Jump to content

1978 Formula One season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1978 Formula One season was the 32nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors,[1] contested concurrently over a sixteen race series[1] which commenced on 15 January and ended on 8 October. The season also included the non-championship BRDC International Trophy.

Mario Andretti won the Drivers' World Championship, driving for JPS-Lotus.[1] He remains the last American driver to win the World Championship. His victory at the Dutch Grand Prix is also the last for an American driver. Ronnie Peterson was awarded second place in the Drivers' standings posthumously, having died from medical complications after an accident at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix. Lotus won the International Cup for F1 Constructors,[1] for the last time.

Championship defendants Niki Lauda and Ferrari had parted ways late in 1977, and both parties struggled to repeat the successes they had enjoyed the previous seasons. Carlos Reutemann finished third in the championship in the lead Ferrari, while Lauda finished fourth with Brabham. Apart from Peterson's death, the year saw another tragedy when Peterson's Swedish compatriot Gunnar Nilsson died from cancer, having been forced to cut his career short after the previous season because of the disease.

American driver Mario Andretti (on the right) won the Drivers' Championship, driving for John Player Team Lotus. He remains the last American to win a championship.
Swede Ronnie Peterson posthumously finished runner-up in the Drivers' Championship to Lotus teammate Andretti just 13 points short. He had a fatal crash at the Italian Grand Prix.
Argentinian Carlos Reutemann finished third for Ferrari.

Drivers and constructors

[edit]

The following drivers and constructors contested the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors.

Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyres No Driver Rounds
United Kingdom Parmalat Racing Team Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT45C
BT46
BT46B
BT46C
Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 G 1 Austria Niki Lauda All
2 United Kingdom John Watson All
66 Brazil Nelson Piquet 16
United Kingdom First National CIty Elf Team Tyrrell Tyrrell-Ford 008 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 3 France Didier Pironi All
4 France Patrick Depailler All
United Kingdom John Player Team Lotus Lotus-Ford 78
79
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 5 United States Mario Andretti All
6 Sweden Ronnie Peterson 1–14
55 France Jean-Pierre Jarier[a] 15–16
United Kingdom Marlboro Team McLaren
United Kingdom Löwenbräu Team McLaren
McLaren-Ford M26 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 7 United Kingdom James Hunt All
8 France Patrick Tambay 1–5, 7–16
33 Italy Bruno Giacomelli 6, 9–10, 13–14
West Germany ATS Racing Team
West Germany F&S Properties ATS Racing Team
ATS-Ford HS1
D1
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 9 West Germany Jochen Mass 1–13
Netherlands Michael Bleekemolen 14–16
10 France Jean-Pierre Jarier 1–5, 11
Italy Alberto Colombo 6–7
Finland Keke Rosberg 8–10, 15–16
Austria Hans Binder 12
Netherlands Michael Bleekemolen 13
Austria Harald Ertl 14
Italy Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 312T2
312T3
Ferrari 015 3.0 F12 M 11 Argentina Carlos Reutemann All
12 Canada Gilles Villeneuve All
Brazil Fittipaldi Automotive Fittipaldi-Ford F5A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 14 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi All
France Équipe Renault Elf Renault Elf RS01 Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6 t M 15 France Jean-Pierre Jabouille 3–16
United Kingdom Villiger Shadow Shadow-Ford DN8
DN9
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 16 West Germany Hans-Joachim Stuck All
17 Switzerland Clay Regazzoni All
United Kingdom Durex Team Surtees
United Kingdom Beta Team Surtees
Surtees-Ford TS19
TS20
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 18 United Kingdom Rupert Keegan 1–13
Italy "Gimax" 14
France René Arnoux 15–16
19 Italy Vittorio Brambilla 1–14
Italy Beppe Gabbiani 15–16
Canada Walter Wolf Racing Wolf-Ford WR1
WR3
WR5
WR6
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 20 South Africa Jody Scheckter All
21 United States Bobby Rahal 15–16
United Kingdom Team Tissot Ensign Ensign-Ford N177 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 22 United States Danny Ongais 1–2
Italy Lamberto Leoni 3–4
Belgium Jacky Ickx 5–8
Republic of Ireland Derek Daly 9–10, 12–16
Brazil Nelson Piquet 11
23 Italy Lamberto Leoni 1–2
Belgium Bernard de Dryver 6
United States Brett Lunger 15
United Kingdom Mario Deliotti Racing N175 G United Kingdom Geoff Lees 10
West Germany Sachs Racing N177 G Austria Harald Ertl 11–14
United Kingdom Olympus Cameras with Hesketh Racing Hesketh-Ford 308E Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 24 United Kingdom Divina Galica 1–2
United States Eddie Cheever 3
Republic of Ireland Derek Daly 4–6
Mexico Team Rebaque Lotus-Ford 78 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 25 Mexico Héctor Rebaque All
France Ligier Gitanes Ligier-Matra JS7
JS7/9
JS9
Matra MS76 3.0 V12
Matra MS78 3.0 V12
G 26 France Jacques Laffite All
United Kingdom Williams Grand Prix Engineering Williams-Ford FW06 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 27 Australia Alan Jones All
Spain Centro Asegurador F1 McLaren-Ford M25/M23[N 1] Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 28 Spain Emilio de Villota 7
Belgium Patrick Nève March-Ford 781S Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 29 Belgium Patrick Nève 6
United Kingdom BS Fabrications
United Kingdom Liggett Group with BS Fabrications
McLaren-Ford M23
M26
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 29 Brazil Nelson Piquet 12–14
30 United States Brett Lunger 1–14
France Automobiles Martini Martini-Ford MK23 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 31 France René Arnoux 3, 5–6, 9–13
Hong Kong Theodore Racing Hong Kong Theodore-Ford TR1 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 32 United States Eddie Cheever 1–2
Finland Keke Rosberg 3–7
Wolf-Ford WR3
WR4
11–14
Italy Team Merzario Merzario-Ford A1 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 34 Italy Alberto Colombo 14
37 Italy Arturo Merzario All
United Kingdom Arrows Racing Team
United Kingdom Warsteiner Arrows Racing Team
Arrows-Ford FA1
A1
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 35 Italy Riccardo Patrese 3–14, 16
36 2
West Germany Rolf Stommelen 3–16
United States Interscope Racing Shadow-Ford DN9 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 39 United States Danny Ongais 4, 13
United Kingdom Melchester Racing McLaren-Ford M23 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 40 United Kingdom Tony Trimmer 10
  1. ^ De Villota originally entered a McLaren M25 in the Spanish Grand Prix, but reverted to the M23 after the M25 got damaged in a practice crash[2][3][4]
Ronnie Peterson moved to Lotus.
Patrick Tambay moved up to McLaren.

Team and driver changes

[edit]

Mid-season changes

[edit]
Future champion Keke Rosberg driving the ATS at the British Grand Prix.
Ronnie Peterson lost his life in the start incident at the Italian Grand Prix.

Calendar

[edit]
Round Grand Prix Circuit Date
1 Argentine Grand Prix Argentina Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires 15 January
2 Brazilian Grand Prix Brazil Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro 29 January
3 South African Grand Prix South Africa Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand 4 March
4 United States Grand Prix West United States Long Beach Street Circuit, California 2 April
5 Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 7 May
6 Belgian Grand Prix Belgium Zolder, Heusden-Zolder 21 May
7 Spanish Grand Prix Spain Circuito Permanente Del Jarama, Madrid 4 June
8 Swedish Grand Prix Sweden Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp 17 June
9 French Grand Prix France Paul Ricard Circuit, Le Castellet 2 July
10 British Grand Prix United Kingdom Brands Hatch, Kent 16 July
11 German Grand Prix West Germany Hockenheimring, Hockenheim 30 July
12 Austrian Grand Prix Austria Österreichring, Spielberg 13 August
13 Dutch Grand Prix Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort 27 August
14 Italian Grand Prix Italy Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 10 September
15 United States Grand Prix United States Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, New York 1 October
16 Canadian Grand Prix Canada Île Notre-Dame Circuit, Montréal 8 October

Calendar changes

[edit]

Season report

[edit]

The 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series.

Race 1: Argentina

[edit]

The 1978 season started at the varied Parque Almirante Brown circuit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Mario Andretti took pole in his Lotus, with home favourite Carlos Reutemann's Ferrari joining him on the front row and Ronnie Peterson in the other Lotus third on the grid. The start was uneventful, with Andretti and Reutemann easily keeping first and second, with John Watson in the Brabham taking third from Peterson. Watson took second from Reutemann on the seventh lap, but Andretti was uncatchable. Reutemann ran third for a while but then began to drop down the order due to tire problems, so reigning world champion Niki Lauda took third in his Brabham, which became second with ten laps left when Watson's engine blew up. Andretti motored on to a crushing victory, with Lauda second and Patrick Depailler's Tyrrell taking the final spot on the podium. This had been an unusual Argentine Grand Prix- although the summer weather had been usually hot (although not as hot as the previous year), the attrition rate hadn't been as high, nor had the polesitter retired.

Race 2: Brazil

[edit]

Brazil was the country where the drivers traveled for the second round of the season. Formula One made its first visit to the new Jacarepagua Autodrome in Rio de Janeiro, after six years at the very bumpy and demanding Interlagos circuit in São Paulo – the Jacarepagua circuit was to be visited by Formula One for the rest of the next decade. The typically extreme weather during January in Rio meant that this race was run in oppressively hot and humid conditions. Peterson took pole with James Hunt driving for McLaren beating Andretti to second. At the start, Reutemann beat the trio into the first corner, with Hunt and Andretti following, as Peterson got a bad start. Hunt ran second until he had to pit for tyres, as a result, Andretti took the place until late in the race when he suffered gearbox issues, which handed second to Fittipaldi and third to Lauda. Hunt eventually spun out of the race after being caught out by the hot and humid conditions on lap 26, as did Tambay on lap 35 and Villeneuve one lap later. Reutemann was never headed at the front and went to win comfortably, with double world champion Emerson Fittipaldi in his brother's team finishing second, and Lauda third, with both overhauling an ailing Andretti towards the end, who eventually finished 4th ahead of Regazzoni and Pironi who rounded out the top 6.

Race 3: South Africa

[edit]

After a long break, the season resumed at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa for the 300th World Championship Grand Prix, where defending champion Lauda took his first pole for Brabham with Andretti alongside and Hunt next. Andretti took the lead at the start, and set about building a gap, whereas Lauda dropped behind Jody Scheckter's Wolf. Young Italian Riccardo Patrese was on a charge in the Arrows, passing Lauda for third after 20 laps. As the race continued, both Andretti and Scheckter began to suffer from tyre issues and were passed by Patrese. Depailler was up to second ahead of Lauda, but the latter's engine failed, handing third to Andretti. Patrese, however, seemed to have the race in his pocket until his engine failed, and Depailler took the lead, but his Tyrrell began to trail smoke. Andretti was up to second, but he had to pit for fuel, and thus his teammate Peterson took the place before catching and passing Depailler on the last lap to win after some wheel-banging. Watson completed the podium.

Race 4: United States West

[edit]

The next race was in the famous Long Beach circuit near Los Angeles in the American state of California. The Ferraris dominated qualifying, with Reutemann taking pole ahead of teammate Gilles Villeneuve, with defending champion Lauda and home hero Andretti on the second row. When the race started, Watson in fifth late-braked all into turn one, though he ran wide and Villeneuve took the lead, whereas Reutemann dropped down to fourth behind Lauda. The Ferraris, with the two Brabhams in between, ran together until Watson's engine failed. Alan Jones's Williams was up to fourth and closed in on the now lead trio, which became a duo when Lauda went out with an electrical failure. Villeneuve and Reutemann ran 1–2, with Jones putting both under pressure before Villeneuve also retired after colliding with a backmarker. Jones suffered from fuel pressure problems and began to drop back, handing second to Andretti, to the fans' delight. The rest of the race passed without incident, and with all challengers out of contention, Reutemann won comfortably ahead of Andretti and Depailler.

Race 5: Monaco

[edit]

Round Five took place in Monaco after an extended gap once the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit was cancelled. Once again, Reutemann started on pole with the Brabham duo of Watson and Lauda second and third. Watson had a good start and led into the first corner, whereas Reutemann collided with Hunt and had to pit for repairs, which left Depailler and Lauda second and third. For the first half of the race, the top three remained the same until Watson had an off allowing Depailler and Lauda through, but the latter then suffered a puncture and had to pit for tyres before charging back up and retaking second from Watson towards the end of the race. At the front, Depailler took his first career victory, with Lauda second and Scheckter third after Watson made another mistake in the final laps.

Race 6: Belgium

[edit]

The main news before the Belgian GP at Zolder was that the new Lotus 79 was ready to race, and immediately Andretti showed its pace by taking pole comfortably from Reutemann and Lauda. He converted it to a first-corner lead, whereas Reutemann had a bad start and got swamped by the field, causing a chain reaction in which Lauda was hit by Scheckter and had to retire. This left Villeneuve second and Peterson third, but neither could keep pace with Andretti, who was able to drive away.

The first 40 laps went without incident until Villeneuve suffered a puncture and had to pit, which dropped him back down to fifth. A few laps later, Peterson also pitted for new tyres leaving the charging Reutemann second ahead of Jacques Laffite's Ligier. Peterson, on the new tyres, was much quicker and could pass them both in the closing stages, and Laffite attempted to pass Reutemann on the last lap, but they collided, and Laffite was out. Andretti cruised to an untroubled victory, with Peterson making it a Lotus 1–2 and Reutemann completing the podium.

Race 7: Spain

[edit]

The next race was at the tight, twisty Jarama circuit near Madrid in Spain. Once again, the new Lotus 79 demonstrated its speed, with Andretti on pole again with Peterson alongside, and Reutemann had to settle for the second row. It was Hunt who got a great start and led into the first corner from Andretti and Reutemann, with Peterson dropping back to ninth. Hunt led for seven laps before Andretti passed him and pulled away. Reutemann ran third until he had to pit for tyres, so Watson inherited third until Laffite passed him, but soon the recovering Peterson passed both of them. Hunt now suffered from tyre problems, and he also began to drop back, and so Peterson was able to take second and Laffite third. That was how it ended: Andretti won over Peterson in another Lotus 1–2, and Laffite got the final spot on the podium.

Race 8: Sweden

[edit]

Before the Swedish GP at the isolated Anderstorp circuit, the Brabham team had developed a new "fan car" much to the anger of the other teams, but the FIA allowed it to race. However, it did not stop Andretti from continuing his pole run, but it got Watson to qualify second and Lauda third- while running on full fuel tanks. When the race started, Andretti led into the first corner, with Lauda getting second from his teammate. Riccardo Patrese got up to third in his Arrows until home driver Peterson passed him, but by then, Andretti and Lauda had escaped. Peterson struggled with a slow puncture, whereas Andretti and Lauda battled, with Andretti making a mistake just after mid-distance, allowing Lauda to take the lead. Lauda went on to win the race, his first for Brabham after Andretti's challenge ended due to an engine failure, which left Patrese and Peterson to take second and third. This was the last Swedish Grand Prix to date-with the deaths of Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson, Swedish interest faded in Formula One, and there was no money for the race to be held.

Race 9: France

[edit]

Brabham was forced to revert to their previous car, but it did not deter them, with Watson on pole and Lauda starting third behind Andretti. At the start, Watson led into the first corner, with Andretti following and Patrick Tambay putting his McLaren in third, but that order did not remain for long as Andretti took the lead from Watson on the first lap. Lauda and Peterson were also on the move as they passed Watson and Tambay to jump into second and third, but Lauda suffered another engine failure. This left the two Lotus cars running 1–2, and they finished like that, with Andretti taking his third win in four races, and the podium was completed by Hunt, who passed Watson mid-race.

Race 10: Great Britain

[edit]

The field went to Britain for the next round, and this time it was Peterson who beat Andretti to pole, as Lotus took the front row, with Scheckter next up on the second row. Andretti took the lead at the start from Peterson, and the two Lotus cars quickly pulled out a gap until Peterson retired with an engine failure. Andretti had a big lead to Scheckter and continued to extend it until he had to pit with a puncture, and he eventually retired when his engine also failed. Scheckter inherited the lead, but Lauda put him under pressure and took the lead before Scheckter went out with gearbox problems. This put Reutemann up to second, closing down and passing Lauda in the late stages of the race to win. Lauda had to settle for second, and his teammate Watson took a podium in his home race.

Race 11: West Germany

[edit]

The West German race was next on the calendar, and there were no surprises in qualifying, with Andretti on pole and Peterson alongside him, with Lauda third. At the start, Peterson got off better and took the lead from Andretti, but he held it for only four laps before Andretti retook it. Lauda ran third in the early stages, but Alan Jones passed him, and the duo battled until Lauda's engine failed yet again. The two Lotus cars were cruising at the front, and Jones ran third comfortably until he retired with a fuel vaporization problem. Lotus's hopes of a 1–2 ended when Peterson's gearbox failed, but Andretti was unaffected by that and cruised to his fifth win of the season, with Scheckter second and Laffite third.

Race 12: Austria

[edit]

The crowds for the Austrian GP were full of Lauda fans; however, for them, Lauda qualified only 12th as the Lotus cars again took the front row, with Peterson on pole. The surprise in qualifying was Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who qualified his turbocharged Renault third. The start saw Peterson lead into the first corner, with Reutemann snatching second from Andretti. Andretti tried to get the place back later in the lap, but the two collided, and Andretti retired after his car spun into the barriers while Reutemann lost a couple of places to Patrick Depailler and Scheckter. On the fourth lap, a heavy rainshower hit the track, and Reutemann spun off and was beached, but the marshals push-started his car as it was in a dangerous position, while Scheckter crashed out, and the race was stopped.

The race restarted after the rain relented, and once again, Peterson led, followed by Depailler and Lauda. As the track began to dry, Peterson started to pull away, and behind, Reutemann was on a charge and passed Lauda for third. Still, he was black-flagged for receiving outside assistance, and Lauda crashed out soon after, leaving Gilles Villeneuve third. The drivers changed to slicks, but the top 3 remained the same until the end; Peterson won ahead of Depailler, with Villeneuve taking his first-ever podium.

Race 13: The Netherlands

[edit]

The drivers went to the Netherlands for the next race, qualifying as expected, Andretti taking pole with Peterson alongside in the all-Lotus front row and Lauda heading the second row. At the start, Andretti led with Peterson following, whereas Jacques Laffite challenged Lauda. The Lotus cars quickly built up a good gap, while Laffite challenged Lauda early on but then began to drop down the order with tyre issues. The race was relatively uneventful, and Andretti went to take victory, with Peterson completing another Lotus 1–2, leaving Lauda to take third.

Race 14: Italy

[edit]

The Italian race was host to round fourteen, and as usual, Andretti took pole with Gilles Villeneuve pleasing the Ferrari fans by qualifying second, ahead of Jabouille's turbocharged Renault. When the race started, Andretti and Villeneuve got away comfortably, with Lauda and Jabouille following, but the rest of the field was bunched up.

Riccardo Patrese's Arrows overtook many of the cars on the right-hand side of the circuit next to the pitlane since he got a rolling start when the starter Gianni Restelli started the race prematurely. He rejoined the other cars just in front of the blocked entrance to the old Monza banking, and James Hunt got so surprised that he veered left and hit Peterson's Lotus 78 with his left front wheel. Peterson spun right and rammed the right Armco barrier hard, head-on; the front end of his Lotus 78 was crushed during the impact. Seven other drivers were collected: Carlos Reutemann, Hans Joachim Stuck, Patrick Depailler, Didier Pironi, Vittorio Brambilla, and Clay Regazzoni. Peterson's car broke in two on impact with the barriers and caught fire, and Vittorio Brambilla, who was in the Surtees, was hit on the head by a flying wheel. Peterson and Brambilla were taken to hospital, the former with 27 fractures in his legs and feet,[14] and there was a concern for the latter who was unconscious after being hit by the wheel. The rest of the drivers were uninjured, and most of them were able to take the restart.

The race restarted almost four hours after the original start. Again there was confusion as the front-row starters Andretti and Villeneuve went too early, but the rest of the field did not follow, and both Andretti and Villeneuve were handed one-minute penalties as a result. On the track, Villeneuve led ahead of Andretti and Jabouille until Jabouille retired, handing third place on the track to Lauda. His teammate Watson battled with Reutemann and Laffite and eventually pulled away. The battle on the track was between Villeneuve and Andretti, with the Lotus driver passing Villeneuve with five laps left. Andretti crossed the line first, with Villeneuve close behind, but when their one-minute penalties were added, Lauda emerged the victor ahead of Watson and Reutemann.

In a hospital, Peterson had a clot forming in his bloodstream after an operation on his legs, slipped into a coma overnight, and died the following day. This made Andretti the world champion, although he did not celebrate it, and mourned for Peterson along with his fellow drivers. Brambilla was able to recover from his injuries.

Race 15: United States

[edit]

The season's penultimate round was at Watkins Glen in the United States, and Lotus had hired Jean-Pierre Jarier to replace Peterson. Patrese could not race because the Grand Prix Drivers Association had deemed him responsible for the accident, ultimately killing Peterson.

New World Champion, and home hero, Andretti was shaken up more than most drivers due to Peterson's death, but it did not stop him from romping to pole ahead of Reutemann, with Alan Jones's Williams heading the second row. Andretti kept the lead at the start, with Reutemann and Villeneuve following ahead of Jones. Andretti suffered from an ill-handling car that had brake troubles and was soon passed by Reutemann, Villeneuve, and later Jones. Reutemann and Villeneuve ran 1–2 for Ferrari until Villeneuve's engine blew up. This left Jones second and Andretti third, but Andretti's engine blew up, handing third to Lauda until he also suffered the same fate, thus leaving Scheckter third before a charging Jarier passed him. However, Jarier ran out of fuel with four laps left, giving the place back to Scheckter. Reutemann took a comfortable win from Jones, with Scheckter completing the podium.

Race 16: Canada

[edit]

The season finished in Canada, coming to the new île Notre-Dame circuit in Montreal; the Formula One circus left the previous Canadian GP location of Mosport Park due to safety issues with the Toronto circuit. In qualifying, Jarier starred by qualifying on pole ahead of Scheckter and home hero Villeneuve. Jarier could easily lead into the first corner, with Jones jumping up to second after a brilliant start and dropping Scheckter down to third. As Jarier began to pull away, Jones suffered a slow puncture and fell down the field as the race progressed, promoting Scheckter to second and Villeneuve to third, and then Villeneuve passed Scheckter mid-race to take second. Jarier continued to dominate until he retired with an oil leak, leaving Villeneuve to take his first career win in his home race ahead of Scheckter, with Reutemann taking third.

Results and standings

[edit]

Grands Prix

[edit]
Round Grand Prix Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning constructor Report
1 Argentina Argentine Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti Canada Gilles Villeneuve United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
2 Brazil Brazilian Grand Prix Sweden Ronnie Peterson Argentina Carlos Reutemann Argentina Carlos Reutemann Italy Ferrari Report
3 South Africa South African Grand Prix Austria Niki Lauda United States Mario Andretti Sweden Ronnie Peterson United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
4 United States United States Grand Prix West Argentina Carlos Reutemann Australia Alan Jones Argentina Carlos Reutemann Italy Ferrari Report
5 Monaco Monaco Grand Prix Argentina Carlos Reutemann Austria Niki Lauda France Patrick Depailler United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford Report
6 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti Sweden Ronnie Peterson United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
7 Spain Spanish Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
8 Sweden Swedish Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti Austria Niki Lauda Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom Brabham-Alfa Romeo Report
9 France French Grand Prix United Kingdom John Watson Argentina Carlos Reutemann United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
10 United Kingdom British Grand Prix Sweden Ronnie Peterson Austria Niki Lauda Argentina Carlos Reutemann Italy Ferrari Report
11 West Germany German Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti Sweden Ronnie Peterson United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
12 Austria Austrian Grand Prix Sweden Ronnie Peterson Sweden Ronnie Peterson Sweden Ronnie Peterson United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
13 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti Austria Niki Lauda United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
14 Italy Italian Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom Brabham-Alfa Romeo Report
15 United States United States Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti France Jean-Pierre Jarier Argentina Carlos Reutemann Italy Ferrari Report
16 Canada Canadian Grand Prix France Jean-Pierre Jarier Australia Alan Jones Canada Gilles Villeneuve Italy Ferrari Report

Scoring system

[edit]

Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. The International Cup for F1 Constructors only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. For both the Championship and the Cup, the best seven results from rounds 1-8 and the best seven results from rounds 9-16 were counted.

Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th 
Race 9 6 4 3 2 1
Source:[15]

World Drivers' Championship standings

[edit]
Pos Driver ARG
Argentina
BRA
Brazil
RSA
South Africa
USW
United States
MON
Monaco
BEL
Belgium
ESP
Spain
SWE
Sweden
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
USA
United States
CAN
Canada
Pts
1 United States Mario Andretti 1 4 7 2 11 1 1 Ret 1 Ret 1 Ret 1 6 Ret 10 64
2 Sweden Ronnie Peterson 5 Ret 1 4 Ret 2 2 3 2 Ret Ret 1 2 Ret 51
3 Argentina Carlos Reutemann 7 1 Ret 1 8 3 Ret 10 18 1 Ret DSQ 7 3 1 3 48
4 Austria Niki Lauda 2 3 Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret 1 Ret 2 Ret Ret 3 1 Ret Ret 44
5 France Patrick Depailler 3 Ret 2 3 1 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 2 Ret 11 Ret 5 34
6 United Kingdom John Watson Ret 8 3 Ret 4 Ret 5 Ret 4 3 7 7 4 2 Ret Ret 25
7 South Africa Jody Scheckter 10 Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 4 Ret 6 Ret 2 Ret 12 12 3 2 24
8 France Jacques Laffite 16 9 5 5 Ret 5 3 7 7 10 3 5 8 4 11 Ret 19
9 Canada Gilles Villeneuve 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 10 9 12 Ret 8 3 6 7 Ret 1 17
=[16] Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi 9 2 Ret 8 9 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret 4 4 5 8 5 Ret 17
11 Australia Alan Jones Ret 11 4 7 Ret 10 8 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 2 9 11
=[17] Italy Riccardo Patrese 10 Ret 6 6 Ret Ret 2 8 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 4 11
13 United Kingdom James Hunt 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 8 3 Ret DSQ Ret 10 Ret 7 Ret 8
=[18] France Patrick Tambay 6 Ret Ret 12 7 Ret 4 9 6 Ret Ret 9 5 6 8 8
15 France Didier Pironi 14 6 6 Ret 5 6 12 Ret 10 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 7 7
16 Switzerland Clay Regazzoni 15 5 DNQ 10 DNQ Ret 15 5 Ret Ret DNQ NC DNQ NC 14 DNQ 4
17 France Jean-Pierre Jabouille Ret Ret 10 NC 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 12 3
18 West Germany Hans-Joachim Stuck 17 Ret DNQ DNS Ret Ret Ret 11 11 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 2
19 Mexico Héctor Rebaque DNQ Ret 10 DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ Ret 12 DNQ Ret 6 Ret 11 DNQ Ret DNQ 1
=[19] Italy Vittorio Brambilla 18 DNQ 12 Ret DNQ 13 7 Ret 17 9 Ret 6 DSQ Ret 1
=[19] Republic of Ireland Derek Daly DNPQ DNPQ DNQ DNQ Ret DSQ Ret 10 8 6 1
United States Brett Lunger 13 Ret 11 DNQ DNPQ 7 DNQ DNQ Ret 8 DNPQ 8 Ret Ret 13 0
Italy Bruno Giacomelli 8 Ret 7 Ret 14 0
West Germany Jochen Mass 11 7 Ret Ret DNQ 11 9 13 13 NC Ret DNQ DNQ 0
France Jean-Pierre Jarier 12 DNS 8 11 DNQ DNQ 15 Ret 0
France René Arnoux DNQ DNPQ 9 14 DNPQ 9 Ret 9 Ret 0
West Germany Rolf Stommelen 9 9 Ret Ret 14 14 15 DNQ DSQ DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ 16 DNQ 0
Brazil Nelson Piquet Ret Ret Ret 9 11 0
Finland Keke Rosberg Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ DNPQ 15 16 Ret 10 NC Ret DNPQ Ret NC 0
United Kingdom Rupert Keegan Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret DNQ 11 DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNS 0
Austria Harald Ertl 11 Ret DNPQ DNQ 0
Belgium Jacky Ickx Ret 12 Ret DNQ 0
United States Bobby Rahal 12 Ret 0
Italy Arturo Merzario Ret DNQ Ret Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ NC DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ Ret Ret Ret DNQ 0
Italy Lamberto Leoni Ret DNS DNQ DNQ 0
United States Danny Ongais Ret Ret DNPQ DNPQ 0
Netherlands Michael Bleekemolen DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ 0
United States Eddie Cheever DNQ DNQ Ret 0
Italy Alberto Colombo DNQ DNQ DNPQ 0
United Kingdom Divina Galica DNQ DNQ 0
Italy Beppe Gabbiani DNQ DNQ 0
Spain Emilio de Villota DNQ 0
United Kingdom Geoff Lees DNQ 0
United Kingdom Tony Trimmer DNQ 0
Austria Hans Binder DNQ 0
Italy Gimax DNQ 0
Belgium Patrick Nève DNP 0
Belgium Bernard de Dryver DNP 0
Pos Driver ARG
Argentina
BRA
Brazil
RSA
South Africa
USW
United States
MON
Monaco
BEL
Belgium
ESP
Spain
SWE
Sweden
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
USA
United States
CAN
Canada
Pts
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Other points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
Purple Not classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (cell empty)
Text formatting Meaning
Bold Pole position
Italics Fastest lap


International Cup for F1 Constructors standings

[edit]
JPS-Lotus was awarded the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors, their last Constructors' title.[1]
Ferrari placed second in the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors.[1]
Brabham-Alfa placed third in the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors.[1]
Pos Constructor ARG
Argentina
BRA
Brazil
RSA
South Africa
USW
United States
MON
Monaco
BEL
Belgium
ESP
Spain
SWE
Sweden
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
USA
United States
CAN
Canada
Pts[20]
1 United Kingdom Lotus-Ford 1 4 1 2 11 1 1 3 1 Ret 1 1 1 6 15 10 86
2 Italy Ferrari 7 1 Ret 1 8 3 10 9 12 1 8 3 6 3 1 1 58
3 United Kingdom Brabham-Alfa Romeo 2 3 3 Ret 2 Ret 5 1 4 2 7 7 3 1 Ret 11 53
4 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford 3 6 2 3 1 6 12 Ret 10 4 5 2 Ret 11 10 5 38
5 Canada Wolf-Ford 10 Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 4 Ret 6 Ret 2 NC 12 12 3 2 24
6 France Ligier-Matra 16 9 5 5 Ret 5 3 7 7 10 3 5 8 4 11 Ret 19
7 Brazil Fittipaldi-Ford 9 2 Ret 8 9 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret 4 4 5 8 5 Ret 17
8 United Kingdom McLaren-Ford 4 Ret 11 12 7 7 6 4 3 6 Ret 8 9 5 6 8 15
9 United Kingdom Williams-Ford Ret 11 4 7 Ret 10 8 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 2 9 11
=[21] United Kingdom Arrows-Ford 10 9 6 6 Ret 14 2 8 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 16 4 11
11 United Kingdom Shadow-Ford 15 5 DNQ 10 Ret Ret 15 5 11 5 Ret NC Ret NC 14 Ret 6
12 France Renault Ret Ret 10 NC 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 12 3
13 United Kingdom Surtees-Ford 18 Ret 12 Ret Ret 13 7 Ret 17 9 Ret 6 DSQ Ret 9 Ret 1
=[22] United Kingdom Ensign-Ford Ret Ret DNQ DNQ Ret 12 Ret DNQ DNQ Ret 11 Ret Ret 10 8 6 1
Germany ATS-Ford 11 7 8 11 DNQ 11 9 13 13 NC Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ Ret NC 0
France Martini-Ford DNQ DNPQ 9 WD 14 WD DNPQ 9 Ret 0
Italy Merzario-Ford Ret DNQ Ret Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ NC DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ Ret Ret Ret DNQ 0
Hong Kong Theodore-Ford DNQ DNQ Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ DNPQ 0
United Kingdom Hesketh-Ford DNQ DNQ Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ 0
United Kingdom March-Ford DNP 0
Pos Constructor ARG
Argentina
BRA
Brazil
RSA
South Africa
USW
United States
MON
Monaco
BEL
Belgium
ESP
Spain
SWE
Sweden
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
USA
United States
CAN
Canada
Pts

Official FIA results for the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors listed the positions as (1) JPS-Lotus (2) Ferrari (3) Brabham-Alfa (4) Elf-Tyrrell (5) Wolf (6) Ligier-Matra (7) Copersucar (8) McLaren (9) Williams & Arrows (11) Shadow (12) Renault (13) Surtees & Ensign.[1]

Non-championship race

[edit]

A single non-championship Formula One race was held in 1978: the BRDC International Trophy, staged at Silverstone. This was the last time this event was run under Formula One regulations. The race was won by future World Champion Keke Rosberg, driving in only his second Formula One event.

Race name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Report
United Kingdom XXX BRDC International Trophy Silverstone 19 March Finland Keke Rosberg United Kingdom Theodore-Cosworth Report


Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Jean-Pierre Jarier raced with #55 when the team retired #6.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 & International Cup for F1 Constructors 1978, 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, pages 86–87
  2. ^ "McLaren M25/1". oldracingcars.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. ^ "1978 Spanish Grand Prix". Motorsport. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  4. ^ "The F5000 McLaren M25". Autosport.com. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  5. ^ Tom Rubython: In the Name of Glory – 1976 Myrtle Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9565656-9-3, p. 187
  6. ^ Donaldson (2003) pp.95–104
  7. ^ Donaldson (2003) pp.107–108
  8. ^ Benson, Andrew (4 December 2022). "Former Formula 1 Ferrari driver Patrick Tambay dies aged 73". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Danny Ongais Biography". F1 Rejects. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013.
  10. ^ Soulsby, Chris (15 January 2019). "Ronnie Peterson: The Champion That Never Was". Last Word on Motor Sport. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  11. ^ Taylor, Simon (May 2010). "Lunch with... Riccardo Patrese". Motor Sport. pp. 84–90. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Driver Dies After Crash". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 12 September 1978. p. 18. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Looking back: F1's Phantom Races". Talking about F1. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  14. ^ "The Death of Ronnie Peterson: What Really Happened at Monza in 1978". atlasf1.
  15. ^ "World Championship points systems". 8W. Forix. 18 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  16. ^ Villeneuve and Fittipaldi placed equal ninth, per World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 86
  17. ^ Jones and Patrese placed equal eleventh, per World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 86
  18. ^ Hunt & Tambay placed equal 13th, per World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 86
  19. ^ a b Rebaque, Brambilla, and Daly placed equal nineteenth, per World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 86
  20. ^ Automobile Year, 1978/79, Page 236
  21. ^ Williams and Arrows placed equal ninth, per International Cup for F1 Constructors 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 87
  22. ^ Surtees and Ensign placed equal 13th, per International Cup for F1 Constructors 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 87
[edit]