Argentine Grand Prix 1979

Juan y Oscar Gálvez
Buenos Aires
21 January 1979
53 laps
316.3 km
5.968 km a lap

Pole positionJacques LaffiteLigier · 1:44.200
Fastest lapJacques Laffite1:46.910 · lap 42
Winner started fromP1on the grid

Result

Pos	Driver	No.	Team · engine	Grid	Laps	Time / reason	Points
1	Jacques Laffitefastest lap	26	Ligier · Ford	1	53	1:36:03.210	9
2	Carlos Reutemann	2	Lotus · Ford	3	53	+14.940	6
3	John Watson	7	McLaren · Ford	6	53	+1:28.810	4
4	Patrick Depailler	25	Ligier · Ford	2	53	+1:41.720	3
5	Mario Andretti	1	Lotus · Ford	7	52	+1 lap	2
6	Emerson Fittipaldi	14	Fittipaldi · Ford	11	52	+1 lap	1
7	Elio de Angelis	18	Shadow · Ford	16	52	+1 lap
8	Jochen Mass	30	Arrows · Ford	14	51	+2 laps
9	Alan Jones	27	Williams · Ford	15	51	+2 laps
10	Clay Regazzoni	28	Williams · Ford	17	51	+2 laps
11	Derek Daly	22	Ensign · Ford	24	51	+2 laps
12	Gilles Villeneuve	12	Ferrari	10	48	Engine
DNF	Héctor Rebaque	31	Lotus · Ford	19	46	Suspension
DNF	Jan Lammers	17	Shadow · Ford	21	42	Transmission
DNF	James Hunt	20	Wolf · Ford	18	41	Electrical
DNF	Jean-Pierre Jarier	4	Tyrrell · Ford	4	15	Engine
DNF	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	15	Renault	12	15	Engine
DNF	Niki Lauda	5	Brabham · Alfa Romeo	23	8	Fuel system
DNF	René Arnoux	16	Renault	25	6	Engine
DNF	Jody Scheckter	11	Ferrari	5	0	Collision
DNF	Didier Pironi	3	Tyrrell · Ford	8	0	Collision
DNF	Patrick Tambay	8	McLaren · Ford	9	0	Collision
DNF	Nelson Piquet	6	Brabham · Alfa Romeo	20	0	Collision
DNF	Arturo Merzario	24	Merzario · Ford	22	0	Collision
DNS	Riccardo Patrese	29	Arrows · Ford	13		Accident
DNS	Hans-Joachim Stuck	9	ATS · Ford	–		Car not ready

A number in the first column means classified. DNF, DNQ and DNS stand for retirement, did not qualify and did not start. ‘shared’ marks a car that two drivers shared between them – permitted in the 1950s, and both were classified.

Qualifying

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap
1	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	1:44.200
2	Patrick Depailler	Ligier	1:45.240	+1.040
3	Carlos Reutemann	Lotus	1:45.340	+1.140
4	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Tyrrell	1:45.360	+1.160
5	Jody Scheckter	Ferrari	1:45.580	+1.380
6	John Watson	McLaren	1:45.760	+1.560
7	Mario Andretti	Lotus	1:45.960	+1.760
8	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell	1:46.430	+2.230
9	Patrick Tambay	McLaren	1:46.560	+2.360
10	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	1:46.880	+2.680
11	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi	1:47.150	+2.950
12	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	1:47.460	+3.260
13	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows	1:48.330	+4.130
14	Jochen Mass	Arrows	1:48.340	+4.140
15	Alan Jones	Williams	1:48.440	+4.240
16	Elio de Angelis	Shadow	1:48.510	+4.310
17	Clay Regazzoni	Williams	1:48.640	+4.440
18	James Hunt	Wolf	1:48.770	+4.570
19	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus	1:49.360	+5.160
20	Nelson Piquet	Brabham	1:49.490	+5.290
21	Jan Lammers	Shadow	1:49.510	+5.310
22	Arturo Merzario	Merzario	1:50.260	+6.060
23	Niki Lauda	Brabham	1:50.290	+6.090
24	Derek Daly	Ensign	1:51.050	+6.850
25	Hans-Joachim Stuck	ATS	1:51.280	+7.080
26	René Arnoux	Renault	1:51.520	+7.320

Fastest laps

Each driver's quickest lap of the race.

Pos	Driver	Lap	Time	Gap
1	Jacques Laffite	42	1:46.910

Championship after this race

The official standings after round 1. Arrows show the change against the round before.

The whole season

Drivers' championship after round 1
Pos	Driver	Points
1	Jacques Laffite	9
2	Carlos Reutemann	6
3	John Watson	4
4	Patrick Depailler	3
5	Mario Andretti	2
6	Emerson Fittipaldi	1

Constructors' championship after round 1
Pos	Team	Points
1	Ligier	12
2	Lotus	8
3	McLaren	4
4	Fittipaldi	1