1980 Dutch Grand Prix

Netherlands  1980 Dutch Grand Prix
Race details
Race 11 of 14 in the 1980 Formula One season

The Zandvoort Circuit (1980-1989)
Date August 31, 1980
Official name XXVII Grote Prijs van Nederland
Location Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands
Course Permanent racing facility
4.252 km (2.642 mi)
Distance 72 laps, 306.144 km (190.229 mi)
Weather Sunny, Mild, Dry
Pole position
Driver France René Arnoux Renault
Time 1:17.44
Fastest lap
Driver France René Arnoux Renault
Time 1:19.35 on lap 67
Podium
First Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-Ford
Second France René Arnoux Renault
Third France Jacques Laffite Ligier-Ford

The 1980 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on August 31, 1980 at the Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands. It was the eleventh race of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the 29th Dutch Grand Prix. The race was held over 72 laps of the 4.252-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 306 kilometres.

The race was won by Brazilian driver, Nelson Piquet driving a Brabham BT49. The win was Piquet's second Formula One Grand Prix victory having taken his first win earlier the same year at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West. The win confirmed Piquet as being the major threat to Alan Jones' charge to the world championship crown. Piquet won by twelve seconds over French driver René Arnoux driving a Renault RE20. Less than half a second behind in third was another French driver Jacques Laffite (Ligier JS11/15).

The circuit had been altered for the second time in as many years with the back straight chicane tightened significantly. There were several new combinations. Alfa Romeo entered a second car, a replacement after Patrick Depailler's death a month earlier, for Italian veteran Vittorio Brambilla. Geoff Lees was entered in a second Ensign N180 and Jochen Mass returned from injury in an Arrows A3. Mass' return proved to be premature and he pulled out of the meeting. Tyrrell Racing test driver Mike Thackwell stepped into the car but failed in his attempt to be the youngest ever Formula One race starter.

Jones won the start from the second row of the grid to lead early until he pitted with damaged skirts. Laffite soon took the lead from Arnoux before both were picked-off by Piquet. Late in the race Arnoux regained second place. Behind Laffite, the second Williams FW07B of Carlos Reutemann finished fourth ahead of Jean-Pierre Jarier (driving his 100th Grand Prix) in the surviving Tyrrell 010 after Derek Daly had crashed earlier after brake failure. Young rookie Alain Prost claimed the final point debuting the new McLaren M30, while in seventh Gilles Villeneuve had given one of Ferrari's few 1980 highlights, running as high as third before his tyres went off.

Jones was three laps down in eleventh, his championship now in real danger as Piquet had closed to within two points. Reutemann now led the battle for third by a point over Laffite and three over Arnoux. Williams now had one hand firmly on the constructors' trophy, leading Ligier by 25 points and Brabham by 35 with Piquet's team mates providing virtually no support to the constructor's tally.

Classification

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 5 Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-Ford 72 1:38:13.83 5 9
2 16 France René Arnoux Renault 72 +12.93 secs 1 6
3 26 France Jacques Laffite Ligier-Ford 72 +13.43 secs 6 4
4 28 Argentina Carlos Reutemann Williams-Ford 72 +15.29 secs 3 3
5 3 France Jean-Pierre Jarier Tyrrell-Ford 72 +1:00.02 secs 17 2
6 8 France Alain Prost McLaren-Ford 72 +1:22.62 secs 18 1
7 2 Canada Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari 71 +1 Lap 7
8 11 United States Mario Andretti Lotus-Ford 70 Out of Fuel 10
9 1 South Africa Jody Scheckter Ferrari 70 +2 Laps 12
10 9 Switzerland Marc Surer ATS-Ford 69 +3 Laps 20
11 27 Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford 69 +3 Laps 4
Ret 4 Republic of Ireland Derek Daly Tyrrell-Ford 60 Brakes 23
Ret 23 Italy Bruno Giacomelli Alfa Romeo 58 Accident 8
Ret 31 United States Eddie Cheever Osella-Ford 38 Engine 19
Ret 29 Italy Riccardo Patrese Arrows-Ford 29 Engine 14
Ret 15 France Jean-Pierre Jabouille Renault 23 Handling 2
Ret 22 Italy Vittorio Brambilla Alfa Romeo 21 Accident 22
Ret 41 United Kingdom Geoff Lees Ensign-Ford 21 Accident 24
Ret 7 United Kingdom John Watson McLaren-Ford 18 Engine 9
Ret 20 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Fittipaldi-Ford 16 Brakes 21
Ret 43 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Lotus-Ford 15 Brakes 16
Ret 12 Italy Elio de Angelis Lotus-Ford 2 Accident 11
Ret 25 France Didier Pironi Ligier-Ford 2 Accident 15
Ret 6 Mexico Hector Rebaque Brabham-Ford 1 Gearbox 13
DNQ 50 United Kingdom Rupert Keegan Williams-Ford
DNQ 14 Netherlands Jan Lammers Ensign-Ford
DNQ 30 New Zealand Mike Thackwell Arrows-Ford
DNQ 21 Finland Keke Rosberg Fittipaldi-Ford
Wth 30 West Germany Jochen Mass Arrows-Ford Driver Injured

Lap leaders

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 Australia Alan Jones 47
2 Brazil Nelson Piquet 45
3 Argentina Carlos Reutemann 33
4 France Jacques Laffite 32
5 France René Arnoux 29

Constructors' Championship standings
Pos Constructor Points
1 United Kingdom Williams-Ford 80
2 France Ligier-Ford 55
3 United Kingdom Brabham-Ford 45
4 France Renault 38
5 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford 12

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