1979 Formula One season
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The 1979 Formula One season was the 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers[1] and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors[2] which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-round series which commenced on 21 January 1979, and ended on 7 October 1979. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races.
Jody Scheckter won the Drivers' Championship and, with teammate Gilles Villeneuve in second place, Ferrari won the Constructors' Championship. This was the team's fourth Constructors' Championship in five years, and more would follow, but it would be their last Drivers' Championship for the next 21 years. As of 2026, Scheckter remains the first and only driver from an African country to win the World Championship.
This was the final season for 1976 F1 world champion James Hunt.
Drivers and constructors
[edit]The following drivers and constructors contested the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
Team and driver changes
[edit]Several high-profile changes happened among the leading teams for this season, as the death of Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson the previous September precipitated a merry-go-round of some of the most highly regarded drivers on the grid:
- Reigning champions Team Lotus signed Carlos Reutemann from Ferrari to replace Peterson. Ferrari took on Jody Scheckter to fill the gap, and the Wolf team hired James Hunt in his place.
- McLaren had originally signed Peterson to replace Hunt but when Peterson was killed, fellow British contender John Watson was signed instead. His place at Brabham was taken by the highly regarded but inexperienced Nelson Piquet, who had driven for them at the final race of last season.
- Tyrrell attracted ex-Lotus driver Jean-Pierre Jarier instead of Patrick Depailler, who moved to Ligier. The French team had acquired Matra's assets for their entrance in Formula 1, but lost their factory support before the 1979 season. They secured a deal for Ford-Cosworth engines, just like the majority of teams.
- Clay Regazzoni moved from Shadow to Williams, while René Arnoux moved to Renault for his second season. Both teams expanded their operations to two cars for the first time.
- Hans-Joachim Stuck had moved to ATS, so Shadow had two open seats. They signed Jan Lammers and Elio de Angelis, both making their F1 debuts.
- Arrows replaced Rolf Stommelen with Jochen Mass.
Mid-season changes
[edit]- Following a string of races in which he failed to finish, James Hunt retired from driving halfway through the season to join BBC Sport as a commentator. His seat was taken by future champion Keke Rosberg.
- Patrick Depailler suffered a hang gliding accident in June and broke both legs. Ligier, who were supported by the French government, were forced to find a French replacement driver, which they found in French-speaking Belgian Jacky Ickx.[4] It was Ickx's last F1 drive.
- Derek Daly was let go by the Ensign team and replaced by debutant Patrick Gaillard, who did not provide better results. Finally, Formula Two champion Marc Surer picked up the drive. He did not deliver, but for him, it was a good entry into the sport and he would eventually spend eight years in F1.
- Jean-Pierre Jarier missed two races due to liver issues.
- After driving a privatised Lotus 79, Héctor Rebaque debuted with his self-made chassis, the Rebaque HR100 in the Italian Grand Prix.
- In 1976, Alfa Romeo returned to F1 as engine supplier to Brabham, but designer Carlo Chiti persuaded the manufacturer to develop their own chassis. The Alfa Romeo 177 made its debut at the 1979 Belgian Grand Prix. They quit the supply deal with Brabham, leaving them to switch to Ford-Cosworth V8's with two races to go in the year. According to Niki Lauda, this was not a step forward: during the first practice session with the V8, the Austrian suddenly retired the car and quit the team, as he had no more desire to "continue the silliness of driving around in circles".[5] Test driver Ricardo Zunino took his place.
- Fittipaldi expanded to two cars with two races to go in the season.
Calendar
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Calendar changes
[edit]- The Spanish Grand Prix was moved up six weeks, ahead of the Belgian and Monaco Grand Prix. Those two races also swapped places compared to 1978.
- The Swedish Grand Prix was originally scheduled to be held on 17 June at Anderstorp Raceway, but was cancelled as enthusiasm for Formula One in Sweden had faded as a result of the deaths of Swedish drivers Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson. There was never another Swedish Grand Prix.[6]
- The French Grand Prix was moved from Circuit Paul Ricard to Dijon-Prenois, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. Likewise, the British Grand Prix was moved from Brands Hatch to Silverstone.
- The United States Grand Prix and Canadian Grand Prix swapped places on the calendar. The race at Watkins Glen now hosted the season finale.