1979 British Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Williams finally reached the top step at the 1979 British Grand Prix. Clay Regazzoni delivered the team’s first World Championship victory at Silverstone Circuit after team-mate Alan Jones lost a commanding lead to engine trouble, turning a breakthrough weekend into an emotional home success.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Alan Jones	Williams
Pole time	1:11.88
Fastest lap	Clay Regazzoni	Williams
Fastest-lap time	1:14.400 on lap 39
First	Clay Regazzoni	Williams
Second	René Arnoux	Renault
Third	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
12 July 1979	Thursday free practice	One hour; start unconfirmed
12 July 1979	Thursday qualifying	12:30–14:00
13 July 1979	Friday free practice	One hour; start unconfirmed
13 July 1979	Friday qualifying	12:30–14:00
14 July 1979	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
14 July 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

Jody Scheckter arrived at round 9 leading the 1979 F1 World Championship on 30 points, with Gilles Villeneuve on 26. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 60 points.

Race entries

John Watson received McLaren’s new M29, while Keke Rosberg tried the latest Wolf. Lotus reverted to the 79 for its main race entries, and Arturo Merzario brought a car developed from the former Kauhsen project. The Saturday race used Thursday and Friday running, with separate morning practice and afternoon qualifying restored after Dijon’s different timetable.

Thursday free practice

Alan Jones’s Williams looked exceptionally composed through Silverstone’s fast corners, but the session was not trouble-free. Oil from Niki Lauda’s Brabham contributed to spins for Jones and Jody Scheckter. John Watson’s new McLaren suffered an engine failure, leaving the mechanics changing it before qualifying. Ferrari struggled to match the leading cars’ high-speed balance.

Thursday qualifying

Alan Jones used the spare Williams to set a stunning benchmark, comfortably clear of the Renaults. His confidence in the FW07’s balance was matched by the stopwatch. Clay Regazzoni lost running to skirt trouble, while Keke Rosberg changed cars after fuel-system problems and Niki Lauda also tried Brabham’s spare.

Friday free practice

Rising temperatures prompted Williams to fit different radiators as it prepared for the race distance. Alan Jones returned to his original car but remained impressed by the spare. Jody Scheckter needed another Ferrari engine, and Mario Andretti sampled the Lotus 80 without finding a convincing reason to abandon the older design.

Friday qualifying

Alan Jones retained his first pole and Williams’s first, with Jean-Pierre Jabouille second and Nelson Piquet third. Regazzoni completed the second row. Riccardo Patrese’s accident caused a stoppage and forced him into an older Arrows, while further mechanical trouble disrupted Rosberg and Piquet.

Jones was sufficiently happy with the spare FW07 to choose it for the race. Ferrari remained off the pace, with championship leader Jody Scheckter 11th and Gilles Villeneuve 13th. Watson’s seventh place offered McLaren encouragement from its new car, while Hans-Joachim Stuck and Arturo Merzario missed the cut.

Qualifying Classification

Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	27	Alan Jones	Williams	1:11.88
2	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	1:12.48
3	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:12.65
4	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	1:13.11
5	16	René Arnoux	Renault	1:13.29
6	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham	1:13.44
7	7	John Watson	McLaren	1:13.57
8	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	1:13.87
9	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus	1:14.20
10	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:14.37
11	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	1:14.60
12	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow	1:14.87
13	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	1:14.90
14	20	Keke Rosberg	Wolf	1:14.96
15	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	1:15.28
16	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	1:15.63
17	25	Jacky Ickx	Ligier	1:15.63
18	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren	1:15.67
19	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	1:15.77
20	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	1:16.19
21	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow	1:16.66
22	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	1:16.68
23	22	Patrick Gaillard	Ensign	1:17.07
24	31	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus	1:17.32
DNQ	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS	1:17.44
DNQ	24	Arturo Merzario	Merzario	1:19.57

Saturday warm-up

Jean-Pierre Jabouille’s gearbox trouble prevented the full-fuel tyre comparison he had planned, leaving Renault with an uncertain race choice. Patrick Gaillard’s Ensign required an engine change, completed in time to keep his place. Alan Jones confirmed the spare Williams for the race, while Wolf also settled on its older car.

What happened in the 1979 British Grand Prix?

Clay Regazzoni briefly led at the start, but Alan Jones and Jean-Pierre Jabouille passed him during the opening lap. Jones then pulled clear. Jabouille’s tyres deteriorated, and a troubled pit stop caused wing damage before overheating ended his race, leaving Williams running first and second.

Jones appeared in complete control until a cooling-related engine failure ended his afternoon. Regazzoni inherited the lead and continued steadily, while Jacques Laffite also retired. The Ferraris struggled on their tyres, and Gilles Villeneuve eventually stopped with fuel-system trouble.

Regazzoni won comfortably ahead of René Arnoux. Jean-Pierre Jarier and John Watson passed the fading Jody Scheckter in the closing stages to finish third and fourth, with Jacky Ickx taking the final point. Jones had suffered a bitter disappointment, but Williams had proved its pace and secured the victory it had worked so long to achieve.

After the race, Jody Scheckter headed the drivers’ standings with 32 points, followed by Gilles Villeneuve on 26. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 62, with Ligier – Ford on 47.

1979 British Grand Prix race results

The 1979 British Grand Prix was held on 14 July 1979.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	68	1:26:11.17	9
2	16	René Arnoux	Renault	68	+24.28	6
3	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	67	+1 lap	4
4	7	John Watson	McLaren	67	+1 lap	3
5	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	67	+1 lap	2
6	25	Jacky Ickx	Ligier	67	+1 lap	1
7	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren	66	Out of fuel	0
8	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	66	+2 laps	0
9	31	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus	66	+2 laps	0
10	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	66	+2 laps	0
11	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow	65	+3 laps	0
12	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow	65	+3 laps	0
13	22	Patrick Gaillard	Ensign	65	+3 laps	0
14	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	63	Fuel system	0
Ret	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	45	Gearbox	0
Ret	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	44	Engine	0
Ret	20	Keke Rosberg	Wolf	44	Fuel system	0
Ret	27	Alan Jones	Williams	38	Water pump	0
Ret	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	37	Gearbox	0
Ret	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	25	Engine	0
Ret	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	21	Turbo	0
Ret	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham	12	Brakes	0
Ret	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus	3	Wheel bearing	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1	Spun off	0
DNQ	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS			0
DNQ	24	Arturo Merzario	Merzario			0

1979 British Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	39	1:14.400

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 British Grand Prix.

1979 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jody Scheckter	South African	Ferrari	32
2	Gilles Villeneuve	Canadian	Ferrari	26
3	Jacques Laffite	French	Ligier	24
4	Patrick Depailler	French	Ligier	20
5	Carlos Reutemann	Argentine	Lotus	20
6	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	Williams	16
7	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	Tyrrell	13
8	Mario Andretti	American	Lotus	12
9	John Watson	British	McLaren	11
10	René Arnoux	French	Renault	10
11	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	French	Renault	9
12	Didier Pironi	French	Tyrrell	8
13	Alan Jones	Australian	Williams	7
14	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Arrows	2
15	Jochen Mass	German	Arrows	1
16	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Fittipaldi	1
17	Niki Lauda	Austrian	Brabham	1
18	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Ligier	1
–	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Shadow	0
–	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Brabham	0
–	Patrick Tambay	French	McLaren	0
–	Hans-Joachim Stuck	German	ATS	0
–	James Hunt	British	Wolf	0
–	Hector Rebaque	Mexican	Lotus	0
–	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	Wolf	0
–	Jan Lammers	Dutch	Shadow	0
–	Derek Daly	Irish	Ensign	0
–	Patrick Gaillard	French	Ensign	0
–	Bruno Giacomelli	Italian	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Arturo Merzario	Italian	Merzario	0

1979 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	62
2	Ligier – Ford	47
3	Lotus – Ford	37
4	Williams – Ford	23
5	Tyrrell – Ford	21
6	Renault	19
7	McLaren – Ford	11
8	Arrows – Ford	3
9	Brabham – Alfa Romeo	1
10	Fittipaldi – Ford	1
—	Shadow – Ford	0
—	Wolf – Ford	0
—	ATS – Ford	0
—	Ensign – Ford	0
—	Alfa Romeo	0
—	Merzario – Ford	0
—	Kauhsen – 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