Alain Prost won the French Grand Prix 1981 at Dijon-Prenois on 5 July 1981, starting from P3 on the grid. John Watson finished second for McLaren, with Nelson Piquet completing the podium for Brabham.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Grid | Pts | FL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | | 3 | 9 | Finished | |
2 | | | 2 | 6 | Finished | |
3 | | | 4 | 4 | Finished | |
4 | | | 1 | 3 | Finished | |
5 | | 14 | 2 | +1 Lap | ||
6 | | 8 | 1 | +1 Lap | ||
7 | | 13 | 0 | +1 Lap | ||
8 | | 10 | 0 | +1 Lap | ||
9 | | 15 | 0 | +2 Laps | ||
10 | | 7 | 0 | +2 Laps | ||
11 | | 5 | 0 | +2 Laps | ||
12 | | 21 | 0 | +2 Laps | ||
13 | | 19 | 0 | +3 Laps | ||
14 | | 18 | 0 | +3 Laps | ||
15 | | 12 | 0 | +3 Laps | ||
16 | | 23 | 0 | +3 Laps | ||
17 | | 9 | 0 | Collision | ||
R | | 6 | 0 | Suspension | ||
R | | 20 | 0 | Engine | ||
R | | 11 | 0 | Electrical | ||
R | | 16 | 0 | Wheel bearing | ||
R | | 17 | 0 | Suspension | ||
R | | 22 | 0 | Suspension | ||
W | | 24 | 0 | Withdrew | ||
F | | 0 | 0 | Did not qualify | ||
F | | 0 | 0 | Did not qualify | ||
F | | 0 | 0 | Did not qualify | ||
F | | 0 | 0 | Did not qualify | ||
F | | 0 | 0 | Did not qualify |