1978 Belgian Grand Prix

Last updated
1978 Belgian Grand Prix
Race 6 of 16 in the 1978 Formula One season
Circuit Zolder-1975-1985.svg
Race details
Date21 May 1978
Location Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium
Course length 4.262 km (2.648 miles)
Distance 70 laps, 298.340 km (185.380 miles)
Weather Dry
Pole position
Driver Lotus-Ford
Time 1:20.90
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of Sweden.svg Ronnie Peterson Lotus-Ford
Time 1:23.13 on lap 66
Podium
First Lotus-Ford
Second Lotus-Ford
Third Ferrari
Lap leaders
  • 1978 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1978 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 21 May 1978 at Zolder. [1] It was the sixth race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors. The 70-lap race was won from pole position by Mario Andretti, driving the new Lotus 79. Teammate Ronnie Peterson was second in the older Lotus 78, with Carlos Reutemann third in a Ferrari.

Contents

Qualifying

Pre-qualifying classification

Pos.DriverConstructorTime
1Rolf StommelenArrows-Ford1:23,76
2Keke RosbergTheodore-Ford1:24,46
3René ArnouxMartini-Ford1:24,58
4Bruno GiacomelliMcLaren-Ford1:24,65
5Brett LungerMcLaren-Ford1:24,91
6Héctor RebaqueLotus-Ford1:25,10
7Arturo MerzarioMerzario-Ford1:26,69

*Positions in red indicate entries that failed to pre-qualify.

Qualifying classification

Pos.DriverConstructorTimeNo
1Mario AndrettiLotus-Ford1:20,901
2Carlos ReutemannFerrari1:21,692
3Niki LaudaBrabham-Alfa Romeo1:21,703
4Gilles VilleneuveFerrari1:21,774
5Jody ScheckterWolf-Ford1:22,125
6James HuntMcLaren-Ford1:22,506
7Ronnie PetersonLotus-Ford1:22,627
8Riccardo PatreseArrows-Ford1:23,258
9John WatsonBrabham-Alfa Romeo1:23,269
10Jean-Pierre JabouilleRenault1:23,5810
11Alan JonesWilliams-Ford1:23,7111
12Vittorio BrambillaSurtees-Ford1:23,7812
13Patrick DepaillerTyrrell-Ford1:23,8213
14Jacques LaffiteLigier-Matra1:23,9014
15Emerson FittipaldiFittipaldi-Ford1:24,1115
16Jochen MassATS-Ford1:24,1416
17Rolf StommelenArrows-Ford1:24,1417
18Clay RegazzoniShadow-Ford1:24,1818
19René ArnouxMartini-Ford1:24,2819
20Hans-Joachim StuckShadow-Ford1:24,4720
21Bruno GiacomelliMcLaren-Ford1:24,8121
22Jacky IckxEnsign-Ford1:24,8222
23Didier PironiTyrrell-Ford1:24,8523
24Brett LungerMcLaren-Ford1:24,9924
25Rupert KeeganSurtees-Ford1:25,40DNQ
26Derek DalyHesketh-Ford1:25,69DNQ
27Keke RosbergTheodore-Ford1:25,87DNQ
28Alberto ColomboATS-Ford1:26,01DNQ

*Positions in red indicate entries that failed to qualify.

Race

Report

The main news before the Belgian Grand Prix was that the new Lotus 79 was now ready to race, and immediately Mario Andretti showed its pace by taking pole comfortably from Carlos Reutemann and Niki Lauda. He converted it to a first-corner lead, whereas Reutemann had a bad start and got swamped by the field, causing a chain reaction in which Lauda was hit by Jody Scheckter and had to retire. This left Gilles Villeneuve second and Ronnie Peterson third but neither could keep pace with Andretti who was able to drive away.

The first 40 laps went without incident until Villeneuve suffered a puncture and had to pit which dropped him back down to fifth, and a few laps later Peterson also pitted for new tyres leaving the charging Reutemann second ahead of Jacques Laffite's Ligier. Peterson on the new tyres was much quicker and was able to pass them both in the closing stages, and Laffite made an attempt to pass Reutemann on the last lap but they collided and Laffite was out. Andretti cruised to an untroubled victory, with Peterson making it a Lotus 1–2, and Reutemann completing the podium.

Classification

PosNoDriverConstructorTyreLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
15 Flag of the United States.svg Mario Andretti Lotus-Ford G 701:39:52.0219
26 Flag of Sweden.svg Ronnie Peterson Lotus-Ford G 70+ 9.9076
311 Flag of Argentina.svg Carlos Reutemann Ferrari M 70+ 24.3424
412 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari M 70+ 47.0443
526 Flag of France.svg Jacques Laffite Ligier-Matra G 69Accident142
63 Flag of France.svg Didier Pironi Tyrrell-Ford G 69+ 1 Lap231
730 Flag of the United States.svg Brett Lunger McLaren-Ford G 69+ 1 Lap24
833 Flag of Italy.svg Bruno Giacomelli McLaren-Ford G 69+ 1 Lap21
931 Flag of France.svg René Arnoux Martini-Ford G 68+ 2 Laps19
1027 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alan Jones Williams-Ford G 68+ 2 Laps11
119 Flag of Germany.svg Jochen Mass ATS-Ford G 68+ 2 Laps16
1222 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Jacky Ickx Ensign-Ford G 64+ 6 Laps22
1319 Flag of Italy.svg Vittorio Brambilla Surtees-Ford G 63Engine12
Ret16 Flag of Germany.svg Hans-Joachim Stuck Shadow-Ford G 56Spun Off10
NC15 Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Jabouille Renault M 56+ 14 Laps20
Ret20 Flag of South Africa (1928-1994).svg Jody Scheckter Wolf-Ford G 53Spun Off5
Ret4 Flag of France.svg Patrick Depailler Tyrrell-Ford G 51Gearbox13
Ret17 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Clay Regazzoni Shadow-Ford G 40Transmission18
Ret35 Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Patrese Arrows-Ford G 31Suspension8
Ret36 Flag of Germany.svg Rolf Stommelen Arrows-Ford G 26Spun Off17
Ret2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg John Watson Brabham-Alfa Romeo G 18Accident9
Ret1 Flag of Austria.svg Niki Lauda Brabham-Alfa Romeo G 0Accident3
Ret7 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Hunt McLaren-Ford G 0Accident6
Ret14 Flag of Brazil (1968-1992).svg Emerson Fittipaldi Fittipaldi-Ford G 0Accident15
DNQ18 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Rupert Keegan Surtees-Ford G
DNQ24 Flag of Ireland.svg Derek Daly Hesketh-Ford G
DNQ32 Flag of Finland.svg Keke Rosberg Theodore-Ford G
DNQ10 Flag of Italy.svg Alberto Colombo ATS-Ford G
DNPQ25 Flag of Mexico.svg Héctor Rebaque Lotus-Ford G
DNPQ37 Flag of Italy.svg Arturo Merzario Merzario-Ford G
DNP23 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Bernard de Dryver Ensign-Ford G
DNP29 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Patrick Nève March-Ford G
Source: [2] [3]

Championship standings after the race

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Belgian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1975 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 25 May 1975. It was race 6 of 14 in both the 1975 World Championship of Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was the 33rd Belgian Grand Prix and the second to be held at the Circuit Zolder. The race was held over 70 laps of the four kilometre venue for a race distance of 280 kilometres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Spanish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1977 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 May 1977 at the Circuito del Jarama near Madrid, Spain. It was the fifth race of the 1977 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1977 International Cup for F1 Constructors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Belgian Grand Prix</span> Formula One race

The 1977 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 5 June 1977. It was the seventh race of the 1977 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1977 International Cup for F1 Constructors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Argentine Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 15 January 1978 at Buenos Aires. It was the first race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors. The 52-lap race was won from pole position by American driver Mario Andretti, driving a Lotus-Ford, with Austrian Niki Lauda second in a Brabham-Alfa Romeo and Frenchman Patrick Depailler third in a Tyrrell-Ford. This was the debut of multiple-time Constructors' Champions, Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Brazilian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 29 January 1978 at Jacarepagua. The race was run at the height of summer in Rio de Janeiro in 100 degree F temperatures, and it was won by Argentine driver Carlos Reutemann driving a Ferrari 312T2 in a flag-to-flag performance. The win also represented the first win for tyre manufacturer Michelin. Local driver Emerson Fittipaldi was second, scoring the first podium finish for the Fittipaldi team with Austrian Brabham driver Niki Lauda finishing third. French driver Didier Pironi took his first points in Formula One, finishing sixth, while Arrows made its F1 debut with Riccardo Patrese finishing tenth, four laps down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Spanish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 4 June 1978 at Jarama. It was the seventh race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors. The 75-lap race was won from pole position by Mario Andretti, driving a Lotus-Ford, with teammate Ronnie Peterson second and Jacques Laffite third in a Ligier-Matra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 British Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 16 July 1978. It was the tenth race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Austrian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 August 1978 at Österreichring. This was Ronnie Peterson's last win before his death at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Dutch Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on 27 August 1978. It was the 13th race of the 1978 Formula One season. It was the final career victory for Mario Andretti, who went on to win the championship after Ronnie Peterson's fatal crash at Monza. It is also the last 1-2 finish for the original Lotus team, and also, the last win for an American Formula One driver, as of the 2023 Season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 Italian Grand Prix was the 14th motor race of the 1978 Formula One season. It was held on 10 September 1978 at Monza. It was marred by the death of Ronnie Peterson following an accident at the start of the race.

The 1978 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 8 October 1978 at Montreal. This was the 16th and final race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors. It was Ferrari Driver Gilles Villeneuve's first victory in Formula One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 Formula One season</span> 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1979 Formula One season was the 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-round series which commenced on 21 January 1979, and ended on 7 October. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races. Jody Scheckter of Scuderia Ferrari won the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers while Scuderia Ferrari won 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors. Gilles Villeneuve made it a 1–2 for Ferrari in the championship, concluding a successful second half of the 1970s for Ferrari. Alan Jones finished the season strongly for Williams, finishing third in the championship and with teammate Clay Regazzoni scoring Williams's first ever Grand Prix win as a constructor. Scheckter's title was Ferrari's last drivers' title for 21 years, before Michael Schumacher won five consecutive titles for the team between 2000 and 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Formula One season</span> 32nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1978 Formula One season was the 32nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. 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 season also included the non-championship BRDC International Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Formula One season</span> 31st season of the FIAs Formula One motor racing

The 1977 Formula One season was the 31st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 28th World Championship of Drivers and the 20th International Cup for Formula 1 Constructors. The season commenced on 9 January 1977 and ended on 23 October after seventeen races, making it the longest Formula One season in the sport's history at the time. The season also included a single non-championship race for Formula One cars, the 1977 Race of Champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Formula One season</span> 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1976 Formula One season was the 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1976 World Championship of Drivers and the 1976 International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers. The two titles were contested over a sixteen race series which commenced on 25 January and ended on 24 October. Two non-championship races were also held during the 1976 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Formula One season</span> 29th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1975 Formula One season was the 29th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1975 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently from 12 January to 5 October over fourteen races. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races and a nine race South African Formula One Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Formula One season</span> 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1974 Formula One season was the 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series which commenced on 13 January and ended on 6 October. The season also included three non-championship races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 United States Grand Prix West</span> Motor car race

The 1978 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on April 2, 1978, at Long Beach, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 United States Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1977 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 2, 1977, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was the fifteenth race of the 1977 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1977 International Cup for F1 Constructors. The event was also referred to as the United States Grand Prix East in order to distinguish it from the United States Grand Prix West held on April 3, 1977, in Long Beach, California. It was covered on American radio by Motor Racing Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 United States Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 1, 1978, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. This event was also referred to as the United States Grand Prix East in order to distinguish it from the United States Grand Prix West held on April 2, 1978, in Long Beach, California.

References

  1. "1978 Belgian Grand Prix Entry list".
  2. "1978 Belgian Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  3. "1978 Belgian Grand Prix - Race Results & History - GP Archive". GPArchive.com. 21 May 1978. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Belgium 1978 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
Previous race:
1978 Monaco Grand Prix
FIA Formula One World Championship
1978 season
Next race:
1978 Spanish Grand Prix
Previous race:
1977 Belgian Grand Prix
Belgian Grand Prix Next race:
1979 Belgian Grand Prix