1978 Formula One season

The 1978 Formula One season included the 29th FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on January 15, 1978, and ended on October 8 after sixteen races. Mario Andretti was the season Champion and the last American to date to win a Formula One race. There was also one non-Championship race in 1978, the XXX BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone, the last time that this formerly famous event was run to F1 rules. The race was won by future Champion Keke Rosberg, driving in only his second ever Formula 1 event. The season will also be remembered for the death of "Super Swede", Ronnie Peterson, who had a fatal accident at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix on the first lap of the race.

Drivers and constructors

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	No	Driver
Parmalat Racing Team	Brabham	BT45C BT46 BT46B "fan car" BT46C	Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12	G	1	Niki Lauda
					2	John Watson
					66	Nelson Piquet
Elf Team Tyrrell	Tyrrell	008	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	3	Didier Pironi
					4	Patrick Depailler
John Player Team Lotus	Lotus	78 79	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	5	Mario Andretti
					6	Ronnie Peterson
					55	Jean-Pierre Jarier
Marlboro Team McLaren	McLaren	M26	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	7	James Hunt
					8	Patrick Tambay
					33	Bruno Giacomelli
ATS Racing Team F&S Properties/ATS Racing Team	ATS	HS1 D1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	9	Jochen Mass
						Michael Bleekemolen
					10
						Jean-Pierre Jarier
						Alberto Colombo
						Keke Rosberg
						Hans Binder
						Harald Ertl
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC	Ferrari	312T2 312T3	Ferrari 015 3.0 F12	M	11	Carlos Reutemann
					12	Gilles Villeneuve
Fittipaldi Automotive	Fittipaldi	F5A	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	14	Emerson Fittipaldi
Equipe Renault Elf	Renault	RS01	Renault-Gordini EF1 1.5 V6T	M	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille
Shadow Racing Team	Shadow	DN8	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	16	Hans-Joachim Stuck
					17	Clay Regazzoni
Team Surtees Durex Team Surtees Beta Team Surtees	Surtees	TS19 TS20	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	18	Rupert Keegan
						Gimax
						René Arnoux
					19	Vittorio Brambilla
						Beppe Gabbiani
Walter Wolf Racing	Wolf	WR1 WR3 WR5 WR6	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	20	Jody Scheckter
					21	Bobby Rahal
Team Tissot Ensign	Ensign	N177	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	22	Danny Ongais
						Jacky Ickx
						Derek Daly
						Nelson Piquet
						Lamberto Leoni
					23
						Brett Lunger
						Geoff Lees
						Harald Ertl
Olympus Cameras/Hesketh Racing	Hesketh	308E	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	24	Divina Galica
						Eddie Cheever
						Derek Daly
Team Rebaque	Lotus	78	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	25	Hector Rebaque
Ligier Gitanes	Ligier	JS7 JS7/9 JS9	Matra MS76 3.0 V12 Matra MS78 3.0 V12	G	26	Jacques Laffite
Williams Grand Prix Engineering	Williams	FW06	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	27	Alan Jones
Centro Asegurador F1	McLaren	M23	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	28	Emilio de Villota
BS Fabrications Liggett Group/BS Fabrications	McLaren	M23	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	29	Nelson Piquet
					30	Brett Lunger
Automobiles Martini	Martini	MK23	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	31	René Arnoux
Theodore Racing Theodore Racing Hong Kong	Theodore	TR1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	32	Eddie Cheever
						Keke Rosberg
Team Merzario	Merzario	A1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	34	Alberto Colombo
					37	Arturo Merzario
Arrows Racing Team	Arrows	FA1 A1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	35	Riccardo Patrese
					36	Rolf Stommelen
Interscope Racing	Shadow	DN9	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	39	Danny Ongais
Melchester Racing	McLaren	M23	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	40	Tony Trimmer

Season review

Rnd	Race	Date	Location	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
1	Argentine Grand Prix	January 15	Oscar Gálvez	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	Report
2	Brazilian Grand Prix	January 29	Jacarepaguá	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
3	South African Grand Prix	March 4	Kyalami	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus-Ford	Report
4	United States Grand Prix West	April 2	Long Beach	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
5	Monaco Grand Prix	May 7	Monaco	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell-Ford	Report
6	Belgian Grand Prix	May 21	Zolder	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	Report
7	Spanish Grand Prix	June 4	Jarama	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	Report
8	Swedish Grand Prix	June 17	Scandinavian Raceway	Niki Lauda	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	Report
9	French Grand Prix	July 2	Paul Ricard	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	Report
10	British Grand Prix	July 16	Brands Hatch	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
11	German Grand Prix	July 30	Hockenheimring	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	Report
12	Austrian Grand Prix	August 13	Österreichring	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus-Ford	Report
13	Dutch Grand Prix	August 27	Zandvoort	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	Report
14	Italian Grand Prix	September 10	Monza	Niki Lauda	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	Report
15	United States Grand Prix	October 1	Watkins Glen	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Report
16	Canadian Grand Prix	October 8	Circuit Île Notre-Dame	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	Report

1978 Constructors Championship final standings

Place	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Points [1]	Wins	Podiums	Poles
1	Lotus-Ford	78 79	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	86	8	14	12
2	Ferrari	312T2 312T3	Ferrari 015	M	58	5	9	2
3	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	BT46/B/C	Alfa Romeo 115-12	G	53	2	10	2
4	Tyrrell-Ford	008	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	38	1	5
5	Wolf-Ford	WR1-4 WR5-6	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	24		4
6	Ligier-Matra	JS7 JS7/9 JS9	Matra MS76 Matra MS78	G	19		2
7	Fittipaldi-Ford	F5A	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	17		1
8	McLaren-Ford	M26	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	15		1
9	Williams-Ford	FW06	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	11		1
10	Arrows-Ford	FA1 A1	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	11		1
11	Shadow-Ford	DN8 DN9	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	6
12	Renault	RS01	Renault-Gordini EF1	M	3
13	Surtees-Ford	TS19 TS20	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	1
14	Ensign-Ford	N177	Ford Cosworth DFV	G	1
15	Martini-Ford	MK23	Ford Cosworth DFV	G
16	Hesketh-Ford	308E	Ford Cosworth DFV	G
17	ATS-Ford	HS1 D1	Ford Cosworth DFV	G
18	Theodore-Ford	TR1	Ford Cosworth DFV	G
19	Merzario-Ford	A1	Ford Cosworth DFV	G

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.^[2]

1978 Drivers Championship final standings

Pos Driver ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN Pts 1 Mario Andretti 1 4 7 2 11 1 1 Ret 1 Ret 1 Ret 1 6 Ret 10 64 2 Ronnie Peterson 5 Ret 1 4 Ret 2 2 3 2 Ret Ret 1 2 Ret 51 3 Carlos Reutemann 7 1 Ret 1 8 3 Ret 10 18 1 Ret DSQ 7 3 1 3 48 4 Niki Lauda 2 3 Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret 1 Ret 2 Ret Ret 3 1 Ret Ret 44 5 Patrick Depailler 3 Ret 2 3 1 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 2 Ret 11 Ret 5 34 6 John Watson Ret 8 3 Ret 4 Ret 5 Ret 4 3 7 7 4 2 Ret Ret 25 7 Jody Scheckter 10 Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 4 Ret 6 Ret 2 Ret 12 12 3 2 24 8 Jacques Laffite 16 9 5 5 Ret 5 3 7 7 10 3 5 8 4 11 Ret 19 9 Gilles Villeneuve 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 10 9 12 Ret 8 3 6 7 Ret 1 17 10 Emerson Fittipaldi 9 2 Ret 8 9 Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret 4 4 5 8 5 Ret 17 11 Alan Jones Ret 11 4 7 Ret 10 8 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 2 9 11 12 Riccardo Patrese 10 Ret 6 6 Ret Ret 2 8 Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 4 11 13 James Hunt 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 8 3 Ret DSQ Ret 10 Ret 7 Ret 8 14 Patrick Tambay 6 Ret Ret 12 7 Ret 4 9 6 Ret Ret 9 5 6 8 8 15 Didier Pironi 14 6 6 Ret 5 6 12 Ret 10 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 7 7 16 Clay Regazzoni 15 5 DNQ 10 DNQ Ret 15 5 Ret Ret DNQ NC DNQ NC 14 DNQ 4 17 Jean-Pierre Jabouille Ret Ret 10 NC 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 12 3 18 Hans Joachim Stuck 17 Ret DNQ DNS Ret Ret Ret 11 11 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 2 19 Vittorio Brambilla 18 DNQ 12 Ret DNQ 13 7 Ret 17 9 Ret 6 DSQ Ret 1 20 Derek Daly DNPQ DNPQ DNQ DNQ Ret DSQ Ret 10 8 6 1 21 Hector Rebaque DNQ Ret 10 DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ Ret 12 DNQ Ret 6 Ret 11 DNQ Ret DNQ 1 NC Brett Lunger 13 Ret 11 DNQ DNPQ 7 DNQ DNQ Ret 8 DNPQ 8 Ret Ret 13 0 NC Bruno Giacomelli 8 Ret 7 Ret 14 0 NC Jochen Mass 11 7 Ret Ret DNQ 11 9 13 13 NC Ret DNQ DNQ 0 NC Jean-Pierre Jarier 12 DNS 8 11 DNQ DNQ 15 Ret 0 NC René Arnoux DNQ DNPQ 9 14 DNPQ 9 Ret 9 Ret 0 NC Rolf Stommelen 9 9 Ret Ret 14 14 15 DNQ DSQ DNPQ DNPQ DNPQ 16 DNPQ 0 NC Nelson Piquet Ret Ret Ret 9 11 0 NC Keke Rosberg Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ DNPQ 15 16 Ret 10 NC Ret DNPQ Ret NC 0 NC Rupert Keegan Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret DNQ 11 DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNS 0 NC Harald Ertl 11 Ret DNPQ DNQ 0 NC Jacky Ickx Ret 12 Ret DNQ 0 NC Bobby Rahal 12 Ret 0 NC Arturo Merzario Ret DNQ Ret Ret DNPQ DNPQ DNQ NC DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ Ret Ret Ret DNQ 0 NC Lamberto Leoni Ret Ret DNQ DNQ 0 NC Danny Ongais Ret Ret DNPQ DNPQ 0 NC Michael Bleekemolen DNQ DNQ Ret DNPQ 0 NC Eddie Cheever DNQ DNQ Ret 0 NC Alberto Colombo DNQ DNQ DNPQ 0 NC Divina Galica DNQ DNQ 0 NC Beppe Gabbiani DNQ DNQ 0 NC Emilio de Villota DNQ 0 NC Geoff Lees DNQ 0 NC Tony Trimmer DNQ 0 NC Hans Binder DNQ 0 NC Gimax DNQ 0 Pos Driver ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN 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) Light blue Practiced only (PO) Friday test driver (TD) (from 2003 onwards) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrew entry before the event (WD)

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

Non-Championship race results

Another Formula One race was also held in 1978, which did not count towards the World Championship.

Race Name	Circuit	Date	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
XXX BRDC International Trophy	Silverstone	March 19	Keke Rosberg	Theodore-Cosworth	Report

References

External links

• 1978 World Championship race classifications and images at f1-facts.com
• Video F1-Season 1978 & Driver Portraits