Defending World Champion Alan Jones finished nine seconds ahead of teammate Carlos Reutemann, and won his first Long Beach Grand Prix, as the 1981 season finally began after a winter of controversy and legal battles.
O campión mundial Alan Jones terminou nove segundos por diante do seu compañeiro de equipo Carlos Reutemann, e gañou o seu primeiro Gran Premio de Long Beach, a tempada de 1981 comezou finalmente logo dun inverno de controversias e batallas legais.