1978 South African Grand Prix: Difference between revisions

1978 South African Grand Prix
1978 South African Grand Prix
Race 3 of 16 in the 1978 Formula One season
Race details
Date	4 March 1978
Official name	XXIV Citizen and Asseng Grand Prix of South Africa
Location	Kyalami; Transvaal Province, South Africa
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	4.104 km (2.550 miles)
Distance	78 laps, 320.112 km (198.908 miles)
Weather	Dry
Pole position
Driver	Niki Lauda;
Time	1:14.65
Fastest lap
Driver	Mario Andretti
Time	1:17.09 on lap 2
Podium
First	Ronnie Peterson;
Second	Patrick Depailler;
Third	John Watson;
	Lap leaders ;

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The 1978 South African Grand Prix (formally the XXIV Citizen and Asseng Grand Prix of South Africa) was a Formula One motor race held on 4 March 1978 at Kyalami. It was the third round of the 1978 Formula One season and the 300th World Championship Grand Prix held since the championship began in 1950. This was the debut race of the future world champion Keke Rosberg.

Both the Ferrari (312T3) and Brabham (BT46) teams had new cars in Kyalami for the race. The event also saw the return of Renault with their unique turbocharged car.

Summary

Ronnie Peterson, in the Lotus 78 with its Colin Chapman-inspired ground effect aerodynamics, battled Patrick Depailler in his Tyrrell on the last lap to take a dramatic victory. John Watson finished third for Brabham. Young Italian, Riccardo Patrese got his Arrows into the lead before retiring with a blown engine. Pole sitter and reigning world champion Niki Lauda, in his first season with Brabham, retired with engine failure and the Ferraris of Carlos Reutemann and Gilles Villeneuve exited on lap 55. James Hunt, who had qualified third on the grid in his McLaren M26, only lasted five laps when his engine failed, whilst his new teammate Patrick Tambay, who qualified fourth, crashed out mid race.

Classification

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	1	Niki Lauda	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	1:14.65	—
2	5	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	1:14.90	+0.25
3	7	James Hunt	McLaren-Ford	1:15.14	+0.49
4	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren-Ford	1:15.30	+0.65
5	20	Jody Scheckter	Wolf-Ford	1:15.32	+0.67
6	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	1:15.36	+0.71
7	35	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows-Ford	1:15.48	+0.83
8	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	1:15.50	+0.85
9	11	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	1:15.52	+0.87
10	2	John Watson	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	1:15.62	+0.97
11	6	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus-Ford	1:15.94	+1.29
12	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell-Ford	1:15.97	+1.32
13	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell-Ford	1:16.38	+1.73
14	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier-Matra	1:16.40	+1.75
15	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi-Ford	1:16.47	+1.82
16	9	Jochen Mass	ATS-Ford	1:16.60	+1.95
17	10	Jean-Pierre Jarier	ATS-Ford	1:17.12	+2.47
18	27	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford	1:17.16	+2.51
19	30	Brett Lunger	McLaren-Ford	1:17.30	+2.65
20	19	Vittorio Brambilla	Surtees-Ford	1:17.32	+2.67
21	36	Rolf Stommelen	Arrows-Ford	1:17.49	+2.84
22	25	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus-Ford	1:17.50	+2.85
23	18	Rupert Keegan	Surtees-Ford	1:17.57	+2.92
24	32	Keke Rosberg	Theodore-Ford	1:17.62	+2.97
25	24	Eddie Cheever	Hesketh-Ford	1:17.83	+3.18
26	37	Arturo Merzario	Merzario-Ford	1:18.15	+3.50
27	31	René Arnoux	Martini-Ford	1:18.21	+3.56
28	17	Clay Regazzoni	Shadow-Ford	1:18.30	+3.65
29	22	Lamberto Leoni	Ensign-Ford	1:18.38	+3.73
30	16	Hans-Joachim Stuck	Shadow-Ford	1:18.45	+3.80

*Positions in red indicate entries that failed to qualify.

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Tyre	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	6	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus-Ford	Goodyear	78	1:42:15.767	12	9
2	4	Patrick Depailler	Tyrrell-Ford	Goodyear	78	+0.466	11	6
3	2	John Watson	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	Goodyear	78	+4.442	10	4
4	27	Alan Jones	Williams-Ford	Goodyear	78	+30.986	18	3
5	26	Jacques Laffite	Ligier-Matra	Goodyear	78	+1:09.218	13	2
6	3	Didier Pironi	Tyrrell-Ford	Goodyear	77	+1 Lap	14	1
7	5	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	Goodyear	77	+1 Lap	2
8	10	Jean-Pierre Jarier	ATS-Ford	Goodyear	77	+1 Lap	17
9	36	Rolf Stommelen	Arrows-Ford	Goodyear	77	+1 Lap	22
10	25	Héctor Rebaque	Lotus-Ford	Goodyear	77	+1 Lap	21
11	30	Brett Lunger	McLaren-Ford	Goodyear	76	+2 Laps	20
12	19	Vittorio Brambilla	Surtees-Ford	Goodyear	76	+2 Laps	19
Ret	35	Riccardo Patrese	Arrows-Ford	Goodyear	63	Engine	7
Ret	20	Jody Scheckter	Wolf-Ford	Goodyear	59	Spun Off	5
Ret	8	Patrick Tambay	McLaren-Ford	Goodyear	56	Accident	4
Ret	12	Gilles Villeneuve	Ferrari	Michelin	55	Oil Leak	8
Ret	11	Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari	Michelin	55	Spun Off	9
Ret	1	Niki Lauda	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	Goodyear	52	Engine	1
Ret	18	Rupert Keegan	Surtees-Ford	Goodyear	52	Engine	23
Ret	9	Jochen Mass	ATS-Ford	Goodyear	43	Engine	15
Ret	37	Arturo Merzario	Merzario-Ford	Goodyear	39	Suspension	26
Ret	15	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	Michelin	38	Engine	6
Ret	32	Keke Rosberg	Theodore-Ford	Goodyear	15	Clutch	24
Ret	14	Emerson Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi-Ford	Goodyear	9	Transmission	16
Ret	24	Eddie Cheever	Hesketh-Ford	Goodyear	8	Oil Leak	25
Ret	7	James Hunt	McLaren-Ford	Goodyear	5	Engine	3
DNQ	31	René Arnoux	Martini-Ford	Goodyear
DNQ	17	Clay Regazzoni	Shadow-Ford	Goodyear
DNQ	23	Lamberto Leoni	Ensign-Ford	Goodyear
DNQ	16	Hans-Joachim Stuck	Shadow-Ford	Goodyear
Source:^[1]^[2]

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings

Pos	Driver	Points
1	Mario Andretti	12
2	Ronnie Peterson	11
3	Niki Lauda	10
4	Patrick Depailler	10
5	Carlos Reutemann	9
Source: ^[3]

Constructors' Championship standings

Pos	Constructor	Points
1	Lotus-Ford	21
2	Brabham-Alfa Romeo	14
3	Tyrrell-Ford	11
4	Ferrari	9
5	Fittipaldi-Ford	6
Source: ^[3]

Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References

^ "1978 South African Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
^ "1978 South African Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive". GPArchive.com. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b "South Africa 1978 - Championship • STATS F1". statsf1.com. Retrieved 20 March 2019.

Previous race: 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix	FIA Formula One World Championship 1978 season	Next race: 1978 United States Grand Prix West
Previous race: 1977 South African Grand Prix	South African Grand Prix	Next race: 1979 South African Grand Prix

[1] "1978 South African Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

[2] "1978 South African Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive". GPArchive.com. Retrieved 5 November 2021.

[Championship-3] "South Africa 1978 - Championship • STATS F1". statsf1.com. Retrieved 20 March 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 269: / Line 269: @@
 {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
 |-
-! Pos !! No !! Driver !! Constructor !! Laps !! Time/Retired !! Grid !! Points
+! Pos !! No !! Driver !! Constructor !! Tyre !! Laps !! Time/Retired !! Grid !! Points
 |-
 ! 1
@@ Line 275: / Line 275: @@
 | {{flagicon|Sweden}} '''[[Ronnie Peterson]]'''
 | '''[[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'''
+| Goodyear
 | 78
 | 1:42:15.767
@@ Line 284: / Line 285: @@
 | {{flagicon|France}} '''[[Patrick Depailler]]'''
 | '''[[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'''
+| Goodyear
 | 78
 | +0.466
@@ Line 293: / Line 295: @@
 | {{flagicon|UK}} '''[[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]]'''
 | '''[[Brabham]]-[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]]'''
+| Goodyear
 | 78
 | +4.442
@@ Line 302: / Line 305: @@
 | {{flagicon|Australia}} '''[[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]]'''
 | '''[[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'''
+| Goodyear
 | 78
 | +30.986
@@ Line 311: / Line 315: @@
 | {{flagicon|France}} '''[[Jacques Laffite]]'''
 | '''[[Equipe Ligier|Ligier]]-[[Equipe Matra Sports|Matra]]'''
+| Goodyear
 | 78
 | +1:09.218
@@ Line 320: / Line 325: @@
 | {{flagicon|France}} '''[[Didier Pironi]]'''
 | '''[[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'''
+| Goodyear
 | 77
 | +1 Lap
@@ Line 329: / Line 335: @@
 | {{flagicon|US}} [[Mario Andretti]]
 | [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 77
 | +1 Lap
@@ Line 338: / Line 345: @@
 | {{flagicon|France}} [[Jean-Pierre Jarier]]
 | [[ATS (wheels)|ATS]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 77
 | +1 Lap
@@ Line 347: / Line 355: @@
 | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Rolf Stommelen]]
 | [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 77
 | +1 Lap
@@ Line 356: / Line 365: @@
 | {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Héctor Rebaque]]
 | [[Team Lotus|Lotus]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 77
 | +1 Lap
@@ Line 365: / Line 375: @@
 | {{flagicon|US}} [[Brett Lunger]]
 | [[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 76
 | +2 Laps
@@ Line 374: / Line 385: @@
 | {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Vittorio Brambilla]]
 | [[Surtees]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 76
 | +2 Laps
@@ Line 383: / Line 395: @@
 | {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Riccardo Patrese]]
 | [[Arrows Grand Prix International|Arrows]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 63
 | Engine
@@ Line 392: / Line 405: @@
 | {{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Jody Scheckter]]
 | [[Walter Wolf Racing|Wolf]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 59
 | Spun Off
@@ Line 401: / Line 415: @@
 | {{flagicon|France}} [[Patrick Tambay]]
 | [[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 56
 | Accident
@@ Line 410: / Line 425: @@
 | {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Gilles Villeneuve]]
 | [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
+| Michelin
 | 55
 | Oil Leak
@@ Line 419: / Line 435: @@
 | {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Carlos Reutemann]]
 | [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
+| Michelin
 | 55
 | Spun Off
@@ Line 428: / Line 445: @@
 | {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Niki Lauda]]
 | [[Brabham]]-[[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]]
+| Goodyear
 | 52
 | Engine
@@ Line 437: / Line 455: @@
 | {{flagicon|UK}} [[Rupert Keegan]]
 | [[Surtees]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 52
 | Engine
@@ Line 446: / Line 465: @@
 | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Jochen Mass]]
 | [[ATS (wheels)|ATS]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 43
 | Engine
@@ Line 455: / Line 475: @@
 | {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Arturo Merzario]]
 | [[Merzario]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 39
 | Suspension
@@ Line 464: / Line 485: @@
 | {{flagicon|France}} [[Jean-Pierre Jabouille]]
 | [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]]
+| Michelin
 | 38
 | Engine
@@ Line 473: / Line 495: @@
 | {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Keke Rosberg]]
 | [[Theodore Racing|Theodore]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 15
 | Clutch
@@ Line 482: / Line 505: @@
 | {{flagicon|Brazil|1968}} [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]
 | [[Fittipaldi Automotive|Fittipaldi]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 9
 | Transmission
@@ Line 491: / Line 515: @@
 | {{flagicon|US}} [[Eddie Cheever]]
 | [[Hesketh Racing|Hesketh]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 8
 | Oil Leak
@@ Line 500: / Line 525: @@
 | {{flagicon|UK}} [[James Hunt]]
 | [[McLaren]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 | 5
 | Engine
@@ Line 509: / Line 535: @@
 | {{flagicon|France}} [[René Arnoux]]
 | [[Automobiles Martini|Martini]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 |
 |
@@ Line 518: / Line 545: @@
 | {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Clay Regazzoni]]
 | [[Shadow Racing Cars|Shadow]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 |
 |
@@ Line 527: / Line 555: @@
 | {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Lamberto Leoni]]
 | [[Ensign Racing|Ensign]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 |
 |
@@ Line 536: / Line 565: @@
 | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]
 | [[Shadow Racing Cars|Shadow]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
+| Goodyear
 |
 |
@@ Line 541: / Line 571: @@
 |
 |-
-!colspan="8"|{{center|Source:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1978/411/ |title=1978 South African Grand Prix |publisher=formula1.com |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903035136/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1978/411/ |archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref>}}
+!colspan="9"|{{center|Source:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1978/411/ |title=1978 South African Grand Prix |publisher=formula1.com |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903035136/http://www.formula1.com/results/season/1978/411/ |archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gparchive.com/formula-1/1978-south-african-grand-prix/|title=1978 South African Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive|website=GPArchive.com|access-date=5 November 2021}}</ref>}}
 |}

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