Didier Pironi
In qualifying, Jones managed to beat Renault RE20 driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille to the pole by four-hundredths of a second. Both drivers averaged 231 km/h (143.5 mph) around the circuit. They were followed by René Arnoux in the other Renault, Jones's Argentine teammate Carlos Reutemann, French driver Jacques Laffite, Brazilian Nelson Piquet (Brabham BT49), Frenchman Didier Pironi (Ligier JS11/15), and Finn Keke Rosberg in a Fittipaldi F8.