1979 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jody Scheckter held his nerve to win the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix, resisting a late charge from Clay Regazzoni as the field thinned around Circuit de Monaco. Ferrari had dominated qualifying, but a race filled with collisions and mechanical failures left Scheckter defending the team’s hopes alone.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari
Pole time	1:26.45
Fastest lap	Patrick Depailler	Ligier
Fastest-lap time	1:28.820 on lap 69
First	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari
Second	Clay Regazzoni	Williams
Third	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
24 May 1979	Thursday pre-qualifying	One hour; start unconfirmed
24 May 1979	Thursday free practice	10:00–11:00
24 May 1979	Thursday qualifying	12:30–14:00
26 May 1979	Saturday free practice	One hour; start unconfirmed
26 May 1979	Saturday qualifying	90 minutes; start unconfirmed
27 May 1979	Warm-up	11:30–12:00
27 May 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 7 leading the 1979 F1 World Championship on 24 points, with Jody Scheckter on 24. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 45 points.

Race entries

Monaco allowed only 20 starters and 24 cars into official practice, making admission unusually tight. Gianfranco Brancatelli replaced the injured Arturo Merzario, while Héctor Rebaque withdrew amid the entry dispute. James Hunt arrived with Wolf for what would prove to be his final Formula 1 race.

Thursday pre-qualifying

Hans-Joachim Stuck, Jochen Mass and Gianfranco Brancatelli contested the two remaining places in official practice. Stuck and Mass progressed, leaving Brancatelli out. Mass would make particularly good use of the opportunity, turning an unpromising start to the meeting into eighth place on the grid.

Thursday pre-qualifying Classification

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time
1	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS	1:33.19
2	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	1:34.30
DNPQ	24	Gianfranco Brancatelli	Merzario	1:38.15

Thursday free practice

With no normal testing available on the streets, the opening hour was essential for gearing and chassis adjustments. Nelson Piquet felt unwell and his Brabham developed an oil leak. Both Ligier drivers were also nursing wrist problems, while Renault tried to make its twin-turbo cars work reliably around the tight circuit.

Thursday qualifying

Gilles Villeneuve led Jody Scheckter as Ferrari enjoyed both strong pace and ready access to Michelin qualifying tyres. Goodyear’s soft-tyre delivery had not arrived, exaggerating the gap to the opposition. Carlos Reutemann, Alan Jones and Didier Pironi damaged cars against the barriers, while Renault struggled with wheel-drive components and Piquet lost an engine.

Saturday free practice

Friday’s break gave the teams time to rebuild. Alan Jones returned in a newly completed Williams, and Reutemann and Pironi used replacement chassis. Goodyear’s qualifying tyres had arrived, restoring a more representative contest. Jan Lammers needed the spare Shadow after a driveshaft failure, while Reutemann continued despite back pain from his earlier accident.

Saturday qualifying

Jody Scheckter secured pole by seven hundredths over Gilles Villeneuve, who lost much of the session while Ferrari repaired a fuel-tank leak. Patrick Depailler took third ahead of Niki Lauda. Ferrari remained the benchmark even after its rivals received fresh qualifying tyres.

Renault’s transmission and exhaust problems left both cars near the back, but they survived the cut. Both Shadows, Patrick Tambay and Derek Daly failed to qualify. Jochen Mass’s eighth place was a notable reward after pre-qualifying, while Scheckter had earned the most valuable starting position of the season.

Qualifying Classification

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

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	1:26.45
2	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	1:26.52
3	25	Patrick Depailler	Ligier	1:27.11
4	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham	1:27.21
5	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:27.26
6	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	1:27.42
7	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	1:27.42
8	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	1:27.47
9	27	Alan Jones	Williams	1:27.67
10	20	James Hunt	Wolf	1:27.96
11	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	1:27.99
12	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS	1:28.22
13	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus	1:28.23
14	7	John Watson	McLaren	1:28.23
15	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	1:28.30
16	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	1:28.48
17	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	1:28.49
18	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:28.52
19	16	René Arnoux	Renault	1:28.57
20	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	1:28.68
DNQ	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow	1:28.70
DNQ	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren	1:29.53
DNQ	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow	1:29.99
DNQ	22	Derek Daly	Ensign	1:30.18

Sunday warm-up

After a wet dawn, the streets dried for the final half-hour. Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari then broke an oil pipe and returned trailing smoke. The mechanics changed the damaged engine before the afternoon start, so none of the waiting reserves gained a place.

What happened in the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix?

Jody Scheckter launched cleanly into the lead while Niki Lauda briefly split the Ferraris. Gilles Villeneuve passed the Brabham and caught his team-mate, leaving a queue behind Lauda. Didier Pironi’s attempts to advance culminated in a collision with Lauda that eliminated both cars.

Alan Jones closed on the Ferraris before damaging his Williams against a barrier. Villeneuve later retired with transmission failure, and Clay Regazzoni emerged as Scheckter’s challenger. Even a gearbox difficulty could not stop the Swiss driver reducing the gap, but Scheckter defended the final laps and crossed the line less than half a second ahead.

Carlos Reutemann took third and John Watson fourth. Patrick Depailler’s late engine failure still left him classified fifth, with Jochen Mass sixth after brake problems had spoiled a possible podium. James Hunt’s early transmission retirement ended his final Grand Prix, although his retirement from the sport was announced afterwards.

After the race, Jody Scheckter headed the drivers’ standings with 30 points, followed by Jacques Laffite on 24. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 54, with Ligier – Ford on 46.

1979 Monaco Grand Prix race results

The 1979 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 27 May 1979.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	11	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	76	1:55:22.48	9
2	28	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	76	+ 0.44	6
3	2	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	76	+ 8.57	4
4	7	John Watson	McLaren	76	+ 41.31	3
5	25	Patrick Depailler	Ligier	74	Engine	2
6	30	Jochen Mass	Arrows	69	+ 7 Laps	1
Ret	6	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	68	Transmission	0
NC	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	68	+ 8 Laps	0
Ret	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	55	Gearbox	0
Ret	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	54	Transmission	0
Ret	27	Alan Jones	Williams	43	Steering	0
Ret	4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	34	Suspension	0
Ret	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS	30	Wheel	0
Ret	5	Niki Lauda	Brabham	21	Collision	0
Ret	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	21	Collision	0
Ret	1	Mario Andretti	Lotus	21	Suspension	0
Ret	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	17	Engine	0
Ret	16	René Arnoux	Renault	8	Accident	0
Ret	20	James Hunt	Wolf	4	Transmission	0
Ret	29	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	4	Suspension	0
DNQ	18	Elio de Angelis	Shadow			0
DNQ	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren			0
DNQ	17	Jan Lammers	Shadow			0
DNQ	22	Derek Daly	Ensign			0
DNPQ	24	Gianfranco Brancatelli	Merzario			0

1979 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	25	Patrick Depailler	Ligier	69	1:28.820

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 Monaco Grand Prix.

1979 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jody Scheckter	South African	Ferrari	30
2	Jacques Laffite	French	Ligier	24
3	Gilles Villeneuve	Canadian	Ferrari	20
4	Patrick Depailler	French	Ligier	20
5	Carlos Reutemann	Argentine	Lotus	20
6	Mario Andretti	American	Lotus	12
7	John Watson	British	McLaren	8
8	Didier Pironi	French	Tyrrell	8
9	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	Tyrrell	7
10	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	Williams	6
11	Alan Jones	Australian	Williams	4
12	Riccardo Patrese	Italian	Arrows	2
13	Jochen Mass	German	Arrows	1
14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Fittipaldi	1
15	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
–	René Arnoux	French	Renault	0
–	Jan Lammers	Dutch	Shadow	0
–	Patrick Tambay	French	McLaren	0
–	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	French	Renault	0
–	Derek Daly	Irish	Ensign	0
–	Hector Rebaque	Mexican	Lotus	0
–	Bruno Giacomelli	Italian	Alfa Romeo	0
–	Arturo Merzario	Italian	Merzario	0

1979 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	54
2	Ligier – Ford	46
3	Lotus – Ford	37
4	Tyrrell – Ford	15
5	Williams – Ford	10
6	McLaren – Ford	8
7	Arrows – Ford	3
8	Brabham – Alfa Romeo	1
9	Fittipaldi – Ford	1
—	Shadow – Ford	0
—	ATS – Ford	0
—	Wolf – Ford	0
—	Renault	0
—	Ensign – Ford	0
—	Merzario – Ford	0
—	Kauhsen – Ford	0
—	Alfa Romeo	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