After setting the pace in the latter half of the previous season, Alan Jones and his no-nonsense driving style secured the World Championship and brought Williams their first constructors' title.  The committed Australian took five wins and his new team mate Carlos Reutemann added another in the updated FW7B.

The layout of the Cosworth engine was ideally suited to the ground effect cars of the day and Nelson Piquet used it to good use in his Brabham BT49 taking three wins on his way to second spot in the championship. A third Cosworth powered car helped Ligier to record a win each for Laffite and Pironi as the French equipe took second spot in the constructor's rankings.

Ferrari had suddenly become uncompetitive with Villeneuve struggling to amass but six points all season. For Jody Scheckter it was even worse. The reigning champion finished a lowly nineteenth in the standings and even failed to qualify for the Canadian Grand Prix before hanging up his racing helmet for good.  Another champion, Emerson Fittipaldi retired from driving duties planning henceforth to oversee his team's fortunes from the pit wall. He finished 15th in the final points table tied on five points with a jockey-sized  new boy by the name of Alain Prost…