1
Mario Andretti
Team Lotus
64 pts
2
Ronnie Peterson
Team Lotus
51 pts
3
Carlos Reutemann
Ferrari
48 pts
1
Team Lotus
86 pts
Mario Andretti is the 1978 Formula 1 World Champion. Andretti won 6 out of 16 races and scored a total of 64 points. With 13 points behind Ronnie Peterson finished the season in second place and Patrick Depailler as third. Team Lotus won the 1978 Formula 1 constructor championship, with a total of 86 points.
The season started with the 1978 Argentine Grand Prix on January 15th. The last race of the season was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix on October 8th.
The season started with the 1978 Argentine Grand Prix on January 15th. The last race of the season was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix on October 8th.
Number of races
16 races
First race
Argentine Grand Prix (January 15th)
Last race
Canadian Grand Prix (October 8th)
Most wins
Mario Andretti (6)
Most pole positions
Mario Andretti (8)
Most podiums
Niki Lauda (7)
Ronnie Peterson (7)
Ronnie Peterson (7)
2 more
Most top 5 finishes
Ronnie Peterson (9)
Most points finishes
Ronnie Peterson (9)
Mario Andretti (9)
Mario Andretti (9)
Most DNF's
Hans-Joachim Stuck (10)
1978 standings
| Pos | Driver | Car | Wins | Podiums | Pts | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mario Andretti | Team Lotus | 6 | 7 | 64 | |
| 2 | Ronnie Peterson | Team Lotus | 2 | 7 | 51 | -13 |
| 3 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 4 | 7 | 48 | -16 |
| 4 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 2 | 7 | 44 | -20 |
| 5 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 1 | 5 | 34 | -30 |
| 6 | John Watson | Brabham | 3 | 25 | -39 | |
| 7 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 4 | 24 | -40 | |
| 8 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 2 | 19 | -45 | |
| 9 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1 | 2 | 17 | -47 |
| 10 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1 | 17 | -47 | |
| 11 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1 | 11 | -53 | |
| 12 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1 | 11 | -53 | |
| 13 | James Hunt | McLaren | 1 | 8 | -56 | |
| 14 | 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 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | 1 | -63 | ||
| 20 | Derek Daly | Ensign | 1 | -63 | ||
| 21 | Hector Rebaque | Team Lotus | 1 | -63 | ||
| 22 | Brett Lunger | Ensign | 0 | -64 | ||
| 23 | Bruno Giacomelli | McLaren | 0 | -64 | ||
| 24 | Jochen Mass | ATS | 0 | -64 | ||
| 25 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Team Lotus | 0 | -64 | ||
| 26 | René Arnoux | Surtees | 0 | -64 | ||
| 27 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 0 | -64 | ||
| 28 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 0 | -64 | ||
| 29 | Keke Rosberg | Wolf | 0 | -64 | ||
| 30 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | 0 | -64 | ||
| 31 | Harald Ertl | ATS | 0 | -64 | ||
| 32 | Jacky Ickx | Ensign | 0 | -64 | ||
| 33 | Bobby Rahal | Wolf | 0 | -64 | ||
| 34 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 0 | -64 | ||
| 35 | Michael Bleekemolen | ATS | 0 | -64 | ||
| 36 | Danny Ongais | Shadow | 0 | -64 | ||
| 37 | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign | 0 | -64 | ||
| 38 | Beppe Gabbiani | Surtees | 0 | -64 | ||
| 39 | Eddie Cheever | Hesketh | 0 | -64 | ||
| 40 | Divina Galica | Hesketh | 0 | -64 | ||
| 41 | Emilio de Villota | McLaren | 0 | -64 | ||
| 42 | Alberto Colombo | Merzario | 0 | -64 | ||
| 43 | Carlo Franchi | Surtees | 0 | -64 | ||
| 44 | Geoff Lees | Ensign | 0 | -64 | ||
| 45 | Hans Binder | ATS | 0 | -64 | ||
| 46 | Tony Trimmer | McLaren | 0 | -64 |
| Pos | Team | Wins | Podiums | Pts | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Lotus | 8 | 14 | 86 | |
| 2 | Ferrari | 5 | 9 | 58 | -28 |
| 3 | Brabham | 2 | 10 | 53 | -33 |
| 4 | Tyrrell | 1 | 5 | 38 | -48 |
| 5 | Wolf | 4 | 24 | -62 | |
| 6 | Ligier | 2 | 19 | -67 | |
| 7 | Fittipaldi | 1 | 17 | -69 | |
| 8 | McLaren | 1 | 15 | -71 | |
| 9 | Williams | 1 | 11 | -75 | |
| 10 | Arrows | 1 | 11 | -75 | |
| 11 | Shadow | 6 | -80 | ||
| 12 | Renault | 3 | -83 | ||
| 13 | Surtees | 1 | -85 | ||
| 14 | Ensign | 1 | -85 | ||
| 15 | ATS | 0 | -86 | ||
| 16 | Martini | 0 | -86 | ||
| 17 | Merzario | 0 | -86 | ||
| 18 | Theodore | 0 | -86 | ||
| 19 | Hesketh | 0 | -86 |
1978 schedule
| Date | Race | Winner | 2nd | 3rd | Pole position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 15th | Argentine Grand Prix | #5 Mario Andretti | Niki Lauda | Patrick Depailler | Mario Andretti |
| Jan 29th | Brazilian Grand Prix | #11 Carlos Reutemann | Emerson Fittipaldi | Niki Lauda | Ronnie Peterson |
| Mar 4th | South African Grand Prix | #6 Ronnie Peterson | Patrick Depailler | John Watson | Niki Lauda |
| Apr 2nd | United States Grand Prix West | #11 Carlos Reutemann | Mario Andretti | Patrick Depailler | Carlos Reutemann |
| May 7th | Monaco Grand Prix | #4 Patrick Depailler | Niki Lauda | Jody Scheckter | Carlos Reutemann |
| May 21st | Belgian Grand Prix | #5 Mario Andretti | Ronnie Peterson | Carlos Reutemann | Mario Andretti |
| Jun 4th | Spanish Grand Prix | #5 Mario Andretti | Ronnie Peterson | Jacques Laffite | Mario Andretti |
| Jun 17th | Swedish Grand Prix | #1 Niki Lauda | Riccardo Patrese | Ronnie Peterson | Mario Andretti |
| Jul 2nd | French Grand Prix | #5 Mario Andretti | Ronnie Peterson | James Hunt | John Watson |
| Jul 16th | British Grand Prix | #11 Carlos Reutemann | Niki Lauda | John Watson | Ronnie Peterson |
| Jul 30th | German Grand Prix | #5 Mario Andretti | Jody Scheckter | Jacques Laffite | Mario Andretti |
| Aug 13th | Austrian Grand Prix | #6 Ronnie Peterson | Patrick Depailler | Gilles Villeneuve | Ronnie Peterson |
| Aug 27th | Dutch Grand Prix | #5 Mario Andretti | Ronnie Peterson | Niki Lauda | Mario Andretti |
| Sep 10th | Italian Grand Prix | #1 Niki Lauda | John Watson | Carlos Reutemann | Mario Andretti |
| Oct 1st | United States Grand Prix | #11 Carlos Reutemann | Alan Jones | Jody Scheckter | Mario Andretti |
| Oct 8th | Canadian Grand Prix | #12 Gilles Villeneuve | Jody Scheckter | Carlos Reutemann | Jean-Pierre Jarier |