1978 F1 World Championship Season
29th F1 World Championship Season
Fact File
| Drivers’ Champion: |  Mario Andretti (1st title, 16th different world champion, 2nd American champion) |
|---|---|
| Constructors’ Champion: |  Lotus (7th title) |
| Races: | 16 |
| Winning drivers: | Mario Andretti (6)  Carlos Reutemann (4)  Ronnie Peterson (2)  Niki Lauda (2)  Patrick Depailler (1)  Gilles Villeneuve (1) |
| Winning constructors: | Lotus (8)  Ferrari (5) Brabham (2) Tyrrell (1) |
| First-time winners (driver): | Patrick Depailler Gilles Villeneuve |
| First-time winners (constructor): | none |
1978 F1 World Championship Grands Prix
Calendar
- DT: Drivers’ title decider
- CT: Constructors’ title decider
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date | Race Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | 15 January | 1978 Argentine Grand Prix |
| 2 |  Brazil | Jacarepagua | 29 January | 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| 3 |  South Africa | Kyalami | 4 March | 1978 South African Grand Prix |
| 4 | USA West | Long Beach | 2 April | 1978 United States Grand Prix West |
| 5 |  Monaco | Monte Carlo | 7 May | 1978 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 6 |  Belgium | Zolder | 21 May | 1978 Belgian Grand Prix |
| 7 |  Spain | Jarama | 4 June | 1978 Spanish Grand Prix |
| 8 | Sweden | Anderstorp | 17 June | 1978 Swedish Grand Prix |
| 9 | France | Paul Ricard | 2 July | 1978 French Grand Prix |
| 10 | Britain | Brands Hatch | 16 July | 1978 British Grand Prix |
| 11 |  Germany | Hockenheim | 30 July | 1978 German Grand Prix |
| 12 | Austria | Osterreichring | 13 August | 1978 Austrian Grand Prix |
| 13 |  Netherlands CT | Zandvoort | 27 August | 1978 Dutch Grand Prix |
| 14 | Italy DT | Monza | 10 September | 1978 Italian Grand Prix |
| 15 | USA | Watkins Glen | 1 October | 1978 United States Grand Prix |
| 16 | Canada | Montreal | 8 October | 1978 Canadian Grand Prix |
Race Winners
- Highlight: Home driver race winner
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor | Start | Win Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 13.210s |
| 2 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 4 | 49.130s |
| 3 | South Africa | Kyalami | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 12 | 0.466s |
| 4 | USA West | Long Beach | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1 | 11.061s |
| 5 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth | 5 | 22.450s |
| 6 | Belgium | Zolder | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 9.900s |
| 7 | Spain | Jarama | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 19.560s |
| 8 | Sweden | Anderstorp | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa
Romeo | 3 | 34.019s |
| 9 | France | Paul Ricard | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 2 | 2.930s |
| 10 | Britain | Brands Hatch | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 8 | 1.230s |
| 11 | Germany | Hockenheim | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 15.350s |
| 12 | Austria | Osterreichring | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 47.440s |
| 13 | Netherlands | Zandvoort | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 1 | 0.320s |
| 14 | Italy | Monza | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa
Romeo | 4 | 1.480s |
| 15 | USA | Watkins Glen | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 2 | 19.739s |
| 16 | Canada | Montreal | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 3 | 13.372s |
Polesitters
- Highlight: Home driver polesitter
Fastest Laps
| No. | Grand Prix | Circuit | Driver | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| 2 | Brazil | Jacarepagua | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari |
| 3 | South Africa | Kyalami | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 4 | USA West | Long Beach |  Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
| 5 | Monaco | Monte Carlo | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa
Romeo |
| 6 | Belgium | Zolder | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 7 | Spain | Jarama | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 8 | Sweden | Anderstorp | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa
Romeo |
| 9 | France | Paul Ricard | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari |
| 10 | Britain | Brands Hatch | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa
Romeo |
| 11 | Germany | Hockenheim | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 12 | Austria | Osterreichring | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 13 | Netherlands | Zandvoort | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa
Romeo |
| 14 | Italy | Monza | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 15 | USA | Watkins Glen | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus-Ford Cosworth |
| 16 | Canada | Montreal | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford Cosworth |
1978 F1 World Championship Standings
Driver
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 64 | |
| 2 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 51 | -13 |
| 3 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 48 | -16 |
| 4 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 44 | -20 |
| 5 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 34 | -30 |
| 6 | John Watson | Brabham | 25 | -39 |
| 7 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 24 | -40 |
| 8 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 19 | -45 |
| 9 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 17 | -47 |
| = | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 17 | -47 |
| 11 | Alan Jones | Williams | 11 | -53 |
| = | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 11 | -53 |
| 13 | James Hunt | McLaren | 8 | -56 |
| = | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 8 | -56 |
| 15 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 7 | -57 |
| 16 |  Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 4 | -60 |
| 17 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 3 | -61 |
| 18 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 2 | -62 |
| 19 |  Hector Rebaque | Lotus | 1 | -63 |
| = | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | 1 | -63 |
| = |  Derek Daly | Ensign | 1 | -63 |
Points scoring system used:
- 1st: 9 points
- 2nd: 6 points
- 3rd: 4 points
- 4th: 3 points
- 5th: 2 points
- 6th: 1 point
- Only the best seven results from the first eight races and best seven results from last eight races counted towards the championship.
- Numbers shown without parentheses are the points scored that counted towards the championship; numbers in parentheses are the total number of points scored.
Constructor
| Pos | Constructor | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 86 | |
| 2 | Ferrari | 58 | -28 |
| 3 | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 53 | -33 |
| 4 | Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth | 38 | -48 |
| 5 | Wolf-Ford Cosworth | 24 | -62 |
| 6 | Ligier-Matra | 19 | -67 |
| 7 | Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth | 17 | -69 |
| 8 | McLaren-Ford Cosworth | 15 | -71 |
| 9 | Williams-Ford Cosworth | 11 | -75 |
| 10 | Arrows-Ford Cosworth | 11 | -75 |
| 11 | Shadow-Ford Cosworth | 6 | -80 |
| 12 | Renault | 3 | -83 |
| 13 | Surtees-Ford Cosworth | 1 | -85 |
| 14 | Ensign-Ford Cosworth | 1 | -85 |
Points scoring system used:
- 1st: 9 points
- 2nd: 6 points
- 3rd: 4 points
- 4th: 3 points
- 5th: 2 points
- 6th: 1 point
- Constructors only received points for their highest placed car.
- Only the best seven results from the first eight races and best seven results from last eight races counted towards the championship.
- Numbers shown without parentheses are the points scored that counted towards the championship; numbers in parentheses are the total number of points scored.
Qualifying Results Overview
| Pos | Driver | ARG | BRA | ZAF | USW | MCO | BEL | ESP | SWE | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | USA | CAN | Avg. | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mario Andretti | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2.25 | 1 |
| 2 | Ronnie Peterson | 3 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4.07 | 1 | ||
| 3 | Niki Lauda | 5 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4.69 | 1 |
| 4 | Carlos Reutemann | 2 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 11 | 5.62 | 1 |
| 5 | Gilles Villeneuve | 7 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6.81 | 2 |
| 6 | John Watson | 4 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6.94 | 1 |
| 7 | James Hunt | 6 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 19 | 7.75 | 2 |
| 8 | Jody Scheckter | 15 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 8.06 | 2 |
| 9 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | 6 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 22 | 10.00 | 3 | ||
| 10 | Alan Jones | 14 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 10.13 | 3 |
| 11 | Jacques Laffite | 8 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10.19 | 5 |
| 12 | Riccardo Patrese | 18 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10.93 | 5 | ||
| 13 | Patrick Depailler | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 11.81 | 5 |
| 14 | Patrick Tambay | 9 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 6 | 20 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 12.53 | 4 | |
| 15 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 17 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 12.56 | 6 |
| 16 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | 11 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 8 | 1 | 15.13 | 1 | ||||||||
| 17 | Didier Pironi | 23 | 19 | 13 | 24 | 13 | 23 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16.88 | 9 |
| 18 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | 18 | 9 | 30 | 23 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 8 | 18.94 | 8 |
| 19 | Bruno Giacomelli | 21 | 22 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 19.60 | 16 | |||||||||||
| 20 | Vittorio Brambilla | 12 | 27 | 20 | 17 | 24 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 19.71 | 12 | ||
| 21 | Bobby Rahal | 20 | 20 | 20.00 | 20 | ||||||||||||||
| 22 | Clay Regazzoni | 16 | 15 | 28 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 25 | 22 | 28 | 15 | 17 | 23 | 20.06 | 15 |
| 23 | Jochen Mass | 13 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 25 | 26 | 22 | 28 | 30 | 20.69 | 13 | |||
| 24 | Nelson Piquet | 21 | 20 | 26 | 24 | 14 | 21.00 | 14 | |||||||||||
| 25 | Derek Daly | 30 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 21.20 | 15 | ||||||
| 26 | Jacky Ickx | 16 | 22 | 21 | 27 | 21.50 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 27 | Rene Arnoux | 27 | 27 | 19 | 18 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 16 | 22.89 | 16 | |||||||
| 28 | Brett Lunger | 24 | 13 | 19 | 25 | 29 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 30 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 23.13 | 13 | |
| 29 | Rolf Stommelen | 21 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 24 | 21 | 27 | 17 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 22 | 27 | 23.36 | 17 | ||
| 30 | Hector Rebaque | 25 | 22 | 22 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 20 | 21 | 29 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 23.44 | 18 |
| 31 | Lamberto Leoni | 22 | 17 | 29 | 26 | 23.50 | 17 | ||||||||||||
| 32 | Rupert Keegan | 19 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 25 | 24.00 | 18 | |||
| 33 |  Keke Rosberg | 24 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 23 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 25 | 24 | 30 | 15 | 21 | 24.07 | 15 | ||
| 34 | Arturo Merzario | 20 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 22 | 27 | 23 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 25.25 | 20 |
| 35 | Beppe Gabbiani | 27 | 24 | 25.50 | 24 | ||||||||||||||
| 36 | Eddie Cheever | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25.67 | 25 | |||||||||||||
| 37 | Harald Ertl | 23 | 24 | 31 | 26 | 26.00 | 23 | ||||||||||||
| 38 | Danny Ongais | 21 | 23 | 29 | 32 | 26.25 | 21 | ||||||||||||
| 39 | Emilio de Villota | 27 | 27.00 | 27 | |||||||||||||||
| 40 | Michael Bleekemolen | 29 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 27.25 | 25 | ||||||||||||
| 41 | Divina Galica | 27 | 28 | 27.50 | 27 | ||||||||||||||
| 42 | Geoff Lees | 28 | 28.00 | 28 | |||||||||||||||
| 43 | Gimax | 28 | 28.00 | 28 | |||||||||||||||
| 44 | Alberto Colombo | 28 | 28 | 32 | 29.33 | 28 | |||||||||||||
| 45 | Tony Trimmer | 30 | 30.00 | 30 | |||||||||||||||
| 46 | Hans Binder | 30 | 30.00 | 30 |
Race Results Overview
| Pos | Driver | ARG | BRA | ZAF | USW | MCO | BEL | ESP | SWE | FRA | GBR | DEU | AUT | NLD | ITA | USA | CAN | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mario Andretti | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 | R | 1 | R | 1 | R | 1 | 6 | R | 10 | 64 |
| 2 | Ronnie Peterson | 5 | R | 1 | 4 | R | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | R | R | 1 | 2 | R | 51 | ||
| 3 | Carlos Reutemann | 7 | 1 | R | 1 | 8 | 3 | R | 10 | 18 | 1 | R | DSQ | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 48 |
| 4 | Niki Lauda | 2 | 3 | R | R | 2 | R | R | 1 | R | 2 | R | R | 3 | 1 | R | R | 44 |
| 5 | Patrick Depailler | 3 | R | 2 | 3 | 1 | R | R | R | R | 4 | R | 2 | R | 11 | R | 5 | 34 |
| 6 | John Watson | R | 8 | 3 | R | 4 | R | 5 | R | 4 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | R | R | 25 |
| 7 | Jody Scheckter | 10 | R | R | R | 3 | R | 4 | R | 6 | R | 2 | R | 12 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 24 |
| 8 | Jacques Laffite | 16R | 9 | 5 | 5 | R | 5R | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 11 | R | 19 |
| 9 | Gilles Villeneuve | 8 | R | R | R | R | 4 | 10 | 9 | 12 | R | 8 | 3 | 6 | 7 | R | 1 | 17 |
| = | Emerson Fittipaldi | 9 | 2 | R | 8 | 9 | R | R | 6 | R | R | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | R | 17 |
| 11 | Alan Jones | R | 11 | 4 | 7 | R | 10 | 8 | R | 5 | R | R | R | R | 13 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| = | Riccardo Patrese | 10 | R | 6 | 6 | R | R | 2 | 8 | R | 9 | R | R | R | 4 | 11 | ||
| 13 | James Hunt | 4 | R | R | R | R | R | 6 | 8 | 3 | R | DSQ | R | 10 | R | 7 | R | 8 |
| = | Patrick Tambay | 6 | R | R | 12R | 7 | R | 4 | 9 | 6 | R | R | 9 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | |
| 15 | Didier Pironi | 14 | 6 | 6 | R | 5 | 6 | 12 | R | 10 | R | 5 | R | R | R | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| 16 | Clay Regazzoni | 15 | 5 | DNQ | 10 | DNQ | R | 15R | 5 | R | R | DNQ | NC | DNQ | NC | 14 | DNQ | 4 |
| 17 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | R | R | 10 | NC | 13 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | 4 | 12 | 3 | ||
| 18 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | 17 | R | DNQ | DNS | R | R | R | 11 | 11 | 5 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 2 |
| 19 | Hector Rebaque | DNQ | R | 10 | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | R | 12 | DNQ | R | 6 | R | 11 | DNQ | R | DNQ | 1 |
| = | Vittorio Brambilla | 18 | DNQ | 12 | R | DNQ | 13R | 7 | R | 17 | 9 | R | 6 | DSQ | R | 1 | ||
| = | Derek Daly | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNQ | R | DSQ | R | 10 | 8 | 6 | 1 | ||||||
| Brett Lunger | 13 | R | 11 | DNQ | DNPQ | 7 | DNQ | DNQ | R | 8 | DNPQ | 8 | R | R | 13 | |||
| Bruno Giacomelli | 8 | R | 7 | R | 14 | |||||||||||||
| Jochen Mass | 11 | 7 | R | R | DNQ | 11 | 9 | 13 | 13 | NC | R | DNQ | DNQ | |||||
| Jean-Pierre Jarier | 12 | DNS | 8 | 11 | DNQ | DNQ | 15R | R | ||||||||||
| Rene Arnoux | DNQ | DNPQ | 9 | 14 | DNPQ | 9 | R | 9 | R | |||||||||
| Rolf Stommelen | 9 | 9 | R | R | 14 | 14 | 15 | DNQ | DSQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNPQ | 16 | DNQ | ||||
| Nelson Piquet | R | R | R | 9 | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Keke Rosberg | R | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNQ | DNPQ | 15 | 16 | R | 10 | NC | R | DNPQ | R | NC | ||||
| Rupert Keegan | R | R | R | DNS | R | DNQ | 11 | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNS | |||||
| Harald Ertl | 11R | R | DNPQ | DNQ | ||||||||||||||
| Jacky Ickx | R | 12 | R | DNQ | ||||||||||||||
| Bobby Rahal | 12 | R | ||||||||||||||||
| Arturo Merzario | R | DNQ | R | R | DNPQ | DNPQ | DNQ | NC | DNQ | R | DNQ | DNQ | R | R | R | DNQ | ||
| Lamberto Leoni | R | DNS | DNQ | DNQ | ||||||||||||||
| Danny Ongais | R | R | DNPQ | DNPQ | ||||||||||||||
| Michael Bleekemolen | DNQ | DNQ | R | DNQ | ||||||||||||||
| Eddie Cheever | DNQ | DNQ | R | |||||||||||||||
| Alberto Colombo | DNQ | DNQ | DNPQ | |||||||||||||||
| Divina Galica | DNQ | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||
| Beppe Gabbiani | DNQ | DNQ | ||||||||||||||||
| Emilio de Villota | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||
| Geoff Lees | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||
| Tony Trimmer | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||
| Hans Binder | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||
| Gimax | DNQ |
Race To The Title
The Race To The Title graph shows how the title race played out over the course of the season.