Mar 01, 2008
The 1980 F1 season was exciting but it also had its share of sad moments. Alan Jones, René Arnoux and Nélson Piquet turned out to be stars but another great star lost his life—Patrick Depailler, on August 1 while testing at Hockenheim. This season began on January 13th and the races had begun. There would be many a lap and a total of fourteen races before Alan could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Although the Spanish Grand Prix was not counted in the World Championships, it was still driven on June 1 leaving Alan Jones the winner in his Williams car. Jones’ luck would cease after the first race where he edged past Nelson Piquet, Keke Rosberg and the Irishman, Derek Daly. He’d have to wait five more races before he could succeed with two wins at the French and British Grand Prix. In the meantime, René Arnoux had made his presence felt while Reutemann succeeded in a Monaco Grand Prix win. The French man, Pironi, would rev up his Ligier-Ford to win the Belgian Grand Prix. This was an impressive win considering the status of the drivers who tried to edge past him—Jones, Reutemann and Arnoux! But it wasn’t roses for everyone—there were thorns by Villeneuve’s side and he managed only 6 points for the entire season. This season also heralded a clear look at some of the most powerful and pretty cars on the scene. The Ferrari T5 didn’t prove itself too well and Jody Scheckter, last year’s champion would have to kick the bucket leaving Alan Jones and his sleek Williams FW07 to cradle his win. Jones was chased hard by Piquet in the BT49 and failed to make the all important win. Meanwhile, the turbo engine was making its foundation in racing. Renault had already bagged a win in 1979 and Arnoux had won two races with Renaults early in the season. By the time the 5th race was on, a cloudy day was at hand but Reutemann stormed past the contenders and made Monte Carlo his playground. In France for the 7th race, a good fight ensues between Laffite, Pironi and Jones. Piquet secured 4th place over Arnoux and Reutemann with only 13 seconds! In the U.K for the very next race, both Ligier cars started from the first row and led until the problem presented itself—Laffite met with an accident after and Pironi had problems with his wheels. That just meant a third win for Jones, with Piquet and Reutemann finishing second and third respectively. The 10th race at Austria threw up a new contender in terms of winning—Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who edged past Alan Jones, Reutemann and Laffite; a remarkable achievement considering the heavyweights involved and the results thus far! However, in the subsequent races, Piquet partied in the Netherlands and Italy celebrating his wins. The most exciting part of season 80’ was the thirteenth race in Montreal. It was Piquet vs. Jones! Piquet started from the pole but in the very first corner Jones simply ignored the Brazilian at his side and closed the door causing a massive accident. The resultant scene meant many cars getting jammed putting an end to the race. Piquet took his race car for a second start, but this time he let Jones get the front. Within a few laps, he had already edged past the Brazilian, overtaking him—23 laps ahead and his engine blew up leaving the Williams driver free to celebrate the victory and also the championship! Some misfortunes and a mistake at Zandvoort made that the young Brazilian, Piquet, in his Brabham came close to Jones. But two wins at Montréal and Watkins Glen sealed a fantastic season and Jones was crowned World Champion with 67 points.