Carlos Reutemann won at Monaco after Didier Pironi crashed out of the lead. Jacques Laffite and Nelson Piquet completed the podium, with Nelson Piquet taking the championship lead for the first time. A dramatic first-corner accident eliminated four cars without serious injury.
Race Guide
Season: 1980 F1 World Championship
Race date: 18 May 1980
Race start time: 15:30 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit de Monaco
Laps: 76 laps
Circuit length: 3.312 km
1979 winner: Jody Scheckter
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Didier Pironi | Ligier |
| Pole time | 1:24.813 | |
| Fastest lap | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:27.418 on lap 40 | |
| First | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
| Second | Jacques Laffite | Ligier |
| Third | Nelson Piquet | Brabham |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 15 May 1980 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 15 May 1980 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 17 May 1980 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 17 May 1980 | Qualifying 2 | 13:00–14:00 |
| 18 May 1980 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 18 May 1980 | Race | 15:30 |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
René Arnoux arrived at round 6 leading the 1980 F1 World Championship on 21 points, with Alan Jones on 19. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 25 points.
Race entries
All 27 entrants were allowed into practice after the proposed pre-qualifying session was dropped, but only twenty could start. Ferrari brought shorter-wheelbase cars with revised wings for the street circuit. Tiff Needell remained with Ensign after his debut in Belgium.
Thursday Free Practice
Thursday morning’s kerbs proved costly for Williams, with Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann damaging skirts as they searched for speed. Ferrari’s compact Monaco configuration offered a different approach to the slow corners. The crowded track and limited places made a clean opening session especially valuable.
Thursday Qualifying
Didier Pironi was fastest on Thursday before the rain worsened. Gilles Villeneuve impressed in the wet despite a spin and an accidental activation of his fire extinguisher, which sent him back for the spare Ferrari. Nelson Piquet damaged his Brabham and had to change cars.
Saturday Free Practice
Saturday’s practice ran in dry conditions after Friday’s rain. Nelson Piquet continued in the spare Brabham following Thursday’s accident, while Tyrrell had repaired Derek Daly’s damaged suspension. With the first qualifying session having been wet, the teams had to make the most of this final preparation for a completely fresh contest for grid positions.
Saturday Qualifying
Dry conditions on Saturday decided the grid. Didier Pironi claimed his first pole ahead of Carlos Reutemann, Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet. John Watson and Keke Rosberg were among the seven non-qualifiers, while Rene Arnoux only just secured twentieth place for Renault.
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
Sunday warm-up
Overcast skies kept the threat of rain alive during Sunday’s preparations. The twenty qualifiers faced a long afternoon race with little margin for error and almost no easy overtaking opportunities. All reached the grid, with the balance between Williams and Ligier still looking particularly close.
What happened in the 1980 Monaco Grand Prix?
Didier Pironi led away, but behind him Derek Daly struck Bruno Giacomelli’s Alfa Romeo and was launched into the air. The accident also eliminated Alain Prost and Jean-Pierre Jarier. The race continued, with Alan Jones challenging Didier Pironi until differential trouble ended the Williams driver’s afternoon.
Carlos Reutemann kept the pressure on Didier Pironi as conditions became more difficult. Didier Pironi eventually hit the barrier at Casino, surrendering a possible second consecutive victory. Carlos Reutemann took over and built a commanding advantage while Jacques Laffite and Nelson Piquet followed.
Carlos Reutemann won by more than a minute, his first victory for Williams. Jacques Laffite was second and Nelson Piquet third, followed by Jochen Mass, Gilles Villeneuve and Emerson Fittipaldi. Nelson Piquet moved ahead in the drivers’ standings, while Williams took the constructors’ lead.
After the race, Nelson Piquet headed the drivers’ standings with 22 points, followed by René Arnoux on 21. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 34, with Ligier – Ford on 29.
1980 Monaco Grand Prix race results
The 1980 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 18 May 1980, with a scheduled start of 15:30 local time.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 76 | 1:55:34.365 | 9 |
| 2 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 76 | + 1:13.629 | 6 |
| 3 | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 76 | + 1:17.726 | 4 |
| 4 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows | 75 | + 1 lap | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 75 | + 1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 20 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 74 | + 2 laps | 1 |
| 7 | 11 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 73 | + 3 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 73 | + 3 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 12 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 68 | Accident | 0 |
| NC | 9 | Jan Lammers | ATS | 64 | + 12 laps | 0 |
| Ret | 25 | Didier Pironi | Ligier | 54 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 53 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 22 | Patrick Depailler | Alfa Romeo | 50 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 1 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 27 | Handling | 0 |
| Ret | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 25 | Gearbox | 0 |
| Ret | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 24 | Differential | 0 |
| Ret | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 0 | Collision | 0 |
| Ret | 3 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell | 0 | Collision | 0 |
| Ret | 8 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 0 | Collision | 0 |
| Ret | 4 | Derek Daly | Tyrrell | 0 | Collision | 0 |
| DNQ | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 31 | Eddie Cheever | Osella | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 17 | Geoff Lees | Shadow | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 21 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 6 | Ricardo Zunino | Brabham | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 14 | Tiff Needell | Ensign | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 18 | David Kennedy | Shadow | 0 |
1980 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 40 | 1:27.418 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1980 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1980 Monaco Grand Prix.
1980 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Brabham | 22 |
| 2 | René Arnoux | French | Renault | 21 |
| 3 | Alan Jones | Australian | Williams | 19 |
| 4 | Didier Pironi | French | Ligier | 17 |
| 5 | Carlos Reutemann | Argentine | Williams | 15 |
| 6 | Jacques Laffite | French | Ligier | 12 |
| 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Arrows | 7 |
| 8 | Elio de Angelis | Italian | Lotus | 6 |
| 9 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Brazilian | Fittipaldi | 5 |
| 10 | Keke Rosberg | Finnish | Fittipaldi | 4 |
| 11 | Jochen Mass | German | Arrows | 4 |
| 12 | Derek Daly | Irish | Tyrrell | 3 |
| 13 | John Watson | British | McLaren | 3 |
| 14 | Gilles Villeneuve | Canadian | Ferrari | 3 |
| 15 | Alain Prost | French | McLaren | 3 |
| 16 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | French | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 17 | Jody Scheckter | South African | Ferrari | 2 |
| 18 | Bruno Giacomelli | Italian | Alfa Romeo | 2 |
| – | Ricardo Zunino | Argentine | Brabham | 0 |
| – | Mario Andretti | American | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Marc Surer | Swiss | ATS | 0 |
| – | Clay Regazzoni | Swiss | Ensign | 0 |
| – | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | French | Renault | 0 |
| – | Jan Lammers | Dutch | ATS | 0 |
| – | Geoff Lees | British | Shadow | 0 |
| – | Patrick Depailler | French | Alfa Romeo | 0 |
| – | Eddie Cheever | American | Osella | 0 |
| – | Tiff Needell | British | Ensign | 0 |
1980 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 34 |
| 2 | Ligier – Ford | 29 |
| 3 | Brabham – Ford | 22 |
| 4 | Renault | 21 |
| 5 | Arrows – Ford | 11 |
| 6 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 9 |
| 7 | Lotus – Ford | 6 |
| 8 | McLaren – Ford | 6 |
| 9 | Tyrrell – Ford | 5 |
| 10 | Ferrari | 5 |
| 11 | Alfa Romeo | 2 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ensign – Ford | 0 |
| — | Shadow – Ford | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 0 |
Drivers counted their best five results from rounds 1–7 and their best five from rounds 8–14. Constructors counted every round. The standings show retained championship points.
1980 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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