Formula 1 historical archive

Jacques Laffite won the 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix

Jacques Laffite won the 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix for Ligier, ahead of Patrick Depailler and Carlos Reutemann at Autódromo José Carlos Pace.

Browse the full classification, related season, driver, team, circuit, and championship history.

Race recap

Winner
Jacques Laffite
Team
Ligier
Top listed
Jacques Laffite, Patrick Depailler, and Carlos Reutemann
Race date
February 4, 1979
Pole
Jacques Laffite
Fastest lap
Jacques Laffite
Classified drivers
26
Circuit
Autódromo José Carlos Pace

The decisive result

Jacques Laffite finished first for Ligier. Patrick Depailler is listed 2 for Ligier, with Carlos Reutemann 3 for Team Lotus.

Grid to finish

Jochen Mass from P19 to P7 (+12), Derek Daly from P23 to P13 (+10), and Elio de Angelis from P20 to P12 (+8) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. Jacques Laffite started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 10 +1 lap, 4 Finished, 2 DNQ, 2 Steering, and 1 +2 laps. Jacques Laffite holds the fastest-lap entry at 2:28.760 on lap 23. It records the result without speculating about incidents or strategy.

This summary sticks to the classification and does not speculate about incidents, strategy, weather, or causes. Source: F1DB (CC BY 4.0) · updated Jul 26, 2026.

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Race classification
PosDriverConstructorTime / statusPoints
1Jacques LaffiteLigier1:40:09.6409
2Patrick DepaillerLigier1:40:14.9206
3Carlos ReutemannTeam Lotus1:40:53.7804
4Didier PironiTyrrell1:41:35.5203
5Gilles VilleneuveFerrari+1 lap2
6Jody ScheckterFerrari+1 lap1
7Jochen MassArrows+1 lap0
8John WatsonMcLaren+1 lap0
9Riccardo PatreseArrows+1 lap0
10Jean-Pierre JabouilleRenault+1 lap0
11Emerson FittipaldiFittipaldi+1 lap0
12Elio de AngelisShadow+1 lap0
13Derek DalyEnsign+1 lap0
14Jan LammersShadow+1 lap0
15Clay RegazzoniWilliams+2 laps0
DNFAlan JonesWilliamsFuel system0
DNFHans-Joachim StuckATS WheelsSteering0
DNFRené ArnouxRenaultSpun off0
DNFPatrick TambayMcLarenCollision0
DNFJames HuntWolfSteering0