Who was the first WRC drivers' champion in 1979?

The first WRC drivers’ champion in 1979 was Björn Waldegård.

The 1979 season was the first time the FIA awarded a formal World Rally Championship for Drivers alongside the established manufacturers’ title. Swedish driver Björn Waldegård secured the inaugural crown after a remarkably close campaign, finishing with 112 points—just one more than Finland’s Hannu Mikkola.

Waldegård’s season included victories on the Acropolis Rally and Rally Canada, as well as strong results in several other rounds. Mikkola remained a serious threat throughout the year and won the final RAC Rally, but Waldegård’s points advantage held. The championship was decided across a 12-rally schedule that visited events in Europe, Africa, Oceania and North America.

The result is sometimes confused with later champions. Walter Röhrl won the 1980 drivers’ title, while Stig Blomqvist became champion in 1984 and Hannu Mikkola won in 1983. Another historical nuance is that the WRC had already staged seasons from 1973 onward, but those early years awarded only the manufacturers’ championship. The 1979 title therefore made Waldegård the first official WRC drivers’ champion.