XXXIXe Grand Prix de Monaco - 1981

Date: May 31st 1981   Weather: Warm, dry and sunny   Circuit: Circuit de Monaco   Distance: 251.712 Km (76 laps x 3.312 Km)

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Over the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix hangs a cloud of a big myth. We only remember the great way Gilles VIlleneuve drove his Ferrari-Turbo around the streets of Monte Carlo and won the race, but nobody remembers the somewhat lucky way he got this victory.

The great Villeneuve got a surprising victory in Monaco 1981 in his Turbo-Ferrari. It is still regarded as one of Villeneuve's best drives of his career. But what really happened that day?
Ferrari and Villeneuve practised well in second place, equalling Arnoux' 2nd of Long Beach 1980 as best qualifying of a Turbo on a street circuit. But the Monaco GP had one driver that was leading all: Nelson Piquet in his Brabham. He started from pole and led the field easily. Alan Jones in his Williams was coming trough the field from position 5, passing Villeneuve on the way on lap 20. Piquet and Jones had a fierce and beautiful battle for more than 25 laps, easily gaining seconds every lap over Villeneuve. Piquet sustained the Jones pressure and was able to get a few seconds. On the at 53rd lap, arriving to Tabac´s curve, backmarker Tambay let no space for him to pass. Piquet had to brake over debris and crashed to the armco. Jones now had a comfortable lead, 30 seconds over Villeneuve on lap 64. But Jones was suffering problems with fuel vaporization and decided to pit at lap 67, adding some cold fuel in the hope that might help. Unfortunately for him the problem still continued and he had no chance to fight with Gilles. He led Villeneuve by on the main straight by driving left instead on the usual right side of the track on lap 73 . Villeneuve won, taking 40 seconds from Jones in 4 laps who's engine hardly worked.

Conclusion: Villeneuve had a good qualifying in Monaco, but both Piquet and Jones were way ahead of him in the race. Villeneuve would never have won without their problems. He drove a clean race to the best of his Ferrari abilities. It is easy to say that there were other victories for Villeneuve were he really was the best. But the fact that a turbo had won added to this myth. But in 1981 the disadvantages of turbos on slow circuits were almost gone.

Statistics

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Summary



Result



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