1979 Formula One Season

The 1979 Formula One season, alternately known as the 1979 FIA Formula One World Championship, was the 30th season of World Championship racing organised by the FIA to the Formula One rulebook. 1979 proved to be a season of intrigue and a changing of the guard, with former Champions retiring, new manufacturers arriving, and FISA and FOCA drawing battle lines as they continued to fight for control over the series.

Mario Andretti would start the season as the defending drivers' Champion, while his team, Lotus-Ford Cosworth campaigned as the defending holders of the International Cup for Constructors.^[1] They duly started the 1979 season as the favourites having introduced the concept of ground-effect to Formula One, with fifteen races scheduled between January and October.^[2]

However, the opening round in Argentina underlined how far the ground-effect revolution had come, for Ligier racer Jacques Laffite swept to victory, the first for himself and the French constructor.^[2] The Frenchman duly made it two from two with pole, victory and fastest lap in Brazil, before Gilles Villeneuve claimed victory at the following two rounds.^[3]

Patrick Depailler was the next winner of the season, claiming the honours in Spain, followed by two victories for Jody Scheckter.^[4] Indeed, the South African ace would make his bid for the Championship with a series of strong finishes across the first half of the season, with Villeneuve, Laffite and Depailler all failing to register major points if they failed to win.^[4]

The second half of the season would see the rise of Renault and Williams, with Jean-Pierre Jabouille claiming a historic victory for Renault at their home race at Dijon Prenois.^[5] Clay Regazzoni was the next winner, before Alan Jones went on a run of three consecutive victories, although Scheckter's consistent scoring ensured that the Australian was too far back to challenge for the crown.^[6]

Indeed, Scheckter and Ferrari would secure their crowns at the 1979 Italian Grand Prix, with the South African sweeping to victory ahead of teammate Villeneuve.^[7] The Canadian ace then enjoyed a race long battle with Jones for victory on his home soil, with Jones ultimately emerging ahead, before ending the season with victory at the season finale at Watkins Glen.^[8]

Outside of the fight for the Championship there would be sweeping changes at McLaren, a complete collapse from Lotus, and the return of Alfa Romeo. Niki Lauda would also call time on his F1 career, although would ultimately return in 1982, as did 1976 Champion James Hunt at Le Mans legend Jacky Ickx.

BackgroundEdit

Teams and DriversEdit

Constructor	Chassis	Tyre	No.	Driver	Rounds
Team	Engine
Lotus-Ford Cosworth	79 80	G	1	Mario Andretti	All
Martini Racing Team Lotus	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		2	Carlos Reutemann	All
Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth	009	G	3	Didier Pironi	All
Team Tyrrell	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	1-9, 12-15
			4	Geoff Lees	10
			4 33	Derek Daly	11, 14-15
Brabham-Alfa Romeo Brabham-Ford Cosworth	BT46 BT48 BT49	G	5	Niki Lauda	1-13
Parmalat Racing Team	Alfa Romeo 115-12 F12 3.0 Alfa Romeo 1260 V12 3.0 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		5	Ricardo Zunino	14-15
			6	Nelson Piquet	All
McLaren-Ford Cosworth	M26 M28 M28B M28C M29	G	7	John Watson	All
Marlboro Team McLaren	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		8	Patrick Tambay	All
ATS-Ford Cosworth	D2 D3	G	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	All
ATS Wheels	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
Ferrari	312T3 312T4 312T4B	M	11	Jody Scheckter	All
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC	Ferrari 015 F12 3.0		12	Gilles Villeneuve	All
Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth	F5A F6 F6A	G	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	All
Fittipaldi Automotive	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		19	Alex Ribeiro	14-15
Renault	RS01 RS10	M	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	All
Equipe Renault Elf	Renault EF1 V6t 1.5		16	René Arnoux	All
Shadow-Ford Cosworth	DN9	G	17	Jan Lammers	All
Samson/Interscope Shadow Racing Team	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		18	Elio de Angelis	All
Wolf-Ford Cosworth	WR7 WR8 WR9	G	20	James Hunt	1-7
Olympus Cameras Wolf Racing	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		20	Keke Rosberg	8-15
Ensign-Ford Cosworth	N177 N179	G	22	Derek Daly	1-7
Team Ensign	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		22	Patrick Gaillard	8-12
			22	Marc Surer	13-15
Merzario-Ford Cosworth	A1B A2 A4	G	24	Arturo Merzario	1-6, 8-15
Team Merzario	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		24	Gianfranco Brancatelli	7
Ligier-Ford Cosworth	JS11	G	25	Patrick Depailler	1-7
Ligier Gitanes	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		25	Jacky Ickx	8-15
			26	Jacques Laffite	All
Williams-Ford Cosworth	FW06 FE07	G	27	Alan Jones	All
Albilad-Saudia Racing Team	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		28	Clay Regazzoni	All
Arrows-Ford Cosworth	A1 A2	G	29	Riccardo Patrese	All
Warsteiner Arrows Racing Team	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		30	Jochen Mass	All
Lotus-Ford Cosworth Rebaque-Ford Cosworth	79 HR100	G	31	Héctor Rebaque	1-6, 8-15
Team Rebaque	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
Alfa Romeo	177 179	G	35	Bruno Giacomelli	6, 8, 13-15
Autodelta	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		36	Vittorio Brambilla	13-15
Kauhsen-Ford Cosworth	WK	G	36	Gianfranco Brancatelli	5-6
Willi Kauhsen Racing Team	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8

Driver changesEdit

Team changesEdit

CalendarEdit

The calendar for the 1979 World Championship tour would follow the 1978 almost identically, with some minor revisions and a late cancellation. The biggest change would be a swap between Spain and Monaco, with the latter moving to late May, while the 1979 Swedish Grand Prix was cancelled in early June after failing to secure funding. The second half of the season was then identical to how it had been in 1978, albeit with the season finale switching back to Watkins Glen.

World Championship ScheduleEdit

Outlined below is the full calendar for the 1979 FIA Formula One World Championship:

Round	Grand Prix	Date

1	Argentine Grand Prix			21 January
		Official Title	XV Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina
		Circuit	Autódromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires
		Location	Buenos Aires, Argentina
		Lap distance	5.968 km (3.709 mi)
		Race distance	316.314 km (196.59 mi)
		Date	21 January	Laps	53
		Local time	14:00 BACF	UTC	11:00

2	Brazilian Grand Prix			4 February
		Official Title	VIII Grande Premio do Brasil
		Circuit	Autódromo do Interlagos
		Location	São Paulo, Brazil
		Lap distance	7.874 km (4.894 mi)
		Race distance	314.069 km (195.195 mi)
		Date	4 February	Laps	40
		Local time	14:00 BRT	UTC	17:00

3	South African Grand Prix			3 March
		Official Title	XXV Simba Grand Prix of South Africa
		Circuit	Kyalami
		Location	Gauteng, South Africa
		Lap distance	4.104 km (2.551 mi)
		Race distance	320.112 km (198.951 mi)
		Date	3 March	Laps	78
		Local time	14:00 SAST	UTC	12:00

4	United States Grand Prix West			8 April
		Official Title	V Lubri Lon Grand Prix of Long Beach
		Circuit	Long Beach street circuit
		Location	Long Beach, California, United States
		Lap distance	3.251 km (2.021 mi)
		Race distance	261.750 km (162.679 mi)
		Date	8 April	Laps	80
		Local time	14:00 PST	UTC	22:00

5	Spanish Grand Prix			29 April
		Official Title	XXV Gran Premio de España
		Circuit	Circuito del Jarama
		Location	Jarama, Spain
		Lap distance	3.404 km (2.116 mi)
		Race distance	255.300 km (158.67 mi)
		Date	29 April	Laps	75
		Local time	14:00 CEST	UTC	12:00

6	Belgian Grand Prix			13 May
		Official Title	XXXVII Grote Prijs van Belgie
		Circuit	Zolder
		Location	Heusden-Zolder, Limburg, Belgium
		Lap distance	4.262 km (2.649 mi)
		Race distance	298.340 km (185.42 mi)
		Date	13 May	Laps	70
		Local time	14:00 CEST	UTC	12:00

7	Monaco Grand Prix			27 May
		Official Title	XXXVII Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco
		Circuit	Circuit de Monaco
		Location	Monte Carlo, Monaco
		Lap distance	3.312 km (2.058 mi)
		Race distance	251.712 km (156.44 mi)
		Date	27 May	Laps	76
		Local time	14:00 CEST	UTC	12:00

8	French Grand Prix			1 July
		Official Title	LXV Grand Prix de France
		Circuit	Dijon-Prenois
		Location	Dijon, France
		Lap distance	3.801 km (2.362 mi)
		Race distance	304.080 km (188.987 mi)
		Date	1 July	Laps	80
		Local time	14:00 CEST	UTC	12:00

9	British Grand Prix			14 July
		Official Title	XXXII Marlboro British Grand Prix
		Circuit	Silverstone
		Location	Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
		Lap distance	4.719 km (2.933 mi)
		Race distance	320.892 km (199.436 mi)
		Date	14 July	Laps	68
		Local time	15:00 BST	UTC	14:00

10	German Grand Prix			29 July
		Official Title	XLI Großer Preis von Deutschland
		Circuit	Hockenheimring
		Location	Hockenheim, Baden-Württemburg, West Germany
		Lap distance	6.789 km (4.219 mi)
		Race distance	305.505 km (189.873 mi)
		Date	29 July	Laps	45
		Local time	14:00 CEST	UTC	12:00

11	Austrian Grand Prix			12 August
		Official Title	XVII Großer Preis von Österreich
		Circuit	Österreichring
		Location	Spielburg, Styria, Austria
		Lap distance	5.941 km (3.692 mi)
		Race distance	320.814 km (199.387 mi)
		Date	12 August	Laps	54
		Local time	14:00 CEST	UTC	12:00

12	Dutch Grand Prix			26 August
		Official Title	XXVI Grote Prijs van Nederland
		Circuit	Circuit Zandvoort
		Location	Zandvoort, Netherlands
		Lap distance	4.252 km (2.643 mi)
		Race distance	318.900 km (198.198 mi)
		Date	26 August	Laps	75
		Local time	14:00 CEST	UTC	12:00

13	Italian Grand Prix			9 September
		Official Title	L Gran Premio d'Italia
		Circuit	Autodromo Nazionale Monza
		Location	Monza, Lombardy, Italy
		Lap distance	5.800 km (3.605 mi)
		Race distance	290.000 km (180.236 mi)
		Date	9 September	Laps	50
		Local time	14:00 CEST	UTC	12:00

14	Canadian Grand Prix			30 September
		Official Title	XVIII Grand Prix du Canada
		Circuit	Circuit Île Notre-Dame
		Location	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
		Lap distance	4.410 km (2.741 mi)
		Race distance	317.520 km (197.34 mi)
		Date	30 September	Laps	72
		Local time	14:00 EDT	UTC	18:00

15	United States Grand Prix			7 October
		Official Title	22nd Grand Prix of the United States
		Circuit	Watkins Glen
		Location	Watkins Glen, New York State, United States
		Lap distance	5.435 km (3.378 mi)
		Race distance	320.665 km (199.295 mi)
		Date	7 October	Laps	59
		Local time	14:00 EDT	UTC	18:00

Non-Championship RacesEdit

There would also be three non-Championship races open to the World Championship entrants, including the return of the Race of Champions. The second race was staged at Donington Park and named the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy, although it was held as a time trial rather than race. The third and final Grand Prix would be held at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari as a test event for the circuit to take over the Italian Grand Prix in 1980.

Date	Event	Circuit	Report
15 April	XIII Marlboro/Daily Mail Race of Champions	Brands Hatch	Report
3 June	Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy	Donington Park	Report
16 September	Dino Ferrari Grand Prix	Autodromo Dino Ferrari	Report

Season ReportEdit

Pre-seasonEdit

Round 1: 1979 Argentine Grand PrixEdit

The 1979 World Championship tour would kick off on the 21 January, with the Argentine Grand Prix hosting the opening round.^[2] There would be a surprise to the season, however, as Ligier swept to a front-row lock-out in qualifying, with Jacques Laffite claiming pole ahead of teammate Patrick Depailler.^[2] However, the start of the race would see a huge accident thin the field and stop the race almost before it began, with Didier Pironi, Patrick Tambay, Nelson Piquet, Jody Scheckter and Arturo Merzario left on the sidelines with heavy damage.^[2]

The second start saw Depailler leap into an early lead, while Laffite fell to fourth behind Jean-Pierre Jarier and John Watson.^[2] Laffite then produced the charge of his life to climb back into the lead before the end of lap eleven, before powering away from Depailler.^[2] He duly cruised home to claim a dominant victory, while Carlos Reutemann and Watson moved onto the podium as a misfire caused Depailler's pace to collapse late on.^[2]

Round 2: 1979 Brazilian Grand PrixEdit

Ligier again proved to be the chassis to beat at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with Laffite and Depailler again securing a front-row lock-out for the French squad.^[9] Reutemann led the anti-Ligier charge from third ahead of World Champion teammate Mario Andretti, while the Ferraris shared the third row.^[9] However, things would not go Ligier's way at the start of the race, for Reutemann was able to charge through to take second from Depailler, as Laffite swept into the lead.^[9]

Laffite duly powered away to claim his second straight victory, as well as a maiden Grand Chelem as he collected fastest lap and led every tour of the Autódromo do Interlagos.^[9] Depailler, meanwhile, would power past Reutemann early on before charging away to claim second, with the Argentine left to fight teammate Andretti for third.^[9] Mechanical fatigue eventually saw Reutemann secure the final podium spot, with Pironi, Gilles Villeneuve and Scheckter completing the points after stopping for fresh tyres.^[9]

Round 3: 1979 South African Grand PrixEdit

The XXV Simba Grand Prix of South Africa would serve as the third race of the season in early March, and would see a French built car again sweep to pole.^[10] However, this car would not be a Ligier, rather a turbocharged Renault in the hands of Jean-Pierre Jabouille.^[10] Indeed, it was a historic day for F1, for Jabouille became the first man to claim pole in a turbocharged car, a sign of things to come in the following decade.^[10]

A cloud burst during the opening lap of the race ultimately saw the race stopped at the end of the second lap, with Villeneuve having scrambled ahead of Jabouille.^[10] The Canadian duly lined up on pole for the restart, and subsequently sprinted away as the lights went out, followed by teammate Scheckter.^[10] Jabouille, meanwhile, decided to start the race on slicks in spite of the sodden track, and hence paid the price as the two Ferraris sprinted away.^[10]

However, the circuit would quickly dry, forcing the two Ferraris to stop for slicks mid-race.^[10] Villeneuve would rejoin in second, behind Scheckter, although that was only because the South African ace opted to hold onto his wets through until lap 53.^[10] Once he stopped Villeneuve was left to power home to another impressive victory, while Scheckter charged hard on his fresh slicks to claim second ahead of Jarier.^[10]

Round 4: 1979 United States Grand Prix WestEdit

The F1 circus headed back across the Atlantic for the fourth race of the season, landing at the Long Beach Street Circuit for the annual scramble in the streets of California.^[3] Qualifying would see Villeneuve sweep to pole ahead of Reutemann, while Scheckter beat Depailler to third.^[3] Indeed, the only blot on the Canadian's copy book would come on raceday, with the Canadian at fault for two false starts.^[3]

However, once the race did eventually get underway there would be no stopping Villeneuve, who duly sprinted away to claim a dominant victory.^[3] The Canadian would also secure his maiden Grand Chelem as he danced his Ferrari to fastest lap, while teammate Scheckter had to battle back from a poor opening lap to claim second.^[3] Alan Jones, meanwhile, would elbow his way through to third having endured a race long fight with Depailler and Jarier.^[3]

Round 5: 1979 Spanish Grand PrixEdit

F1 arrived in Europe for the first time in 1979 on the 29 April, with the World Championship field massing at the Circuito del Jarama for the Spanish Grand Prix.^[11] Qualifying would see Ligier return to their early form, Laffite sweeping to pole ahead of Depailler, while fresh-faced Championship leader Villeneuve beat defending Champion Andretti to third.^[11] Unfortunately for Villeneuve his hopes of claiming a third victory of the season would evaporate early on, as the Canadian bounced off the side of Reutemann on the opening tour after making a poor start.^[11]

Out front, meanwhile, Depailler would power past Laffite at the start, before the two blasted away to fight a private duel for victory.^[11] However, Laffite would ultimately ruin his race when his best opportunity to take the lead came, with an inopportune gear change causing his Ford Cosworth to detonate on lap fifteen.^[11] Depailler was hence left on his own at the head of the field, having amassed a huge lead in the opening stages.^[11]

The fight for the other podium spots would, however, rage throughout the rest of the race with Reutemann, Andretti, Scheckter and Niki Lauda all fighting hard.^[11] Ultimately mechanical fatigue eliminated Lauda, while tyre fatigue saw Scheckter drop behind both Loti late on.^[11] Reutemann hence claimed second ahead of Andretti and the South African, while Jarier and Pironi just held on to deny a charging Villeneuve a point.^[11]

Round 6: 1979 Belgian Grand PrixEdit

The Belgian Grand Prix would host yet another surprise for F1's class of 1979, with Alfa Romeo returning the field as a factory team for the first time since the 1951 Spanish Grand Prix.^[12] Bruno Giacomelli was given the honour of representing the Quadrifoglio, and while he managed to qualify for the race, he was someway off the outright pace.^[12] Indeed, pole would instead go to Laffite for the fourth time in 1979, with Depailler and Nelson Piquet, using an Alfa engined Brabham at the head of the grid.^[12]

It was advantage Depailler off the line, with the Frenchman powering past his teammate with ease as Laffite spun his wheels.^[12] Indeed, Laffite dropped behind both Piquet and Jones at the start, with Jones also managing to elbow the Brazilian out of the way to claim second at the end of the opening tour.^[12] The Ferraris and Clay Regazzoni subsequently joined the fray on the second lap, with Scheckter and Villeneuve both smacking the Swiss ace to leave the Williams with heavy damage.^[12]

Out front, meanwhile, Depailler would be caught and passed by a recovering Laffite, until both Ligiers hit tyre trouble.^[12] That briefly allowed Jones to lead until his race was ended by an electrical failure, with Depailler subsequently inheriting the lead until he went straight into the barriers with horrendous understeer.^[12] Laffite hence regained the lead, although a lack of grip meant he was powerless to prevent Scheckter sweeping through late on to claim victory.^[12]

Round 7: 1979 Monaco Grand PrixEdit

Round 8: 1979 French Grand PrixEdit

Round 9: 1979 British Grand PrixEdit

Round 10: 1979 German Grand PrixEdit

Round 11: 1979 Austrian Grand PrixEdit

Round 12: 1979 Dutch Grand PrixEdit

Round 13: 1979 Italian Grand PrixEdit

Round 14: 1979 Canadian Grand PrixEdit

Round 15: 1979 United States Grand PrixEdit

ResultsEdit

StandingsEdit

1979 FIA Formula One World Championship for DriversEdit

Outlined below are the full final standings from the 1979 FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers:

1979 FIA Formula One International Cup for ConstructorsEdit

Outlined below are the full final standings from the 1979 FIA Formula One International Cup for Constructors:

ReferencesEdit

Images and Videos:

• F1-history, 'Jacques Laffite (Brazil 1979)', deviantart.com, (DeviantArt, 26/05/2013), https://www.deviantart.com/f1-history/art/Jacques-Laffite-Brazil-1979-373910458, (Accessed 04/11/2018)
• GrandPrixMotorRacing, '#081284541', deviantart.com, (DeviantArt, 03/03/2016), https://www.deviantart.com/grandprixmotorracing/art/081284541-594409372, (Accessed 05/11/2018)
• F1-history, '1979 United States Grand Prix Start', deviantart.com, (DeviantArt, 15/08/2012), https://www.deviantart.com/f1-history/art/1979-United-States-Grand-Prix-Start-321286803, (Accessed 07/11/2018)
• F1-history, 'Reutemann| Villeneuve| Scheckter (1979 Spanish GP)', deviantart.com, (DeviantArt, 14/08/2012), https://www.deviantart.com/f1-history/art/Reutemann-Villeneuve-Scheckter-1979-Spanish-GP-321159987, (Accessed 08/11/2018)
• F1-history, 'B.Giacomelli |E.de Angelis| N.Piquet(Belgium 1979)', deviantart.com, (DeviantArt, 28/12/2012), https://www.deviantart.com/f1-history/art/B-Giacomelli-E-de-Angelis-N-Piquet-Belgium-1979-345242304, (Accessed 19/11/2018)

References:

V T E	1977 Formula One Season
Teams	Apollon • Brabham • Boro • BRM • Ensign • Ferrari • Fittipaldi • Hesketh • Kojima • LEC • Ligier • Lotus • March • McGuire • McLaren • Penske • Renault • Shadow • Surtees • Tyrrell • Wolf
Engines	Alfa Romeo • BRM • Ferrari • Ford Cosworth • Matra • Renault
Drivers	Andersson • Andretti • Ashley • Binder • Bleekemolen • Brambilla • Depailler • de Dryver • Edwards • Ertl • Fittipaldi • Francia • Giacomelli • Hayje • Henton • Heyer • Hoffman • Hoshino • Hunt • Ickx • Jabouille • Jarier • Jones • Keegan • Kessel • Kozarowitzky • Laffite • Lauda • Leoni • Lunger • Mass • McGuire • Merzario • Neve • Nilsson • Oliver • Ongais • Pace • Patrese • Perkins • Peterson • Pilette • Purley • Pryce • Rebaque • Regazzoni • Reutemann • Ribeiro • I. Scheckter • J. Scheckter • Schuppan • Stuck • Sutcliffe • Takahashi • Takahara • Tambay • Trimmer • Villeneuve • de Villota • Watson • Zorzi
Cars	Apollon Fly • Brabham BT45 • Boro 001 • BRM P201 • BRM P207 • Ensign N177 • Ferrari 312T • Fittipaldi FD04 • Fittipaldi F5 • Hesketh 308 • Kojima KE009 • LEC CRP1 • Ligier JS7 • Lotus 78 • March 761 • March 771 • McGuire BM1 • McLaren M23 • McLaren M26 • Penske PC4 • Renault RS01 • Shadow DN5 • Shadow DN8 • Surtees TS19 • Tyrrell 007 • Tyrrell P34 • Wolf WR1 • Wolf WR2 • Wolf WR3
Tyres	Bridgestone • Dunlop • Goodyear • Michelin
Races	Argentina • Brazil • South Africa • United States West • Spain • Monaco • Belgium • Sweden • France • Britain • Germany • Austria • Netherlands • Italy • United States • Canada • Japan
Non-championship Races	Race of Champions
See also	1976 Formula One Season • 1978 Formula One Season • Category

V T E	Formula One Seasons
1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 • 2020

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