Published evidence
South African Grand Prix 1980
A historical profile with source-linked evidence. Further research is in progress.
THE HISTORICAL RECORD
Profile & context
Event date: 1 Mar 1980
- Name
- South African Grand Prix 1980
PROVENANCE
Sources behind this page
F1DB
v2026.17.0 · races/331
Original reference ↗Historical source & scope
F1DB v2026.17.0 · CC BY 4.0. Normalisation, links and calculations by MotorPedia. Original source observations retained.
Source-reported facts are not independent historical confirmation. Missing times and points remain unknown; source-rounded points retain their published precision. Constructor, entrant and team identities are kept distinct.
Recorded qualifying format: TWO_SESSION
Grand Prix context
South African Grand Prix 1980 · Kyalami Racing Circuit
Technical formula: Formula 1. World Championship membership is separate from technical regulations.
1980 Formula 1 World Championship · round 3
Race classification
| Position | Driver | Constructor | Recorded details | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:36:52.540 · 78 laps · renault | 9 |
| 2 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:37:26.610 · 78 laps · ford | 6 |
| 3 | Didier Pironi | Ligier | 1:37:45.030 · 78 laps · ford | 4 |
| 4 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:37:53.560 · 78 laps · ford | 3 |
| 5 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | Time not recorded · 77 laps · ford | 2 |
| 6 | Jochen Mass | Arrows | Time not recorded · 77 laps · ford | 1 |
| 7 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell | Time not recorded · 77 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| 8 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | Time not recorded · 77 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| 9 | Clay Regazzoni | Ensign | Time not recorded · 77 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| 10 | Ricardo Zunino | Brabham | Time not recorded · 77 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| 11 | John Watson | McLaren | Time not recorded · 76 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| 12 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | Time not recorded · 76 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| 13 | Geoff Lees | Shadow | Suspension · Time not recorded · 70 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | Engine · Time not recorded · 69 laps · alfa-romeo | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | Puncture · Time not recorded · 61 laps · renault | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Derek Daly | Tyrrell | Puncture · Time not recorded · 61 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | Accident · Time not recorded · 58 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| NC | Patrick Depailler | Alfa Romeo | Time not recorded · 53 laps · alfa-romeo | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Alan Jones | Williams | Gearbox · Time not recorded · 34 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | Transmission · Time not recorded · 31 laps · ferrari | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | Engine · Time not recorded · 14 laps · ferrari | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | Spun off · Time not recorded · 10 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Eddie Cheever | Osella | Spun off · Time not recorded · 8 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | Spun off · Time not recorded · 1 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNS | Alain Prost | McLaren | Accident · Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNS | Marc Surer | ATS | Accident · Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNQ | David Kennedy | Shadow | Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNQ | Jan Lammers | ATS | Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
Qualifying
| Position | Driver | Constructor | Recorded details | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:10.000 · renault | |
| 2 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:10.210 · renault | |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:11.870 · ford | |
| 4 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:11.880 · ford | |
| 5 | Didier Pironi | Ligier | 1:12.110 · ford | |
| 6 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:12.150 · ford | |
| 7 | Patrick Depailler | Alfa Romeo | 1:12.160 · alfa-romeo | |
| 8 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:12.230 · ford | |
| 9 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 1:12.320 · ferrari | |
| 10 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:12.380 · ferrari | |
| 11 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:12.500 · ford | |
| 12 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:12.510 · alfa-romeo | |
| 13 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell | 1:12.700 · ford | |
| 14 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:12.740 · ford | |
| 15 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:12.930 · ford | |
| 16 | Derek Daly | Tyrrell | 1:13.040 · ford | |
| 17 | Ricardo Zunino | Brabham | 1:13.050 · ford | |
| 18 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:13.230 · ford | |
| 19 | Jochen Mass | Arrows | 1:13.250 · ford | |
| 20 | Clay Regazzoni | Ensign | 1:13.250 · ford | |
| 21 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:13.610 · ford | |
| 22 | Alain Prost | McLaren | 1:13.760 · ford | |
| 23 | Eddie Cheever | Osella | 1:13.830 · ford | |
| 24 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:13.840 · ford | |
| 25 | Geoff Lees | Shadow | 1:14.460 · ford | |
| 26 | Marc Surer | ATS | 1:14.540 · ford | |
| 27 | David Kennedy | Shadow | 1:15.230 · ford | |
| 28 | Jan Lammers | ATS | 1:15.290 · ford |
Starting grid
| Position | Driver | Constructor | Recorded details | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:10.000 · renault | |
| 2 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:10.210 · renault | |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:11.870 · ford | |
| 4 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:11.880 · ford | |
| 5 | Didier Pironi | Ligier | 1:12.110 · ford | |
| 6 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams | 1:12.150 · ford | |
| 7 | Patrick Depailler | Alfa Romeo | 1:12.160 · alfa-romeo | |
| 8 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:12.230 · ford | |
| 9 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 1:12.320 · ferrari | |
| 10 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:12.380 · ferrari | |
| 11 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:12.500 · ford | |
| 12 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:12.510 · alfa-romeo | |
| 13 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell | 1:12.700 · ford | |
| 14 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus | 1:12.740 · ford | |
| 15 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:12.930 · ford | |
| 16 | Derek Daly | Tyrrell | 1:13.040 · ford | |
| 17 | Ricardo Zunino | Brabham | 1:13.050 · ford | |
| 18 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:13.230 · ford | |
| 19 | Jochen Mass | Arrows | 1:13.250 · ford | |
| 20 | Clay Regazzoni | Ensign | 1:13.250 · ford | |
| 21 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:13.610 · ford | |
| 22 | Eddie Cheever | Osella | 1:13.830 · ford | |
| 23 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi | 1:13.840 · ford | |
| 24 | Geoff Lees | Shadow | 1:14.460 · ford |
Championship progression
| Position | Driver | Constructor | Recorded details | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Arnoux | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 18 |
| 2 | Alan Jones | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 13 |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 9 |
| 4 | Didier Pironi | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 7 |
| 5 | Elio de Angelis | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 6 |
| 5 | Jacques Laffite | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 6 |
| 7 | Keke Rosberg | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 4 |
| 8 | Derek Daly | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 3 |
| 9 | Alain Prost | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 3 |
| 10 | Bruno Giacomelli | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 2 |
| 10 | Carlos Reutemann | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 2 |
| 12 | Riccardo Patrese | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 1 |
| 12 | Jochen Mass | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 1 |