1979 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1979 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 1979 at Zolder. It was the sixth race of the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
| 1979 Belgian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 6 of 15 in the 1979 Formula One season | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 13 May 1979 | ||
| Location |
Circuit Zolder Heusden-Zolder, Belgium | ||
| Course length | 4.262 km (2.648 mi) | ||
| Distance | 70 laps, 298.340 km (185.380 mi) | ||
| Weather | Dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ligier-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:21.13 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | |
| Time | 1:23.09 on lap 63 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Ferrari | ||
| Second | Ligier-Ford | ||
| Third | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
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Lap leaders
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The 70-lap race was won by Jody Scheckter, driving a Ferrari. Scheckter collided with Clay Regazzoni's Williams-Ford on the second lap, but recovered to take his first victory of the season. Jacques Laffite finished second in a Ligier-Ford, having started from pole position, while Didier Pironi achieved his first podium finish with third in a Tyrrell-Ford.
The race also saw the first appearance of Alfa Romeo as a works team since 1951. Driving the Alfa Romeo 177, Bruno Giacomelli qualified 14th, ahead of both Renaults and both McLarens, before retiring following a collision with Elio de Angelis in the Shadow-Ford.
Qualifying
Qualifying classification
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Time | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Ford | 1:21,13 | 1 |
| 2 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier-Ford | 1:21,20 | 2 |
| 3 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:21,35 | 3 |
| 4 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 1:21,59 | 4 |
| 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 1:21,83 | 5 |
| 6 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:22,08 | 6 |
| 7 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 1:22,09 | 7 |
| 8 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams-Ford | 1:22,40 | 8 |
| 9 | James Hunt | Wolf-Ford | 1:22,55 | 9 |
| 10 | Carlos Reutemann | Lotus-Ford | 1:22,56 | 10 |
| 11 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:22,68 | 11 |
| 12 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:22,85 | 12 |
| 13 | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:22,87 | 13 |
| 14 | Bruno Giacomelli | Alfa Romeo | 1:23,15 | 14 |
| 15 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus-Ford | 1:23,63 | 15 |
| 16 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 1:23,92 | 16 |
| 17 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:24,02 | 17 |
| 18 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:24,33 | 18 |
| 19 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | 1:24,37 | 19 |
| 20 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS-Ford | 1:24,62 | 20 |
| 21 | Jan Lammers | Shadow-Ford | 1:24,76 | 21 |
| 22 | Jochen Mass | Arrows-Ford | 1:25,08 | 22 |
| 23 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:25,18 | 23 |
| 24 | Elio de Angelis | Shadow-Ford | 1:25,48 | 24 |
| DNQ | Patrick Tambay | McLaren-Ford | 1:25,69 | — |
| DNQ | Arturo Merzario | Merzario-Ford | 1:25,92 | — |
| DNQ | Derek Daly | Ensign-Ford | 1:27,83 | — |
| DNQ | Gianfranco Brancatelli | Kauhsen-Ford | 1:34,48 | — |
Race
Classification
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Lap leaders
Patrick Depailler 25 laps (1–18, 40–46); Jacques Laffite 12 laps (19–23, 47–53); Alan Jones 16 laps (24–39); Jody Scheckter 17 laps (54–70).
Championship standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Only the best 4 results from the first 7 races and the best 4 results from the last 8 races counted towards the Drivers' Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
References
- "1979 Belgian Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- "Belgium 1979 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
| Previous race: 1979 Spanish Grand Prix |
FIA Formula One World Championship 1979 season |
Next race: 1979 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1978 Belgian Grand Prix |
Belgian Grand Prix | Next race: 1980 Belgian Grand Prix |