Spanish Grand Prix 1979 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Patrick Depailler delivered a brilliant victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, mastering the tight, technical Jarama circuit to score his second career win and Ligier's third victory of the season. The Frenchman's smooth, precise driving style proved perfectly suited to Jarama's constant direction changes, where ground effect advantages were minimized and driver skill mattered most. Depailler's triumph demonstrated Ligier retained competitiveness despite Ferrari's recent surge, keeping the French team in both championship fights.

Carlos Reutemann secured a strong second place for Lotus, with defending champion Mario Andretti claiming third in a rare double points finish for the struggling team. The Lotus 80's reliability problems had forced a return to the previous year's 79 chassis, which remained competitive if no longer dominant. Both Ferrari drivers encountered problems that prevented them from scoring, handing Ligier a crucial result that kept the championship battle wide open.

Depailler's victory at Jarama marked the last time Ligier would win in 1979, as development stagnation and Ferrari's continued progress shifted competitive advantage permanently. The Frenchman's smooth, calculating style made him one of the era's most underrated talents, though his season would be cut short by a devastating hang-gliding accident in August that left him with career-threatening injuries. The Spanish result demonstrated that technical circuits still rewarded driver skill over pure aerodynamic performance, providing hope for teams struggling to match the ground effect leaders.