The 1981 John Player Special Formula 1 World Series was the inaugural season of Formula 1 Powerboat racing. Representing the 'OZ' racing class of the period, the championship was formed as a consequence of a difference of opinion between the leading figures in powerboat racing at the time, and was heavily supported by both John Player and engine manufacturer Outboard Marine Corporation, whose Johnson and Evinrude branded engines were used by the entire field. Whilst the series was designed to showcase the firm's huge 3.5 litre V8 engines, the very first race saw all boats using smaller V6 units and only six drivers would be given the V8 engines for the remainder of the year.^[1]

Renato Molinari was the series' first ever champion, winning four of the five races he contested. In total, six races made up the 1981 world championship, beginning in Como, Italy and ending in Den Bosch, Netherlands.^[2] An additional non-championship invitational race, the British Grand Prix, was also held at Chasewater.

Series Formation

Teams and drivers

Team	Hull	Engine	No.	Race drivers	Rounds
Velden Beneteau Racing	Velden	Johnson 3.0 V6	1	Cees van der Velden	1
		Johnson 3.5 V8			2–6
		Johnson 3.0 V6	8	Arthur Mostert	2–6
Gordon's Gin	Velden	Johnson 3.0 V6	9	Roger Jenkins	1
		Johnson 3.5 V8			2–6
		Johnson 3.0 V6	19	Rick Frost	3
Team John Player Special	Velden	Johnson 3.0 V6	10	Tom Percival	1
		Johnson 3.5 V8			2–6
		Johnson 3.0 V6	11	Bob Spalding	1
		Johnson 3.5 V8			2–6
		Johnson 3.0 V6	12	Francois Salabert	All
Andy Bullen	Velden	Evinrude 3.0 V6	16	Andy Bullen	1–2
Tecnocar Squadra Corse	Molinari	Evinrude 3.0 V6	161	Lillo Colombo	1
		Evinrude 3.5 V8			2–6
		Evinrude 3.0 V6	165	Renato Molinari	1
		Evinrude 3.5 V8			2–5
Hans Pelster	Velden	Evinrude 3.0 V6		Hans Pelster	1–5

Season calendar

Round	Race Title	Date	Circuit Location	Race Winner	Hull/Engine
1	1st Grand Prix of Italy	17 May	Como	Renato Molinari	Molinari/Evinrude
2	1st Grand Prix of Germany	21 June	Brodenbach	Renato Molinari[1]	Molinari/Evinrude
3	1st Grand Prix of Britain1	31 August	Holme Pierrepont	Renato Molinari[3]	Molinari/Evinrude
4	1st Grand Prix of Norway		Drammen	Renato Molinari	Molinari/Evinrude
5	1st Grand Prix of France		Vichy	Cees van der Velden	Velden/Johnson
6	1st Grand Prix of the Netherlands		Den Bosch	Bob Spalding[4]	Velden/Johnson

• ^1 The British round of the championship was known as the John Player Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons.^[5]

Non-championship events

Race Title	Date	Circuit Location	Race Winner	Hull/Engine
British Grand Prix	12 July	Chasewater	Cees van der Velden[6]	Velden/Johnson

Results and standings

Points were awarded to the top six finishers based on the aggregated results of between one and four heat races during the event. Any drivers below sixth place were not classified (NC).

Drivers standings

Pos Driver ITA GER GBR NOR FRA NED Points 1 Renato Molinari 1 1 1 1 2 42 2 Cees van der Velden 2 NC 2 5 1 3 27 3 Bob Spalding NC 3 3 2 3 1 27 4 Tom Percival 4 5 5 3 5 4 16 5 Roger Jenkins 5 NC 6 NC 4 2 12 6 Francois Salabert 3 2 NC NC 6 NC 11 7 Lillo Colombo 6 4 NC 4 NC 5 9 8 Arthur Mostert 6 4 NC NC 6 5 9 Hans Pelster NC NC NC 6 NC 1 10 Andy Bullen NC NC 0 11 Rick Frost NC 0

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (cell empty) Text formatting Meaning Bold Pole position Italics Fastest lap