# 1979 Argentine Grand Prix

The 1979 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 21 January 1979 at the Autódromo Municipal Ciudad de Buenos Aires. The race had to be restarted because there was a huge crash at the second of the very fast esses after the pit straight that took off a number of drivers, including Jody Scheckter, Nelson Piquet, John Watson, Patrick Tambay and Mario Andretti.
After qualifying, James Hunt's WR7 was declared illegal, as the clutch-driven impeller blades which drew air through the air coiler were ruled an 'aerodynamic device'. Wolf mechanics modified the fan, and the car was allowed to start.

## Classification
### Qualifying classification

| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Time | Grid |
| 1 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Ford | 1:44.20 | 1 |
| 2 | 25 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier-Ford | 1:45.24 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Lotus-Ford | 1:45.34 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:45.36 | 4 |
| 5 | 11 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | 1:45.58 | 5 |
| 6 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | 1:45.76 | 6 |
| 7 | 1 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 1:45.96 | 7 |
| 8 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:46,43 | 8 |
| 9 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren-Ford | 1:46.56 | 9 |
| 10 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:46.88 | 10 |
| 11 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:47.15 | 11 |
| 12 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:47.46 | 12 |
| 13 | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 1:48.33 | DNS |
| 14 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows-Ford | 1:48.34 | 13 |
| 15 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 1:48.44 | 14 |
| 16 | 17 | Elio de Angelis | Shadow-Ford | 1:48.51 | 15 |
| 17 | 28 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams-Ford | 1:48.64 | 16 |
| 18 | 20 | James Hunt | Wolf-Ford | 1:48.77 | 17 |
| 19 | 31 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus-Ford | 1:49.36 | 18 |
| 20 | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:49.49 | 19 |
| 21 | 18 | Jan Lammers | Shadow-Ford | 1:49.51 | 20 |
| 22 | 24 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario-Ford | 1:50.26 | 21 |
| 23 | 5 | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:50.29 | 22 |
| 24 | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign-Ford | 1:51.05 | 23 |
| 25 | 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS-Ford | 1:51.28 | DNS |
| 26 | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | 1:51.52 | 24 |

### Race classification

| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Tyre | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
| 1 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Ford | G | 53 | 1:36:03.21 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Lotus-Ford | G | 53 | +14.94 secs | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | 7 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | G | 53 | +1:28.81 | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | 25 | Patrick Depailler | Ligier-Ford | G | 53 | +1:41.72 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | 1 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | G | 52 | +1 Lap | 7 | 2 |
| 6 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi-Ford | G | 52 | +1 Lap | 11 | 1 |
| 7 | 18 | Elio de Angelis | Shadow-Ford | G | 52 | +1 Lap | 16 | |
| 8 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Arrows-Ford | G | 51 | +2 Laps | 14 | |
| 9 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | G | 51 | +2 Laps | 15 | |
| 10 | 28 | Clay Regazzoni | Williams-Ford | G | 51 | +2 Laps | 17 | |
| 11 | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign-Ford | G | 51 | +2 Laps | 24 | |
| Ret | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | M | 48 | Engine | 10 | |
| Ret | 31 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus-Ford | G | 46 | Suspension | 19 | |
| Ret | 17 | Jan Lammers | Shadow-Ford | G | 42 | Transmission | 21 | |
| Ret | 20 | James Hunt | Wolf-Ford | G | 41 | Electrical | 18 | |
| Ret | 4 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Tyrrell-Ford | G | 15 | Engine | 4 | |
| Ret | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | M | 15 | Engine | 12 | |
| Ret | 5 | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | G | 8 | Fuel System | 23 | |
| Ret | 16 | René Arnoux | Renault | M | 6 | Engine | 26 | |
| Ret | 11 | Jody Scheckter | Ferrari | M | 0 | Collision | 5 | |
| Ret | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell-Ford | G | 0 | Collision | 8 | |
| Ret | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren-Ford | G | 0 | Collision | 9 | |
| Ret | 6 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | G | 0 | Collision | 20 | |
| Ret | 24 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario-Ford | G | 0 | Collision | 22 | |
| DNS | 29 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | G | 0 | Accident | 13 | |
| DNS | 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | ATS-Ford | G | 0 | | 25 | |
| Source: |||||||||