| «1981-02» | Brazil Grand Prix - X Grande Premio do Brasil |
| 1981-03-29 | Jacarepagua - Autódromo do Rio de Janeiro - 62 laps × 5.031 km : 311.922 km |
| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham • Ford Cosworth | 01:35.079 | 190.490 km/h | |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams • Ford Cosworth | 01:35.390 | +00.311 (+0.327%) | +00.311 |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams • Ford Cosworth | 01:36.337 | +01.258 (+1.323%) | +00.947 |
| 4 | 4 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows • Ford Cosworth | 01:36.667 | +01.588 (+1.670%) | +00.330 |
| 5 | 5 | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | 01:36.670 | +01.591 (+1.673%) | +00.003 |
| 6 | 6 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 01:37.283 | +02.204 (+2.318%) | +00.613 |
| 7 | 7 | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 01:37.497 | +02.418 (+2.543%) | +00.214 |
| 8 | 8 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 01:37.561 | +02.482 (+2.610%) | +00.064 |
| 9 | 9 | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | 01:37.597 | +02.518 (+2.648%) | +00.036 |
| 10 | 10 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus • Ford Cosworth | 01:37.734 | +02.655 (+2.792%) | +00.137 |
| 11 | 11 | 6 | Hector Rebaque | Brabham • Ford Cosworth | 01:37.777 | +02.698 (+2.838%) | +00.043 |
| 12 | 12 | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi • Ford Cosworth | 01:37.981 | +02.902 (+3.052%) | +00.204 |
| 13 | 13 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus • Ford Cosworth | 01:38.003 | +02.924 (+3.075%) | +00.022 |
| 14 | 14 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell • Ford Cosworth | 01:38.160 | +03.081 (+3.240%) | +00.157 |
| 15 | 15 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren • Ford Cosworth | 01:38.263 | +03.184 (+3.349%) | +00.103 |
| 16 | 16 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier • Matra | 01:38.273 | +03.194 (+3.359%) | +00.010 |
| 17 | 17 | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | 01:38.565 | +03.486 (+3.666%) | +00.292 |
| 18 | 18 | 14 | Marc Surer | Ensign • Ford Cosworth | 01:38.570 | +03.491 (+3.672%) | +00.005 |
| 19 | 19 | 33 | Patrick Tambay | Theodore • Ford Cosworth | 01:38.726 | +03.647 (+3.836%) | +00.156 |
| 20 | 20 | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren • Ford Cosworth | 01:38.780 | +03.701 (+3.893%) | +00.054 |
| 21 | 21 | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows • Ford Cosworth | 01:39.190 | +04.111 (+4.324%) | +00.410 |
| 22 | 22 | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi • Ford Cosworth | 01:39.326 | +04.247 (+4.467%) | +00.136 |
| 23 | 23 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier • Matra | 01:39.398 | +04.319 (+4.543%) | +00.072 |
| 24 | 24 | 4 | Ricardo Zunino | Tyrrell • Ford Cosworth | 01:39.798 | +04.719 (+4.963%) | +00.400 |
| 25 | 9 | Jan Lammers | ATS • Ford Cosworth | 01:39.844 | +04.765 (+5.012%) | +00.046 | |
| 26 | 32 | Beppe Gabbiani | Osella • Ford Cosworth | 01:40.709 | +05.630 (+5.921%) | +00.865 | |
| 27 | 31 | Miguel Angel Guerra | Osella • Ford Cosworth | 01:40.984 | +05.905 (+6.211%) | +00.275 | |
| 28 | 18 | Eliseo Salazar | March • Ford Cosworth | 01:43.267 | +08.188 (+8.612%) | +02.283 | |
| 29 | 17 | Derek Daly | March • Ford Cosworth |