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 | |||||
Melchester Racing | 1 | Desiré Wilson | Tyrrell 008 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | All |
2 | Gordon Smiley | 1-4 | |||
Neil Bettridge | 8-13 | ||||
Gordon Smiley | McLaren M23 | 5-7 | |||
Neil Bettridge | Arrows A1 | 14-15 | |||
Madom F1 Team | 3 | Emilio de Villota | Lotus 78 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | All |
Mopar Ultramar Racing Team | 4 | Guy Edwards | Fittipaldi F5A | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | All |
5 | Bernard de Dryver | All | |||
Graham Eden Racing | 6 | Tiff Needell | Chevron B41 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1-4, 7, 11, 15 |
Ray Mallock | 5 | ||||
David Leslie | 8-9, 11-12 | ||||
Kim Mather | 13-14 | ||||
Valentino Musetti | 7 | Valentino Musetti | March 752/771 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1 |
March 781 | 2-5 | ||||
John Cooper | 8 | John Cooper | Ensign N177 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 5-8 |
Tiff Needell | 10 | ||||
Team Agostini Marlboro | 9 | Giacomo Agostini | Williams FW06 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | All |
10 | Gimax | 4, 6, 10-11 | |||
Marco Micangeli | 12, 14 | ||||
Guido Pardini | 13 | ||||
44 | Lella Lombardi | 4 | |||
Theodore Racing with Hi-Line | 11 | David Kennedy | Wolf WR4 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1-11 |
Wolf WR6 | 12-15 | ||||
7 | Valentino Musetti | Wolf WR3 | 8-9 | ||
Wolf WR4 | 12 | ||||
12 | Geoff Lees | 15 | |||
Frank Williams Racing | 14 | Giorgio Pianta | Williams FW06 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 10 |
C. W. Clowes Racing | 16 | Rupert Keegan | Arrows A1 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 2-9, 11-15 |
17 | Ricardo Zunino | 8-14 | |||
BS Fabrications | 17 | Ricardo Zunino | McLaren M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 6 |
Arrows A1 | 7 | ||||
Team Surtees | 22 | Philip Bullman | Surtees TS20 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1-3 |
Gordon Smiley | 9-10, 12 | ||||
Surtees TS20+ | 13-15 | ||||
23 | Claude Bourgoignie | Surtees TS20 | 1 | ||
Jean-Pierre Jaussaud | 10 | ||||
Dennis Leech | 24 | Dennis Leech | McLaren M23 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 13 |
LEC Refrigeration Racing | 27 | David Purley | LEC CRP1 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 12-13 |
Shadow DN9 | 14-15 | ||||
Smith & Jones | 33 | Robin Smith | Ensign N174 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1, 3 |
Richard Jones | 2, 5 | ||||
Robin Smith | Surtees TS19 | 7, 9, 12, 14 | |||
Richard Jones | 8, 11, 15 | ||||
Willi Kauhsen | 39 | Gianfranco Brancatelli | Kauhsen WK | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1 |
Walz Toj Racing | 42 | Gerd Biechteler | March 781 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 1-3 |
Iain McLaren | 88 | Iain McLaren | McLaren M26 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | 2, 4, 8 |
Formula 2 | |||||
Cooper Industries | 8 | John Cooper | March 792 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1-2, 4, 13 |
Divina Galica | 13 | Divina Galica | March 792 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 2, 8 |
Pontin Racing | 15 | Kim Mather | 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 | |||
Mike Wilds | 13 | ||||
Kim Mather | Ford BDG Richardson 2.0 L4 | 15 | |||
A. G. Dean Racing | 18 | Tony Dean | Chevron B42 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1-2, 4-5, 8-10 |
19 | Brian Robinson | 1-2, 4-5, 7-9, 11-14 | |||
Chevron B48 | 15 | ||||
Adrian Russell | 20 | Adrian Russell | March 782 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1, 4-8, 10 |
RAM Racing | 25 | Germain Garon | Chevron B42 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1-2, 10 |
Hervé Regout | 4-9, 11-15 | ||||
Onyx Race Engineering | 26 | Patrick Nève | Pilbeam MP42 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 5-6 |
Neil Bettridge | 7 | ||||
Kenneth Brill | 28 | Kenneth Brill | Chevron B35D | Ford BDG 2.0 L4 | 2, 4, 6-8, 11 |
Warren Booth | 29 | Warren Booth | Chevron B42 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 2, 4, 6, 8-9 |
Dicksons of Perth | 30 | Norman Dickson | March 792 | Hart 420R 2.0 L4 | 1-2, 4-9, 11-13, 15 |
31 | Gianfranco Brancatelli | March 772P | 5 | ||
34 | Pascal Witmeur | 1 | |||
Ecurie Motul Nogaro | 34 | Alain Couderc | AGS JH15 | BMW M12 2.0 L4 | 10 |
Walz Toj Racing | 65 | Klaus Walz | March 782 | BMW M12 2.0 L4 | 1-2 |
Theodore Racing | 77 | Derek Warwick | 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 |
Rupert Keegan is a former racing driver from England. He participated in 37 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 8 May 1977. He scored no championship points.
Robert Neville Anthony Evans is a British former racing driver from England. He participated in 12 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 1 March 1975. He scored no championship points. He also competed in numerous non-Championship Formula One races.
Emilio de Villota Ruíz is a former racing driver from Spain, born in Madrid. He entered 15 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1976 and 1982, qualifying twice. He entered most Spanish Grand Prix between 1976 and 1982 and became a major force in the short-lived Aurora AFX Formula One Championship for F1 cars, winning the title in 1980.
Guy Richard Goronwy Edwards, QGM is a British former racing driver. Best known for his sportscar and British Formula One career, as well as for brokering sponsorship deals, Edwards participated in 17 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 13 January 1974. He scored no championship points.
Michael Christopher Thackwell is a former racing driver from New Zealand, who participated in a number of prominent racing categories, including Formula 1. The sixth youngest driver ever to qualify for a Grand Prix, he participated in five of them, making his first start on 28 September 1980 at the Canadian Grand Prix. He scored no championship points. He had previously attempted unsuccessfully to qualify for the Dutch Grand Prix which was held on 31 August 1980.
William Michael Wilds is a British racing driver from England. He participated in eight Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 20 July 1974. He scored no championship points.
Theodore "Teddy" Pilette is a former racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 4 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, the first on 12 May 1974 with Bernie Ecclestone's Brabham team.
Desiré Randall Wilson 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 a disastrous start where the car stalled, 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 Fittipaldi F5 was a Formula One car for the 1977 Formula One season. It was driven by Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi. The engine was a Ford Cosworth DFV, with the car achieving three of the team's 11 points from the season. The car was modified to become the F5A, which was used for the 1978 season and part of the 1979 season. Fittipaldi was the sole driver of the car in all three seasons. The car was succeeded by the Fittipaldi F6A.
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.