Formula 1 used to be a spectacle in the 1980’s and produced some of the most entertaining races in the history of the sport. 1980’s was the golden phase of Formula One, the phase of Senna, Mansell, Piquet and Prost. Unlike recent times, back then, the focus was on the driver rather than his car and many a times, surprises were produced where the winning car was nowhere near the pace of it’s competitors. Even though it is difficult to pick only 5 races, here we bring you the 5 best 1980s Formula 1 races in numerical order of the years in which the race took place.

5 Best 1980s Formula 1 Races

5. 1981 Spanish Grand Prix

The race was won by Gilles Villeneuve and is considered to be Villeneuve’s tactical master-piece and one of his best races ever. Even though his Ferrari was not upto the mark, the Canadian qualified in 7th place and was 3rd by the first corner in the race, damaging Prost’s front wing in the process. By the end of the lap, Villeneuve stepped out of the slipstream of Reutemann and took 2nd place from the Argentinian. Jones, who was leading the race, went off track and by the time he joined back, he was 10 seconds behind Villeneuve. The conditions were very hot and at the front, it became a 5 way tie with Villeneuve narrowly leading. The Canadian used the power of his Ferrari engine to pull away on the straights but in the corners, others were all over him. Many would pull alongside the Ferrari but when the Ferrari horsepower kicked in, Gilles went ahead. In the end, the five crossed the line with a gap of just 1.24 seconds to record the second closest race in the history of Formula 1. This was the last ever victory for Gilles Villeneuve, but he made sure it was one of the best 1980s Formula 1 races.

Read More : F1 Archives : The Iconic 1981 Spanish Grand Prix