| 1979 South African Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 15 in the1979 Formula One season | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 3 March 1979 | ||
| Official name | XXVSimba Grand Prix of South Africa | ||
| Location | Kyalami Transvaal Province,South Africa | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.104 km (2.550 miles) | ||
| Distance | 78 laps, 320.112 km (198.908 miles) | ||
| Weather | Wet | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Renault | ||
| Time | 1:11.80 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | |
| Time | 1:14.412 on lap 23 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Ferrari | ||
| Second | Ferrari | ||
| Third | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
Lap leaders | |||
The1979 South African Grand Prix (formally theXXV Simba Grand Prix of South Africa) was aFormula One motor race held on 3 March 1979 atKyalami. The race, contested over 78 laps, was the third race of the1979 Formula One season and was won byGilles Villeneuve, driving aFerrari. Teammate and local driverJody Scheckter finished second, whileJean-Pierre Jarier finished third in aTyrrell-Ford.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Time | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 |  Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:11,80 | 1 |
| 2 | 11 |  Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 1:12.04 | 2 |
| 3 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:12.07 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 |  Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:12.12 | 4 |
| 5 | 25 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier-Ford | 1:12.15 | 5 |
| 6 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Ford | 1:12.26 | 6 |
| 7 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:12,33 | 7 |
| 8 | 1 |  Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 1:12,36 | 8 |
| 9 | 4 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:12,55 | 9 |
| 10 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:12,69 | 10 |
| 11 | 2 |  Carlos Reutemann | Lotus-Ford | 1:12,75 | 11 |
| 12 | 6 |  Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:13,07 | 12 |
| 13 | 20 |  James Hunt | Wolf-Ford | 1:14,21 | 13 |
| 14 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | 1:14,44 | 14 |
| 15 | 17 |  Elio de Angelis | Shadow-Ford | 1:14,44 | 15 |
| 16 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 1:14,54 | 16 |
| 17 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren-Ford | 1:14,58 | 17 |
| 18 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:14,61 | 18 |
| 19 | 27 |  Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 1:14,64 | 19 |
| 20 | 30 |  Jochen Mass | Arrows-Ford | 1:15,00 | 20 |
| 21 | 18 |  Jan Lammers | Shadow-Ford | 1:15,35 | 21 |
| 22 | 28 |  Clay Regazzoni | Williams-Ford | 1:15,68 | 22 |
| 23 | 31 |  Héctor Rebaque | Lotus-Ford | 1:16,15 | 23 |
| 24 | 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS-Ford | 1:16.31 | 24 |
| DNQ | 22 |  Derek Daly | Ensign-Ford | 1:16.64 | — |
| DNQ | 24 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario-Ford | 1:18.14 | — |
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| Previous race: 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1979 season | Next race: 1979 United States Grand Prix West |
| Previous race: 1978 South African Grand Prix | South African Grand Prix | Next race: 1980 South African Grand Prix |
