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25px United States  1980 United States Grand Prix
Race details
Race 14 of 14 in the 1980 Formula One season
Watkins Glen International Track Map-1970-1980.svg
Date October 5, 1980
Official name XXIII Toyota United States Grand Prix
Location Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course
Watkins Glen, New York
Course Permanent road course
5.435 km (3.377 mi)
Distance 59 laps, 320.67 km (199.24 mi)
Weather Cloudy, dry
Pole position
Driver 25px Italy Bruno Giacomelli Alfa Romeo
Time 1:33.291
Fastest lap
Driver 25px Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford
Time 1:34.068 on lap 44
Podium
First 25px Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford
Second 25px Argentina Carlos Reutemann Williams-Ford
Third 25px France Didier Pironi Ligier-Ford

The 1980 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 5, 1980 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. This event was also referred to as the United States Grand Prix East in order to distinguish it from the United States Grand Prix West held on March 30, 1980 in Long Beach, California.

It was the final race of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the 30th United States Grand Prix, the 20th and last to be held at Watkins Glen and the last to be held for nine years. The race was held over 59 laps of the 5.435-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 321 kilometres.

The race was won by the new world champion, Australian driver Alan Jones, driving a Williams FW07B. It was Jones' fifth world championship Formula One victory of the season and the sixth of the seven Grands Prix (including Spain and Australia) he would win in his career defining season. Jones won by four seconds over his Argentinian team mate Carlos Reutemann with French driver Didier Pironi finishing third in his Ligier JS11/15.


Summary[]

In the fall of 1980, the autumn colors of upstate New York passed from the Formula One calendar just as the name of Frank Williams was being scrawled across it. Williams' first Championship season, his eleventh as an owner, ended in style with another victory by team leader and new Driver's Champion Alan Jones, but this was the last Grand Prix to be held on the historic Watkins Glen course in the wooded hills at the foot of Seneca Lake. The Glen's demise came about when attempts to resurface the track proved not to be enough, runoff areas became too short for the speeds produced, and attendance was not what it had been, for even this race had been in doubt until just a month before.

As the track's last Grand Prix weekend got under way, the big surprise of qualifying was the Alfa Romeo of Italian Bruno Giacomelli, who was quickest in both Friday's and Saturday's sessions, he averaged 130.314 mph (208.502 km/h). The Italian took the only pole of his 69-race career, and the first for Alfa Romeo since 1951, by three-quarters of a second over a tightly-bunched group including Nelson Piquet's Brabham, Carlos Reutemann's Williams, Elio de Angelis' Lotus and Jones in the second Williams.

Race day threatened rain, but none appeared. Alain Prost, completing his first F1 season, was still suffering from the effects of his qualifying crash on Saturday, and was replaced after the warmup by Dutchman Jan Lammers. At the start, Giacomelli got off the line well and led into the first turn. Jones rocketed forward from fifth on the grid to second entering Turn One, but he could not hold his line through the turn. He swung wide onto the dirt, then collected himself and continued, finishing the first lap in fourteenth place.

At the end of a lap, Giacomelli had opened a gap back to Piquet, followed by Reutemann, Didier Pironi, de Angelis and Hector Rebaque. In two more laps, the Alfa was ahead by two and a half seconds. Meanwhile, Jones was battling his way back through the field, and on lap 7, he was already poking around the gearbox of John Watson's McLaren, trying to take seventh place. Watson held him off until the tenth lap, and, once by, Jones quickly pulled away after de Angelis and Pironi.

Giacomelli continued to set an even pace, and his lead was ten seconds on lap 21, with Reutemann now threatening Piquet, whose tires were beginning to go off. Jones had caught up to de Angelis, and on the next lap, got around him for fifth.

Reutemann's pressure, and the Brabham's increasing lack of grip, finally got to Piquet on lap 26 as he spun off in turn one. The off-road excursion damaged a skirt, and he retired after reaching the pits. Three laps later, Jones passed Pironi for third, as the Ligier was also suffering from tire wear.

The only car between Jones and the leader now was teammate Reutemann, but with the Driver's Championship already in Jones' hands, there would be no team orders. Understeer induced by a worn left front tire was plaguing the Argentinian, however, and Jones easily overcame him on lap 30 and set his sights on Giacomelli, now 12 seconds ahead. The red and white Alfa Romeo coasted to a halt on the circuit on lap 32 with electrical trouble. Once in the lead, Jones went faster and faster, finally doing a 1:34.068 on lap 44, better than his qualifying time.

When Watson pitted to replace a broken shock absorber on his McLaren, crowd favorite Mario Andretti moved up to the final points position. A set of new tires allowed René Arnoux to catch and pass the American, but a broken skirt soon slowed the Renault, and Andretti was able to regain the sixth spot and score his only point of the season.

The Williams team celebrated the climax to a year in which they had taken the Driver's and Constructor's Championships by waving a huge Union Flag at their one-two finish. The race saw not only the end of Formula One at Watkins Glen, but former champions Emerson Fittipaldi and Jody Scheckter's last Grand Prix and Mario Andretti's last race for Colin Chapman and Lotus.

Classification[]

Qualifying[]

Pos No. Driver Constructor Time Gap
1 23 25px Italy Bruno Giacomelli Alfa Romeo 1:33.291 -
2 5 25px Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-Ford 1:34.080 + .789
3 28 25px Argentina Carlos Reutemann Williams-Ford 1:34.111 + .820
4 12 25px Italy Elio De Angelis Lotus-Ford 1:34.185 + .894
5 27 25px Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford 1:34.216 + .925
6 16 25px France René Arnoux Renault 1:34.839 + 1.548
7 26 25px France Didier Pironi Ligier-Ford 1:34.971 + 1.680
8 6 25px Mexico Hector Rebaque Brabham-Ford 1:35.166 + 1.875
9 7 25px UK John Watson McLaren-Ford 1:35.202 + 1.921
10 22 25px Italy Andrea De Cesaris Alfa Romeo 1:35.235 + 1.954
11 11 25px USA Mario Andretti Lotus-Ford 1:35.343 + 2.052
12 25 25px France Jacques Laffite Ligier-Ford 1:35.421 + 2.130
13 8 25px France Alain Prost McLaren-Ford 1:35.988 + 2.697
14 21 25px Finland Keke Rosberg Fittipaldi-Ford 1:36.332 + 3.041
15 50 25px UK Rupert Keegan Williams-Ford 1:36.750 + 3.459
16 31 25px United States Eddie Cheever Osella-Ford 1:36.908 + 3.607
17 9 25px Switzerland Marc Surer ATS-Ford 1:37.001 + 3.710
18 2 25px Canada Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari 1:37.040 + 3.749
19 20 25px Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Fittipaldi-Ford 1:37.088 + 3.797
20 29 25px Italy Riccardo Patrese Arrows-Ford 1:37.405 + 4.114
21 4 25px Flag of the Republic of Ireland Derek Daly Tyrrell-Ford 1:37.923 + 4.632
22 3 25px France Jean-Pierre Jarier Tyrrell-Ford 1:37.966 + 4.675
23 1 25px South Africa Jody Scheckter Ferrari 1:38.149 + 4.858
24 30 25px Germany Jochen Mass Arrows-Ford 1:38.526 + 5.535
25 14 25px Netherlands Jan Lammers Ensign-Ford 1:38.532 + 5.541
DNQ 43 25px New Zealand Mike Thackwell Tyrrell-Ford 1:51.102 + 17.811
DNQ 51 25px UK Geoff Lees Williams-Ford - -

Race[]

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 27 25px Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford 59 1:34:36.05 5 9
2 28 25px Argentina Carlos Reutemann Williams-Ford 59 +4.21 secs 3 6
3 25 25px France Didier Pironi Ligier-Ford 59 +12.57 secs 7 4
4 12 25px Italy Elio de Angelis Lotus-Ford 59 +29.69 secs 4 3
5 26 25px France Jacques Laffite Ligier-Ford 58 +1 Lap 12 2
6 11 25px United States Mario Andretti Lotus-Ford 58 +1 Lap 11 1
7 16 25px France René Arnoux Renault 58 +1 Lap 6
8 9 25px Switzerland Marc Surer ATS-Ford 57 +2 Laps 17
9 50 25px United Kingdom Rupert Keegan Williams-Ford 57 +2 Laps 15
10 21 25px Finland Keke Rosberg Fittipaldi-Ford 57 +2 Laps 14
11 1 25px South Africa Jody Scheckter Ferrari 56 +3 Laps 23
NC 7 25px United Kingdom John Watson McLaren-Ford 50 +9 Laps 9
Ret 2 25px Canada Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari 49 Accident 18
NC 3 25px France Jean-Pierre Jarier Tyrrell-Ford 40 +19 Laps 22
Ret 30 25px Germany Jochen Mass Arrows-Ford 36 Transmission 24
Ret 23 25px Italy Bruno Giacomelli Alfa Romeo 31 Electrical 1
Ret 5 25px Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-Ford 25 Spun Off 2
Ret 6 25px Mexico Hector Rebaque Brabham-Ford 20 Engine 8
Ret 31 25px United States Eddie Cheever Osella-Ford 20 Suspension 16
Ret 29 25px Italy Riccardo Patrese Arrows-Ford 16 Spun Off 20
Ret 14 25px Netherlands Jan Lammers Ensign-Ford 16 Steering 25
Ret 20 25px Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Fittipaldi-Ford 15 Suspension 19
Ret 4 25px Flag of the Republic of Ireland Derek Daly Tyrrell-Ford 3 Spun Off 21
Ret 22 25px Italy Andrea de Cesaris Alfa Romeo 2 Accident 10
DNS 8 25px France Alain Prost McLaren-Ford Driver Injured 13
DNQ 43 25px New Zealand Mike Thackwell Tyrrell-Ford
DNQ 51 25px United Kingdom Geoff Lees Williams-Ford

Lap leaders[]

Standings after the race[]

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 25px Australia Alan Jones 67 (71)
2 25px Brazil Nelson Piquet 54
3 25px Argentina Carlos Reutemann 42 (49)
4 25px France Jacques Laffite 34
5 25px France Didier Pironi 32
Constructors' Championship standings
Pos Constructor Points
1 25px UK Williams-Ford 120
2 25px France Ligier-Ford 66
3 25px UK Brabham-Ford 55
4 25px France Renault 38
5 25px UK Lotus-Ford 14
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Only the best 5 results from the first 7 races and the best 5 results from the last 7 races counted towards the Drivers' Championship. If different to Championship points, total points scored are shown in parentheses.

References[]

  • Rob Walker (January, 1981). "22nd United States Grand Prix: Final Round". Road & Track, 110-113.


Previous race:
1980 Canadian Grand Prix
FIA Formula One World Championship
1980 season
Next race:
1981 United States Grand Prix West
Previous race:
1979 United States Grand Prix
United States Grand Prix Next race:
1985 United States Grand Prix
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