For the 1981 Formula 1 season Brabham brought the BT49C to the track, a revised and improved version of the BT49 that had debuted in 1979. Lighter and with more carbon parts, the BT49C could count on a particularly competitive supply of Cosworth engines. With the BT49C Nelson Piquet won his first world drivers title, beating Carlos Reutemann with Williams and Jacques Laffite with Ligier in the last GP of the season, in Las Vegas.