Williams won 4 races out of 15, and the world title went to Nelson Piquet.
The title was decided in round 15 – Caesars Palace Grand Prix.
In 1981 McLaren took to the grid with the first carbon-fibre monocoque — John Watson won the British Grand Prix in it. Alain Prost took his first three wins with Renault, and Gilles Villeneuve won at Monaco and in Spain in a turbocharged Ferrari.
It all came down to the final race, in Las Vegas: Williams driver Carlos Reutemann arrived with a one-point lead and started from pole, but finished eighth, while Nelson Piquet’s fifth place in the Brabham earned him two points and the title, 50 to 49.
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