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F1 1979 season
Quick answer: the 1979 F1 World Championship was won by Jody Scheckter of Ferrari, with 3 wins and 51 official points. The runner up was Gilles Villeneuve, with 53 points on the table below. Below are all races, winners and the standings.
The 15 races of 1979
| GP | Circuit | Country | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentine Grand Prix | Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez | Argentina | Jacques Laffite (Ligier) |
| Brazilian Grand Prix | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | Brazil | Jacques Laffite (Ligier) |
| South African Grand Prix | Kyalami | South Africa | Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) |
| United States Grand Prix West | Long Beach | USA | Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) |
| Spanish Grand Prix | Jarama | Spain | Patrick Depailler (Ligier) |
| Belgian Grand Prix | Zolder | Belgium | Jody Scheckter (Ferrari) |
| Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | Monaco | Jody Scheckter (Ferrari) |
| French Grand Prix | Dijon-Prenois | France | Jean-Pierre Jabouille (Renault) |
| British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | UK | Clay Regazzoni (Williams) |
| German Grand Prix | Hockenheimring | Germany | Alan Jones (Williams) |
| Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | Austria | Alan Jones (Williams) |
| Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Park Zandvoort | Netherlands | Alan Jones (Williams) |
| Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Italy | Jody Scheckter (Ferrari) |
| Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | Canada | Alan Jones (Williams) |
| United States Grand Prix | Watkins Glen | USA | Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) |
1979 championship top 10
| # | Driver | Team | Wins | Points scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jody Scheckter (champion) | Ferrari | 3 | 60 |
| 2 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 3 | 53 |
| 3 | Alan Jones | Williams | 4 | 43 |
| 4 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 2 | 36 |
| 5 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams | 1 | 32 |
| 6 | Carlos Reutemann | Team Lotus | 0 | 25 |
| 7 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier | 1 | 22 |
| 8 | René Arnoux | Renault | 0 | 17 |
| 9 | John Watson | McLaren | 0 | 15 |
| 10 | Mario Andretti | Team Lotus | 0 | 14 |
The year in numbers
The season packed 15 races across 14 countries, with 7 different winners over 1979: Alan Jones (4), Gilles Villeneuve (3), Jody Scheckter (3), Jacques Laffite (2), Patrick Depailler (1), Jean-Pierre Jabouille (1), Clay Regazzoni (1). Alan Jones won more than anyone, 4 of the 15 races. The title went to Jody Scheckter (South Africa), driving for Ferrari, the first of the driver's career. On the raw sums of the table, Jody Scheckter closed the year on 60 points, 7 more than Gilles Villeneuve. A note for anyone checking official records: until 1990 the rules dropped each driver's worst results, so the raw sums in the table can differ from the official 1979 scores.
To follow the championship thread, see the 1978 season and the 1980 season, or the full list of Formula 1 world champions.
Source: jolpica-f1 historical archive (Apache 2.0 license), successor to Ergast, snapshot of 2026-07-09. This site is independent and not affiliated with Formula One or any team, driver or circuit mentioned.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources