1981 · SPORTING
1981 Sporting Regulations
1981 was the first full season under the Concorde Agreement signed in March between FISA (the sporting authority) and FOCA (the team constructors). The settlement ended the FISA-FOCA war that had overshadowed 1980 with the boycotted Spanish GP. On the sporting side the calendar ran 15 rounds — World Championship rounds included Argentina, Brazil, South Africa (non-championship before settlement), Long Beach, Imola, Monaco, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Holland, Italy, Canada, Caesars Palace (Las Vegas). Points were 9-6-4-3-2-1 for top 6, and only the driver's best 11 results (out of 15) counted toward the title.
Concorde Agreement — the new governance
Signed 11 March 1981, the first Concorde Agreement codified the relationship between FISA (regulatory body, Balestre), FOCA (constructors' association, Ecclestone) and the teams. It gave teams binding commercial terms in exchange for competing in the full championship, established a TV revenue split, and imposed a formal notice period for regulation changes. The document was secret in full but its effect was immediate: the political boycotts that defined 1980 disappeared, and competitive stability returned.
Points & dropped scores
Drivers' points: 9 for win, 6 for 2nd, 4 for 3rd, 3 for 4th, 2 for 5th, 1 for 6th. Constructors' points: same but both cars counting. Best 11 of 15 results counted toward the driver title; all results counted for constructors. Nelson Piquet took his first title by a single point over Carlos Reutemann under this system — a recurring source of controversy given the dropped-scores distortion.
Key changes
- Drivers' championship used best 11 of 15 results (retained from prior seasons).
Race format
Standard race distance target was roughly 300 km or 2 hours. Qualifying was run across two timed sessions (Friday and Saturday), with the faster single lap setting grid position (no tyre allocation limit — teams ran qualifying-only tyres). 20-car starting grids were typical. There were no compulsory pit stops; refuelling during the race had been banned in 1984 — but in 1981 cars completed the race on a single fuel load.
Last updated: 2026-04-24
This summary is editorial material prepared by F1pedia for general F1 audiences. It is not a legal reference. For binding rule text, consult the official FIA document.