| 1979 British Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 15 in the1979 Formula One season | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 14 July 1979 | ||
| Official name | XXXII Marlboro British Grand Prix | ||
| Location | Silverstone Circuit,Northamptonshire,United Kingdom | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.718[1] km (2.932 miles) | ||
| Distance | 68 laps, 320.871 km (199.380 miles) | ||
| Weather | Dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Williams-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:11.88 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Clay Regazzoni | Williams-Ford | |
| Time | 1:14.40 on lap 39 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Williams-Ford | ||
| Second | Renault | ||
| Third | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
Lap leaders | |||
The1979 British Grand Prix (formally theXXXII Marlboro British Grand Prix) was aFormula One motor race held atSilverstone on 14 July 1979. It was the ninth race of the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
The 68-lap race was won byClay Regazzoni, driving aWilliams-Ford. It was the first Formula One victory for theWilliams team and Regazzoni's final victory in Formula One.René Arnoux finished second in aRenault, withJean-Pierre Jarier third in aTyrrell-Ford.
Qualifying sawAlan Jones take his and theWilliams team's first pole position by 0.6 seconds fromJean-Pierre Jabouille in theRenault; the Williams FW07 had been modified by engineersPatrick Head andFrank Dernie to correct some aerodynamic problems on the car.Nelson Piquet took third in theBrabham with the second Williams ofClay Regazzoni alongside him on the second row, whileRené Arnoux in the second Renault andNiki Lauda in the second Brabham made up the third row. Completing the top ten wereJohn Watson in theMcLaren, theLotuses ofCarlos Reutemann andMario Andretti, andJacques Laffite in theLigier. TheFerraris disappointed, with championship leaderJody Scheckter only managing 11th andGilles Villeneuve 13th.
| Pos. | Driver | Constructor | Time | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 1:11.88 | 1 |
| 2 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:12.48 | 2 |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:12.65 | 3 |
| 4 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams-Ford | 1:13.11 | 4 |
| 5 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:13.29 | 5 |
| 6 | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:13.44 | 6 |
| 7 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | 1:13.57 | 7 |
| 8 | Carlos Reutemann | Lotus-Ford | 1:13.87 | 8 |
| 9 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 1:14.20 | 9 |
| 10 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Ford | 1:14.37 | 10 |
| 11 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 1:14.60 | 11 |
| 12 | Elio de Angelis | Shadow-Ford | 1:14.87 | 12 |
| 13 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:14.90 | 13 |
| 14 | Keke Rosberg | Wolf-Ford | 1:14.96 | 14 |
| 15 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:15.28 | 15 |
| 16 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:15.63 | 16 |
| 17 | Jacky Ickx | Ligier-Ford | 1:15.63 | 17 |
| 18 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren-Ford | 1:15.67 | 18 |
| 19 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 1:15.77 | 19 |
| 20 | Jochen Mass | Arrows-Ford | 1:16.19 | 20 |
| 21 | Jan Lammers | Shadow-Ford | 1:16.66 | 21 |
| 22 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:16.68 | 22 |
| 23 | Patrick Gaillard | Ensign-Ford | 1:17.07 | 23 |
| 24 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus-Ford | 1:17.32 | 24 |
| DNQ | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS-Ford | 1:17.44 | — |
| DNQ | Arturo Merzario | Merzario-Ford | 1:19.57 | — |
At the start of the race, Regazzoni charged into the lead, but was repassed by team-mate Jones and Jabouille before the end of the first lap. Andretti and the Ferraris also made fast starts, running close to Piquet, Lauda and Arnoux. At the end of lap 2, Piquet made a mistake at Woodcote and spun off, before Andretti dropped out with a broken wheel bearing on lap 4. Then Lauda encountered brake problems which eventually led to his retirement on lap 13, leaving Arnoux fourth with Scheckter fifth and Villeneuve dutifully following the South African.
Up at the front, Jones established a commanding lead over Jabouille, who was struggling onMichelin tyres that were wearing quickly. On lap 17, the Frenchman pitted for new tyres, promoting Regazzoni to second. However, disaster struck for Jabouille when, after a long stop, part of his front wing got caught in anair hose that had not been removed from under the car and was broken off as he accelerated. He was forced to return to the pits for repairs, during which histurbo overheated.[1]
At half-distance, Jones still led comfortably, with Regazzoni still second and well clear of Arnoux, and Laffite moving ahead of the Ferraris into fourth. Then, approaching Woodcote at the end of lap 39, Jones's engine failed, a water pump problem causing it to overheat.[2] Six laps later, Laffite also retired with engine trouble. This left only four drivers on the lead lap - Regazzoni, Arnoux, Scheckter and Villeneuve - withJean-Pierre Jarier up to fifth in hisTyrrell and Watson sixth.
The Ferraris were also struggling on Michelins, and Villeneuve pitted for new tyres on lap 50, before stopping with fuel vaporization problems five laps from the end. Scheckter, meanwhile, was lapped by Regazzoni on lap 56, before Jarier and Watson passed him in the closing laps.[1]
Regazzoni eventually took the chequered flag 24 seconds ahead of Arnoux, giving Williams their first Formula One victory. It was also Regazzoni's fifth and final win and, as of 2024, the last win in F1 for a Swiss driver. After Jarier, Watson and Scheckter cameJacky Ickx, taking the final point in the second Ligier.
This was the first Grand Prix on whichJames Hunt, who had retired from racing the previous month, commentated alongsideMurray Walker for theBBC'sGrand Prix programme.
Notes
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| Previous race: 1979 French Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1979 season | Next race: 1979 German Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1978 British Grand Prix | British Grand Prix | Next race: 1980 British Grand Prix |
