1979 F1 World Championship

The 1979 FIA Formula One World Championship began on 21 January and concluded on 7 October, over 15 race weekends. In addition to the championship rounds, the year also included three non-championship Formula One races, a practice still occasionally seen during this period in the sport’s history.

Season

The World Drivers’ Championship was won by Jody Scheckter, driving for Ferrari, while the Constructors’ Championship was also secured by the Italian team. Ferrari’s success was strengthened by the performance of Scheckter’s teammate Gilles Villeneuve, who finished second in the Drivers’ Championship, ensuring the team dominated both standings.

Ferrari’s title triumph continued a highly successful era for the team. The 1979 Constructors’ Championship was their fourth in five seasons, demonstrating Ferrari’s strength during the late 1970s. However, while the team would continue to achieve success in the Constructors’ standings in later years, Scheckter’s victory would prove to be significant for another reason. It marked Ferrari’s last Drivers’ Championship for the next twenty-one years, until Michael Schumacher secured the title for the team in 2000.

Scheckter’s championship also holds a unique place in the history of the sport. As of 2026, he remains the only driver from an African nation to win the Formula One World Championship, representing South Africa during his career.

The season also marked the final Formula One campaign for James Hunt, the 1976 World Champion. Hunt, one of the most charismatic figures in the sport during the 1970s, retired from Formula One partway through the season, bringing an end to a career that had included several memorable victories and a dramatic championship triumph three years earlier.

1979 F1 Entries Drivers and Teams

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	No	Driver	Rounds
Martini Racing Team Lotus	Lotus-Ford	79 80	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	1	Mario Andretti	All
					2	Carlos Reutemann	All
Team Tyrrell Candy Tyrrell Team	Tyrrell-Ford	009	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	3	Didier Pironi	All
					4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	1–9, 12–15
					4	Geoff Lees	10
					4	Derek Daly	11
					33		14–15
Parmalat Racing	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	BT46 BT48	Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12	G	5	Niki Lauda	1–13
					6	Nelson Piquet	1–13
	Brabham-Ford	BT49	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		5	Ricardo Zunino	14–15
					6	Nelson Piquet	14–15
Marlboro Team McLaren Löwenbräu Team McLaren	McLaren-Ford	M26 M28 M28B M28C M29	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	7	John Watson	All
					8	Patrick Tambay	All
ATS Wheels	ATS-Ford	D2 D3	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Hans-Joachim Stuck	All
SEFAC Ferrari	Ferrari	312T3 312T4 312T4B	Ferrari 015 3.0 F12	M	11	Jody Scheckter	All
					12	Gilles Villeneuve	All
Fittipaldi Automotive	Fittipaldi-Ford	F5A F6 F6A	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	All
					19	Alex Ribeiro	14–15
Équipe Renault Elf	Renault	RS01 RS10	Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6 t	M	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	All
					16	René Arnoux	All
Samson Shadow Racing Interscope Shadow Racing Shadow Racing	Shadow-Ford	DN9	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	17	Jan Lammers	All
					18	Elio de Angelis	All
Olympus Cameras Wolf Racing Michelob Wolf Racing	Wolf-Ford	WR7 WR8 WR9	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	20	James Hunt	1–7
					20	Keke Rosberg	8–15
Team Ensign	Ensign-Ford	N177 N179	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	22	Derek Daly	1–7
					22	Patrick Gaillard	8–12
					22	Marc Surer	13–15
Team Merzario	Merzario-Ford	A1B A2 A4	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	24	Arturo Merzario	1–6, 8–15
					24	Gianfranco Brancatelli	7
Ligier Gitanes	Ligier-Ford	JS11	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	25	Patrick Depailler	1–7
					25	Jacky Ickx	8–15
	Ligier-Ford			G	26	Jacques Laffite	All
Albilad-Saudia Racing Team	Williams-Ford	FW06 FW07	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	27	Alan Jones	All
					28	Clay Regazzoni	All
Warsteiner Arrows Racing Team	Arrows-Ford	A1 A2	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	29	Riccardo Patrese	All
					30	Jochen Mass	All
Team Rebaque	Lotus-Ford	79	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	31	Héctor Rebaque	1–6, 8–12
	Rebaque-Ford	HR100	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8		31	Héctor Rebaque	13–15
Autodelta	Alfa Romeo	177 179	Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12	G	35	Bruno Giacomelli	6, 8, 13, 15
					36	Vittorio Brambilla	13–15
Willi Kauhsen Racing Team	Kauhsen-Ford	WK	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	36	Gianfranco Brancatelli	5–6

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	Autodromo de Interlagos, São Paulo	4 February
3	1979 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand	3 March
4	1979 United States Grand Prix West	Long Beach Street Circuit, California	8 April
5	1979 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito Permanente Del Jarama, Madrid	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, Prenois	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 Grand Prix Course, New York	7 October

1979 Formula 1 Race Results

Grands Prix

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Report
1	1979 Argentine Grand Prix	Jacques Laffite	Jacques Laffite	Jacques Laffite	Ligier-Ford	Report
2	1979 Brazilian Grand Prix	Jacques Laffite	Jacques Laffite	Jacques Laffite	Ligier-Ford	Report
3	1979 South African Grand Prix	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Gilles Villeneuve	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	Report
4	1979 United States Grand Prix West	Gilles Villeneuve	Gilles Villeneuve	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	Report
5	1979 Spanish Grand Prix	Jacques Laffite	Gilles Villeneuve	Patrick Depailler	Ligier-Ford	Report
6	1979 Belgian Grand Prix	Jacques Laffite	Gilles Villeneuve	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	Report
7	1979 Monaco Grand Prix	Jody Scheckter	Patrick Depailler	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	Report
8	1979 French Grand Prix	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	René Arnoux	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	Report
9	1979 British Grand Prix	Alan Jones	Clay Regazzoni	Clay Regazzoni	Williams-Ford	Report
10	1979 German Grand Prix	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Gilles Villeneuve	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford	Report
11	1979 Austrian Grand Prix	René Arnoux	René Arnoux	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford	Report
12	1979 Dutch Grand Prix	René Arnoux	Gilles Villeneuve	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford	Report
13	1979 Italian Grand Prix	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Clay Regazzoni	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	Report
14	1979 Canadian Grand Prix	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford	Report
15	1979 United States Grand Prix	Alan Jones	Nelson Piquet	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	Report

1979 Formula 1 Standings

Driver standings

Team standings