Gilles Villeneuve delivered a commanding street-racing performance at the 1979 United States Grand Prix West. After snatching pole at Long Beach Street Circuit, the Ferrari driver led every lap and set the fastest lap, with Jody Scheckter completing a second successive one-two for the team.
Race Guide
Season: 1979 F1 World Championship
Race date: 8 April 1979
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-08:00)
Circuit: Long Beach Street Circuit
Laps: 80 laps
Circuit length: 3.251 km
1978 winner: Carlos Reutemann
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| Pole time | 1:18.825 | |
| Fastest lap | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:21.200 on lap | |
| First | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| Second | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari |
| Third | Alan Jones | Williams |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 6 April 1979 | Friday free practice | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 6 April 1979 | Friday qualifying | 12:30–14:00 |
| 7 April 1979 | Saturday free practice | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 7 April 1979 | Saturday qualifying | 90 minutes; start unconfirmed |
| 8 April 1979 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 8 April 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 4 leading the 1979 F1 World Championship on 18 points, with Carlos Reutemann on 12. Ligier – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 27 points.
Race entries
The established driver line-ups travelled to Long Beach, where Wolf introduced a new car for James Hunt and Ferrari brought another 312T4. The meeting adopted an hour of untimed practice each morning and 90 minutes of timed qualifying each afternoon, giving the teams more room to learn a circuit unavailable for normal testing.
Friday free practice
The street circuit immediately punished mistakes. Gilles Villeneuve damaged his Ferrari’s front suspension against the barriers, while Jody Scheckter hit Didier Pironi’s Tyrrell under braking and both needed spare cars. Mario Andretti also changed cars after a rear-suspension problem. Heavy braking loads and limited escape space made this a busy opening hour for the mechanics.
Friday qualifying
Carlos Reutemann set the pace for Lotus, narrowly ahead of Gilles Villeneuve. Ferrari experimented with different rear-wing positions, while two interruptions allowed stranded cars to be recovered. Alan Jones suffered an engine failure, Elio de Angelis damaged his Shadow and Jean-Pierre Jabouille lost a Renault transmission. James Hunt’s competitive showing offered Wolf some encouragement amid the attrition.
Saturday free practice
Renault endured a particularly difficult morning. René Arnoux’s car caught fire after an oil-pipe failure, then a driveshaft problem sent Jean-Pierre Jabouille into a heavy crash and left him unable to race. Driveshaft failures also troubled Carlos Reutemann and Emerson Fittipaldi. The repeated breakages made mechanical durability a pressing concern before the final qualifying session.
Saturday qualifying
Carlos Reutemann looked set for pole until Gilles Villeneuve produced a final burst of speed to beat him by only 0.061 seconds. Jody Scheckter took third, ahead of the two Ligiers and Mario Andretti. Reutemann’s attempt to respond ended with another driveshaft failure.
Villeneuve made full use of Michelin’s qualifying tyres and briefly raised his engine revs to extract the decisive advantage. The front of the grid was fiercely competitive, but Renault’s weekend was unravelling: Jabouille remained sidelined and Arnoux suffered further transmission trouble. Héctor Rebaque gained a place when Jabouille withdrew.
Qualifying Classification
The faster lap from Friday and Saturday’s timed sessions determined qualifying. The morning practice sessions were untimed. Withdrawals subsequently admitted the reserves.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | First timed session | Second timed session | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:20.186 | 1:18.825 | 1:18.825 |
| 2 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Lotus | 1:20.126 | 1:18.886 | 1:18.886 |
| 3 | 11 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 1:20.291 | 1:18.911 | 1:18.911 |
| 4 | 25 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier | 1:20.867 | 1:19.025 | 1:19.025 |
| 5 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:20.225 | 1:19.032 | 1:19.032 |
| 6 | 1 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:20.574 | 1:19.454 | 1:19.454 |
| 7 | 4 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell | 1:20.916 | 1:19.580 | 1:19.580 |
| 8 | 20 | James Hunt | Wolf | 1:20.913 | 1:19.643 | 1:19.643 |
| 9 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:21.831 | 1:19.727 | 1:19.727 |
| 10 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:22.532 | 1:19.910 | 1:19.910 |
| 11 | 5 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:21.436 | 1:20.041 | 1:20.041 |
| 12 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:21.565 | 1:20.456 | 1:20.456 |
| 13 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows | 1:22.350 | 1:20.608 | 1:20.608 |
| 14 | 17 | Jan Lammers | Shadow | 1:23.161 | 1:20.740 | 1:20.740 |
| 15 | 28 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams | 1:21.767 | 1:20.768 | 1:20.768 |
| 16 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:22.498 | 1:21.033 | 1:21.033 |
| 17 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 1:22.000 | 1:21.192 | 1:21.192 |
| 18 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 1:23.725 | 1:21.304 | 1:21.304 |
| 19 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 1:22.569 | 1:21.411 | 1:21.411 |
| 20 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:21.635 | – | 1:21.635 |
| 21 | 18 | Elio de Angelis | Shadow | 1:23.433 | 1:21.961 | 1:21.961 |
| 22 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:22.088 | – | 1:22.088 |
| 23 | 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS | 1:23.724 | 1:22.828 | 1:22.828 |
| 24 | 24 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | – | 1:22.938 | 1:22.938 |
| 25 | 31 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:24.808 | 1:22.990 | 1:22.990 |
| 26 | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign | 1:25.076 | 1:23.888 | 1:23.888 |
Sunday warm-up
Another driveshaft failure on René Arnoux’s Renault persuaded the team to withdraw rather than risk a repeat of Jean-Pierre Jabouille’s accident. Derek Daly therefore gained a start for Ensign. Jacques Laffite also suffered a gearbox problem, leaving Ligier working urgently before the race.
What happened in the 1979 United States West Grand Prix?
The start was delayed after Gilles Villeneuve drove past his grid position, confusing the following cars. Carlos Reutemann and Jacques Laffite had their own mechanical troubles and eventually started from the pits. Once racing began, Villeneuve took command while the battle behind him quickly became tangled.
Jean-Pierre Jarier briefly held second after passing Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler, but a vibration hampered his Tyrrell. Scheckter eventually escaped the queue, while Alan Jones worked forward to third as Depailler struggled with his gearbox. Villeneuve was already well clear and controlled his pace to the finish.
Ferrari completed another one-two, with Jones earning Williams a podium. Mario Andretti took fourth after a prolonged contest with Depailler, who finished fifth despite damaging his front wing while lapping Jarier. The Tyrrell driver collected the final point after Héctor Rebaque’s strong recovery ended in a collision with Derek Daly.
After the race, Gilles Villeneuve headed the drivers’ standings with 20 points, followed by Jacques Laffite on 18. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 33, with Ligier – Ford on 29.
1979 United States West Grand Prix race results
The 1979 United States West Grand Prix was held on 8 April 1979.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 80 | 1:50:25.40 | 9 |
| 2 | 11 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 80 | +29.38 | 6 |
| 3 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 80 | +59.69 | 4 |
| 4 | 1 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 80 | +1:04.33 | 3 |
| 5 | 25 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier | 80 | +1:23.52 | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell | 79 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | 18 | Elio de Angelis | Shadow | 78 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 8 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 78 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 9 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows | 78 | +2 laps | 0 |
| DSQ | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 72 | Push start | 0 |
| Ret | 31 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 71 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign | 69 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 7 | John Watson | McLaren | 62 | Injection | 0 |
| DSQ | 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS | 49 | Push start | 0 |
| Ret | 28 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams | 48 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 17 | Jan Lammers | Shadow | 47 | Suspension | 0 |
| Ret | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 40 | Brakes | 0 |
| Ret | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Lotus | 21 | Transmission | 0 |
| Ret | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 19 | Transmission | 0 |
| Ret | 24 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 13 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 8 | Brakes | 0 |
| Ret | 20 | James Hunt | Wolf | 0 | Transmission | 0 |
| Ret | 5 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 0 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 0 | Collision | 0 |
| WD | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | Withdrawn | 0 | |
| DNS | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | Injury in practice | 0 |
1979 United States West Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:21.200 |
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 United States West Grand Prix.
1979 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilles Villeneuve | Canadian | Ferrari | 20 |
| 2 | Jacques Laffite | French | Ligier | 18 |
| 3 | Jody Scheckter | South African | Ferrari | 13 |
| 4 | Carlos Reutemann | Argentine | Lotus | 12 |
| 5 | Patrick Depailler | French | Ligier | 11 |
| 6 | Mario Andretti | American | Lotus | 8 |
| 7 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | French | Tyrrell | 5 |
| 8 | John Watson | British | McLaren | 4 |
| 9 | Alan Jones | Australian | Williams | 4 |
| 10 | Didier Pironi | French | Tyrrell | 3 |
| 11 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Brazilian | Fittipaldi | 1 |
| 12 | Niki Lauda | Austrian | Brabham | 1 |
| – | Elio de Angelis | Italian | Shadow | 0 |
| – | Jochen Mass | German | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Nelson Piquet | Brazilian | Brabham | 0 |
| – | James Hunt | British | Wolf | 0 |
| – | Clay Regazzoni | Swiss | Williams | 0 |
| – | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | French | Renault | 0 |
| – | Patrick Tambay | French | McLaren | 0 |
| – | Derek Daly | Irish | Ensign | 0 |
| – | Jan Lammers | Dutch | Shadow | 0 |
| – | Hector Rebaque | Mexican | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Hans-Joachim Stuck | German | ATS | 0 |
| – | René Arnoux | French | Renault | 0 |
| – | Arturo Merzario | Italian | Merzario | 0 |
1979 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 33 |
| 2 | Ligier – Ford | 29 |
| 3 | Lotus – Ford | 20 |
| 4 | Tyrrell – Ford | 8 |
| 5 | McLaren – Ford | 4 |
| 6 | Williams – Ford | 4 |
| 7 | Brabham – Alfa Romeo | 1 |
| 8 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 1 |
| — | Shadow – Ford | 0 |
| — | Arrows – Ford | 0 |
| — | Wolf – Ford | 0 |
| — | Renault | 0 |
| — | Ensign – Ford | 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
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