Alan Jones celebrated his new world title with victory in the final Formula 1 race at Watkins Glen. Carlos Reutemann completed a Williams one-two, while Didier Pironi finished third. Bruno Giacomelli had dominated much of the afternoon before his Alfa Romeo stopped with electrical trouble.
Race Guide
Season: 1980 F1 World Championship
Race date: 5 October 1980
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-04:00)
Circuit: Watkins Glen International
Laps: 59 laps
Circuit length: 5.435 km
1979 winner: Gilles Villeneuve
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo |
| Pole time | 1:33.291 | |
| Fastest lap | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:34.068 on lap 44 | |
| First | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Second | Carlos Reutemann | Williams |
| Third | Didier Pironi | Ligier |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 3 October 1980 | Practice 1 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 3 October 1980 | Qualifying 1 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 4 October 1980 | Practice 2 | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 4 October 1980 | Qualifying 2 | Start time unconfirmed |
| 5 October 1980 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 5 October 1980 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Alan Jones arrived at round 14 leading the 1980 F1 World Championship on 62 points, with Nelson Piquet on 54. Williams – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 105 points.
Race entries
Renault fielded only Rene Arnoux after Jean-Pierre Jabouille’s Canadian injuries. Geoff Lees replaced Cogan in the second RAM Williams, while Tyrrell again entered Mike Thackwell. Jody Scheckter and Emerson Fittipaldi approached their final Grand Prix appearances, and Mario Andretti was completing his last race for Lotus.
Friday Free Practice
Friday’s first session brought an accident for Geoff Lees, setting the tone for a weekend of interruptions. The recently resurfaced circuit still challenged the cars over its undulations. Teams also had substantial rebuilding behind them after Montreal, making further damage particularly unwelcome at the final round.
Friday Qualifying
Bruno Giacomelli was quickest on both days and claimed the only pole of his Formula 1 career. His final improvement put him well clear of Nelson Piquet, with Carlos Reutemann third and de Elio de Angelis fourth. Alan Jones qualified fifth after losing time behind a spinning Rupert Keegan.
Saturday Free Practice
Alain Prost crashed heavily on Saturday morning after an apparent suspension failure. Mike Thackwell’s brake-disc failure contributed to Tyrrell withdrawing his car, while Keke Rosberg hit the wall and Eddie Cheever suffered suspension trouble. Didier Pironi needed the spare Ligier after an engine problem, leaving several teams struggling simply to prepare for qualifying.
Saturday Qualifying
Rene Arnoux and Didier Pironi followed, while Hector Rebaque produced another strong performance in eighth. Repeated incidents interrupted the sessions, and Alain Prost’s eventual withdrawal changed the starting field. Bruno Giacomelli’s pole was Alfa Romeo’s first as a constructor since 1951.
Combined Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s faster time from the two qualifying sessions determined the overall order.
Sunday warm-up
Alain Prost tried the spare McLaren on Sunday morning but withdrew because of the effects of his accident, admitting Jan Lammers to the grid. Jacques Laffite returned after missing Saturday’s running with whiplash from his Friday crash. These final fitness decisions changed the field before the season’s last start.
What happened in the 1980 United States Grand Prix?
Bruno Giacomelli led cleanly, while Alan Jones ran wide at the first corner and dropped into the midfield. The new champion began an assertive recovery as Nelson Piquet and Carlos Reutemann pursued the Alfa Romeo. Bruno Giacomelli built a substantial advantage at the front.
Nelson Piquet spun and retired with damaged skirts. Alan Jones passed Didier Pironi and Carlos Reutemann, then inherited the lead when Bruno Giacomelli stopped with electrical trouble. Mario Andretti moved into the points after John Watson’s damper problem, later regaining sixth when Rene Arnoux slowed with skirt damage.
Alan Jones won ahead of Carlos Reutemann and Didier Pironi, with de Elio de Angelis fourth, Jacques Laffite fifth and Mario Andretti sixth. Williams completed its championship season with another one-two. Watkins Glen, Jody Scheckter and Emerson Fittipaldi all bowed out of Formula 1 on an afternoon that closed a significant chapter of the sport.
After the race, Alan Jones headed the drivers’ standings with 67 points, followed by Nelson Piquet on 54. Williams – Ford led the constructors’ table on 120, with Ligier – Ford on 66.
1980 United States Grand Prix race results
The 1980 United States Grand Prix was held on 5 October 1980.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 59 | 1:34:36.05 | 9 |
| 2 | 28 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 59 | + 4.21 | 6 |
| 3 | 25 | Didier Pironi | Ligier | 59 | + 12.57 | 4 |
| 4 | 12 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 59 | + 29.69 | 3 |
| 5 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 58 | + 1 lap | 2 |
| 6 | 11 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 58 | + 1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 58 | + 1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | 9 | Marc Surer | ATS | 57 | + 2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 50 | Rupert Keegan | Williams | 57 | + 2 laps | 0 |
| 10 | 21 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 57 | + 2 laps | 0 |
| 11 | 1 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 56 | + 3 laps | 0 |
| NC | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 50 | + 9 laps | 0 |
| Ret | 2 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 49 | Accident | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell | 40 | + 19 laps | 0 |
| Ret | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows | 36 | Transmission | 0 |
| Ret | 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 31 | Electrical | 0 |
| Ret | 5 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 25 | Spun off | 0 |
| Ret | 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Brabham | 20 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 31 | Eddie Cheever | Osella | 21 | Suspension | 0 |
| Ret | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 16 | Spun off | 0 |
| Ret | 14 | Jan Lammers | Ensign | 16 | Steering | 0 |
| Ret | 20 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 15 | Suspension | 0 |
| Ret | 4 | Derek Daly | Tyrrell | 3 | Spun off | 0 |
| Ret | 22 | Andrea de Cesaris | Alfa Romeo | 2 | Accident | 0 |
| DNS | 8 | Alain Prost | McLaren | Driver injured | 0 |
1980 United States Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 44 | 1:34.068 |
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 United States Grand Prix.
1980 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1980 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williams – Ford | 120 |
| 2 | Ligier – Ford | 66 |
| 3 | Brabham – Ford | 55 |
| 4 | Renault | 38 |
| 5 | Lotus – Ford | 14 |
| 6 | Tyrrell – Ford | 12 |
| 7 | Arrows – Ford | 11 |
| 8 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 11 |
| 9 | McLaren – Ford | 11 |
| 10 | Ferrari | 8 |
| 11 | Alfa Romeo | 4 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ensign – Ford | 0 |
| — | Osella – Ford | 0 |
| — | Shadow – 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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