1980 Formula One season — 31st season of FIA Formula One World Championship
Alan Jones became the first Australian Formula One World Champion since 1966, with Williams claiming their first Drivers' and Constructors' titles.
Key Facts
- Season number
- 34th FIA Formula One season
- Races
- 14 championship races
- Season span
- 13 January – 5 October 1980
- Champion
- Alan Jones (Williams-Ford)
- Previous Australian champion
- Jack Brabham, 1966
- Driver fatality
- Patrick Depailler, testing at Hockenheim
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1979 season had seen Jody Scheckter and Ferrari dominate, but Williams had developed a highly competitive car. Nelson Piquet was emerging as a serious contender, and the sport was entering a generational transition with new drivers and teams gaining strength.
The 1980 Formula One World Championship ran across fourteen races from January to October. Alan Jones, driving for Williams-Ford, secured the Drivers' title, while Williams also won the Constructors' Championship. The season also saw the debuts of future champions Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell, and the death of Patrick Depailler during testing.
Williams established themselves as a leading team in Formula One. Defending champions Ferrari and Scheckter endured a dismal title defense, leading to Scheckter's retirement. Nelson Piquet's strong showing foreshadowed his later championships, and the debuts of Prost and Mansell signaled a new era of talent entering the sport.