1979 rFactor Alternate Formula One season
The 1979 Formula One season was the 30th in the history of the history of the championship. The season was marked by significant changes in the rules brought about by new FIA President Jean-Luc Knighte, especially in the area of safety, as well as the introduction of a number of new circuits to the calender.
Teams and Drivers
Team | Constructor | Chassis | Engine | Type | # | Race Drivers | Rounds | Test Drivers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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McLaren | M28 M29 |
Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 0 | 8, 15-16 | ![]() | |
1 | ![]() |
1-7, 9-14 | ||||||
2 | All | |||||||
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Tyrrell | 009 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 3 | ![]() |
All | ![]() ![]() |
4 | ![]() |
1-6, 8-16 | ||||||
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7 | |||||||
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17 | |||||||
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Brabham | BT49 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 5 | All | None | |
6 | All | |||||||
Lotus | 79 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 7 | All | |||
8 | All | |||||||
ATS | D3 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 9 | All | |||
99 | 1-10 | |||||||
11 | ||||||||
12-16 | ||||||||
RAM | Lotus 80 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 10 | 1-3 | |||
39 | 1-3 | |||||||
Ferrari 015 | N-A | 10 | 4-12, 14-16 | |||||
13 | ||||||||
39 | 4, 6-16 | |||||||
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5 | |||||||
Ferrari | 312T4 | Ferrari 015 turbo | Turbo | 11 | All | None | ||
12 | ![]() |
All | ||||||
Fittipaldi | F6 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 14 | 1, 3-16 | |||
2 | ||||||||
44 | All | |||||||
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Renault | RS10 | Renault-Gordini EF1 turbo | Turbo | 15 | All | None | |
16 | ![]() |
All | ||||||
Shadow | DN9 | Ford Cosworth DFV turbo | Turbo | 17 | 1-9, 12-16 | |||
11 | ||||||||
18 | 1-7 | |||||||
8-16 | ||||||||
Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 17 | 10 | |||||
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Wolf | WR7-9 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 20 | 1-4, 8-10 | ||
5-7, 11-16 | ||||||||
21 | All | |||||||
Ensign | N179 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 22 | ![]() |
All | None | |
23 | All | |||||||
Merzario | A1B A4B Lotus 80 |
Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 24 | 1-5, 11-12 | |||
6-10, 14-16 | ||||||||
13 | ||||||||
34 | 1-9 | |||||||
10-16 | ||||||||
Ligier | JS11 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 25 | All | |||
26 | All | |||||||
Williams | FW07 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 27 | ![]() |
1-9 | ||
28 | 1-10 | |||||||
Honda | Turbo | 27 | ![]() |
10-16 | ||||
28 | 11-16 | |||||||
Arrows | A2 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 29 | 1-2, 8-16 | |||
3-7 | ||||||||
30 | All | |||||||
Rebaque | HR100 PR-01 |
Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 31 | ![]() |
1-10 |
| |
11-16 | ||||||||
33 | 1-10 | |||||||
11-16 | ||||||||
Alfa Romeo | 179 | Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12 | N-A | 35 | All | |||
36 | All | |||||||
Jenkins | FW06 | Ford Cosworth DFV | N-A | 37 | 1-14 | |||
38 | 1-8 | |||||||
9-14 |
Key
Key | ||
---|---|---|
Icon | Type | |
N-A | Normally Aspirated | |
Turbo | Turbocharged |
Mid-Season Changes
1 Wilson Fittipaldi replaced Emerson Fittipaldi for the Brazilian Grand Prix, which would be his last competitive outing. Emerson was back in the seat for the next race at South Africa.
small>2 Riccardo Patrese broke his left arm during the Brazilian Grand Prix after crashing heavily. Alfa Romeo test driver Andrea de Cesaris filled in from South African until Riccado's return.
small>3 James Hunt was banned for 3 races after causing an avoidable collision resulting in injury at the United States West Grand Prix. Wolf test driver Bruno Giacomelli replaced Hunt until his return.
small>4 Emilio de Villota replaced Gianfranco Brancatelli at RAM as a one-off for the Spanish Grand Prix
5 Elio de Angelis was sacked after 5 races after a string of DNQs in a chassis capable of qualifying. One-time race winner and Merzario test driver Vittorio Brambilla replaced de Angelis.
6 Geoff Lees was forced to miss the Monaco GP after a severe case of food poisoning. He was replaced by the team's test driver Thomas Nurmester.
7 Derek Daly replaced an under-performing Mario Andretti for the French Grand Prix. The FIA deemed that he should not race with the champions #1, so raced with the number #0 instead.
8 Stefan Bellof was given a trial period by Shadow after Rosberg failed to live up to expectations or his team mate.
9 Rupert Keegan replaced Beppe Gabbiani for Britain to please sponsors. Gabbiani quit the team after it was announced Keegan would race in Germany
10 Marc Surer and John Watson were involved in a horrifying crash at the German Grand Prix. Surer suffered back, chest and leg injuries and will sit out the rest of the season, while Watson escaped with minor injuries. Surer was replaced with Padraig O'Connell
11 Beppe Gabbiani replaced Guidetti at Merzario from the German Grand Prix onwards.
12 After retiring from the German Grand Prix with brake failure, James Hunt decalred the current crop of cars 'deathtraps' and promptly retired from motor racing.
13 Vitorio Brambilla will step aside for de Angelis from the Austrian Grand Prix onwards.
14 John Watson suffered a sprained ankle in the German GP crash, and was forced to miss the next race. Keke Rosberg replaced him.
15 Hector Rebaque announced he would sit out the remaining 4 European rounds after poor results leading up to the German Grand Prix. Instead, Piercarlo Ghinzani would race the second Rebaque. Hector Rebaque later announced that Ghinzani would complete all of he remaining rounds.
16 Harlad Ertl replaced Hans-Joachim Stuck for the Austrian Grand Prix only
17 Similarly, Michael Bleekemolen replaced Hans-Joachim Stuck for the Dutch Grand Prix only. Good performances for ATS however saw him land the drive for the rest of the season
18 Mario Andretti was fired after the European Grand Prix. The American had put in a string of lacklustre performances, and had collided with Hiroshi Takagi for the 3rd time in 4 races. He was replaced by Derek Daly for the rest of the season.
19 Geoff Lees was sacked by Tyrrell after the US GP and replaced by team test driver Didier Pironi.
Season Overview
The top 3 - Ferrari, Williams and Ligier
Ligier
Ligier started the season and ended the season slightly behind Williams, but their peak in performance during the middle of the season kept them in championship contention till the very end. Despite never taking pole position, Ligier walked away from 1979 with 5 victories, and both World Championships.
Williams
These three teams took 13 of the 17 wins over the course of the season, but each team peaked at different times of the season, allowing the title battle to roll on to the final round at Adelaide.
Williams generally were the benchmark for outright pace over the whole season, but were let down by reliability. The statistics back this up - 11 poles and 7 fastest laps but only 5 wins. The teeam started with Cosworth power, but a string of reliability issues meant the Constructor's championship was slipping away, and the team installed Honda engines in both cars from Austria to benefit them next year. The Honda engines made the Williams virtually unbeatable on Saturday, and Williams generally led from the front until the engine gave up, except for the three occasions it didn't. Reliability issues with both Ford Cosworth and turbocharged Honda engines will mark this season down as the one that got away for Williams, with 4 victories lost in the first 9 races with Cosworth power, and 4 victories went begging in the last 8 races with turbo power.
When they weren't breaking down, both Williams drivers were fast and always challenging for the win. Experienced hand Jody Scheckter genrally had the upper hand over his rookie team mate, but Callum McAllister showed on several occasions his speed and talent. The fact that Jody's two wins in Brazil and Canada were 12 races apart highlights the problems faced by the team, but both wins were controlled from the front, with a 1-2 in Brazil denied by Arnoux's Ferrari. McAllister's three wins in Belgium, Holland and Australia take the team's 1979 tally up to 5, joint equal with Ligier. Despite Honda engines improving pace, the team practically sacrificed both championships for 1980.
Season Calendar
Race | Track | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez | ![]() |
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2 | ![]() |
Interlagos | ![]() |
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3 | ![]() |
Kyalami | ![]() |
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4 | ![]() |
Long Beach | ![]() |
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5 | ![]() |
Jarama | ![]() |
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6 | ![]() |
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | ![]() |
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7 | ![]() |
Circuit de Monaco | ![]() |
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8 | ![]() |
Dijon | ![]() |
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9 | ![]() |
Silverstone | ![]() |
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10 | ![]() |
Hockenheimring | ![]() |
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11 | ![]() |
Österreichring | ![]() |
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12 | ![]() |
Circuit Park Zandvoort | ![]() |
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13 | ![]() |
Autodromo Nazionale Monza | ![]() |
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14 | ![]() |
Brands Hatch | ![]() |
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15 | ![]() |
Montreal | ![]() |
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16 | ![]() |
Watkins Glen | ![]() |
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17 | ![]() |
Adelaide Street Circuit | ![]() |
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Championship Standings
Points System
Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Driver's Championship
Pos | Driver | ARG![]() |
BRA![]() |
RSA![]() |
USW![]() |
ESP![]() |
BEL![]() |
MON![]() |
FRA![]() |
GBR![]() |
GER![]() |
AUT![]() |
NED![]() |
ITA![]() |
EUR![]() |
CAN![]() |
USA![]() |
AUS‡![]() |
Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Ret | 10 | 1 | Ret | 2 | Ret | 6 | 1 | Ret | 1 | 2 | Ret | 5 | Ret | 2 | Ret | 2 | 65 |
2 | ![]() |
1 | 16† | Ret | Ret | 6 | 2 | Ret | 4 | Ret | 3 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 2 | 4 | Ret | 11 | 63 |
3 | ![]() |
8 | 2 | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13† | Ret | 4 | 2 | 3 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 62 |
4 | ![]() |
Ret | 1 | 2 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 2 | Ret | 2 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | 44 |
5 | ![]() |
Ret | 3 | 3 | Ret | Ret | 1 | Ret | 3 | 9 | Ret | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 1 | 43 |
6 | ![]() |
13† | 4 | Ret | 3 | 3 | Ret | 5 | Ret | 4 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 1 | Ret | 5 | Ret | Ret | 40 |
7 | ![]() |
Ret | Ret | 7 | 4 | 8 | Ret | Ret | 7 | 5 | Ret | 12† | 3 | Ret | Ret | 3 | 1 | Ret | 36 |
8 | ![]() |
Ret | 5 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 4 | 7 | 11 | 3 | Ret | 5 | Ret | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | 13† | 34 |
9 | ![]() |
Ret | Ret | Ret | 2 | Ret | Ret | 1 | Ret | Ret | 9 | 3 | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | 17 | 34 |
10 | ![]() |
6 | 7 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 2 | 13† | Ret | 3 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 3 | 30 |
11 | ![]() |
Ret | 9 | Ret | 8 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 8 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 6 | 13 | 6 | Ret | 27 | |
12 | ![]() |
Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 4 | 3 | 9 | 6 | Ret | 5 | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 6 | Ret | Ret | 24 |
13 | ![]() |
2 | Ret | 9 | 11 | Ret | 8 | Ret | Ret | 8 | 6 | Ret | 9 | Ret | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 17 |
14 | ![]() |
Ret | 14 | 18 | 13 | 5 | DNQ | Ret | Ret | Ret | 7† | Ret | 7 | 6 | 4 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 16 |
15 | ![]() |
Ret | Ret | 4 | 11 | 10 | 4 | Ret | 7 | DNQ | 6 | 13.5 | |||||||
16 | ![]() |
Ret | Ret | 4 | 5 | 9 | Ret | 9 | 7 | 11 | 7 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | 13.5 | |
17 | ![]() |
10 | DNQ | 10 | DNQ | Ret | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | INJ | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5 | 18† | 10 |
18 | ![]() |
4 | 17 | 15 | DNQ | 7 | 7 | 12 | Ret | 14† | Ret | Ret | Ret | 12 | 9 | ||||
19 | ![]() |
Ret | 6 | 13 | 9 | 9 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 10 | Ret | 10 | 11 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 4 | 15† | 8 |
20 | ![]() |
3 | 15 | DNQ | Ret | EX | EX | EX | 12 | Ret | Ret | 6 | |||||||
21 | ![]() |
5 | Ret | Ret | 7 | Ret | 11 | 13 | 14 | 11 | DNQ | Ret | Ret | DNQ | 9 | Ret | Ret | 14† | 6 |
22 | ![]() |
DNQ | DNQ | 17 | Ret | Ret | Ret | DNQ | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
23 | ![]() |
5 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | |||||||||||||
24 | ![]() |
7 | 13 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | 13 | 15† | Ret | Ret | 12 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 5 |
25 | ![]() |
5 | 12 | Ret | Ret | 11 | 4 | ||||||||||||
26 | ![]() |
12 | 12 | 8 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 9 | Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 16† | 4 |
27 | ![]() |
Ret | 8 | 6 | Ret | 10 | Ret | INJ | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | DNQ | 4 | |
28 | ![]() |
4 | 2.5 | ||||||||||||||||
29 | ![]() |
DNQ | 17 | Ret | 12 | DNQ | 14 | Ret | 5 | 2 | |||||||||
30 | ![]() |
9 | Ret | INJ | INJ | INJ | INJ | INJ | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 7 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 12† | 2 |
31 | ![]() |
Ret | Ret | 12 | 7 | 11 | Ret | Ret | 2 | ||||||||||
32 | ![]() |
11 | Ret | 18 | Ret | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | 7 | DNQ | 2 | |||||||
33 | ![]() |
8 | 8 | Ret | Ret | 10 | DNQ | Ret | 2 | ||||||||||
34 | ![]() |
Ret | 11 | 14 | Ret | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | 12 | DNQ | 10 | 1 |
35 | ![]() |
DNQ | DNQ | 12 | Ret | Ret | Ret | DNQ | 15 | DNQ | 8 | DNQ | 1 | ||||||
36 | ![]() |
8 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
37 | ![]() |
DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 9 | DNQ | 0 | |
38 | ![]() |
DNQ | 18 | DNQ | 10 | DNQ | 13 | Ret | Ret | DNQ | Ret | INJ | INJ | INJ | INJ | INJ | INJ | INJ | 0 |
39 | ![]() |
14 | 10 | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | 0 | |||||||||||
40 | ![]() |
Ret | Ret | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | 16 | DNQ | Ret | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 10 | 0 | |||
41 | ![]() |
Ret | Ret | DNQ | 14 | 13 | 12 | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | Ret | Ret | 11 | DNQ | Ret | Ret | 0 | |
42 | ![]() |
11 | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | Ret | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | 12 | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0 |
43 | ![]() |
14 | DNQ | 11 | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 16 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0 |
44 | ![]() |
Ret | 19 | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 13 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | 19† | 0 |
45 | ![]() |
13 | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | 0 | |||||||||||
46 | ![]() |
DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 15 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | 0 |
47 | ![]() |
DNQ | DNQ | 16 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | |||||||
48 | ![]() |
DNQ | DNQ | 19 | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | 0 | ||||||||||
49 | ![]() |
20 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
NC | ![]() |
DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | |||||||
NC | ![]() |
Ret | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
NC | ![]() |
Ret | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
NC | ![]() |
DNQ | - |
Bold indicates pole position
Italics indicate fastest lap
† indicates that the driver did not finish the race, but completed more than 90% of the race distance
‡ indicates that half points were awarded as less than 75% of the scheduled race distance was completed
Constructor's Championship Standings
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