1979 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jacques Laffite made it two wins from two as Ligier swept the 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo de Interlagos. Pole position, the fastest lap and every racing lap led made this a complete performance, with Patrick Depailler following him home to secure the team’s first World Championship one-two.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jacques Laffite	Ligier
Pole time	2:23.07
Fastest lap	Jacques Laffite	Ligier
Fastest-lap time	2:28.760 on lap 23
First	Jacques Laffite	Ligier
Second	Patrick Depailler	Ligier
Third	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
1 February 1979	Thursday unofficial testing	Start time unconfirmed
2 February 1979	Friday morning timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
2 February 1979	Friday afternoon timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
3 February 1979	Saturday final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
4 February 1979	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
4 February 1979	Race	Start time unconfirmed

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Jacques Laffite arrived at round 2 leading the 1979 F1 World Championship on 9 points, with Carlos Reutemann on 6. Ligier – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 12 points.

Race entries

The same driver line-ups continued from Argentina, although Nelson Piquet was still troubled by the foot injury sustained there. Fittipaldi brought its new ground-effect F6 to the home race, but Emerson Fittipaldi ultimately chose the familiar F5A. Brabham also had extensive development work to assess on its new Alfa Romeo-powered cars.

Thursday unofficial testing

Interlagos’s bumps gave the new cars a demanding examination before official practice. Jan Lammers crashed heavily and moved into Shadow’s spare car, while Patrick Tambay damaged his McLaren and left the mechanics facing overnight repairs. Emerson Fittipaldi sampled the new F6 as his team weighed its promise against the proven older car.

Friday morning timed practice

Jacques Laffite wasted little time, setting his eventual pole lap during the opening 90-minute session. Ferrari initially looked the closest challenger, although Gilles Villeneuve needed the spare car and the Michelin qualifying tyres offered only a brief window of peak grip. Carlos Reutemann lost time to an engine problem and the work needed to adjust the spare Lotus to fit him.

Friday afternoon timed practice

With his benchmark safely established, Jacques Laffite sat out the second session and watched the opposition. Carlos Reutemann improved in the spare Lotus, but McLaren’s difficulties continued: another accident forced Patrick Tambay to fall back on the older M26. Derek Daly lost the session to an Ensign gearbox failure, while Elio de Angelis’s damaged Shadow required substantial repairs.

Saturday final qualifying

Warmer conditions helped protect Jacques Laffite’s Friday advantage, and Patrick Depailler secured the other front-row place. Lotus nevertheless found more speed through careful chassis adjustments, allowing Carlos Reutemann and Mario Andretti to take the second row ahead of both Ferraris.

James Hunt briefly lost the Wolf’s gear lever but managed to get the car back for repairs and qualified tenth. Nelson Piquet, still in pain, completed enough running to qualify his Brabham. Héctor Rebaque and Arturo Merzario missed the 24-car cut, while the Ligiers headed into Sunday with their confidence firmly intact.

Qualifying Classification

The best eligible lap across the timed sessions set the grid. Laffite’s pole time came in Friday morning’s opening session, rather than a separate modern-style qualifying shootout.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	2:23.07
2	25	Patrick Depailler	Ligier	2:23.99
3	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	2:24.15
4	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus	2:24.28
5	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	2:24.34
6	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	2:24.48
7	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	2:24.85
8	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	2:25.16
9	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	2:26.35
10	20	James Hunt	Wolf	2:26.37
11	16	René Arnoux	Renault	2:26.43
12	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham	2:27.57
13	27	Alan Jones	Williams	2:27.67
14	7	John Watson	McLaren	2:27.82
15	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	2:27.89
16	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	2:28.08
17	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	2:28.88
18	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren	2:29.39
19	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	2:29.42
20	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow	2:30.29
21	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow	2:31.60
22	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	2:31.64
23	22	Derek Daly	Ensign	2:31.78
24	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS	2:32.27
DNQ	31	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus	2:32.66
DNQ	24	Arturo Merzario	Merzario	2:34.08

Sunday warm-up

The final preparations brought urgent work for several teams. Jody Scheckter’s Ferrari needed an engine change, while suspension trouble affected Riccardo Patrese and Hans-Joachim Stuck. Jacques Laffite continued running after the warm-up’s chequered flag, provoking an animated pit-lane exchange before attention returned to the race.

What happened in the 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Jacques Laffite led from the start. Carlos Reutemann briefly split the Ligiers, but Patrick Depailler quickly reclaimed second and the blue cars began to escape. Mario Andretti’s fuel-system trouble ended his challenge early, while Jean-Pierre Jarier had already lost his chance when his Tyrrell stopped before the start.

Emerson Fittipaldi thrilled the home crowd by climbing into fourth, only for loose rear wheels to force a slow return to the pits. Ferrari’s tyres also deteriorated, sending both cars in for replacements. Didier Pironi recovered from a spin to establish himself behind Reutemann, while Alan Jones lost a promising points finish to fuel vaporisation.

Laffite remained out of reach and brought Depailler home behind him, with Reutemann completing the podium. Pironi finished fourth ahead of Gilles Villeneuve and Jody Scheckter. Reutemann’s push-start and formation-lap conduct generated protests, but his third place stood; Ligier’s emphatic one-two was never in doubt.

After the race, Jacques Laffite headed the drivers’ standings with 18 points, followed by Carlos Reutemann on 10. Ligier – Ford led the constructors’ table on 27, with Lotus – Ford on 12.

1979 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 4 February 1979.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	40	1:40:09.64	9
2	25	Patrick Depailler	Ligier	40	+ 5.28	6
3	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	40	+ 44.14	4
4	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	40	+ 1:25.88	3
5	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	39	+ 1 Lap	2
6	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	39	+ 1 Lap	1
7	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	39	+ 1 Lap	0
8	7	John Watson	McLaren	39	+ 1 Lap	0
9	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	39	+ 1 Lap	0
10	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	39	+ 1 Lap	0
11	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	39	+ 1 Lap	0
12	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow	39	+ 1 Lap	0
13	22	Derek Daly	Ensign	39	+ 1 Lap	0
14	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow	39	+ 1 Lap	0
15	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	38	+ 2 Laps	0
Ret	27	Alan Jones	Williams	33	Fuel System	0
Ret	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS	31	Steering	0
Ret	16	René Arnoux	Renault	28	Spun Off	0
Ret	20	James Hunt	Wolf	7	Steering	0
Ret	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren	7	Collision	0
Ret	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham	5	Gearbox	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	5	Accident	0
Ret	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus	2	Fuel Leak	0
Ret	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	0	Electrical	0
DNQ	31	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus			0
DNQ	24	Arturo Merzario	Merzario			0

1979 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	23	2:28.760

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1979 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix.

1979 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jacques Laffite	French	Ligier	18
2	Carlos Reutemann	Argentine	Lotus	10
3	Patrick Depailler	French	Ligier	9
4	John Watson	British	McLaren	4
5	Didier Pironi	French	Tyrrell	3
6	Gilles Villeneuve	Canadian	Ferrari	2
7	Mario Andretti	American	Lotus	2
8	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Fittipaldi	1
9	Jody Scheckter	South African	Ferrari	1
–	Jochen Mass	German	Arrows	0
–	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Shadow	0
–	Alan Jones	Australian	Williams	0
–	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Arrows	0
–	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	Williams	0
–	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	French	Renault	0
–	Derek Daly	Irish	Ensign	0
–	Jan Lammers	Dutch	Shadow	0
–	Hector Rebaque	Mexican	Lotus	0
–	James Hunt	British	Wolf	0
–	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	Tyrrell	0
–	Hans-Joachim Stuck	German	ATS	0
–	René Arnoux	French	Renault	0
–	Niki Lauda	Austrian	Brabham	0
–	Patrick Tambay	French	McLaren	0
–	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Brabham	0
–	Arturo Merzario	Italian	Merzario	0

1979 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ligier – Ford	27
2	Lotus – Ford	12
3	McLaren – Ford	4
4	Tyrrell – Ford	3
5	Ferrari	3
6	Fittipaldi – Ford	1
—	Arrows – Ford	0
—	Shadow – Ford	0
—	Williams – Ford	0
—	Renault	0
—	Ensign – Ford	0
—	Wolf – Ford	0
—	Brabham – Alfa Romeo	0
—	Merzario – Ford	0
—	ATS – Ford	0

Drivers counted their best 4 results from rounds 1–7 and their best 4 from rounds 8–15. Both cars could score constructor points, with every round counting.

1979 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1979 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	21 January
2	1979 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo de Interlagos, São Paulo	4 February
3	1979 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	3 March
4	1979 United States West Grand Prix	Long Beach Street Circuit, Long Beach, California	8 April
5	1979 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito del Jarama, San Sebastián de los Reyes	29 April
6	1979 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder	13 May
7	1979 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
8	1979 French Grand Prix	Dijon-Prenois, Dijon	1 July
9	1979 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	14 July
10	1979 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	29 July
11	1979 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	12 August
12	1979 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	26 August
13	1979 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	9 September
14	1979 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Île Notre-Dame, Montréal	30 September
15	1979 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	7 October