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Home / Seasons / 1978 F1 World Championship Season / 1978 South African Grand Prix

1978 South African Grand Prix

Date
Winner
Pole position
Fastest lap
CircuitKyalami, 78 laps
Round3 of 16
Race numbers

The 1978 South African Grand Prix was the:

  • 300th World Championship race
  • 15th World Championship South African Grand Prix
  • 12th World Championship race at Kyalami
More 1978 season
More South African Grands Prix

Race result

PosDriverConstructorLapsTimePoints
1+11(SWE) Ronnie PetersonLotus-Ford Cosworth781hr 42m 15.767s9
2+9(FRA) Patrick DepaillerTyrrell-Ford Cosworth78+0.466s6
3+7(GBR) John WatsonBrabham-Alfa Romeo78+4.442s4
4+14(AUS) Alan JonesWilliams-Ford Cosworth78+38.986s3
5+8(FRA) Jacques LaffiteLigier-Matra78+1m 09.218s2
6+8(FRA) Didier PironiTyrrell-Ford Cosworth77+1 lap1
7-5(USA) Mario AndrettiLotus-Ford Cosworth77+1 lap 
8+9(FRA) Jean-Pierre JarierATS-Ford Cosworth77+1 lap 
9+13(DEU) Rolf StommelenArrows-Ford Cosworth77+1 lap 
10+11(MEX) Hector RebaqueLotus-Ford Cosworth (privateer)77+1 lap 
11+9(USA) Brett LungerMcLaren-Ford Cosworth (privateer)76+2 laps 
12+7(ITA) Vittorio BrambillaSurtees-Ford Cosworth76+2 laps 
R (ITA) Riccardo PatreseArrows-Ford Cosworth63DNF 
R (ZAF) Jody ScheckterWolf-Ford Cosworth59DNF 
R (FRA) Patrick TambayMcLaren-Ford Cosworth56DNF 
R (ARG) Carlos ReutemannFerrari55DNF 
R (CAN) Gilles VilleneuveFerrari55DNF 
R (GBR) Rupert KeeganSurtees-Ford Cosworth52DNF 
R (AUT) Niki LaudaBrabham-Alfa Romeo52DNF 
R (DEU) Jochen MassATS-Ford Cosworth43DNF 
R (ITA) Arturo MerzarioMerzario-Ford Cosworth39DNF 
R (FRA) Jean-Pierre JabouilleRenault38DNF 
R (FIN) Keke RosbergTheodore-Ford Cosworth15DNF 
R (BRA) Emerson FittipaldiFittipaldi-Ford Cosworth8DNF 
R (USA) Eddie CheeverHesketh-Ford Cosworth8DNF 
R (GBR) James HuntMcLaren-Ford Cosworth5DNF 

Notes

  • Riccardo Patrese ended lap 63 as the race leader before retiring on the following lap.

Starting grid

Pole time: 1:14.650

PosDriverConstructor
1(AUT) Niki LaudaBrabham-Alfa Romeo
2(USA) Mario AndrettiLotus-Ford Cosworth
3(GBR) James HuntMcLaren-Ford Cosworth
4(FRA) Patrick TambayMcLaren-Ford Cosworth
5(ZAF) Jody ScheckterWolf-Ford Cosworth
6(FRA) Jean-Pierre JabouilleRenault
7(ITA) Riccardo PatreseArrows-Ford Cosworth
8(CAN) Gilles VilleneuveFerrari
9(ARG) Carlos ReutemannFerrari
10(GBR) John WatsonBrabham-Alfa Romeo
11(FRA) Patrick DepaillerTyrrell-Ford Cosworth
12(SWE) Ronnie PetersonLotus-Ford Cosworth
13(FRA) Jacques LaffiteLigier-Matra
14(FRA) Didier PironiTyrrell-Ford Cosworth
15(DEU) Jochen MassATS-Ford Cosworth
16(BRA) Emerson FittipaldiFittipaldi-Ford Cosworth
17(FRA) Jean-Pierre JarierATS-Ford Cosworth
18(AUS) Alan JonesWilliams-Ford Cosworth
19(ITA) Vittorio BrambillaSurtees-Ford Cosworth
20(USA) Brett LungerMcLaren-Ford Cosworth (privateer)
21(MEX) Hector RebaqueLotus-Ford Cosworth (privateer)
22(DEU) Rolf StommelenArrows-Ford Cosworth
23(GBR) Rupert KeeganSurtees-Ford Cosworth
24(FIN) Keke RosbergTheodore-Ford Cosworth
25(USA) Eddie CheeverHesketh-Ford Cosworth
26(ITA) Arturo MerzarioMerzario-Ford Cosworth

Non-qualifiers

DriverConstructor
(FRA) Rene ArnouxMartini-Ford Cosworth
(CHE) Clay RegazzoniShadow-Ford Cosworth
(ITA) Lamberto LeoniEnsign-Ford Cosworth
(DEU) Hans-Joachim StuckShadow-Ford Cosworth

Championship standings

How the championship standings stood post-race.

Driver

PosDriverPoints
1(USA) Mario Andretti12
2(SWE) Ronnie Peterson11
3(AUT) Niki Lauda10
=(FRA) Patrick Depailler10
5(ARG) Carlos Reutemann9
6(BRA) Emerson Fittipaldi6
7(GBR) John Watson4
8(GBR) James Hunt3
=(AUS) Alan Jones3
10(CHE) Clay Regazzoni2
=(FRA) Jacques Laffite2
12(FRA) Didier Pironi2
13(FRA) Patrick Tambay1

Constructor

PosConstructorPoints
1Lotus-Ford Cosworth21
2Brabham-Alfa Romeo14
3Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth11
4Ferrari9
5Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth6
6McLaren-Ford Cosworth3
7Williams-Ford Cosworth3
8Shadow-Ford Cosworth2
=Ligier-Matra2

Stats & milestones

Race debut
Eddie Cheever
Keke Rosberg (first Finnish driver to start a race since 1974)
Theodore
Last start
Hesketh
Wins
9th for Ronnie Peterson (first win since 1976)
65th for Lotus
Podiums
20th for Ronnie Peterson (16th driver to score 20 podiums, 1st Swedish driver)
14th for Patrick Depailler
5th for John Watson
116th for Lotus
79th for Brabham
62nd for Tyrrell
Poles
24th and last for Niki Lauda (last Austrian polesitter until 1987; only pole for Brabham)
19th for Brabham
Fastest laps
8th for Mario Andretti
57th for Lotus
Front row starts
30th for Niki Lauda (7th driver to achieve 30 front row starts, 1st Austrian driver; last until 1982; last Austrian front row starter until 1982; only front row start for Brabham)
13th for Mario Andretti