1978 Formula One season

1978 FIA Formula One
World Championship
Drivers' Champion: Mario Andretti
Constructors' Champion: Lotus-Ford
Previous: 1977 Next: 1979

The 1978 Formula One season was the 29th 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.[1] He remains the last American driver to win the World Championship, and 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. JPS-Lotus was awarded the International Cup for F1 Constructors.[1]

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, whilst 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.

Drivers and constructors

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

American Mario Andretti won the World Championship of F1 Drivers, driving for John Player Team Lotus
Ronnie Peterson placed second
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 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 15–16
United Kingdom Marlboro 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 Equipe Renault Elf Renault RS01 Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6t M 15 France Jean-Pierre Jabouille 3–16
United Kingdom Shadow Racing Team 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 Team Surtees
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 4
Belgium Jacky Ickx 5–8
Republic of Ireland Derek Daly 9–10, 12–16
Brazil Nelson Piquet 11
23 Italy Lamberto Leoni 1–3
United States Brett Lunger 15
United Kingdom Mario Deliotti Racing Ensign-Ford N175 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 23 United Kingdom Geoff Lees 10
West Germany Sachs Racing Ensign-Ford N177 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 23 Austria Harald Ertl 11–14
United Kingdom Olympus Cameras/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 M23 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 28 Spain Emilio de Villota 7
United Kingdom BS Fabrications
United Kingdom Liggett Group/BS Fabrications
McLaren-Ford M23 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
United Kingdom Theodore Racing
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 Arrows-Ford FA1
A1
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 35 Italy Riccardo Patrese 2–14, 16
36 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

Season report

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

The 1978 season started in Argentina, where Mario Andretti took pole in his Lotus, with 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, and 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.

Race 2: Brazil

Brazil was the country where the drivers traveled to for the second round of the season, and Formula One made its first visit to the new Jacarepagua Autodrome in Rio de Janeiro, after 6 years at the very bumpy and demanding Interlagos circuit in São Paulo – the Jacarepagua circuit was one that was to be visited by Formula One for the rest of the next decade. The typically extreme weather during February 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, it was Reutemann who 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. 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.

Race 3: South Africa

After a long break, the season resumed in South Africa, 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 went on, 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

The next race was in the famous Long Beach circuit in the US, and 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, through 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 then 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

Round Five took place in Monaco, taking place after an extended gap created by the Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway being 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

The main news before the Belgian GP was that the new Lotus 79 is now 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, and 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 was able to pass them both in the closing stages, and Laffite made an attempt 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

The next race was in Spain and once again the new Lotus 79 demonstrated its speed, with Andretti on pole again with Peterson alongside, and Reutemann having to settle for the second row. It was Hunt who got a great start, and he led into the first corner from Andretti and Reutemann, with Peterson dropping all the way 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, and so Watson inherited third until he was passed by Laffite, 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 stayed to the end, Andretti winning from Peterson in another Lotus 1–2, and Laffite getting the final spot on the podium.

Race 8: Sweden

Before the Swedish GP, the Brabham team had developed a new "fan car" much to the indignation of the other teams, but the FIA allowed it to race. However, it did not stop Andretti from continuing his run of poles, but it was able to get Watson to qualify second and Lauda third. 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 he was passed by home driver Peterson, but by then Andretti and Lauda had escaped. Peterson began to struggle 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.

Race 9: France

Brabham were forced to revert to their previous car again, 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 on the move as well, 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

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, and he then closed down and passed 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

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 he was passed by Alan Jones, 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

The crowds for the Austrian GP were full of Lauda fans; but 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 but 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 and stayed so till the end; Peterson winning ahead of Depailler, with Villeneuve taking his first ever podium.

Race 13: Holland

The drivers went to the Netherlands for the next race, and qualifying was 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 Lauda was challenged by Jacques Laffite. 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 quite uneventful, and Andretti went to take victory, with Peterson completing another Lotus 1–2 leaving Lauda to take third.

Race 14: Italy

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 was pushed to the grass, and as he rejoined, James Hunt veered left and hit Peterson, who spun off into the barriers, whereas up to seven other cars were collected, including Reutemann, Depailler, 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 a broken leg, and there was 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 time 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 was able to pull 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, it was Lauda who emerged the victor ahead of Watson and Reutemann.

In hospital, Peterson had a clot forming in his blood stream after undergoing an operation on his legs, and slipped into a coma overnight, and died the next morning. 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

The penultimate round of the season was in the US, and Lotus had hired Jean-Pierre Jarier to replace Peterson, and Patrese was unable to race because the Grand Prix Drivers Association had deemed him responsible for the accident which ultimately killed 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 however was suffering from an ill-handling car which also had brake troubles, and was soon passed by both Reutemann and 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 too suffered the same fate, thus leaving Scheckter third before here was passed by a charging Jarier, 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

The season finished off 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 it was Jarier who starred, by qualifying on pole ahead of Scheckter and home hero Villeneuve. Jarier was able to easily lead into the first corner, with Jones jumping up to second after a brilliant start, also dropping Scheckter down to third. As Jarier began to pull away, Jones suffered a slow puncture, and dropped 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

Grands Prix

Rnd Race Date Location Pole Position Fastest Lap Race Winner Constructor Report
1 Argentina Argentine Grand Prix 15 January Buenos Aires United States Mario Andretti Canada Gilles Villeneuve United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
2 Brazil Brazilian Grand Prix 29 January Jacarepaguá Sweden Ronnie Peterson Argentina Carlos Reutemann Argentina Carlos Reutemann Italy Ferrari Report
3 South Africa South African Grand Prix 4 March Kyalami Austria Niki Lauda United States Mario Andretti Sweden Ronnie Peterson United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
4 United States United States Grand Prix West 2 April Long Beach Argentina Carlos Reutemann Australia Alan Jones Argentina Carlos Reutemann Italy Ferrari Report
5 Monaco Monaco Grand Prix 7 May Monaco Argentina Carlos Reutemann Austria Niki Lauda France Patrick Depailler United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford Report
6 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix 21 May Zolder United States Mario Andretti Sweden Ronnie Peterson United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
7 Spain Spanish Grand Prix 4 June Jarama United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
8 Sweden Swedish Grand Prix 17 June Anderstorp United States Mario Andretti Austria Niki Lauda Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom Brabham-Alfa Romeo Report
9 France French Grand Prix 2 July Paul Ricard United Kingdom John Watson Argentina Carlos Reutemann United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
10 United Kingdom British Grand Prix 16 July Brands Hatch Sweden Ronnie Peterson Austria Niki Lauda Argentina Carlos Reutemann Italy Ferrari Report
11 West Germany German Grand Prix 30 July Hockenheimring United States Mario Andretti Sweden Ronnie Peterson United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
12 Austria Austrian Grand Prix 13 August Österreichring Sweden Ronnie Peterson Sweden Ronnie Peterson Sweden Ronnie Peterson United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
13 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix 27 August Zandvoort United States Mario Andretti Austria Niki Lauda United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report
14 Italy Italian Grand Prix 10 September Monza United States Mario Andretti United States Mario Andretti Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom Brabham-Alfa Romeo Report
15 United States United States Grand Prix 1 October Watkins Glen United States Mario Andretti France Jean-Pierre Jarier Argentina Carlos Reutemann Italy Ferrari Report
16 Canada Canadian Grand Prix 8 October Île Notre-Dame France Jean-Pierre Jarier Australia Alan Jones Canada Gilles Villeneuve Italy Ferrari Report

Calendar changes

World drivers' championship final standings

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
= [3] 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
= [4] 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
= [5] 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
= [6] Italy Vittorio Brambilla 18 DNQ 12 Ret DNQ 13 7 Ret 17 9 Ret 6 DSQ Ret 1
= [6] 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 DNPQ 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 DNPQ 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
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 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (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)

Drivers' Championship points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers in each round. The best seven results from the first eight races and the best seven results from the remaining eight races were retained.[7]

International Cup for F1 Constructors – final standings

JPS-Lotus was awarded the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors.[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 Car
no.
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[8]
1 United Kingdom Lotus-Ford 5 1 4 7 2 11 1 1 Ret 1 Ret 1 Ret 1 6 Ret 10 86
6 5 Ret 1 4 Ret 2 2 3 2 Ret Ret 1 2 Ret
55 15 Ret
25 DNQ Ret 10 DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ Ret 12 DNQ Ret 6 Ret 11 DNQ Ret DNQ
2 Italy Ferrari 11 7 1 Ret 1 8 3 Ret 10 18 1 Ret DSQ 7 3 1 3 58
12 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 10 9 12 Ret 8 3 6 7 Ret 1
3 United Kingdom Brabham-Alfa Romeo 1 2 3 Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret 1 Ret 2 Ret Ret 3 1 Ret Ret 53
2 Ret 8 3 Ret 4 Ret 5 Ret 4 3 7 7 4 2 Ret Ret
4 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford 3 3 Ret 2 3 1 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 2 Ret 11 Ret 5 38
4 14 6 6 Ret 5 6 12 Ret 10 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 7
5 Canada Wolf-Ford 20 10 Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 4 Ret 6 Ret 2 Ret 12 12 3 2 24
21 12 Ret
32 10 NC Ret DNPQ
6 France Ligier-Matra 26 16 9 5 5 Ret 5 3 7 7 10 3 5 8 4 11 Ret 19
7 Brazil Fittipaldi-Ford 14 9 2 Ret 8 9 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret 4 4 5 8 5 Ret 17
8 United Kingdom McLaren-Ford 7 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 8 3 Ret DSQ Ret 10 Ret 7 Ret 15
8 6 Ret Ret 12 7 Ret 4 9 6 Ret Ret 9 5 6 8
33 8 Ret 7 Ret 14
28 DNQ
29 Ret Ret 9
30 13 Ret 11 DNQ DNPQ 7 DNQ DNQ Ret 8 DNPQ 8 Ret Ret
40 DNQ
9 United Kingdom Williams-Ford 27 Ret 11 4 7 Ret 10 8 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 2 9 11
= [9] United Kingdom Arrows-Ford 35 10 Ret 6 6 Ret Ret 2 8 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 4 11
36 9 9 Ret Ret 14 14 15 DNQ DSQ DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ 16 DNPQ
11 United Kingdom Shadow-Ford 16 17 Ret DNQ DNS Ret Ret Ret 11 11 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 6
17 15 5 DNQ 10 DNQ Ret 15 5 Ret Ret DNQ NC DNQ NC 14 DNQ
39 DNPQ DNPQ
12 France Renault 15 Ret Ret 10 NC 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 12 3
13 United Kingdom Surtees-Ford 18 Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret DNQ 11 DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNS DNQ 9 Ret 1
19 18 DNQ 12 Ret DNQ 13 7 Ret 17 9 Ret 6 DSQ Ret DNQ DNQ
= [10] United Kingdom Ensign-Ford 22 Ret Ret DNQ Ret 12 Ret DNQ DNQ Ret Ret DSQ Ret 10 8 6 1
23 Ret DNS DNQ DNQ 11 Ret DNPQ 13
West Germany ATS-Ford 9 11 7 Ret Ret DNQ 11 9 13 13 NC Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ Ret DNPQ 0
10 12 DNS 8 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ 15 16 Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ Ret NC
France Martini-Ford 31 DNQ DNPQ 9 WD 14 WD DNPQ 9 Ret 0
Italy Merzario-Ford 37 Ret DNQ Ret Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ NC DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ Ret Ret Ret DNQ 0
34 DNPQ
Hong Kong Theodore-Ford 32 DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ DNPQ DNQ DNPQ 0
United Kingdom Hesketh-Ford 24 DNQ DNQ Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ 0
Pos Constructor Car
no.
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

Constructors points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six placegetters in each round with only the best placed car from each constructor eligible to score points. The best seven results from the first eight races and the best seven results from the remaining eight races were retained.[11]

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 results

A single non-championship race for Formula One cars was held in 1978, the XXX BRDC International Trophy, staged at Silverstone. This was the last time that this event was run for Formula One cars. The race was won by future Formula One 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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 & International Cup for F1 Constructors 1978, 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, pages 86–87
  2. "Looking back: F1's Phantom Races". Talking about F1. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  3. Villeneuve and Fittipaldi placed equal ninth, as per World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 86
  4. Jones and Patrese placed equal eleventh, as per World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 86
  5. Hunt & Tambay placed equal 13th, as per World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 86
  6. 1 2 Rebaque, Brambilla and Daly placed equal nineteenth, as per World Championship of F1 Drivers 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 86
  7. Mike Kettlewell, The Champion Book of World Championship Facts & Figures, 1982, Page 34
  8. Automobile Year, 1978/79, Page 236
  9. Williams and Arrows placed equal ninth, as per International Cup for F1 Constructors 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 87
  10. Surtees and Ensign placed equal 13th, as per International Cup for F1 Constructors 1978 results published in the 1979 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 87
  11. Mike Kettlewell, The Champion Book of World Championship Facts & Figures, 1982, Page 40

External links

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