1978 Belgian Grand Prix
Going Into This Race
Pre-Race Report
Championship standings
Depailler leads the championship for the first time after his Monaco victory. Reutemann and Andretti follow, with Lauda fourth and Peterson fifth.
Previous race
Depailler took his maiden Formula One victory at Monaco, passing Watson early and pulling clear for a wire-to-wire win. Lauda recovered from a puncture to reclaim second, Scheckter third. Reutemann collided with Hunt on the opening lap and was forced to pit for repairs, effectively ending his race. Jean-Pierre Jabouille brought the Renault home tenth — the team’s first race finish.
Between-race developments
The new Lotus 79 is ready to race for the first time. Andretti will drive it at Zolder; Peterson continues in the older Lotus 78. The 79 has been developed specifically around Colin Chapman’s ground-effect principles, using venturi-shaped underfloor tunnels with sliding skirts to generate downforce.
Weather
Conditions are dry.
Adapted by AI summarisation from “1978 Belgian Grand Prix” on Wikipedia . This adapted text is licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0 . Modifications: summarised and spoiler-trimmed.
Last 5 Races
Full season →| # | Date | Grand Prix | Pole | P1 | P2 | P3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Jan | 🇦🇷 Argentine Grand Prix | Andretti | Andretti | Lauda | Depailler |
| 2 | 29 Jan | 🇧🇷 Brazilian Grand Prix | Peterson | Reutemann | Fittipaldi | Lauda |
| 3 | 4 Mar | 🇿🇦 South African Grand Prix | Lauda | Peterson | Depailler | Watson |
| 4 | 2 Apr | 🇺🇸 United States Grand Prix West | Reutemann | Reutemann | Andretti | Depailler |
| 5 | 7 May | 🇲🇨 Monaco Grand Prix | Reutemann | Depailler | Lauda | Scheckter |
Drivers' Championship
Full standings →| Pos | Driver | Team | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 23 | 1 |
| 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 18 | 2 |
| 3 | Mario Andretti | Team Lotus | 18 | 1 |
| 4 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 16 | 0 |
| 5 | Ronnie Peterson | Team Lotus | 14 | 1 |
| 6 | John Watson | Brabham | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 6 | 0 |
| 8 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 4 | 0 |
Constructors' Championship
Full standings →| Pos | Team | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Lotus | 27 | 2 |
| 2 | Tyrrell | 24 | 1 |
| 3 | Brabham | 20 | 0 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 18 | 2 |
| 5 | Fittipaldi | 6 | 0 |