1980 United States Grand Prix

1980 United States Grand Prix
Race 14 of 14 in the 1980 Formula One season
Race details
Date October 5, 1980
Official name XXIII Toyota United States Grand Prix
Location Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course
Watkins Glen, New York
Course Permanent road course
Course length 5.435 km (3.377 miles)
Distance 59 laps, 320.67 km (199.24 miles)
Weather Cloudy and dry with temperatures reaching up to 12 °C (54 °F);
Wind speeds up to 14.82 km/h (9.21 mph)[1]
Pole position
Driver Alfa Romeo
Time 1:33.291
Fastest lap
Driver Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford
Time 1:34.068 on lap 44
Podium
First Williams-Ford
Second Williams-Ford
Third Ligier-Ford
Lap leaders

The 1980 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 5, 1980 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.[2] This event was also referred to as the United States Grand Prix East in order to distinguish it from the United States Grand Prix West held on March 30, 1980 in Long Beach, California.

It was the fourteenth and final race of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the 30th United States Grand Prix, the 20th and last to be held at Watkins Glen, and the last to be held for nine years (other Formula One races were held in the United States during that time, but none were billed as the United States Grand Prix). The race was held over 59 laps of the 5.435-kilometre (3.377 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 320.67 kilometres (199.26 mi).

The race was won by the new World Champion, Australian driver Alan Jones, driving a Williams FW07B. It was Jones' fifth World Championship Formula One victory of the season and the sixth of the seven Grands Prix (including Spain and Australia) he would win in his career defining season. Jones won by four seconds over his Argentine team mate Carlos Reutemann with French driver Didier Pironi finishing third in his Ligier JS11/15. Two former World Champions, Emerson Fittipaldi and Jody Scheckter, retired after the race, although Fittipaldi would later return to racing in the American CART series.[3]

  1. ^ "Weather History for Watkins Glen, NY". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "1980 United States Grand Prix Entry list".
  3. ^ "F1 - The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Retrieved August 6, 2024.