The last time Formula 1 raced in Madrid

It is now official Formula 1 will be racing in Madrid in 2026, but it will not be the first time the city has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix. 

Between 1968 and 1981, the Circuito del Jarama located 32km north of Madrid hosted the Spanish Grand Prix nine times.

The last was a memorable one in 1981 where it produced one of the closest finishes ever and Australian hero Alan Jones suffered a championship-defining moment to forget.

Relieve the famous race by reading the AUTO ACTION report that hit the shelves back in July 3, 1981.

VILLENEUVE AGAIN

THE 1981 SPANISH Grand Prix seemed certain to be an Alan Jones benefit, after the defending World Champion cleared out from his rivals early on. 

However, it was not to be.  Jones admitted to “brain fade” when he skidded off the road after 15 laps, bogging the car in the soft run-off area sand.

Though he got going again, second gear broke and the Australian finished seventh, one place out of the points.

Jones mistake however, opened the way for one of the most memorable races in years.

Gilles Villeneuve on his way to victory in Jarama. Image: LAT Photographic

Gilles Villeneuve and the Monaco winning Ferrari turbo took over the lead once Jones lost it, but breathing down his neck was World Championship points leader Carlos Reutemann.

Driving the second Williams, Reutemann was clearly quicker than Villeneuve through the twisty bits, but he couldn’t stay with the very powerful turbo on the straights.

For lap after lap Villeneuve was under immense pressure from Reutemann, but never looked like putting a foot wrong.

In fact it was Reuterann who wilted first, his car passed by the flying Frenchman Jacques Laffite and then later Englishman John Watson.

Laffite had been the surprise of the weekend, qualifying the Talbot-Ligier-Matra VI2 on pole a car that had looked like it wouldn’t qualify a couple of times earlier in the season! The Frenchman cooked his clutch at the start and initially dropped back.

However, he drove a demon race through the field and with 15 laps to go, was pressuring Villeneuve for the lead.

Incredibly, the front group of FIVE had by that stage bunched – nose to tail!

And still Villeneuve withstood the pressure, bringing home the bacon for his second win in as many races.

Behind him, nose to tail came Laffite, Watson, Reutemann and Elio de Angelis, in the new Lotus 87.

De Angelis’ teammate Nigel Mansell (of the UK) took the final point for sixth spot.

It had been the most gripping race of the season and possibly of the last five years.

Who would have thought it after the superb race we saw five weeks ago in Monaco?

Alan Jones led early in the Williams FW07C-Ford Cosworth. Image: LAT Photographic

PRACTICE/QUALIFYING

Williams’ teammates and rivals Alan Jones of of Australia and Carlos Reutemann of Argentina put up the fastest times today in first official practice for the Spanish Formula 1 Motor Racing Grand Prix on Sunday.

Jones, 34, was quickest with a lap of one minute 14.424 seconds for an average speed of 160.2 km/h (99.5 mph) on the twisting Jarama Circuit.

The 38-year-old Reutemann, who is 10 points ahead of Jones in this year’s championship race, was right behind in 1:14.808.

Jones won here last year but the race did not count for the championship because of a row between the two international organisers of Formula 1 – The International Motor Sport Federation (FISA) and The Constructors Association (FOCA).

Controversy again surrounds this year’s race because Spain’s only Formula 1 driver is not being allowed to take part.

The Paris-based FISA today informed the Spanish race organisers that Emilio De Villota should not race because he is not officially entered as a regular Formula 1 competitor.

De Villota raced at Jarama last year and was at the centre of a controversy when his Williams was sandwiched between the then leaders, Reutemann and Frenchman Jacques Laffite. The Argentine and the Frenchman collided and had to abandon the race.

The report itself from 43 years ago.

Laffite was third fastest in today’s practice session in a Talbot Liger, followed by Frenchman Alain Prost in Renault and John Watson of Britain in a McLaren.

Spain is currently sweltering in a record June heat wave and temperatures on the unshaded track soared up to the 50 degree celsius mark.

The session was twice suspended because of spectacular accidents at the end of the long home straight.

Slim Borgudd of Sweden and Siegfried Stohr of Italy ploughed off the track in a cloud of dust after their cars touched and Elicio Salzar of Chile spun off at the same spot. Nobody was hurt.

The following day Frenchman Jacques Laffite stunned his rivals by grabbing pole position, his Matra powered Talbot-Ligier handling the hot conditions ideally.

Laffite is something of a Jarama expert; in previous years he has done very well at the twisty Spanish Track.

GRAND PRIX

Gilles Villeneuve in the Ferrari 126CK. Image: Motorsport Images

Canadian Gilles Villeneuve held off a major challenge from Frenchman Jacques Laffite and registered a narrow victory in an exciting Spanish Grand Prix motor race today.

Villeneuve, the Monaco winner in two weeks ago, inherited the lead ago when World Champion Alan Jones of Australia skidded off the Jarama track early on.

But he had to work hard to stay ahead over the closing laps.

Laffite pressed the Ferrari driver hard in his new Talbot Liger, but failed to pass him and had to accept second place.

The next four finishers, headed by the McLaren of Britain’s John Watson, were in contention for also well honours.

Championship leader Carlos Reutemann came fourth in his Williams, and Lotus due Elio De. Angelis of Italy and Nigel Mansell of Britain were fifth and sixth respectively.

Dantemann has now put Reutemann has himself 13 points ahead of Jones in the title battle, with Brazilian Nelson Piquet third and Villeneuve fourth.

Jones, who rejoined the race after his mishap and crossed the line seventh, had the consolation of recording the fastest lap. He clocked one minute 17.8 seconds (153.2 km/h) over the 3.31 km circuit.

Villeneuve finished the 80-lap race in one hour 46 minutes 35.01 seconds, only a 20th of a second ahead of Laffite. He averaged 149.16 km/h.

Fifteen of the 24 starters completed the race which was run in sultry heat.

Alan Jones admitted he lost the Spanish Grand Prix when leading because of “brain fade and loss of second gear”.

Jones spun his Saudia Williams car when 12.2 seconds in the lead after 15 laps of the 80 lap race. The car hit oil which also took French driver Alain Prost’s Renault out of third place and Nelson Piquet’s Brabant out of fifth place.

“I lost half a minute when I spun the car and officials had to push start me after I bogged the car” Jones said.

Jones rejoined 16th place and the race in worked his way back to seventh before second gear – used at five important corners on the circuit – failed on his Saudia Williams.

“We had changed the right front brake caliper before the race and that was the wheel which locked, but I had gone too deep into the corner anyway said Jones.

Jacques Lafitte in the Talbot Liger had missed the start and had to pull back from 11th place to take second at the finish, unable to get by the superior power of the Ferrari driven by race winner Gilles Villeneuve.

“The world championship is now wide open,” Jones said.

Jones’ team mate, Carlos Reutemann saw his chances of race victory fade when his car lost third gear in the middle of the race and he dropped back form a strong second to finish fourth.

He still leads the world championship with 37 points to Jones on 24, Nelson Piquet on 22 points and Gilles Villeneuve on 21 points.

Jones said after the Spanish Grand Prix that the Ferrari had at least 80 BHP more than the other cars was uncatchable on the straights, but it still did not handle properly.

“I was all over Didier Pironi in the second Ferrari in turns but I could not keep up with him on the straights”, said Jones. *If I had not had petrol vaporisation at Моласо and brain fade here at Jarama, 1 might have been leading the championship now,” he said.

The next Formula 1 race in a fortnight’s time will be the French Grand Prix at the Dijon circuit

“I like Dijon. It is a nice track,” he added hoping his Saudia Williams would be able to keep up with the Ferraris on a circuit which is faster than that at Jarama.

Montreal-born Villeneuve said after the highly satisfied race he was new turbo-powered with his car’s engine, which the Italian firm seems to have perfected far faster than the French Renault team.

Renault are without a grand prix win this season after vears of experimenting with the turbo system, while Ferrari already have two wins in their first turbo year.

Villeneuve said the new car “only needed a bit of work on its handling, and then it will work wonders.”

1981 Spanish Grand Prix results

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Tyre	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	27	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	M	80	1:46:35.01	7	9
2	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier–Matra	M	80	+ 0.22	1	6
3	7	John Watson	McLaren–Ford	M	80	+ 0.58	4	4
4	2	Carlos Reutemann	Williams–Ford	M	80	+ 1.01	3	3
5	11	Elio de Angelis	Lotus–Ford	M	80	+ 1.24	10	2
6	12	Nigel Mansell	Lotus–Ford	M	80	+ 28.58	11	1
7	1	Alan Jones	Williams–Ford	M	80	+ 56.58	2
8	22	Mario Andretti	Alfa Romeo	M	80	+ 1:00.80	8
9	16	René Arnoux	Renault	M	80	+ 1:07.08	17
10	23	Bruno Giacomelli	Alfa Romeo	M	80	+ 1:13.65	6
11	21	Chico Serra	Fittipaldi–Ford	M	79	+ 1 Lap	21
12	20	Keke Rosberg	Fittipaldi–Ford	M	78	+ 2 Laps	15
13	33	Patrick Tambay	Theodore–Ford	M	78	+ 2 Laps	16
14	14	Eliseo Salazar	Ensign–Ford	M	77	+ 3 Laps	24
15	28	Didier Pironi	Ferrari	M	76	+ 4 Laps	13
16	17	Derek Daly	March–Ford	M	75	+ 5 Laps	22
NC	3	Eddie Cheever	Tyrrell–Ford	M	62	Not Classified	20
Ret	25	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Ligier–Matra	M	51	Brakes	19
Ret	6	Héctor Rebaque	Brabham–Ford	M	46	Gearbox	18
Ret	30	Siegfried Stohr	Arrows–Ford	M	43	Ignition	23
Ret	5	Nelson Piquet	Brabham–Ford	M	43	Accident	9
Ret	15	Alain Prost	Renault	M	28	Spun Off	5
Ret	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows–Ford	M	21	Brakes	12
Ret	8	Andrea de Cesaris	McLaren–Ford	M	9	Accident	14
DNQ	4	Michele Alboreto	Tyrrell–Ford	M
DNQ	31	Beppe Gabbiani	Osella–Ford	M
DNQ	9	Slim Borgudd	ATS–Ford	M
DNQ	35	Brian Henton	Toleman–Hart	P
DNQ	36	Derek Warwick	Toleman–Hart	P
DNQ	32	Giorgio Francia	Osella–Ford	M

1981 Formula 1 Championship points: 1. Carlos Reutemann 37 points: 2. Alan Jones 24; 3. Nelson Piquet 22: 4. Gilles Villeneuve 21: 5. Jacques Laffite 17.

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