F1RACE LAB
FORMULA 1, EXAMINED.
AN INDEPENDENT DATA PROJECT
04 / 1979 / CONSTRUCTOR DOSSIER

McLaren

Explore McLaren's 1979 Formula 1 results, drivers, podiums and constructor standings. Browse the team's recorded seasons.

British

15 Grands Prix · 2 drivers in the race record

CHAMPIONSHIPP7
OFFICIAL POINTS15
GRAND PRIX WINS0
PODIUM FINISHES1Across all race entries

The season in numbers.

28 CAR STARTS
BEST FINISHP3
POLE STARTS0Race grid position 1
AVERAGE GRID15.5
AVERAGE FINISH12.8
DID NOT FINISH14
FINISH RATE50%
POSITIONS GAINED/LOST

Net positions gained or lost across completed car starts. Each car is counted separately. DNFs, DNS and DSQs are excluded to avoid distorting the statistic.

Pit-lane or unknown grids and invalid finishing positions are also excluded. Lapped finishes count as completed car starts.

Net Positions incl. DNFs: +76

+9914 completed car starts with valid positions
GRANDS PRIX15

The drivers behind it.

Constructor driver contributions
DriverChampionship positionCar startsWinsPodiumsDNFsGP points in these results
John Watson ↗P91501515
Patrick Tambay ↗-130090

Championship position: final for completed seasons, latest available for ongoing seasons. This is the driver’s overall season classification, including results with other constructors. — = not available.

Weekend by weekend.

GRAND PRIX RESULTS
Constructor race results
Round / Grand PrixDateDriverGridFinishChangeGP pointsStatus
ROUND 01Argentine21 JanJohn Watson63+34Finished
ROUND 01Argentine21 JanPatrick Tambay9R-130Collision
ROUND 02Brazilian4 FebJohn Watson148+60+1 Lap
ROUND 02Brazilian4 FebPatrick Tambay18R-20Collision
ROUND 03South African3 MarPatrick Tambay1710+70+3 Laps
ROUND 03South African3 MarJohn Watson14R-30Ignition
ROUND 04United States Grand Prix West8 AprJohn Watson18R+50Injection
ROUND 04United States Grand Prix West8 AprPatrick Tambay19R-50Collision
ROUND 05Spanish29 AprPatrick Tambay2013+70+3 Laps
ROUND 05Spanish29 AprJohn Watson18R-40Engine
ROUND 06Belgian13 MayJohn Watson196+131Finished
ROUND 07Monaco27 MayJohn Watson144+103Finished
ROUND 08French1 JulPatrick Tambay2010+100+2 Laps
ROUND 08French1 JulJohn Watson1511+40+2 Laps
ROUND 09British14 JulJohn Watson74+33+1 Lap
ROUND 09British14 JulPatrick Tambay187+110Out of fuel
ROUND 10German29 JulJohn Watson125+72Finished
ROUND 10German29 JulPatrick Tambay15R+10Suspension
ROUND 11Austrian12 AugJohn Watson169+70+1 Lap
ROUND 11Austrian12 AugPatrick Tambay1410+40+1 Lap
ROUND 12Dutch26 AugJohn Watson12R-10Engine
ROUND 12Dutch26 AugPatrick Tambay14R-50Engine
ROUND 13Italian9 SeptJohn Watson19R-20Accident
ROUND 13Italian9 SeptPatrick Tambay14R-80Engine
ROUND 14Canadian30 SeptJohn Watson176+111+2 Laps
ROUND 14Canadian30 SeptPatrick Tambay20R-10Engine
ROUND 15United States7 OctJohn Watson136+71+1 Lap
ROUND 15United States7 OctPatrick Tambay22R+40Engine

A season in motion.

CLASSIFIED POSITIONS
P1P7P13P18P24R1R5R8R12R15John Watson · Round 1 (Argentine Grand Prix) · P3John Watson · Round 2 (Brazilian Grand Prix) · P8John Watson · Round 3 (South African Grand Prix) · P17John Watson · Round 4 (United States Grand Prix West) · P13John Watson · Round 5 (Spanish Grand Prix) · P22John Watson · Round 6 (Belgian Grand Prix) · P6John Watson · Round 7 (Monaco Grand Prix) · P4John Watson · Round 8 (French Grand Prix) · P11John Watson · Round 9 (British Grand Prix) · P4John Watson · Round 10 (German Grand Prix) · P5John Watson · Round 11 (Austrian Grand Prix) · P9John Watson · Round 12 (Dutch Grand Prix) · P13John Watson · Round 13 (Italian Grand Prix) · P21John Watson · Round 14 (Canadian Grand Prix) · P6John Watson · Round 15 (United States Grand Prix) · P6Patrick Tambay · Round 1 (Argentine Grand Prix) · P22Patrick Tambay · Round 2 (Brazilian Grand Prix) · P20Patrick Tambay · Round 3 (South African Grand Prix) · P10Patrick Tambay · Round 4 (United States Grand Prix West) · P24Patrick Tambay · Round 5 (Spanish Grand Prix) · P13Patrick Tambay · Round 8 (French Grand Prix) · P10Patrick Tambay · Round 9 (British Grand Prix) · P7Patrick Tambay · Round 10 (German Grand Prix) · P14Patrick Tambay · Round 11 (Austrian Grand Prix) · P10Patrick Tambay · Round 12 (Dutch Grand Prix) · P19Patrick Tambay · Round 13 (Italian Grand Prix) · P22Patrick Tambay · Round 14 (Canadian Grand Prix) · P21Patrick Tambay · Round 15 (United States Grand Prix) · P18

Lower position numbers are higher on the chart. Hover, tap or focus a point for details.

View chart data
McLaren 1979 race form
RoundJohn WatsonPatrick Tambay
Round 1P3P22
Round 2P8P20
Round 3P17P10
Round 4P13P24
Round 5P22P13
Round 6P6
Round 7P4
Round 8P11P10
Round 9P4P7
Round 10P5P14
Round 11P9P10
Round 12P13P19
Round 13P21P22
Round 14P6P21
Round 15P6P18

The championship record.

OFFICIAL POINTS / ROUND

Official constructor totals after each Grand Prix, including sprint points and recorded adjustments.

How to read these statistics

All figures refer to McLaren in 1979, using this constructor’s Jolpica ID. Team renames with a different ID are separate records. Podiums, starts, DNFs and averages count race entries, not weekends. A double podium counts twice. Pole starts use the final race grid, not qualifying classification. Non-starters and disqualifications are excluded from position averages and changes as appropriate; lapped finishes count as finishes. Official championship points may differ from the sum of driver race points because of sprint scoring, historical rules and penalties. Before the constructors’ championship existed, official standings and points may be unavailable. Positions Gained/Lost sums grid minus finish separately for each completed car start with valid positive positions, using only entries for this constructor in the selected season. Retirements, non-starters, disqualifications, unclassified results and pit-lane or unknown grids are excluded. A dash means no eligible entries; zero means no net change. The tooltip retains the previous calculation as Net Positions incl. DNFs. This is not an overtake count. Shared drives can produce multiple historical entries.

Explore recorded seasons.

Explore the 1979 season ↗