# 1981 British Formula Three Championship

The 1981 British Formula Three Championship (known as the 1981 Marlboro British F3 Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 31st season of the British Formula Three Championship. The title was won by Jonathan Palmer driving for West Surrey Racing in the Ralt RT3 (Toyota). He finished the season with 126 points and 7 wins ahead of Belgian Thierry Tassin with 91 points (5 wins), and Brazilian Raul Boesel with 80 points (3 wins).

## Race calendar and results

| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole Position | Winning Driver | Winning Team |
| 1 | Silverstone | 1 March | Jonathan Palmer | Jonathan Palmer | West Surrey Racing |
| 2 | Thruxton | 8 March | David Sears | Jonathan Palmer | West Surrey Racing |
| 3 | Silverstone | 29 March | Mike White | Jonathan Palmer | West Surrey Racing |
| 4 | Mallory Park | 12 April | Mike White | Jonathan Palmer | West Surrey Racing |
| 5 | Thruxton | 20 April | David Leslie | Thierry Tassin | Neil Trundle Racing |
| 6 | Thruxton | 4 May | Raul Boesel | Mike White | Autowindscreens/March Engineering |
| 7 | Snetterton | 10 May | James Weaver | James Weaver | Eurosports Management/Team Tiga |
| 8 | Silverstone | 25 May | Raul Boesel | Thierry Tassin | Neil Trundle Racing |
| 9 | Cadwell Park | 14 June | Jonathan Palmer | Jonathan Palmer | West Surrey Racing |
| 10 | Silverstone | 21 June | Roberto Moreno | Mauro Baldi | Euroracing |
| 11 | Silverstone | 5 July | Jonathan Palmer | Raul Boesel | Murray Taylor Racing |
| 12 | Brands Hatch | 12 July | Dave Scott | Thierry Tassin | Neil Trundle Racing |
| 13 | Silverstone | 18 July | Thierry Tassin | Thierry Tassin | Neil Trundle Racing |
| 14 | Mallory Park | 2 August | Raul Boesel | Roberto Moreno | Barron Racing |
| 15 | Oulton Park | 15 August | Jonathan Palmer | Raul Boesel | Café do Brasil |
| 16 | Silverstone | 31 August | Dave Scott | Dave Scott | Swift Caravans/Mint Engineering |
| 17 | Oulton Park | 27 September | Thierry Tassin | Jonathan Palmer | West Surrey Racing |
| 18 | Silverstone | 4 October | Jonathan Palmer | Raul Boesel | Café do Brasil |
| 19 | Snetterton | 11 October | Jonathan Palmer | Jonathan Palmer | West Surrey Racing |
| 20 | Thruxton | 25 October | Dave Scott | Thierry Tassin | Neil Trundle Racing |

## Championship Standings

The scoring system was 9-6-4-3-2-1 points awarded to the first six finishers, with 1 (one) extra point given to the driver who set the fastest lap of the race.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Jonathan Palmer | West Surrey Racing | 122 |
| 2 | Thierry Tassin | Neil Trundle Racing | 92 |
| 3 | Raul Boesel | Murray Taylor Racing | 80 |
| 4 | Mike White | March Engineering | 38 |
| 5 | David Leslie | Eddie Jordan Racing | 29 |
| 6 | Dave Scott | Mint Engineering | 28 |
| 7 | James Weaver | Team Tiga | 21 |
| 8 | Cliff Hansen | Team Tiga | 13 |
| 9 | Kurt Thiim | Gerard Racing | 12 |
| 10 | Michael Bleekemolen | Barron Racing | 11 |
| 11 | Roberto Moreno | Barron Racing | 9 |
| 11 | Fred Krab | David Price Racing | 9 |
| 13 | David Sears | Eddie Jordan Racing | 7 |
| 13 | Richard Trott | Richard Trott Racing | 7 |
| 13 | Bengt Trägårdh | David Price Racing | 7 |
| 16 | Shuroku Sasaki | Shuroko Sasaki | 5 |
| 17 | Toshio Suzuki | March Engineering | 3 |
| 17 | Mike Blanchet | Roy Kennedy Racing | 3 |
| 19 | Victor Rosso | Argentina Racing | 2 |
| 20 | David Coyne | Rushbrooke Racing | 1 |