The Ensign N179 was a Formula One racing car designed by Dave Baldwin, and used by Team Ensign during the

1979 Formula One season The 1979 Formula One season was the 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 ''World Championship of F1 Drivers''FIA Yearbook 1980, Grey Section, page 84 and the 1979 ''International Cup for F1 Constructors''FIA Yearb ...

. It was designed by John Baldwin and Shahab Ahmed.

Development

Team Ensign had not built an F1 car since

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

and when

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

ended, most teams were developing new cars with ground effect as Team Lotus won the 1978 championship with a ground effect car. John Baldwin and Shahab Ahmed were tasked to design the car and the N179 was equipped with a new system of front radiators which should theoretically cool the engine and allows underside downforce. But it could not cool down the engine any more but the drivers suffer from the heat in the cockpit.

Racing history

Team Ensign had signed Irishman Derek Daly for 1979 but the team used the older

Ensign N177 Ensign was a Formula One constructor from Britain. They participated in 133 grands prix, entering a total of 155 cars. Ensign scored 19 championship points and no podium finishes. The best result was a 4th place at the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix ...

for the

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

and Brazilian Grand Prix's. The N179 made its debut at South Africa but Daly failed to qualify, he qualified for the

United States Grand Prix West The United States Grand Prix West was a race held at Long Beach, California, as a Formula 5000 race in 1975 and a Formula One World Championship event from 1976 to 1983 held in the same location throughout those years. History There had been a ...

but retired after an accident. Ensign used the older N177 at Spain and Belgium but Daly failed to qualify both times. The N179 was used at the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...

but Daly failed to qualify, He was replaced by Frenchman

Patrick Gaillard Patrick Gaillard (born 12 February 1952 in Paris) is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 5 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 1 July 1979. He scored no championship points. After performing well in French ...

for France but he failed to qualify, He qualified for the British Grand Prix and finished 13th. Gaillard failed to qualify for Germany Gaillard qualified for the

Austrian Grand Prix The Austrian Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Österreich) is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in , –, –, and then returned to the Formula One calendar in . History The A ...

but retired from suspension failure, then failed to qualify for Holland. He was replaced by Swiss driver

Marc Surer Marc Surer (born 18 September 1951 in Arisdorf) is a former racing driver from Switzerland currently working as TV commentator and racing school instructor. He participated in 88 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 9 September ...

for the final three races, the Italian, Canadian and United States Grand Prix's. He failed to qualify in Italy and Canada, but qualified for the United States and retired with a blown engine. The N179 was replaced by the

Ensign N180 Ensign was a Formula One constructor from Britain. They participated in 133 grands prix, entering a total of 155 cars. Ensign scored 19 championship points and no podium finishes. The best result was a 4th place at the 1981 Brazilian Grand Pri ...

for the 1980 season.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)(results in bold indicate pole position, results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

Ensign Formula One cars {{F1-stub