The 1979 British Formula One Championship (formally the 1979 Aurora AFX F1 Championship) was the second season of the British Formula One Championship. It commenced on 1 April 1979 and ended on 7 October after fifteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Englishman Rupert Keegan who drove an Arrows A1 entered by Charles Clowes. [1]
Entry List [2] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | No. | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Rounds |
Formula 1 | |||||
![]() | 1 | ![]() | Tyrrell 008 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | All |
2 | ![]() | 1-4 | |||
![]() | 8-13 | ||||
![]() | McLaren M23 | 5-7 | |||
![]() | Arrows A1 | 14-15 | |||
![]() | 3 | ![]() | Lotus 78 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | All |
![]() | 4 | ![]() | Fittipaldi F5A | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | All |
5 | ![]() | All | |||
![]() | 6 | ![]() | Chevron B41 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1-4, 7, 11, 15 |
![]() | 5 | ||||
![]() | 8-9, 11-12 | ||||
![]() | 13-14 | ||||
![]() | 7 | ![]() | March 752/771 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1 |
March 781 | 2-5 | ||||
![]() | 8 | ![]() | Ensign N177 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 5-8 |
![]() | 10 | ||||
![]() | 9 | ![]() | Williams FW06 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | All |
10 | ![]() | 4, 6, 10-11 | |||
![]() | 12, 14 | ||||
![]() | 13 | ||||
44 | ![]() | 4 | |||
![]() | 11 | ![]() | Wolf WR4 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1-11 |
Wolf WR6 | 12-15 | ||||
7 | ![]() | Wolf WR3 | 8-9 | ||
Wolf WR4 | 12 | ||||
12 | ![]() | 15 | |||
![]() | 14 | ![]() | Williams FW06 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 10 |
![]() | 16 | ![]() | Arrows A1 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 2-9, 11-15 |
17 | ![]() | 8-14 | |||
![]() | 17 | ![]() | McLaren M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 6 |
Arrows A1 | 7 | ||||
![]() | 22 | ![]() | Surtees TS20 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1-3 |
![]() | 9-10, 12 | ||||
Surtees TS20+ | 13-15 | ||||
23 | ![]() | Surtees TS20 | 1 | ||
![]() | 10 | ||||
![]() | 24 | ![]() | McLaren M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 13 |
![]() | 27 | ![]() | LEC CRP1 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 12-13 |
Shadow DN9 | 14-15 | ||||
![]() | 33 | ![]() | Ensign N174 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1, 3 |
![]() | 2, 5 | ||||
![]() | Surtees TS19 | 7, 9, 12, 14 | |||
![]() | 8, 11, 15 | ||||
![]() | 39 | ![]() | Kauhsen WK | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1 |
![]() | 42 | ![]() | March 781 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1-3 |
![]() | 88 | ![]() | McLaren M26 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 2, 4, 8 |
Formula 2 | |||||
![]() | 8 | ![]() | March 792 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1-2, 4, 13 |
![]() | 13 | ![]() | March 792 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 2, 8 |
![]() | 15 | ![]() | March 772P | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1 |
BMW M12 2.0 L4 | 2, 4-9 | ||||
March 772P/782 | Ford BDG Eden 2.0 L4 | 11 | |||
![]() | 13 | ||||
![]() | Ford BDG Richardson 2.0 L4 | 15 | |||
![]() | 18 | ![]() | Chevron B42 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1-2, 4-5, 8-10 |
19 | ![]() | 1-2, 4-5, 7-9, 11-14 | |||
Chevron B48 | 15 | ||||
![]() | 20 | ![]() | March 782 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1, 4-8, 10 |
![]() | 25 | ![]() | Chevron B42 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1-2, 10 |
![]() | 4-9, 11-15 | ||||
![]() | 26 | ![]() | Pilbeam MP42 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 5-6 |
![]() | 7 | ||||
![]() | 28 | ![]() | Chevron B35D | Ford BDG 2.0 L4 | 2, 4, 6-8, 11 |
![]() | 29 | ![]() | Chevron B42 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 2, 4, 6, 8-9 |
![]() | 30 | ![]() | March 792 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1-2, 4-9, 11-13, 15 |
31 | ![]() | March 772P | 5 | ||
34 | ![]() | 1 | |||
![]() | 34 | ![]() | AGS JH15 | BMW M12 2.0 L4 | 10 |
![]() | 65 | ![]() | March 782 | BMW M12 2.0 L4 | 1-2 |
![]() | 77 | ![]() | March 792 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 4, 13-14 |
Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers using the following structure:
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | PP | FL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
|
Bold – Pole |
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Desiré Wilson (née Randall), born 26 November 1953, is a former racing driver from South Africa and one of only five women to have competed in Formula One. Born in Brakpan, she entered one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix in 1980 with a non-works RAM Racing-prepared Williams FW07, but failed to qualify. She also raced in the 1981 non-world championship South African Grand Prix in a one off deal with Tyrrell Racing. This race was not part of the 1981 World Championship due, in part, to the FISA–FOCA war. She qualified 16th and, after the car stalled during the start of the race, she moved up through the field in wet conditions; as conditions dried, she fell back and damaged the car when it touched a wall while she was letting the race leader through.
The British Formula One Championship, often abbreviated to British F1, was a Formula One motor racing championship held in the United Kingdom. It was often referred to as the Aurora AFX Formula One series due to the Aurora company's sponsorship of the series for three of the four seasons.
The 1978 British Formula One Championship was the first season of the British Formula One Championship. It commenced on 24 March 1978 and ended on 24 September after twelve races.
The 1982 British Formula One Championship was the fourth and final season of the British Formula One Championship. It commenced on 9 April 1982 and ended on 30 August after five races.
The Hesketh 308E is a Formula One racing car model built by the Hesketh Racing team in 1977. The car was designed by Frank Dernie and Nigel Stroud and was the last car built by the Hesketh team before it folded at the end of 1978. The 308E was a relatively conservative design, with an aluminium monocoque chassis built around the common Cosworth DFV engine and Hewland gearbox combination. However, the 308E gained particular notoriety owing to Hesketh's team sponsors in 1977 – Penthouse and Rizla – and the resultant livery which incorporated a large rendering of a scantily clad Penthouse Pet embracing a Rizla packet. During this year, driver Rupert Keegan managed to qualify the car at every race entered although its best finish was only seventh place at the Austrian Grand Prix. For 1978 the team reverted to rather less controversial sponsorship from the Olympus Corporation, although results were less dependable. Following Hesketh's withdrawal from the F1 World Championship the remaining 308Es were run for various competitors in the British Aurora AFX championship.
The 1980 British Formula One Championship was the third season of the British Formula One Championship. It commenced on 4 April 1980 and ended on 5 October after twelve races. The Drivers' Championship was won by the Spaniard Emilio de Villota who drove a Williams FW07 entered by RAM Racing.
The Arrows A1 was the car with which Arrows Grand Prix International competed in the 1978 and 1979 Formula One seasons. It replaced the Arrows FA1, which was banned by the London High Court on 31 July 1978 after a legal protest from the Shadow team on the grounds that it was a carbon-copy of the Shadow DN9. Arrows anticipated that they would lose against Shadow and designed and built the A1 in under 60 days whilst the court case was being heard. Hence Arrows were able to present the Arrows A1 to the press just three days after the court case ended and did not miss any races.
The BRM P207 was a Formula One racing car, designed by Len Terry and constructed by British Racing Motors, which raced in the 1977 Formula One season. It was powered by a 3.0-litre V12 engine, with a claimed output of 488bhp. London-based Swiss watchmakers Rotary Watches provided sponsorship money. The car failed to score any points during the season. The team made a total of nine entries during the season, but only qualified in one instance, at the 1977 Brazilian Grand Prix. Driven by Larry Perkins, the car retired on lap one due to overheating. Its qualifying time was six seconds slower than that of the second-to-last starter. One British journalist in Brazil exclaimed that he was ashamed of being British. The car failed to appear at the season opening Argentine Grand Prix because it was too wide to fit in the hold of the aircraft that was going to transport it to South America.
The Evening News Trophy, was the second round of the 1980 Aurora AFX F1 Championship, at Brands Hatch, the race held on 7 April 1980. The race is notable for the victory of Desiré Wilson, who became the first female driver to win a Formula One race.
The AGS JH15 was an open-wheel race car intended for Formula Two, designed, developed, and built by French racing team and constructor AGS, in 1978. The car ran and competed in individual Formula Three motor races for four years, until 1981. It was also the team's first Formula Two race car chassis, after a long period of building Formula Three cars for junior categories.
The BRM P230 was an open-wheel Formula One racing car, designed and developed by Aubrey Woods, and built by British constructor BRM, for the 1979 Aurora AFX F1 1979 British Formula One Championship, but never raced. It was due to be driven by Neil Bettridge, and like its predecessor was going to be powered by a nearly 500 hp (370 kW) BRM V12 engine, and run on Goodyear tyres. It later became the basis for the unraced BRM Hepworth GB-1 Can-Am car.