David Merrett (Daventry, England) — CC BY 2.0 via Flickr - Credit links at the end of the content
After finishing our series on forgotten Formula 1 drivers from the 1990s through to 2018, we’re taking a trip further back in time. This new series will explore the Forgotten Formula 1 Drivers of earlier decades, starting with Forgotten F1 Drivers of 1980. While some articles will focus on a single season and others may combine two years when there are fewer drivers to cover, the goal remains the same: to remember those who raced in fewer than 30 Grands Prix before fading from Formula 1 history. Many fans may have forgotten these names, but they still achieved what countless racers only dreamed of—reaching the pinnacle of motorsport, even if only for a short time.
When fans think of Formula 1 in 1980, names like Nelson Piquet and Alan Jones usually come to mind. It was a season filled with ground-effect innovation, fierce championship battles, and some of the fastest cars the sport had ever seen.
Before we continue with the content below, we would like to apologise that images are not available for every driver featured in this article, as suitable licensed visuals are not currently available for use on our website.
Forgotten F1 Drivers of 1980
Beyond the stars of the era, there were also drivers whose Formula 1 careers lasted only a handful of races before they quietly faded from the spotlight.
Harald Ertl
One Weekend Too Late
Austrian driver Harald Ertl was already well known in motorsport circles long before his final F1 appearance; he was respected as a racer, and reports suggest that he was one of the man who helped rescue Niki Lauda at the Nurburgring in 1976.
By 1980, however, Formula 1 had changed dramatically, Ertl attempted a comeback at the German GP driving for ATS, it would be his only appearance of the season and the final F1 weekend of his career.
His record stood at 28 Grand Prix entries and 19 starts, but his 1980 effort never reached the grid.
Ground-effect cars required a completely different driving style compared to the cars he had raced previously, Ertl struggled to adapt and qualified last at Hockenheim, missing the race entirely.
Formula 1 was no longer his primary focus, he remained successful in touring cars and sports car racing.
Tiff Needell
Most modern fans know Tiff Needell as one of Britain’s most recognizable motoring television personalities; before television, however, he briefly raced in F1.
He made two Grand Prix entries and one start during the 1980 season with Ensign.
His debut came in Belgium, where he qualified ahead of double world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, but an engine failure ended his race after only 12 laps.
At Monaco he narrowly missed qualification and was soon replaced as Ensign moved in another direction; although Formula 1 didn’t work out, Needell went on to enjoy a lengthy and respected career in sports car racing, including numerous appearances at Le Mans.
Desiré Wilson
Wilson made just one official Formula 1 race at the 1980 British GP.
Driving for RAM Racing F1 Team, she narrowly missed qualifying after being handed a problematic chassis that was reportedly far less competitive than the car she had previously tested.
Lack of funding made matters even worse; unlike many drivers who arrived with substantial sponsorship packages; Wilson constantly fought financial limitations.
Geoff Lees
Geoff Lees experienced one of the most unusual F1 seasons ever; during 1980 he drove for four different teams, including Shadow, Ensign, Theodore, and RAM Racing.
His overrall F1 career produced 12 entires and 5 starts, but stability was impossible to find.
Every opportunity seemed temporary; teams hired him for a race or two before replacing him with drivers carrying larger sponsorship packages.
Despite showing his potential, especially at Monaco, mechanical failures and constant team changes prevented him from building momentum.
Eventually he moved to Japan; where he became highly successful and established a much longer racing career than his F1 record suggests.
Ricardo Zunino
Argendine driver entered F1 with one of the best opportunities available; in 1980 he secured seat with Brabham, one of the best teams on the grid.
His F1 career ultimately consisted of just nine F1 starts, with seven of them coming during his short stint at Brabham in 1980.
His teammate was Nelson Piquet, while Piquet was fighting near the front, Zunino struggled to match the pace, he failed to score points and often found himself qualifying deep in the field.
The situation became particularly difficult at Monaco, where he failed to qualify altogether, Bernie Ecclestone wanted a stronger second driver to support the team, and after only seven races Zunino lost his seat to Hector Rebaque.
He briefly returned with Tyrrell in 1981; but his F1 dream never recovered.
Stephen South
British driver Stephen South was regarded as one of the brightest talents of his generation; his F1 stats look remarkably, one race entry with McLaren and zero starts.
He received a one-off opportunity with McLaren at the 1980 United States GP, the McLaren car wasn’t competitive that year, he failed to qualify.
His professional driving career was over before it truly began after an accident in Cam-Am months later.
David Kennedy
Irish driver David Kennedy entered F1 in 1980 with Shadow; a team already nearing collapse, his F1 record shows seven Grand Prix entries and zero starts.
The stats only tell part of the story, Shadow’s cars were among the slowest on the grid and suffered from severe reliability and aero issues, Kennedy spent the season fighting simply to qualify.
After Shadow folded; Kenedy left F1 behind and found much greater success in endurance racing, particularly with Mazda at Le Mans.
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Mike Thackwell
New Zealand’s Mike Thackwell remains one of the great ‘what if’ stories of F1, during 1980 he made five GP entries and one official start.
At just 19 years old; he became the youngest F1 starter in history at the time.
His most famous moment came at the Canadian GP, after qualifying for Tyrrell, he survived the first corner chaos when the race was stopped. Because Tyrrell lacked enough spare cars, the team ordered to surrender his car to an experienced teammate for the restart.
Despite winning the Formula 2 Championship in 1984, he was given another opportunity in Formula 1 that same year, making appearances with both Tyrrell and Skoal Bandit F1. However, those chances failed to lead to a full-time seat, and he never received another opportunity to race in Formula 1 again.
Kevin Cogan
American driver Kevin Cogan’s F1 career consisted of just one Grand Prix entry in 1980, followed by another unsuccessful attempt in 1981.
His lone 1980 appearance came at the Canadian GP driving a customer Williams for Ram Racing.
The factory Williams team was dominating F1; but RAM’s version lacked the latest updates and support; Cogan failed to qualify and never received another meaningful opportunity in F1.
His career took a different direction; returning to the United States, he became a respected IndyCar driver, nearly won the Indianapolis 500, and spent years competing at the highest level of American open-wheel racing.
The Forgotten Side of Formula 1
The 1980 F1 season is remembered for champions and title battles; but it also produced countless stories of drivers whose careers ended almost before they began.
Their names rarely appear in discussions about Formula 1 history today, which is exactly why we at CarsRave try to bring these forgotten drivers back into the spotlight. Their stories deserve to be remembered, and many fans enjoy rediscovering the names that time has almost erased. The journey doesn’t end here either—the next chapter, Forgotten F1 Drivers of 1981, will be coming soon.
Featured Image Credits: David Merrett (Daventry, England) — CC BY 2.0 via Flickr
Other interesting stories about forgotten F1 Drivers of the past:
PART 1: Forgotten F1 Drivers 1990 to 1992
PART 2: Forgotten F1 Drivers 1993 to 1994
PART 3: Forgotten F1 Drivers of 1995 and 1996
