|Theodore]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Avon}}
| 61
| + 2 Laps
| 19
| &nbsp;
|-
! 10
| 2
| {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Carlos Reutemann]]
| [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 60
| + 3 Laps
| 2
| &nbsp;
|-
! 11
| 4
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Michele Alboreto]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Avon}}
| 59
| + 4 Laps
| 22
| &nbsp;
|-
! 12
| 3
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Eddie Cheever]]
| [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 56
| Engine
| 14
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 8
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Andrea de Cesaris]]
| [[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Michelin}}
| 51
| Spun Off
| 13
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 15
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Alain Prost]]
| [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| {{Michelin}}
| 48
| Collision
| 4
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 12
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Nigel Mansell]]
| [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 45
| Collision
| 5
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 9
| {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Slim Borgudd]]
| [[ATS (wheels)|ATS]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Avon}}
| 40
| Spun Off
| 21
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 6
| {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Héctor Rebaque]]
| [[Brabham]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 35
| Spun Off
| 6
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 32
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Jean-Pierre Jarier]]
| [[Osella]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Michelin}}
| 26
| Collision
| 23
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 1
| {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]]
| [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Goodyear}}
| 24
| Handling
| 3
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 28
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Didier Pironi]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| {{Michelin}}
| 24
| Ignition
| 12
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 14
| {{flagicon|Chile}} [[Eliseo Salazar]]
| [[Ensign Racing|Ensign]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Avon}}
| 8
| Spun Off
| 24
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 25
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Patrick Tambay]]
| [[Equipe Ligier|Talbot Ligier]]-[[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]]
| {{Michelin}}
| 6
| Spun Off
| 17
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 29
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Riccardo Patrese]]
| [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| 6
| Spun Off
| 18
| &nbsp;
|-
! Ret
| 16
| {{flagicon|France}} [[René Arnoux]]
| [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| {{Michelin}}
| 0
| Collision
| 8
| &nbsp;
|-
! DNQ
| 20
| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Keke Rosberg]]
| [[Fittipaldi Automotive|Fittipaldi]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| &nbsp;
| 
| 
| &nbsp;
|-
! DNQ
| 21
| {{flagicon|Brazil|1968}} [[Chico Serra]]
| [[Fittipaldi Automotive|Fittipaldi]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| &nbsp;
| 
| 
| &nbsp;
|-
! DNQ
| 35
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Brian Henton]]
| [[Toleman]]-[[Hart Racing Engines|Hart]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| &nbsp;
| 
| 
| &nbsp;
|-
! DNQ
| 30
| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Jacques Villeneuve (racing driver, born 1953)|Jacques Villeneuve]]
| [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| &nbsp;
| 
| 
| &nbsp;
|-
! DNQ
| 36
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Derek Warwick]]
| [[Toleman]]-[[Hart Racing Engines|Hart]]
| {{Pirelli}}
| &nbsp;
| 
| 
| &nbsp;
|-
! DNQ
| 31
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Beppe Gabbiani]]
| [[Osella]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| {{Michelin}}
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
!colspan="9"|{{center|Source:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1981/371/ |title=1981 Canadian Grand Prix |publisher=formula1.com |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140612140730/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1981/371/ |archive-date=12 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gparchive.com/formula-1/1981-canadian-grand-prix/|title=1981 Canadian Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive|website=GPArchive.com|date=27 September 1981 |access-date=7 November 2021}}</ref>}}
|}

==Notes==

* This was the Formula One World Championship debut for Canadian driver [[Jacques Villeneuve (racing driver, born 1953)|Jacques Villeneuve, sr.]]
* This was the 300th Grand Prix in which a [[France|Frenchman]] participated. In those 300 races, French driver had won 20 Grands Prix, achieved 115 podium finishes, 30 pole positions, 32 fastest laps and 2 Grand Slams.
* This was also the 100th Grand Prix in which a [[Mexico|Mexican]] driver participated. In those 100 races, Mexican driver had won 2 Grands Prix, achieved 7 podium finishes, and 1 fastest lap.

==Championship standings after the race==
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}
;Drivers' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos
! Driver
! Points
|-
| 1
| {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Carlos Reutemann]]
| align="right"| 49
|-
| 2
| {{flagicon|BRA|1968}} [[Nelson Piquet]]
| align="right"| 48
|-
| 3
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Jacques Laffite]]
| align="right"| 43
|-
| 4
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Alain Prost]]
| align="right"| 37
|-
| 5
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]]
| align="right"| 37
|-
!colspan=4|Source: <ref name="champ">{{Cite web|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/1981/canada/championnat.aspx|title=Canada 1981 - Championship • STATS F1|website=www.statsf1.com|access-date=14 March 2019}}</ref>
|}
{{col-2}}
;Constructors' Championship standings
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Pos
! Constructor
! Points
|-
| 1
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| align="right"| 86
|-
| 2
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[Brabham]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| align="right"| 59
|-
| 3
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
| align="right"| 48
|-
| 4
| {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Equipe Ligier|Talbot Ligier]]-[[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]]
| align="right"| 43
|-
| 5
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| align="right"| 34
|-
!colspan=4|Source: <ref name="champ"/>
|}
{{col-end}}

*{{small|'''Note''': Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.}}

==References==
{{Reflist | 30em}}

{{F1 race report
| Name_of_race            = [[Canadian Grand Prix]]
| Year_of_race            = 1981
| Previous_race_in_season = [[1981 Italian Grand Prix]]
| Next_race_in_season     = [[1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix]]
| Previous_year's_race    = [[1980 Canadian Grand Prix]]
| Next_year's_race        = [[1982 Canadian Grand Prix]]
}}
{{F1GP 80-89}}

[[Category:1981 Formula One races|Canadian Grand Prix]]
[[Category:Canadian Grand Prix]]
[[Category:1981 in Canadian motorsport|Grand Prix]]
[[Category:September 1981 sports events in Canada|Grand Prix]]
[[Category:1981 in Montreal]]
[[Category:1981 in sports in Quebec]]