Race results
Race startMarch 28, 1981 at 21:00Brasilia Standard Time
| POS. | NO. | Driver | Team | TIME | Laps | Fastest Lap | PIT | Grid | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 2:00:23.66 | 62 | - | - | 2 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | Alan Jones | Williams | +4.440 | 62 | - | - | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | +1:03.080 | 62 | - | - | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 14 | Marc Surer | Ensign | +1:17.030 | 62 | - | - | 18 | 3 |
| 5 | 11 | Elio de Angelis | Team Lotus | +1:26.420 | 62 | - | - | 10 | 2 |
| 6 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | +1:26.830 | 62 | - | - | 16 | 1 |
| 7 | 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier | +1:30.250 | 62 | - | - | 23 | 0 |
| 8 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | +1 Lap | 61 | - | - | 15 | 0 |
| 9 | 20 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | +1 Lap | 61 | - | - | 12 | 0 |
| 10 | 33 | Patrick Tambay | Theodore | +1 Lap | 61 | - | - | 19 | 0 |
| 11 | 12 | Nigel Mansell | Team Lotus | +1 Lap | 61 | - | - | 13 | 0 |
| 12 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | +2 Laps | 60 | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | 4 | Ricardo Zunino | Tyrrell | +5 Laps | 57 | - | - | 24 | 0 |
| 14 | 3 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell | +13 Laps | 49 | - | - | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | +22 Laps | 40 | - | - | 6 | 0 |
| - | 27 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | DNF (Turbo) | 25 | - | - | 7 | 0 |
| - | 6 | Hector Rebaque | Brabham | DNF (Spun off) | 22 | - | - | 11 | 0 |
| - | 15 | Alain Prost | Renault | DNF (Collision) | 20 | - | - | 5 | 0 |
| - | 30 | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows | DNF (Accident) | 20 | - | - | 21 | 0 |
| - | 28 | Didier Pironi | Ferrari | DNF (Collision) | 19 | - | - | 17 | 0 |
| - | 8 | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren | DNF (Engine) | 9 | - | - | 20 | 0 |
| - | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | DNF (Collision) | 0 | - | - | 8 | 0 |
| - | 22 | Mario Andretti | Alfa Romeo | DNF (Collision) | 0 | - | - | 9 | 0 |
| - | 21 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi | DNF (Collision) | 0 | - | - | 22 | 0 |
| - | 14 | Ricardo Londoño | Ensign | DNS (Withdrew) | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 |