McLaren, a British constructor, competed in the 1979 Formula 1 season with John Watson and Patrick Tambay.
McLaren finished 7th in the 1979 constructors' championship with 15 points, 1 podium but no wins – 98 points behind champions Ferrari. McLaren's best result was 3rd, by John Watson at the Argentine Grand Prix.
Final 1979 results after 15 rounds. Data: Jolpica F1 API.
Share of the team's points (race and sprint).
Race and sprint points per round, stacked by driver (Watson, Tambay: darker to lighter).
Shared Grand Prix only. Qualifying uses the qualifying classification.
13 shared GPs
Both cars, every round. S = sprint result.
Short answers about McLaren in 1979.
John Watson and Patrick Tambay drove for McLaren in the 1979 Formula 1 season.
McLaren scored 15 points in 1979 and finished 7th in the constructors' championship, 98 points behind champions Ferrari.
McLaren did not win a Grand Prix in 1979; its best result was 3rd.
McLaren was founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren and first raced in Formula 1 in 1966. It has won ten constructors’ championships and produced drivers’ champions from Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt through Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Mika Häkkinen to Lewis Hamilton in 2008. After a lean decade, the team won back-to-back constructors’ titles in 2024 and 2025, and Lando Norris took the 2025 drivers’ crown.
McLaren is based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking and uses Mercedes power units. Andrea Stella has been team principal since 2023. The 2026 drivers are reigning world champion Lando Norris, who carries the number 1, and Oscar Piastri.
| 1 |
| P3 |
| DNF |
4 |
| 2 | P8 | DNF | 0 |
| 3 | DNF | P10 | 0 |
| 4 | DNF | DNF | 0 |
| 5 | DNF | P13 | 0 |
| 6 | P6 | – | 1 |
| 7 | P4 | – | 3 |
| 8 | P11 | P10 | 0 |
| 9 | P4 | P7 | 3 |
| 10 | P5 | DNF | 2 |
| 11 | P9 | P10 | 0 |
| 12 | DNF | DNF | 0 |
| 13 | DNF | DNF | 0 |
| 14 | P6 | DNF | 1 |
| 15 | P6 | DNF | 1 |