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.
| 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 | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | ||
| Time | 1:14.65 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | |
| Time | 1:17.09 on lap 2 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Lotus-Ford | ||
| Second | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
| Third | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | ||
|
Lap leaders | |||
The Ferrari (312T3) and Brabham (BT46) teams had new cars in Kyalami for the race. The event also saw the return of Renault with its unique turbocharged car.
Summary
editRonnie 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, while his new teammate Patrick Tambay, who qualified fourth, crashed out mid race.
Classification
editQualifying
edit*Positions in red indicate entries that failed to qualify.
Race
editNotes
edit- This was the Formula One World Championship debut for Finnish driver and future World Champion Keke Rosberg and for French driver and future Grand Prix winner René Arnoux.
- This was the Formula One World Championship for French constructor Martini.
Championship standings after the race
edit
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
edit- ^ "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. 4 March 1978. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ a b "South Africa 1978 - Championship • STATS F1". statsf1.com. Retrieved 20 March 2019.