1980 Formula One season (Kaiserreich: Legacy of the Weltkrieg)

The 1980 Formula One season was the 34th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship of Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors, which were contested concurrently from 13 January to 5 October over a fourteen-race series. The season also included one non-championship race, the Spanish Grand Prix. This was the final year in which there was a unified international open-wheel series.

Alan Jones, driving a Williams-Ford, became the first Australian to win the World Championship since Jack Brabham in 1966. The season saw a major change of guard in Formula One with the Williams team's first Drivers' and Constructors' titles, the emergence of Nelson Piquet as a championship contender and the debut of future World Champions Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell, while reigning champions Jody Scheckter and Ferrari suffered a terrible season that resulted in Scheckter retiring from the sport at the end of the year. In addition, Frenchman Patrick Depailler lost his life while testing at Hockenheim.

Drivers and constructors

The following drivers and constructors contested the 1980 World Championship of Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors. Teams in italic only attempted the Indianapolis 500, as they were otherwise full-time USAC National Championship teams.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	No	Driver
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC	Ferrari	312T5	Ferrari 015 3.0 F12	M	1	Jody Scheckter
					2	Gilles Villeneuve
Candy Tyrrell Team	Tyrrell-Ford	009 010	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	3	Jean-Pierre Jarier
					4	Derek Daly
					43	Mike Thackwell
Parmalat Racing	Brabham-Ford	BT49	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	5	Nelson Piquet
					6	Ricardo Zunino
						Héctor Rebaque
Marlboro Team McLaren	McLaren-Ford	M29B M29C M30	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	7	John Watson
					8	Alain Prost
						Stephen South
Team ATS	ATS-Ford	D3 D4	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Marc Surer
						Jan Lammers
					10
						Harald Ertl
Team Essex Lotus	Lotus-Ford	81 81B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	11	Mario Andretti
					12	Elio de Angelis
					43	Nigel Mansell
Unipart Racing Team	Ensign-Ford	N180	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	14	Clay Regazzoni
						Tiff Needell
						Jan Lammers
					41	Geoff Lees
Équipe Renault Elf	Renault	RE20	Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6 t	M	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille
					16	René Arnoux
Shadow Cars Theodore Shadow	Shadow-Ford	DN11 DN12	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	17	Stefan Johansson
						Geoff Lees
					18	David Kennedy
Skol Fittipaldi Team	Fittipaldi-Ford	F7 F8	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	20	Emerson Fittipaldi
					21	Keke Rosberg
Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo	Alfa Romeo	179	Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12	G	22	Patrick Depailler
						Vittorio Brambilla
						Andrea de Cesaris
					23	Bruno Giacomelli
Équipe Ligier Gitanes	Ligier-Ford	JS11/15	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	25	Didier Pironi
					26	Jacques Laffite
Albilad Williams Racing Team	Williams-Ford	FW07 FW07B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	27	Alan Jones
					28	Carlos Reutemann
Warsteiner Arrows Racing Team Warsteiner Arrows Racing with Penthouse Rizla+.	Arrows-Ford	A3	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	29	Riccardo Patrese
					30	Jochen Mass
						Mike Thackwell
						Manfred Winkelhock
Osella Racing Team	Osella-Ford	FA1 FA1B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	31	Eddie Cheever
Brands Hatch Racing	Williams-Ford	FW07	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	43	Desiré Wilson
RAM – Penthouse Rizla+. Racing RAM – Rainbow Jeans/Theodore Racing RAM – Williams Grand Prix Engineering	Williams-Ford	FW07	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	50	Rupert Keegan
					51	Kevin Cogan
						Geoff Lees
Team Penske	Penske-Ford	PC-9	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	32	Rick Mears
					33	Bobby Unser
					34	Tom Gloy
AMI Racing	McLaren-DGS	M26 M28 M28B	DGS 3.0 V8	G	37	Jerry Sneva
					38	Tom Bigelow
						Howdy Holmes
						Jerry Sneva
						Danny Ongais
						Greg Leffler
					39	Greg Leffler
					40	Gary Bettenhausen
Chaparral Cars	Chaparral-Ford	2K	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	41	Johnny Rutherford
Longhorn Racing	Longhorn-Ford	LR-01	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	42	Al Unser
Jerry O'Connell Racing	McLaren-Ford	M26	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	44	Tom Sneva
					45	Vern Schuppan
Vollstedt Enterprises	Vollstedt-Ford	77	Offenhauser 2.61 I4	G	46	Dick Simon
Alex Morales Motorsports	Ligier-Ford	JS9	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	47	Pancho Carter
Tempero Racing	Shadow-Ford	DN9	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	48	Bill Tempero
McElreath Racing	Shadow-Ford	DN9	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	49	Jim McElreath
Patrick Racing	Wildcat-Ford	Mk6	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	52	Gordon Johncock
					53	Tom Bagley
					54	Gordon Smiley
Mach I Racing	Penske-Ford	PC-7/79	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	55	Tim Richmond
Sanett Racing	Penske-Ford	PC-7/79	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	56	Dick Ferguson
Interscope Racing	Parnelli-Ford	VPJ6C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	57	Danny Ongais
Menard Racing	Lightning-Offenhauser	Mk1/77	Offenhauser 2.61 I4	G	58	Herm Johnson
Machinists Union Racing	IAM-Donovan	001	Donovan 3.2 V8	G	59	Phil Threshie
Medlin Racing	Eagle-Offenhauser	80	Offenhauser 2.61 I4	G	60	Tony Bettenhausen Jr.
Wysard Racing	McLaren-Ford	M28B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	61	Pete Halsmer
Bob Fletcher Racing	Penske-Ford	PC-7/79	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	62	Spike Gehlhausen
J J Enterprises	Wildcat-DGS	Mk.5B	DGS 3.0 V8	G	63	John Martin
Pacific Coast Racing	Lightning-Offenhauser	Mk1/77	Offenhauser 2.61 I4	G	64	Rick Muther
					65	Al Loquasto
Karl Racing	Karl-Chevrolet	M16	Chevrolet V8	G	66	Jerry Karl
Alsup Racing	Penske-Ford	PC-7/79	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	67	Bill Alsup
Mergard Racing	Eagle-Offenhauser	76	Offenhauser 2.61 I4	G	68	John Wood
All American Racers	Eagle-Chevrolet	80	Chevrolet V8	G	69	Mike Mosley
BFM Enterprises	Ferrari	312T4	Ferrari 015 3.0 V8	G	70	Rich Vogler
Hurtubise Racing	Surtees-Ford	TS19	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	71	Jim Hurtubise
Frantz Racing	McLaren-Ford	M26	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	72	Tom Frantz
Hoffman Racing	Lightning-Offenhauser	Mk1/77	Offenhauser 2.61 I4	G	73	Lee Kunzman
					74	Joe Saldana
Rager Racing	Wildcat-Chevrolet	Mk.5B	Chevrolet V8	G	75	Robert Rager
Rasmussen Racing	Lotus-Foyt	79	Foyt V8	G	76	Bill Harkey
					77	Frank Weiss
Stanton Racing	Penske-Ford	PC-7/79	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	78	Ron Shuman
Walmotor	Penske-Ford	PC-6/78	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	79	Salt Walther
Intercomp	Finley-Offenhauser	unnumbered	Offenhauser 2.61 I4	G	80	John Mahler
Whittington Bros. Racing	Parnelli-Ford	VPJ6C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	81	Bill Whittington
					82	Don Whittington
Cannon Racing	Wildcat-DGS	Mk6	DGS 3.0 V8	G	83	Larry Cannon
Grant King Racing	Kingfish-Chevrolet	73	Chevrolet V8	G	84	Roger Mears

Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Circuit Type	Date
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Ciudad de Rafaela, Rafaela, Santa Fe	Oval	January 13
2	Brazilian Grand Prix	Autodromo de Interlagos, São Paulo	Road	January 21
3	South African Grand Prix	Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand	Road	March 1
4	Golden State Grand Prix	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California	Oval	March 30
5	Flanders Grand Prix	Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder	Road	April 6
6	International Grand Prix (Indianapolis 500)	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana	Oval	May 25
7	French Grand Prix	Paul Ricard Circuit, Le Castellet	Road	June 29
8	British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, Kent	Road	July 13
9	German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	Road	August 10
10	Danubian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	Road	August 17
11	Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	Road	August 31
12	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	Oval	September 14
13	Detroit Grand Prix	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan	Oval	September 21
14	Canadian Grand Prix	Île Notre-Dame Circuit, Montréal	Road	September 28
15	Lone Star Grand Prix	Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas	Oval	October 5
16	United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, Watkins Glen, New York	Road	October 12

Calendar changes

• The Brazilian Grand Prix was originally supposed to return to Jacarepaguá, but parts of the track, originally built on a swamp, were beginning to sink into the soft ground, so the race was held at Autodromo de Interlagos, like the year before.
• The Spanish Grand Prix, held on 1 June, was to be a championship race but it had a FISA–FOCA war concerning ground-effect aerodynamics. As a result of the war, Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo boycotted the event. It was announced before Friday practice that the race was not going to be held under FISA regulations and, therefore, would not count towards the championship. The race was won by Alan Jones.
• The French Grand Prix was moved from Dijon-Prenois to Paul Ricard Circuit, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. Likewise, the British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch.
• The Italian Grand Prix was moved from the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza to the Autodromo Dino Ferrari while Monza underwent major upgrades, including a new pit building.

Provisional calendar

Originally, 1980 was to be an eighteen-race championship, but three Grands Prix were cancelled before the season began:

• The Mexican Grand Prix was scheduled to be held on 13 April, but the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit was not renovated in time.
• The Swedish Grand Prix was originally scheduled to be held on 14 June at Anderstorp Raceway, but was cancelled as enthusiasm for Formula One in Sweden had faded as a result of the deaths of Swedish drivers Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson. There was never another Swedish Grand Prix.
• The Caesars Palace Grand Prix was originally supposed to be held on 2 November, but the race was cancelled. It would go through in 1981.

Results

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor/team
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford
2	Brazilian Grand Prix	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	René Arnoux	René Arnoux	Renault
3	South African Grand Prix	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	René Arnoux	René Arnoux	Renault
4	Golden State Grand Prix	Nelson Piquet	Nelson Piquet	Johnny Rutherford	Chaparral-Ford
5	Flanders Grand Prix	Alan Jones	Jacques Laffite	Didier Pironi	Ligier-Ford
6	International Grand Prix	Johnny Rutherford	Johnny Rutherford	Johnny Rutherford	Chaparral-Ford
7	French Grand Prix	Jacques Laffite	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford
8	British Grand Prix	Didier Pironi	Didier Pironi	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford
9	German Grand Prix	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Jacques Laffite	Ligier-Ford
10	Danubian Grand Prix	René Arnoux	René Arnoux	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault
11	Dutch Grand Prix	René Arnoux	René Arnoux	Nelson Piquet	Brabham-Ford
12	Italian Grand Prix	René Arnoux	Alan Jones	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford
13	Detroit Grand Prix	Mario Andretti	Mario Andretti	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford
14	Canadian Grand Prix	Nelson Piquet	Didier Pironi	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford
15	Lone Star Grand Prix	Mario Andretti	Johnny Rutherford	Tom Sneva	Jerry O'Connell Racing
16	United States Grand Prix	Bruno Giacomelli	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford