Arturo Merzario and Héctor Rebaque had both operated their own Formula 1 teams in 1979, but closed them down at the end of the year. Osella entered Formula 1, taking Eddie Cheever with them after nearly winning the 1979 European Formula Two Championship. Williams signed Carlos Reutemann, while Clay Regazzoni rejoined Ensign Racing. ATS signed Jan Lammers, previously with Shadow, and Jacky Ickx retired, with Didier Pironi taking his seat at Ligier. Alain Prost made his Formula 1 debut with McLaren, replacing Patrick Tambay, and Keke Rosberg joined Fittipaldi after the team purchased the remains of Wolf. Patrick Depailler joined Alfa Romeo, replacing Vittorio Brambilla, but was still recovering from a hang gliding accident.
The 1980 Formula One season started in Argentina in January. After Friday's practice, the drivers protested the track conditions, and the organizers attempted to fix the track, though not entirely successfully . Alan Jones took victory in his Williams-Ford. Nelson Piquet finished second in his Brabham-Ford, and Keke Rosberg scored third in his Fittipaldi. French rookie Alain Prost finished sixth, earning his first World Championship point.
The following race in Brazil saw Renault’s Jean-Pierre Jabouille take pole position, but ultimately Rene Arnoux won the race, followed by Elio de Angelis in a Lotus and Jones in his Williams. The drivers had protested the safety conditions of the Interlagos track, which was already notorious for being very rough .
The South African Grand Prix saw Alain Prost crash and break his wrist, while Marc Surer broke his leg in a separate incident. This race effectively brought the FISA–FOCA war into the spotlight . Rene Arnoux won the race, further highlighting Renault’s early-season dominance.
In the United States West Grand Prix at Long Beach, Nelson Piquet dominated, taking his first race victory. The race was marred by a serious accident involving Clay Regazzoni, who was paralysed from the waist down after crashing into a parked car and a concrete barrier. The Long Beach circuit was known then to be the toughest and most punishing race of the season on the car and driver .
At the Belgian Grand Prix, Didier Pironi secured his first victory in a Ligier-Ford, ahead of Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann.
The Monaco Grand Prix saw a large pile-up at the start, but Carlos Reutemann ultimately won the race.
The French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard saw Jones win by 4.52 seconds, beating the Ligiers of Didier Pironi and Jacques Laffite .
The British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch was won by Alan Jones, holding off a strong challenge from Nelson Piquet.
The German Grand Prix at Hockenheim was overshadowed by the death of Patrick Depailler in a testing accident nine days prior. Laffite won the race, with Jones finishing third.
The Austrian Grand Prix saw Jabouille win, his second and final Formula One victory.
The Dutch Grand Prix saw Nelson Piquet win, followed by Arnoux and Laffite.
At the Italian Grand Prix, held at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Piquet won again, overtaking Jones in the championship standings. The circuit was located near the Ferrari factory, just outside Bologna.
The Canadian Grand Prix saw Jones win after the race was restarted following a pile-up involving Piquet and Jones at the start. This victory secured Jones the Drivers’ Championship and Williams their first Constructors’ Championship.
The final race of the season was held at Watkins Glen, located in the rolling vineyard hills above Seneca Lake . Jones won, ahead of Reutemann and Pironi.
Clay Regazzoni was paralysed from the waist down following his crash at Long Beach. Patrick Depailler was killed in a testing accident at Hockenheim. The Spanish Grand Prix was stripped of its championship status following a dispute between FISA and FOCA, with Alan Jones winning the race despite the controversy.
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