Hunt eventually spun out of the race after being caught out by the hot and humid conditions on lap 26, as did Tambay on lap 35 and Villeneuve one lap later. 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, which handed second to Fittipaldi and third to Lauda. At the start, Reutemann beat the trio into the first corner, with Hunt and Andretti following, as Peterson got a bad start. Peterson took pole with James Hunt driving for McLaren beating Andretti to second. The typically extreme weather during January in Rio meant that this race was run in oppressively hot and humid conditions. Formula One made its first visit to the new Jacarepagua Autodrome in Rio de Janeiro, after six years at the very bumpy and demanding Interlagos circuit in São Paulo – the Jacarepagua circuit was to be visited by Formula One for the rest of the next decade. This had been an unusual Argentine Grand Prix- although the summer weather had been usually hot (although not as hot as the previous year), the attrition rate hadn't been as high, nor had the polesitter retired.īrazil was the country where the drivers traveled for the second round of the season. Andretti motored on to a crushing victory, with Lauda second and Patrick Depailler's Tyrrell taking the final spot on the podium. Reutemann ran third for a while but then began to drop down the order due to tire problems, so reigning world champion Niki Lauda took third in his Brabham, which became second with ten laps left when Watson's engine blew up. ![]() ![]() Watson took second from Reutemann on the seventh lap, but Andretti was uncatchable. The start was uneventful, with Andretti and Reutemann easily keeping first and second, with John Watson in the Brabham taking third from Peterson. The 1978 season started at the varied Parque Almirante Brown circuit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Mario Andretti took pole in his Lotus, with home favourite Carlos Reutemann's Ferrari joining him on the front row and Ronnie Peterson in the other Lotus third on the grid. The 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors were contested concurrently over a sixteen-race series. The Japanese Grand Prix was originally scheduled on 16 April at the Suzuka Circuit after Fuji's contract was torn up, but it was cancelled for safety and financial reasons. The Canadian Grand Prix was moved from Mosport Park to the Île Notre-Dame Circuit because of track safety and organization problems with the hilly and scenic Mosport Park track. The British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. The French Grand Prix was moved from Dijon-Prenois to Paul Ricard Circuit, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. The Spanish Grand Prix was moved from early May to early June. The Brazilian Grand Prix was moved from Autodromo de Interlagos in São Paulo to Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro for 1978. ^ De Villota originally entered a McLaren M25 in the Spanish Grand Prix, but reverted to the M23 after the M25 got damaged in a practice crash Īutódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires.The following drivers and constructors contested the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors. It was the last championship for Lotus, before their withdrawal in 1994.Īs of 2022, this is the last championship for an American driver.Īrgentinian Carlos Reutemann finished third for Ferrari. 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. Carlos Reutemann finished third in the championship in the lead Ferrari, while Lauda finished fourth with Brabham. Ĭhampionship 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. JPS-Lotus won the International Cup for F1 Constructors. 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. His victory at the Dutch Grand Prix is also the last for an American driver. He remains the last American driver to win the World Championship. Mario Andretti won the Drivers' World Championship, driving for JPS-Lotus. The season also included the non-championship BRDC International Trophy. It featured the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors, contested concurrently over a sixteen race series which commenced on 15 January and ended on 8 October. The 1978 Formula One season was the 32nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing.
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