1979 Classic GP Manager season

The 1979 Classic GP Manager season is the first season of the Classic GP Manager and the 30th of Formula One motor racing. Following a stormy off-season which saw the FISA-FOCA war culminate in RDFIA taking control of the sport, the 1979 was seen as a fresh start for the series. The season featured the 1979 RDFIA Formula 1 World Championship, which commenced on 21 January and ended on 7 October after fifteen races.

Carlos Reutemann won the drivers's and Ferrari the constructors' championship.

Pre-season turmoil

Following the tragic weekend at Monza the previous season that cost the life of Lotus driver Ronnie Peterson, F1 had a stormy off-season. A number of FOCA (Formula One Constructors Association) teams demanded immediate actions from FISA, the sport's governing body, to improve the safety of the cars.

FOCA teams wanted more regulation on the safety aspects of car building and better pre-season crash tests. Their proposal also included reducing the speed and banning the turbos (only used by Renault) that were regarded too dangerous to drive.

FISA and most notably Ferrari on the other hand blamed Lotus's innovative ground effect as the primary cause for the accident. FISA didn't see a need for more safety measures and their proposal only included a ban on ground effect systems.

Both proposals were met with very mixed reception. Some of the smaller FOCA teams felt their opinions weren't heard enough when creating the proposal. Thus, Shadow, ATS, Ensign and Arrows switched sides to FISA camp. FISA camp wasn't uniform either as Renault was left in a limbo by both proposals. They felt more safety regulations were needed but FOCA's proposed ban of turbos was unappealing for them.

Negotiations lasted weeks and it seemed impossible to reach an agreement. FOCA, lead by Brabham boss Bernie Ecclestone, was already laying groundwork for a new rivel championship. Renault had released an official statement of their retirement from the sport. Finally, somehow, an agreement was reached and the first Concorde Agreement was signed.

Main points of the agreement were:

• FISA and FOCA are disbanded, RDFIA will take control of the sport
• All team managers, principals and leading FISA personnel are banned for life from the sport
• All existing contracts between teams, drivers and engine and tyre manufacturers are nullified
• Safety of the cars is greatly improved
• Testing is tightly regulated by the governing body

Drivers and constructors

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1979 Classic GP Manager season.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Driver	Rounds
Martini Racing Team Lotus	Lotus-Ford	79 80	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	0	Eddie Cheever	All
					2	Derek Daly
Team Tyrrell	Tyrrell-Ford	009	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M	3	Jody Scheckter	All
					4	Didier Pironi
Parmalat Racing Team	Brabham-Alfa	BT48	Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12	G	5	Riccardo Patrese	All
					6	Jacky Ickx
Marlboro Team McLaren	McLaren-Ford	M28	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	7	Emerson Fittipaldi	All
					8	Keke Rosberg
Fittipaldi Automotive	Fittipaldi-Ford	F5	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Niki Lauda	All
					10	Rupert Keegan
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC	Ferrari	312T4	Ferrari 015 3.0 F12	M	11	Carlos Reutemann	All
					12	Alan Jones
Équipe Renault Elf	Renault	RS01 RS10	Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6t	G	15	Gilles Villeneuve	All
					16	René Arnoux
Samson Shadow Racing Team	Shadow-Ford	DN9 DN10	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	17	Bobby Rahal	All
					18	Patrick Gaillard
Olympus Cameras Wolf Racing	Wolf-Matra	WR7	Matra MS78 3.0 V12	G	19	James Hunt	All
					20	Jan Lammers
Team Ensign	Ensign-Ford	N177 N179	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	21	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	All
					22	Alberto Colombo
Autodelta	Alfa Romeo	177	Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 Alfa Romeo 1260 3.0 V12	G	23	Clay Regazzoni	All
					24	Harald Ertl
Ligier Gitanes	Ligier-Matra	JS11	Matra MS78 3.0 V12	G	25	Noritake Takahara	All
					26	Patrick Tambay
Albilad-Saudia Racing Team	Williams-Ford	FW06 FW07	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M	27	Nelson Piquet	All
					28	Elio de Angelis
Warsteiner Arrows Racing Team	Arrows-Ford	A1 A2	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	29	Renzo Zorzi	All
					30	Emilio de Villota
Team Rebaque	Rebaque-Ford	HR100	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	31	Jochen Mass	All
					32	Héctor Rebaque

Team and driver changes

Following RDFIA taking control of the sport, many privateer teams of 1978 didn't take part in 1979.

Season Review

Round	Grand Prix	Date	Location	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Winning Driver	Winning Constructor	Report
1	Argentine Grand Prix	21 January	Buenos Aires	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
2	Brazilian Grand Prix	4 February	Interlagos	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
3	South African Grand Prix	3 March	Kyalami	Alan Jones	Carlos Reutemann	Keke Rosberg	McLaren-Ford	Report
4	United States Grand Prix West	8 April	Long Beach	Gilles Villeneuve	Jody Scheckter	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell-Ford	Report
5	Spanish Grand Prix	29 April	Jarama	Alan Jones	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
6	Belgian Grand Prix	13 May	Zolder	Nelson Piquet	Nelson Piquet	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell-Ford	Report
7	Monaco Grand Prix	27 May	Monte Carlo	Carlos Reutemann	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Ferrari	Report
8	French Grand Prix	1 July	Dijon-Prenois	Elio de Angelis	Alan Jones	Alan Jones	Ferrari	Report
9	British Grand Prix	14 July	Silverstone	Alan Jones	Derek Daly	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
10	German Grand Prix	29 July	Hockenheimring	Nelson Piquet	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
11	Austrian Grand Prix	12 August	Österreichring	Gilles Villeneuve	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
12	Dutch Grand Prix	26 August	Zandvoort	Nelson Piquet	Jody Scheckter	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
13	Italian Grand Prix	9 September	Monza	Gilles Villeneuve	Nelson Piquet	Elio de Angelis	Williams-Ford	Report
14	Canadian Grand Prix	30 September	Île Notre-Dame	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell-Ford	Report
15	United States Grand Prix	7 October	Watkins Glen	Carlos Reutemann	Carlos Reutemann	Jody Scheckter	Tyrrell-Ford	Report

1979 Drivers' Championship standings

Num	Driver	ARG	BRA	RSA	USW	ESP	BEL	MON	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	CAN	USA	Points
1	Carlos Reutemann	1	1	Ret	5	1	Ret	Ret	Ret	1	1	1	1	Ret	Ret	Ret	65
2	Alan Jones	Ret	Ret	Ret	2	Ret	2	1	1	Ret	Ret	Ret	3	5	2	2	46 (48)
3	Jody Scheckter	Ret	Ret	Ret	1	Ret	1	6	3	Ret	3	7	Ret	6	1	1	45 (46)
4	Elio de Angelis	7	5	4	7	Ret	15	Ret	2	Ret	2	2	Ret	1	Ret	Ret	32
5	Derek Daly	2	4	Ret	Ret	Ret	4	8	6	2	Ret	3	Ret	Ret	3	Ret	27
6	Nelson Piquet	Ret	Ret	Ret	4	6	14	2	Ret	3	Ret	Ret	2	2	Ret	Ret	26
7	Keke Rosberg	Ret	Ret	1	8	2	3	Ret	13	Ret	6	8	5	8	4	9	25
8	Gilles Villeneuve	Ret	2	7	3	12	8	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	12	3	5	5	18
9	Niki Lauda	Ret	Ret	2	Ret	Ret	6	3	5	6	11	6	8	14	Ret	Ret	15
10	Eddie Cheever	8	13	Ret	17	Ret	5	9	4	5	9	Ret	4	10	Ret	3	14
11	Didier Pironi	Ret	3	Ret	10	Ret	Ret	5	Ret	Ret	4	Ret	Ret	Ret	6	Ret	10
12	Patrick Tambay	Ret	6	Ret	16	3	Ret	4	Ret	7	Ret	10	Ret	12	8	6	9
13	Emilio de Villota	10	Ret	3	6	4	7	11	14	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	11	Ret	8
14	René Arnoux	Ret	12	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	5	4	7	7	Ret	Ret	5
15	Rupert Keegan	3	7	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	7	DNQ	13	15	Ret	13	DNQ	DNQ	4
16	Emerson Fittipaldi	5	14	Ret	11	Ret	9	Ret	12	Ret	Ret	5	9	Ret	13	Ret	4
17	Clay Regazzoni	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNPQ	8	DNPQ	10	Ret	4	Ret	11	14	DNPQ	Ret	7	3
18	Patrick Gaillard	Ret	Ret	Ret	13	DNQ	Ret	Ret	DNPQ	DNQ	DNPQ	DNQ	Ret	Ret	7	4	3
19	Jochen Mass	4	Ret	DNPQ	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	12	Ret	16	Ret	Ret	9	8	3
20	Bobby Rahal	Ret	9	DNQ	19	DNQ	11	DNQ	DNPQ	11	DNPQ	17	Ret	4	Ret	Ret	3
21	Noritake Takahara	9	8	Ret	Ret	5	13	Ret	8	13	8	9	10	18	10	11	2
22	James Hunt	11	10	5	15	Ret	DNQ	Ret	10	14	16	12	DNQ	15	Ret	Ret	2
23	Renzo Zorzi	Ret	Ret	6	12	11	12	7	Ret	Ret	7	14	Ret	17	Ret	Ret	1
24	Riccardo Patrese	6	Ret	Ret	18	Ret	Ret	Ret	15	8	Ret	Ret	11	9	Ret	Ret	1
25	Harald Ertl	DNQ	DNQ	Ret	DNPQ	Ret	DNPQ	Ret	11	Ret	DNQ	Ret	6	DNPQ	14	Ret	1
26	Jacky Ickx	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	7	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	10	13	Ret	11	Ret	Ret	0
27	Alberto Colombo	DNPQ	DNPQ	Ret	DNQ	DNPQ	10	DNPQ	9	DNPQ	14	DNPQ	DNPQ	16	DNPQ	DNPQ	0
28	Héctor Rebaque	DNQ	11	DNPQ	14	10	Ret	DNQ	Ret	Ret	12	18	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	10	0
29	Jan Lammers	Ret	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	Ret	Ret	12	DNQ	Ret	15	DNQ	13	DNQ	12	DNQ	0
-	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	DNPQ	DNPQ	Ret	Ret	DNPQ	DNQ	DNPQ	DNQ	DNPQ	DNQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	Ret	DNPQ	DNPQ	0

1979 Constructors' Championship standings

Pos	Constructor	Car no.	ARG	BRA	RSA	USW	ESP	BEL	MON	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	CAN	USA	Points
1	Ferrari	11	1	1	Ret	5	1	Ret	Ret	Ret	1	1	1	1	Ret	Ret	Ret	113
		12	Ret	Ret	Ret	2	Ret	2	1	1	Ret	Ret	Ret	3	5	2	2
2	Williams-Ford	27	Ret	Ret	Ret	4	6	14	2	Ret	3	Ret	Ret	2	2	Ret	Ret	58
		28	7	5	4	7	Ret	15	Ret	2	Ret	2	2	Ret	1	Ret	Ret
3	Tyrrell-Ford	3	Ret	Ret	Ret	1	Ret	1	6	3	Ret	3	7	Ret	6	1	1	56
		4	Ret	3	Ret	10	Ret	Ret	5	Ret	Ret	4	Ret	Ret	Ret	6	Ret
4	Lotus-Ford	0	8	13	Ret	17	Ret	5	9	4	5	9	Ret	4	10	Ret	3	41
		2	2	4	Ret	Ret	Ret	4	8	6	2	Ret	3	Ret	Ret	3	Ret
5	McLaren-Ford	7	5	14	Ret	11	Ret	9	Ret	12	Ret	Ret	5	9	Ret	13	Ret	29
		8	Ret	Ret	1	8	2	3	Ret	13	Ret	6	8	5	8	4	9
6	Renault	15	Ret	2	7	3	12	8	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	12	3	5	5	23
		16	Ret	12	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	5	4	7	7	Ret	Ret
7	Fittipaldi-Ford	9	Ret	Ret	2	Ret	Ret	6	3	5	6	11	6	8	14	Ret	Ret	19
		10	3	7	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	7	DNQ	13	15	Ret	13	DNQ	DNQ
8	Ligier-Matra	25	9	8	Ret	Ret	5	13	Ret	8	13	8	9	10	18	10	11	11
		26	Ret	6	Ret	16	3	Ret	4	Ret	7	Ret	10	Ret	12	8	6
9	Arrows-Ford	29	Ret	Ret	6	12	11	12	7	Ret	Ret	7	14	Ret	17	Ret	Ret	9
		30	10	Ret	3	6	4	7	11	14	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	11	Ret
10	Shadow-Ford	17	Ret	9	DNQ	19	DNQ	11	DNQ	DNPQ	11	DNPQ	17	Ret	4	Ret	Ret	6
		18	Ret	Ret	Ret	13	DNQ	Ret	Ret	DNPQ	DNQ	DNPQ	DNQ	Ret	Ret	7	4
11	Alfa Romeo	23	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNPQ	8	DNPQ	10	Ret	4	Ret	11	14	DNPQ	Ret	7	4
		24	DNQ	DNQ	Ret	DNPQ	Ret	DNPQ	Ret	11	Ret	DNQ	Ret	6	DNPQ	14	Ret
12	Rebaque-Ford	31	4	Ret	DNPQ	Ret	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	12	Ret	16	Ret	Ret	9	8	3
		32	DNQ	11	DNPQ	14	10	Ret	DNQ	Ret	Ret	12	18	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	10
13	Wolf-Matra	19	11	10	5	15	Ret	DNQ	Ret	10	14	16	12	DNQ	15	Ret	Ret	2
		20	Ret	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	Ret	Ret	12	DNQ	Ret	15	DNQ	13	DNQ	12	DNQ
14	Brabham-Alfa	5	6	Ret	Ret	18	Ret	Ret	Ret	15	8	Ret	Ret	11	9	Ret	Ret	1
		6	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	7	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	10	13	Ret	11	Ret	Ret
15	Ensign-Ford	21	DNPQ	DNPQ	Ret	Ret	DNPQ	DNQ	DNPQ	DNQ	DNPQ	DNQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	Ret	DNPQ	DNPQ	0
		22	DNPQ	DNPQ	Ret	DNQ	DNPQ	10	DNPQ	9	DNPQ	14	DNPQ	DNPQ	16	DNPQ	DNPQ