Piquet won after Jones destroyed his FW07's skirts on kerbs. Piquet also won the next race, the  to give himself a one-point lead over Williams driver Jones. By the end of the season the BT49 was "arguably the fastest Cosworth-powered car", but Piquet lost the title to Jones at the penultimate race of the year, the , when a development engine failed while he was leading the race.
Piquet triumphed after Jones damaged his FW07's skirts on kerbs. Piquet also won the subsequent race, the  to gain a one-point advantage over Williams driver Jones. By the end of the season, the BT49 was "arguably the fastest Cosworth-powered car", but Piquet relinquished the championship to Jones at the penultimate race of the year, the , due to a development engine failure when he led.