The 1981 Ligier JS17 is a Formula 1 car produced by the French team of the same name to compete in the 1981 championship. It also competed in a number of races in 1982, having been renamed the JS17B. The Ligier JS17 was a successful Formula 1 single-seater, marking the French team’s return to Matra engines and leading the team to victory in the Austrian Grand Prix and the Canadian Grand Prix with Jacques Laffite. Designed by Gérard Ducarouge, the Ligier JS17 used the naturally aspirated Matra MS81 engine, which replaced the classic Ford Cosworth DFV engine used until the previous year. The Matra engine’s higher fuel consumption required a larger and longer fuel tank. Ducarouge introduced adaptive hydropneumatic suspension to make the most of ground effect, enabling the car to compete with the more powerful turbocharged cars of the era. The 1981 Austrian Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 1981 Formula 1 World Championship. It took place on Sunday 16 August 1981 at the Österreichring. The race was won by Frenchman Jacques Laffite in a Ligier-Matra; this was the winner’s fifth victory in the world championship. The 1981 Ligier JS17, also driven by French driver Patrick Tambay, featured the classic Ligier livery of those years, painted in French blue and sponsored by the famous tobacco brand that has accompanied Ligier’s history in Formula 1.