The 1979 French Grand Prix marked the first turbocharged car victory in Formula One history, won by Renault's Jean-Pierre Jabouille at Dijon-Prenois.
Key Facts
- Date
- 1 July 1979
- Circuit
- Dijon-Prenois
- Winner
- Jean-Pierre Jabouille (Renault)
- Margin of 2nd over 3rd
- Less than 0.25 seconds (Villeneuve vs Arnoux)
- Last turbo F1 win before this
- Alfa Romeo 159 at 1951 Spanish Grand Prix
- Last French winner of French GP
- Jean-Pierre Wimille in 1948
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Renault had pursued turbocharged engine technology for Formula One through the late 1970s, overcoming persistent reliability failures. By mid-1979 the team had resolved enough of these mechanical issues to make their car competitive, and the French Grand Prix at Dijon-Prenois offered an opportunity on home soil with French tyres, fuel, and constructor.
On 1 July 1979, Jean-Pierre Jabouille drove the Renault RS10 to victory, becoming the first turbocharged car to win a Formula One race. Behind him, Ferrari's Gilles Villeneuve and Renault's René Arnoux engaged in an iconic last-lap battle for second place, swapping positions multiple times and making wheel-to-wheel contact before Villeneuve finished less than a quarter of a second ahead.
The victory validated turbocharged technology in Formula One and triggered a broader industry shift toward turbo engines throughout the 1980s. The Villeneuve–Arnoux duel became one of the most celebrated moments in the sport's history, widely replayed and cited as emblematic of wheel-to-wheel racing at its most intense.