1980 Argentine Grand Prix

The 1980 season opens at the Autodromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires. This is the 16th Argentine Grand Prix and the sixth to be held on the No.15 circuit variant — a 5.81-kilometre layout run over 53 laps for a total distance of 308 kilometres.

Entrants

Alain Prost makes his Formula One debut with McLaren, replacing Patrick Tambay. Keke Rosberg takes his first World Championship start with Fittipaldi. New Italian constructor Osella makes its championship debut with Eddie Cheever. Shadow field two debutants: David Kennedy and Stefan Johansson. Carlos Reutemann races for Williams for the first time; Didier Pironi takes his first start for Ligier.

Practice

After Friday practice, the intense Buenos Aires summer heat — combined with the aerodynamic suction generated by the field’s ground-effect cars — caused the circuit surface to begin breaking up across the infield section. Led by Emerson Fittipaldi, the drivers staged a protest and the organisers attempted repairs, but the surface remained in poor condition heading into race day.