Post Race
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), FISA's parent organization, held an extraordinary meeting of its executive committee in Athens, Greece on the day following the race. At the meeting it was decided that the race would not count for championship points. The FIA committee also decided that FOCA's seat on the FISA executive committee would be withdrawn. FIA president Prince Paul Alfons Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg commented after the meeting that "it was time to decide who runs motor racing...the (FIA) executive committee decided to take things back into its own hands...Mr Ecclestone does not own (Formula One)". In response, FOCA president Ecclestone was quoted as saying his organisation were "disappointed but not surprised that the FIA has made it impossible for us to talk."
Criticism was also made by FIA towards the RACE, for what the FIA described as "acting in a deplorable manner to the Spanish federation", by withdrawing responsibility for the organisation of the event from the Federación Española de Automovilismo (FEA) on the Friday morning before the race. The RACE contended that acted legally as they had initially delegated the responsibilities to the FEA, and had provided the required notification to the FIA when they withdrew the responsibility.
In the week following the race, Jones gave his view on the circumstances surrounding the race and whether championship points should be awarded, writing in Motor magazine "My job is to drive racing cars, not to get involved in politics. As far as I'm concerned, the Spanish GP was no different from normal: it required the same amount of effort, it covered the same distance and I gave it the same dedication that I give to any other Grand Prix. These things would have been the same whether I'd won or lost. As it happened, I won the race, and now I have to wait and see if I'll be given the points."
A RACE spokesman announced that they "still consider the Jarama race counts for points", and would appeal the decision made by the FIA in Athens. At the instigation of Frank Williams, owner of the Williams team, the British Minister for Sport Hector Monro contacted the FIA president Prince Metternich and requested that he intervene to restore relationships between FISA and FOCA, and reverse the decision to not award points. However, a meeting of the FIA Executive Committee on July 31 confirmed that the race would not count towards the world championships and no points would be awarded. In addition they declared the Grand Prix "absolutely illegal" and announced that all drivers and teams that participated in the race would each be given suspended fines of CHF3000.
In the meantime, the fines that were outstanding prior to the Spanish Grand Prix had been paid off before the next scheduled event in the championship, the French Grand Prix, which resulted in the drivers' having their racing licences returned and the event proceeding with a full entry of teams and drivers. Despite not being awarded points for his victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, Jones would go on to win the 1980 World Championship of Drivers. Speaking after the conclusion of the season, Jones said of the race "Whatever Balestre or anyone else says, that was a Grand Prix as far as I'm concerned, and I won it."
The Spanish Grand Prix was the first race to be affected as part of the FISA-FOCA war. Future races such as the 1981 South African Grand Prix and 1982 San Marino Grand Prix would also see teams not compete as the two organisations competed for control of the sport.
Read more about this topic: 1980 Spanish Grand Prix
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