René Arnoux secured his second consecutive Formula One victory, with all three podium places filled by French drivers in French-built cars for the first time since 1968.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- René Arnoux (Renault RE20)
- Victory margin
- 34 seconds over Jacques Laffite
- Circuit laps
- 78 laps of 4.104 km circuit
- Total race distance
- 320 km
- Season round
- 3rd round of 1980 F1 season
- Last Shadow Grand Prix start
- Shadow DN11 classified 13th before team exit
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1980 Formula One season reached South Africa as its third round, with Renault's turbocharged RE20 cars holding a distinct performance advantage at high-altitude Kyalami. Qualifying was marred by serious accidents: Alain Prost broke his wrist in a suspension failure and Marc Surer badly injured his legs, leaving both unable to start.
Held on 1 March 1980 over 78 laps at Kyalami, the race saw Jean-Pierre Jabouille and René Arnoux lead before Jabouille suffered a puncture. Arnoux then dominated, winning by 34 seconds ahead of Ligier drivers Jacques Laffite and Didier Pironi, producing an all-French podium in all-French cars — a feat not seen since the 1968 United States Grand Prix.
Arnoux became the new Formula One championship points leader, five points ahead of Alan Jones and nine ahead of Nelson Piquet. Renault also moved to the top of the constructors' standings. The race marked Shadow's final championship Grand Prix start, and the ATS team was forced to revert to an older chassis after their new D4 was destroyed in Surer's qualifying crash.
Result
at Kyalami, Gauteng, South Africa