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James Hunt was never one to bite his tongue, which included his commentary debut soon after retiring from F1 at Jean-Pierre Jarier’s expense at Silverstone in 1979.
Hunt was notorious for always speaking his mind, and it made him a huge fans’ favourite at the time and long since he abruptly walked away from the Formula 1 grid. The Briton was a larger-than-life character, famed for his flamboyant lifestyle and charm, as well as his talent.
F1 fans only got to watch Hunt showcase his talent on the global stage for seven years, and five full seasons, despite winning the F1 drivers’ championship in 1976 with McLaren. Hunt beat Niki Lauda to the 1976 title by a point after the Austrian’s accident at the Nurburgring.
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James Hunt accused Jean-Pierre Jarier of being ‘half asleep’ in the 1979 British Grand Prix
Ultimately, Wolf Racing failing to provide Hunt a car with which he could fight for the title in 1979 proved to be the final straw and he confirmed his immediate retirement that June. The Briton walked out of F1 after finishing just one of the first seven races of the 1979 campaign.
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The BBC quickly got in touch with Hunt to offer him a commentary role alongside the iconic Murray Walker after he retired. Hunt made his commentary debut with a guest appearance at the 1979 British Grand Prix, which Clay Regazzoni won with Williams by a massive 24.28s.
Renault racer Rene Arnoux and Tyrrell star Jarier joined Regazzoni on the podium in the ‘79 British GP. Jarier finished a lap down, but the Frenchman rose from P16 on the grid for his third and final career podium after P3s in the 1974 Monaco GP and 1979 South African GP.
How Jarier dealt with being caught by Williams ace Alan Jones during the ‘79 British GP riled Hunt, however. Goodwood notes that Hunt accused Jarier of being “pig ignorant” and “half asleep” for failing to let Jones through to lap him, during what was his 79th of 134 F1 starts.
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Jones comfortably led the ‘79 British GP for most of the race, as he attempted to convert the Williams team’s first-ever pole position in F1. But the Australian retired on Lap 38 of 68, due to the water pump in his FW07 failing, which let teammate Regazzoni get Williams’ first win.
Williams went on to win a total of five Grands Prix in 1979, of which Jones secured four. The Australian also won Williams their debut F1 drivers’ title in 1980, which proved to be Jarier’s final season with Tyrrell before spells with Talbot, Osella and Ligier before he retired in 1983.
Jarier entered races during a total of 12 years, after making his debut in a one-off outing for the Arnold Team in the 1971 Italian Grand Prix. He also had spells with March, Shadow, ATS Racing Team and even two starts for Team Lotus, but the Paris native never took a race win.
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