The ground-effect era was still in its infancy. Virtually every driver was struggling to come to grips with the staggering pace of development in the science of aerodynamics. During practice for the 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, one of the fastest tracks on the F1 circuit, many drivers reported frightening experiences. Jody Scheckter was even seen standing up in his Ferrari before coming to a stop in the pits because he was "so keen to get out!"
The British Grand Prix of 1979 was full of turbulence and made for an excellent race. Scheckter and his teammate Gilles Villeneuve wrestled their new Ferrari 312 T4s around the daunting track to disappointing grid positions of 11th and 13th respectively. Ferrari engineers at the time were behind the competition in terms of their understanding of aerodynamics. Normally this shortcoming was made up for by the monstrous power generated from their 3-liter flat-12 engine. At Silverstone, however, no amount of power could make up for the lack of traction.
During the race, the hard charging duo battled their way as high as 3rd and 4th places. Villeneuve eventually retired with engine trouble. By the end of the race Scheckters tires were destroyed. Furthermore, a miscommunication with the pits led him to back off the pace because he thought the car wouldn't complete three more race laps around Silverstone when, sadly, only two laps remained. In the closing laps he was passed by Jarier and Watson.
Despite being terribly upset by the points he lost in the closing laps, attrition throughout the race meant that Jody was the only top driver to score points and so he drew ever closer to the Championship that would be his in 1979!
Attacking Silverstone's many high-speed corners was an act of sheer bravery in the ground-effects Ferrari. Scheckter worked hard for his Championship points that day.
