1980 season in Formula 1: Born under the hot Australian sun

1980 season in Formula 1: Born under the hot Australian sun

The 1980 season in Formula 1 did not start as expected for Ferrari and their big star Jody Scheckter. Neither the team nor the driver has been able to resist the innovation and zest that the competition has brought this season. Thus, the "black horses" fail to defend their world titles, and new heroes emerge on the scene.

A few years after the appearance of Williams-Ford in Formula 1, the British team does not stop looking for the right approach to make them competitive. In 1980 their efforts finally pay off when Alan Jones joins the team. Despite fierce competition in the 14 starts of the season, the Australian triumphed with the drivers' world title. Thus ending the 14-year drought in which no competitor from the "green continent" lifted the most valuable trophy in Formula 1. The last time it was done by Jack Brabham in 1966. For Jones, this is the first and only world title of the most elite car race. In the general standings, Jones-Nelson's biggest competitor Piquet with Brabham-Ford remains second. Carlos Reutman, also with Williams-Ford, is third. The successful performance of the drivers of the British team brought Williams their first constructors' world title.

The 1980 season is marked by another tragic incident. During one of the tests, part of the pilots' training, the Frenchman Patrick Depailer died. In the same year, future world champions Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell made their debut. And even after his disappointing performance in 1980, when he finished 19th in the final standings, former world champion Jody Schecter ended his career.