A look back at the last Spanish GP in Madrid: “qué calor” in Jarama!

Back in 1981. The 32nd season of the Formula 1 has planned a trip to the Madrid region on the Jarama track. When the paddock sets up, the grass is crimson, the air stifling and for good reason: we are in the second half of June. The test is scheduled for the 21st, the first day of summer, and the heat will leave its mark on the organizations.

This is then the very last time that Jarama hosts F1. Critics are pouring in; it is criticized for its sterile character and its winding sector which is not conducive to overtaking. Basically, it is no longer suitable for increasingly powerful cars. At the time, single-seaters preferred the large expanses of the Österreichring, Dijon-Prenois or Hockenheim. However, the route was imagined by John Hugenholtz, author of Zandvoort and Suzuka!

The tests allowed Frenchman Jacques Laffite to take advantage of the new camshaft of his Matra V12 engine. By now reaching 12 rpm, the tricolor block located in the Ligier places it in pole position, not without suffering multiple red flag session stops due to numerous track exits.

The Ligier JS17, driven here by J.-P. Jabouille, is at ease at Jarama. © DPPI

On Sunday, the organizers anticipated the hellish weather conditions and postponed the start to 16:30 p.m. Unthinkable today, the warm-up takes place at 13:25 p.m.! The Puma helicopter of the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, lands during the interval before the royal procession is taken to the control tower (air-conditioned, fortunately).

The peloton of 24 competitors is led by Jacques Laffite during the formation lap. But when he returned to take his place on the starting grid, he realized that his clutch was not able to immobilize his car. In addition, the track is on a downward slope and the Frenchman must use the accelerator and brake pedals to avoid stalling the engine while stopping the car. Running out of fuel, the light turns green at this precise moment!

The poleman is swallowed up by the peloton, and finds himself stuck in 11th place! THE Williams benefit from it; Alan Jones takes the lead ahead of Carlos Reutemann. There Ferrari by Gilles Villeneuve took off excellently despite the response time of his turbo. Starting 7th, he is already 2nd in the second round.

Gilles Villeneuve boiling hot!

The Quebecer will be the star of this race. His very generous driving style delights the spectators, but it also allows him to counterbalance the deficit of his mount, whose handling is hazardous in the winding sector. In addition, rival cars with naturally aspirated engines have ground effect (Williams, Ligier, McLaren, Lotus), an extremely useful device… in turns. Gilles Villeneuve became the leader of the race when Alan Jones went off on the 14th lap. The situation has changed, it is no longer a question of driving like hell but of offering the Scuderia a success.

Then begins an example of defense and resistance to pressure. The wearer of the legendary number 27 will spend 70 laps calming the enthusiasm of a pack hungry for victory. Jacques Laffite, back at lightning speed, will come up against the Ferrari, just like John Watson (McLaren), Carlos Reutemann (Williams) and Elio de Angelis (Lotus). At the finish, the gap between the top five was just 1″, the second closest race ever seen in F24.

The Canadian will succeed in his bet and pocket his sixth and final victory in F1. His demonstration is one of the rare examples where a pilot's vision can make up for mechanical faults. Congratulated by his wife Joann, he will then collect his trophy from Juan Carlos on a balcony of the control tower. At the time, the protocol was much less strict!

The royal couple congratulates G. Villeneuve in Jarama. © DPPI

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