Formula 1 1981 Argentine GP - Piquet’s Statement Win and Prost’s First Podium - F1 Highlights

After Brazil, tension filled the Williams camp. Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann were no longer on speaking terms following Reutemann’s refusal to obey team orders. Both drivers now had one victory each and were tied at the top of the championship.

👉Support our Channel by checking out our picks for Motorsport Fans in Racing & Beyond Website:
👉https://racingbeyond.com/racing-gadgets

At Buenos Aires, Nelson Piquet underlined Brabham’s competitiveness by taking pole in the controversial BT49 with hydropneumatic suspension. Jones made a lightning start from third to seize the lead, but his underpowered Cosworth soon became a liability. Before the opening lap ended, he had fallen behind Piquet, and on lap two Reutemann also passed him. Down on straight-line speed, Jones was soon overtaken by Alain Prost and Héctor Rebaque.

The Argentine circuit quickly lived up to its reputation as an engine breaker. On lap three, Didier Pironi and Nigel Mansell both pitted with mechanical failures. Keke Rosberg retired with fuel-feed trouble, while Marc Surer’s race ended on lap 14.

Out front, Piquet pulled clear as Brabham dominated. Rebaque produced the finest drive of his career, passing Prost for third on lap 11 and overtaking Reutemann four laps later to secure second, giving Brabham a stunning one-two. His breakthrough ended on lap 32 when a broken distributor arm forced retirement.

From there, the race settled. Piquet claimed a commanding victory, confirming the BT49’s potential. Reutemann finished second at home, while Alain Prost secured the first podium of his Formula One career. Jones struggled home fourth despite engine problems. René Arnoux took fifth for Renault, and Elio de Angelis claimed the final point for Lotus.

After the finish, Ricardo Zunino was penalized one minute for cutting the circuit following a spin, dropping from eleventh to thirteenth in the final classification.

Race Moments:
0:00 - Formation Lap
5:00 - Race Start
6:15 - Piquet Passes Jones as De Cesaris Spins Off
9:55 - Reutemann Overtakes Jones
13:30 - Prost Passes Jones
24:32 - Rebaque Ovetakes Prost
30:56 - Rebaque Takes 2nd Place From Reutemann
41:38 - Laffite Retires
1:04:52 - Rebaque Retires
1:19:43 - Villeneuve Spins Off
1:40:01 - Piquet Wins

📌Racing & Beyond Website: https://racingbeyond.com/

📌 If you’re passionate about untold racing stories, forgotten heroes, and iconic Grand Prix moments that shaped the sport, please, consider subscribing to the channel, so you don’t miss future content. Your support means a lot!

👉 Watch more legendary F1 Races, F1 Highlights and F1 Documentaries in our full historic playlist here:
   • Formula 1  

Watch the other races from this incredible 1981 season:
👉Non-Championship South Africa GP:    • Formula 1 1981 South African GP - Formula ...  
👉Round 1 - USA West GP:    • Formula 1 1981 USA West GP - Politics, Cra...  
👉Round 2 - Brazilian GP:    • Formula 1 1981 Brazilian GP - The Race Tha...  

#Formula1 #F1 #ClassicF1 #F1History #Motorsport #MotorsportHistory #1981F1 #ArgentineGP #BuenosAires #NelsonPiquet #BrabhamF1 #WilliamsF1 #TeamOrders #AlainProst #HistoricF1 #VintageF1 #OldSchoolF1 #TurboEra #GroundEffect #RacingHistory #F1Documentary