1978 South African Grand Prix
Going Into This Race
Pre-Race Report
Championship standings
Andretti leads with 12 points. Lauda is second on 10, Reutemann third on 9.
Previous race
Reutemann won the Brazilian Grand Prix on the new Jacarepagua circuit, leading from the opening lap in oppressive heat. Fittipaldi came home second for his family team, Lauda third. Andretti suffered late gearbox problems and fell to fourth, while Hunt, Tambay, and Villeneuve all spun out in the conditions. Peterson retired after a collision.
Entrants
This is the 300th World Championship Grand Prix since the series began in 1950. Keke Rosberg makes his Formula One debut with Theodore.
Ferrari introduce the new 312T3 for this race. Brabham debut their new BT46, replacing the carry-over BT45C used in the first two rounds. Renault return to the championship with their turbocharged RS01, driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille — the first appearance for the Renault works team since 1977. Arrows make their championship debut with Riccardo Patrese and Rolf Stommelen.
Weather
Conditions are dry.
Adapted by AI summarisation from “1978 South African Grand Prix” on Wikipedia . This adapted text is licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0 . Modifications: summarised and spoiler-trimmed.
Last 2 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 |
Drivers' Championship
Full standings →Constructors' Championship
Full standings →| Pos | Team | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Lotus | 12 | 1 |
| 2 | Brabham | 10 | 0 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 9 | 1 |
| 4 | Fittipaldi | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | Tyrrell | 5 | 0 |