1980 Brazilian Grand Prix

The 1980 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Interlagos on January 27, 1980.

Classification

Notes

• Lap leaders:
  • Gilles Villeneuve 1 lap (1)
  • Jean-Pierre Jabouille 25 laps (2-26)
  • René Arnoux 14 laps (27-40)
• Thanks to the high altitude of the Interlagos circuit, the turbo-charged Renaults of Jean-Pierre Jabouille and René Arnoux were dominant, running 1-2 for much of the race.
• Ricardo Zunino bumped into John Watson at Curva 3 and spun off; however, he was able to recover and finish the race.
• Alain Prost and Riccardo Patrese (who would both compete at the next Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos) battled for much of the second half of the race for 5th place, with Prost having the advantage through the corners while Patrese was quicker in the straights.
• Pole-sitter Jean-Pierre Jabouille made a poor start and dropped to 4th, with both Ligiers and Gilles Villeneuve in his Ferrari getting past; however, Jabouille's horsepower advantage on the high-altitude circuit meant that he passed both Ligiers (Laffite immediately on the Retao straight, Pironi at the fast Arquibacanas corner before the pit straight) at the end of the first lap and took the lead from Villeneuve at the end of the Reta Oposta into the Curva do Sol.
• This race was the last time the Brazilian Grand Prix was held on the original Interlagos circuit. The drivers, including Jody Scheckter and Alan Jones, protested this race because of the danger of the track. This was also the last Formula One race ever to be held on a track of 4.9 miles or longer.

Standings after the race

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.