

McLaren, a British constructor, competed in the 1981 Formula 1 season with John Watson and Andrea de Cesaris.
McLaren finished 6th in the 1981 constructors' championship with 28 points, 1 win and 4 podiums – 67 points behind champions Williams. McLaren won 1 Grand Prix, the last of them the British Grand Prix.
Final 1981 results after 15 rounds. Data: Jolpica F1 API.
Share of the team's points (race and sprint).
Race and sprint points per round, stacked by driver (Watson, de Cesaris: darker to lighter).
Shared Grand Prix only. Qualifying uses the qualifying classification.
15 shared GPs
Both cars, every round. S = sprint result.
| Rd | Grand Prix | Watson | de Cesaris | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Short answers about McLaren in 1981.
John Watson and Andrea de Cesaris drove for McLaren in the 1981 Formula 1 season.
McLaren scored 28 points in 1981 and finished 6th in the constructors' championship, 67 points behind champions Williams.
McLaren won 1 of 15 Grands Prix in 1981, with 4 podium finishes.
McLaren was founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren and first raced in Formula 1 in 1966. It has won ten constructors’ championships and produced drivers’ champions from Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt through Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Mika Häkkinen to Lewis Hamilton in 2008. After a lean decade, the team won back-to-back constructors’ titles in 2024 and 2025, and Lando Norris took the 2025 drivers’ crown.
McLaren is based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking and uses Mercedes power units. Andrea Stella has been team principal since 2023. The 2026 drivers are reigning world champion Lando Norris, who carries the number 1, and Oscar Piastri.
| 1 |
| DNF |
| DNF |
0 |
| 2 | P8 | DNF | 0 |
| 3 | DNF | P11 | 0 |
| 4 | P10 | P6 | 1 |
| 5 | P7 | DNF | 0 |
| 6 | DNF | DNF | 0 |
| 7 | P3 | DNF | 4 |
| 8 | P2 | P11 | 6 |
| 9 | P1 | DNF | 9 |
| 10 | P6 | DNF | 1 |
| 11 | P6 | P8 | 1 |
| 12 | DNF | DNS | 0 |
| 13 | DNF | P7 | 0 |
| 14 | P2 | DNF | 6 |
| 15 | P7 | P12 | 0 |