1979 French Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Renault made history at the 1979 French Grand Prix as Jean-Pierre Jabouille delivered Formula 1’s first turbocharged victory at Dijon-Prenois. Behind the home winner, Gilles Villeneuve and René Arnoux produced an extraordinary wheel-to-wheel contest for second that became one of the sport’s defining duels.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault
Pole time	1:07.19
Fastest lap	Rene Arnoux	Renault
Fastest-lap time	1:09.160 on lap 71
First	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault
Second	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari
Third	René Arnoux	Renault

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
29 June 1979	Friday morning timed practice	90 minutes; start unconfirmed
29 June 1979	Friday afternoon timed practice	One hour; start unconfirmed
30 June 1979	Saturday untimed practice	90 minutes; start unconfirmed
30 June 1979	Saturday final qualifying	One hour of running; interrupted
1 July 1979	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
1 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 8 leading the 1979 F1 World Championship on 30 points, with Jacques Laffite on 24. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 54 points.

Race entries

James Hunt’s retirement brought Keke Rosberg into Wolf, while Jacky Ickx replaced Patrick Depailler at Ligier after Depailler’s hang-gliding injuries. Patrick Gaillard took over the Ensign drive. Arrows introduced its radical A2, and the works Alfa Romeo returned with Bruno Giacomelli. Dijon also reverted to the earlier practice format, including timed running on Friday morning.

Friday morning timed practice

Renault immediately demonstrated the progress of its twin-turbo package, with Jean-Pierre Jabouille and René Arnoux clear at the front in cool conditions. Mario Andretti alternated between Lotus designs, Alan Jones needed the spare Williams after an engine problem and Ligier revised its set-up for the latest tyres. Renault’s advantage extended beyond straight-line speed.

Friday afternoon timed practice

René Arnoux was quickest in the afternoon, although Jabouille’s morning lap remained the overall benchmark. Carlos Reutemann changed Lotus cars after an electrical fault, while Jacques Laffite preferred the feel of Ligier’s spare. Alan Jones remained the strongest Ford-powered challenger, and the new Arrows cars continued to need development.

Saturday untimed practice

A sticking brake-system valve left Alan Jones’s Williams with overheated front brakes and forced extensive replacement work. Patrick Tambay needed an engine change, and several drivers evaluated spare cars. Keke Rosberg and Jacky Ickx used additional head support to cope with the sustained loads through Dijon’s fast corners.

Saturday final qualifying

Jean-Pierre Jabouille improved to secure pole, with René Arnoux’s earlier lap keeping the second Renault on the front row despite engine trouble. Gilles Villeneuve qualified third. Didier Pironi suffered a major crash when a rear wheel detached, bringing a lengthy stoppage for barrier repairs; he escaped without serious injury.

Alan Jones lost faster laps for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags and fell back on his Friday time. A later engine failure prevented another attack. Hans-Joachim Stuck’s ATS was withdrawn after a tyre-allocation dispute, allowing Elio de Angelis to start. Patrick Gaillard and Arturo Merzario did not qualify.

Qualifying Classification

Dijon used three timed sessions: Friday morning, Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon. Saturday morning was untimed. Jones’s disallowed laps were excluded from the grid-setting times.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	1:07.19
2	16	René Arnoux	Renault	1:07.45
3	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	1:07.65
4	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:08.13
5	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	1:08.15
6	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham	1:08.20
7	27	Alan Jones	Williams	1:08.23
8	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:08.55
9	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	1:08.65
10	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	1:08.80
11	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	1:08.95
12	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus	1:09.35
13	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	1:09.36
14	25	Jacky Ickx	Ligier	1:09.68
15	7	John Watson	McLaren	1:09.97
16	20	Keke Rosberg	Wolf	1:10.15
17	35	Bruno Giacomelli	Alfa Romeo	1:10.59
18	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	1:10.61
19	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	1:10.70
20	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren	1:10.92
21	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow	1:11.14
22	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	1:11.40
23	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS	1:11.75
24	31	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus	1:11.97
25	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow	1:12.23
DNQ	22	Patrick Gaillard	Ensign	1:13.00
DNQ	24	Arturo Merzario	Merzario	1:14.95

Sunday warm-up

Grey skies favoured Renault’s engines and Michelin tyres as the field completed its final checks. Alan Jones had another engine fitted, while Niki Lauda’s Brabham required a further change after its fresh unit would not reach the expected revs. Tyrrell prepared its spare for Didier Pironi following his qualifying crash.

What happened in the 1979 French Grand Prix?

Gilles Villeneuve beat the Renaults away and led the early stages, but Jean-Pierre Jabouille remained within striking distance. As the Ferrari’s tyres deteriorated, Jabouille moved ahead and pulled clear. The Renault then completed the distance reliably, converting years of development into a landmark victory on home soil.

René Arnoux recovered from a poor start and caught Villeneuve near the end. Their fight for second became a sequence of late braking, crossed lines and wheel-to-wheel contact, with each driver repeatedly taking the advantage. Villeneuve emerged ahead by less than a quarter of a second at the flag.

Alan Jones finished fourth, followed by Jean-Pierre Jarier and Clay Regazzoni. Jabouille had earned his first victory and Renault’s first win, while Arnoux added the fastest lap and a podium. The result proved the turbo concept could win a Grand Prix, even if the spectacular fight behind the winner supplied the afternoon’s most replayed images.

After the race, Jody Scheckter headed the drivers’ standings with 30 points, followed by Gilles Villeneuve on 26. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 60, with Ligier – Ford on 46.

1979 French Grand Prix race results

The 1979 French Grand Prix was held on 1 July 1979.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	80	1:35:20.42	9
2	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	80	+ 14.59	6
3	16	René Arnoux	Renault	80	+ 14.83	4
4	27	Alan Jones	Williams	80	+ 36.61	3
5	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	80	+ 1:04.51	2
6	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	80	+ 1:05.51	1
7	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	79	+ 1 Lap	0
8	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	79	+ 1 Lap	0
9	20	Keke Rosberg	Wolf	79	+ 1 Lap	0
10	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren	78	+ 2 Laps	0
11	7	John Watson	McLaren	78	+ 2 Laps	0
12	31	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus	78	+ 2 Laps	0
13	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	77	+ 3 Laps	0
14	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	77	+ 3 Laps	0
15	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	75	+ 5 Laps	0
16	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow	75	+ 5 Laps	0
17	35	Bruno Giacomelli	Alfa Romeo	75	+ 5 Laps	0
18	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow	73	+ 7 Laps	0
Ret	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	71	Suspension	0
Ret	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	53	Engine	0
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	52	Accident	0
Ret	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus	51	Brakes	0
Ret	25	Jacky Ickx	Ligier	45	Engine	0
Ret	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham	23	Spun Off	0
DNS	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS		Tyre Dispute	0
DNQ	22	Patrick Gaillard	Ensign			0
DNQ	24	Arturo Merzario	Merzario			0

1979 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	16	Rene Arnoux	Renault	71	1:09.160

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 French Grand Prix.

1979 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jody Scheckter	South African	Ferrari	30
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	Mario Andretti	American	Lotus	12
7	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	French	Renault	9
8	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	Tyrrell	9
9	John Watson	British	McLaren	8
10	Didier Pironi	French	Tyrrell	8
11	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	Williams	7
12	Alan Jones	Australian	Williams	7
13	René Arnoux	French	Renault	4
14	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Arrows	2
15	Jochen Mass	German	Arrows	1
16	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Fittipaldi	1
17	Niki Lauda	Austrian	Brabham	1
–	Elio de Angelis	Italian	Shadow	0
–	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Brabham	0
–	Hans-Joachim Stuck	German	ATS	0
–	James Hunt	British	Wolf	0
–	Keke Rosberg	Finnish	Wolf	0
–	Patrick Tambay	French	McLaren	0
–	Jan Lammers	Dutch	Shadow	0
–	Derek Daly	Irish	Ensign	0
–	Hector Rebaque	Mexican	Lotus	0
–	Bruno Giacomelli	Italian	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Arturo Merzario	Italian	Merzario	0
–	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Ligier	0

1979 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	60
2	Ligier – Ford	46
3	Lotus – Ford	37
4	Tyrrell – Ford	17
5	Williams – Ford	14
6	Renault	13
7	McLaren – Ford	8
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