312 T4

The battle for the Drivers’ title turned into a duel between Villeneuve and South African Jody Scheckter, who won three races each, but the latter eventually triumphed due to a more consistent performance. The 312 T3 was used for the first two races of 1979. In fact, the T4 made its debut in South Africa and immediately won two races. Another double, this time at Monza, brought further glory: a win for Villeneuve and the Championship for Scheckter.

The car was a further evolution of the T series which brought three Drivers’ and four Constructors’ titles to Maranello, but the transverse dimensions of the engine’s horizontally opposed cylinder layout were at odds with its aerodynamic development. To overcome this problem, the Ferrari technicians broadened its flanks still further to house the air intakes that would channel air to the radiators and to the intake ducts. The suspension was redesigned too to minimise drag, while the rear brakes were inboard to reduce the non-suspended mass and improve grip and traction control.