South African Grand Prix 1980 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Rene Arnoux claimed his second consecutive victory at the South African Grand Prix, establishing himself as an early championship leader while Ligier demonstrated their early-season competitiveness with a strong 2-3 finish. Arnoux's back-to-back wins for Renault signaled that turbocharged power was more than just a novelty, with the Frenchman extracting maximum performance from the RS20 at Kyalami's high altitude where thin air suited forced-induction engines perfectly.

Jacques Laffite and Didier Pironi delivered an excellent result for Ligier, with the French team's JS11/15 showing genuine pace in the early rounds. The Ligier cars benefited from strong ground-effect aerodynamics and proved particularly effective on faster circuits where mechanical grip was less critical. Williams' absence from the podium was a surprise given their Argentine victory, suggesting that the championship battle would be far from straightforward. The race highlighted Formula 1's evolving technical landscape, with multiple competitive teams pursuing different design philosophies. Arnoux's championship lead after three rounds made Renault genuine title contenders, though reliability concerns would eventually undermine their challenge.