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1979 French Grand Prix

Date
Winner
Pole position
Fastest lap
CircuitDijon-Prenois, 80 laps
Round8 of 15
Race numbers

The 1979 French Grand Prix was the:

  • 321st World Championship race
  • 29th World Championship French Grand Prix
  • 3rd World Championship race at Dijon-Prenois
More 1979 season
More French Grands Prix

Race result

PosDriverConstructorLapsTimePoints
1 (FRA) Jean-Pierre JabouilleRenault801hr 35m 20.420s9
2+1(CAN) Gilles VilleneuveFerrari80+14.590s6
3-1(FRA) Rene ArnouxRenault80+14.830s4
4+3(AUS) Alan JonesWilliams-Ford Cosworth80+36.610s3
5+5(FRA) Jean-Pierre JarierTyrrell-Ford Cosworth80+1m 04.510s2
6+3(CHE) Clay RegazzoniWilliams-Ford Cosworth80+1m 05.510s1
7-2(ZAF) Jody ScheckterFerrari79+1 lap 
8 (FRA) Jacques LaffiteLigier-Ford Cosworth79+1 lap 
9+7(FIN) Keke RosbergWolf-Ford Cosworth79+1 lap 
10+10(FRA) Patrick TambayMcLaren-Ford Cosworth78+2 laps 
11+4(GBR) John WatsonMcLaren-Ford Cosworth78+2 laps 
12+11(MEX) Hector RebaqueLotus-Ford Cosworth (privateer)78+2 laps 
13 (ARG) Carlos ReutemannLotus-Ford Cosworth77DNF 
14+5(ITA) Riccardo PatreseArrows-Ford Cosworth77+3 laps 
15+7(DEU) Jochen MassArrows-Ford Cosworth75+5 laps 
16+8(ITA) Elio de AngelisShadow-Ford Cosworth75+5 laps 
17 (ITA) Bruno GiacomelliAlfa Romeo75+5 laps 
18+3(NLD) Jan LammersShadow-Ford Cosworth73+7 laps 
R (FRA) Didier PironiTyrrell-Ford Cosworth71DNF 
R (BRA) Emerson FittipaldiFittipaldi-Ford Cosworth53DNF 
R (BRA) Nelson PiquetBrabham-Alfa Romeo52DNF 
R (USA) Mario AndrettiLotus-Ford Cosworth51DNF 
R (BEL) Jacky IckxLigier-Ford Cosworth45DNF 
R (AUT) Niki LaudaBrabham-Alfa Romeo23DNF 
Did not start
  (DEU) Hans-Joachim StuckATS-Ford Cosworth   

Notes

  • Carlos Reutemann ended lap 77 in P10 before retiring on the following lap.

Starting grid

Pole time: 1:07.190

PosDriverConstructor
1(FRA) Jean-Pierre JabouilleRenault
2(FRA) Rene ArnouxRenault
3(CAN) Gilles VilleneuveFerrari
4(BRA) Nelson PiquetBrabham-Alfa Romeo
5(ZAF) Jody ScheckterFerrari
6(AUT) Niki LaudaBrabham-Alfa Romeo
7(AUS) Alan JonesWilliams-Ford Cosworth
8(FRA) Jacques LaffiteLigier-Ford Cosworth
9(CHE) Clay RegazzoniWilliams-Ford Cosworth
10(FRA) Jean-Pierre JarierTyrrell-Ford Cosworth
11(FRA) Didier PironiTyrrell-Ford Cosworth
12(USA) Mario AndrettiLotus-Ford Cosworth
13(ARG) Carlos ReutemannLotus-Ford Cosworth
14(BEL) Jacky IckxLigier-Ford Cosworth
15(GBR) John WatsonMcLaren-Ford Cosworth
16(FIN) Keke RosbergWolf-Ford Cosworth
17(ITA) Bruno GiacomelliAlfa Romeo
18(BRA) Emerson FittipaldiFittipaldi-Ford Cosworth
19(ITA) Riccardo PatreseArrows-Ford Cosworth
20(FRA) Patrick TambayMcLaren-Ford Cosworth
21(NLD) Jan LammersShadow-Ford Cosworth
22(DEU) Jochen MassArrows-Ford Cosworth
23(MEX) Hector RebaqueLotus-Ford Cosworth (privateer)
24(ITA) Elio de AngelisShadow-Ford Cosworth

Non-qualifiers

DriverConstructor
(FRA) Patrick GaillardEnsign-Ford Cosworth
(ITA) Arturo MerzarioMerzario-Ford Cosworth

Championship standings

How the championship standings stood post-race.

Driver

PosDriverPoints
1(ZAF) Jody Scheckter30
2(CAN) Gilles Villeneuve26
3(FRA) Jacques Laffite24
4(FRA) Patrick Depailler20
5(ARG) Carlos Reutemann20
6(USA) Mario Andretti12
7(FRA) Jean-Pierre Jabouille9
8(FRA) Jean-Pierre Jarier9
9(FRA) Didier Pironi8
=(GBR) John Watson8
11(CHE) Clay Regazzoni7
12(AUS) Alan Jones7
13(FRA) Rene Arnoux4
14(ITA) Riccardo Patrese2
15(BRA) Emerson Fittipaldi1
=(AUT) Niki Lauda1
=(DEU) Jochen Mass1

Constructor

PosConstructorPoints
1Ferrari60
2Ligier-Ford Cosworth46
3Lotus-Ford Cosworth37
4Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth17
5Williams-Ford Cosworth14
6Renault13
7McLaren-Ford Cosworth8
8Arrows-Ford Cosworth3
9Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth1
=Brabham-Alfa Romeo1

Stats & milestones

Wins
1st for Jean-Pierre Jabouille (64th different winner, 6th French driver; first driver to win the French Grand Prix for Renault)
1st for Renault (26th different winner)
Podiums
5th for Gilles Villeneuve
1st for Jean-Pierre Jabouille & Rene Arnoux (132nd & 133rd different podium finishers, 13th & 14th French drivers)
251st for Ferrari
1st & 2nd for Renault (38th different podium finisher)
Poles
2nd for Jean-Pierre Jabouille
2nd for Renault
1-2 start
1st for Renault (15th different constructor to qualify 1-2)
Fastest laps
1st for Rene Arnoux (68th different fastest lap setter, 9th French driver)
1st for Renault (29th different fastest lap setter)
Front row starts
2nd for Jean-Pierre Jabouille
1st for Rene Arnoux (95th different front row starter, 11th French driver)
Points finishes
1st for Rene Arnoux (197th different point scorer, 21st French driver)
Pole & win
1st and only for Jean-Pierre Jabouille (30th different driver to win from pole, 2nd French driver)