Gilles Villeneuve claimed his first Formula 1 victory in front of his home crowd at the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix. Montreal’s new island circuit hosted a memorable finale, with Ferrari’s young Canadian taking over after Jean-Pierre Jarier’s commanding Lotus drive ended in mechanical failure.
Race Guide
Season: 1978 F1 World Championship
Race date: 8 October 1978
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-04:00)
Circuit: Circuit Île Notre-Dame
Laps: 70 laps
Circuit length: 4.500 km
1977 winner: Jody Scheckter
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus |
| Pole time | 1:38.015 | |
| Fastest lap | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:38.072 on lap 70 | |
| First | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari |
| Second | Jody Scheckter | Wolf |
| Third | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 6 October 1978 | Friday morning timed practice | Start delayed 20 minutes by weather |
| 6 October 1978 | Friday afternoon timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 7 October 1978 | Saturday morning practice | 90 minutes; start unconfirmed |
| 7 October 1978 | Saturday final qualifying | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 8 October 1978 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Mario Andretti arrived at round 16 leading the 1978 F1 World Championship on 64 points, with Ronnie Peterson on 51. Lotus – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 86 points.
Race entries
The Canadian Grand Prix moved to Circuit Île Notre-Dame in Montreal, introducing the field to a tight new venue. Nelson Piquet joined Lauda and Watson in a third Brabham, while Patrese returned for Arrows after missing Watkins Glen. Ensign concentrated on one car for Daly, retaining its second chassis as a spare. Both championships had already been settled.
Friday morning timed practice
Heavy rain made the first exploration of the new circuit difficult. Reutemann led Villeneuve as Michelin’s wet tyres helped Ferrari find traction. Daly immediately benefited from Ensign’s spare-car policy when a jammed clutch mechanism prevented him from leaving the pits in his intended car. Renault struggled particularly badly with the combination of slow corners and a slippery surface.
Friday afternoon timed practice
Reutemann remained fastest as a late improvement in conditions offered a brief opportunity on a drying line. Brabham failed to exploit it, leaving all three cars outside the provisional qualifying positions. Piquet damaged the front of his car, while Laffite’s excursion led to a gearbox seizure that blocked the circuit. Rahal crashed his Wolf heavily, prompting the team to reclaim an older chassis from a hotel display and prepare it overnight.
Saturday morning practice
The morning began wet, but improving conditions allowed the lap times to fall substantially. Lauda was fastest, offering Brabham some encouragement after Friday’s difficulties. Andretti changed Lotus chassis but remained troubled by its balance, while Rahal continued in the hastily prepared older Wolf. The improving surface promised a very different final qualifying order.
Saturday final qualifying
On a dry but bitterly cold circuit, Villeneuve initially looked set for pole before Scheckter improved and Jarier edged the Wolf by just 0.011 seconds. Watson and Jones followed Villeneuve, with Fittipaldi sixth. Andretti could manage only ninth; his balance problem was traced to incorrect camber settings after the session.
Reutemann fell to 11th after dominating Friday. Jones and Patrese both ran out of fuel, while Hunt changed cars after throttle trouble and Tambay damaged his front suspension in contact with Rebaque. Regazzoni, Gabbiani, Merzario, Rebaque, Stommelen and Bleekemolen missed the 22-car grid.
Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus | 1:38.015 |
| 2 | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 1:38.026 |
| 3 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:38.230 |
| 4 | 2 | John Watson | Brabham | 1:38.417 |
| 5 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:38.861 |
| 6 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:38.930 |
| 7 | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:39.020 |
| 8 | 16 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1:39.081 |
| 9 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:39.236 |
| 10 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:39.381 |
| 11 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:39.455 |
| 12 | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:39.491 |
| 13 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 1:39.619 |
| 14 | 66 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 1:39.624 |
| 15 | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign | 1:40.042 |
| 16 | 18 | René Arnoux | Surtees | 1:40.515 |
| 17 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 1:40.669 |
| 18 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 1:40.959 |
| 19 | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren | 1:40.970 |
| 20 | 21 | Bobby Rahal | Wolf | 1:40.983 |
| 21 | 10 | Keke Rosberg | ATS | 1:41.611 |
| 22 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:41.689 |
| 23 | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 1:41.739 |
| 24 | 19 | Beppe Gabbiani | Surtees | 1:41.799 |
| 25 | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 1:41.962 |
| 26 | 25 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:42.413 |
| 27 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 1:43.267 |
| 28 | 9 | Michael Bleekemolen | ATS | 1:45.553 |
What happened in the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix?
Jarier led away as Jones surged into second, initially holding up Scheckter and Villeneuve. The Lotus built a substantial advantage while the chasing cars fought for position. Lauda retired with brake failure, and contact between Andretti and Watson damaged both drivers’ prospects. Villeneuve eventually passed Scheckter and set off after the leader.
Jarier appeared on course for his first win, but falling oil pressure brought the Lotus to a halt. Villeneuve inherited the lead to the delight of the home crowd. Reutemann had worked into third behind Scheckter, while Patrese ran fourth on his return to the field.
Villeneuve completed an emotional first victory, ahead of Scheckter and Reutemann. Patrese finished fourth, Depailler recovered fifth after earlier trouble and Daly earned his first championship point in sixth. The new Montreal venue had delivered a home winner at its first Grand Prix, bringing the season to a memorable close.
After the race, Mario Andretti headed the drivers’ standings with 64 points, followed by Ronnie Peterson on 51. Lotus – Ford led the constructors’ table on 86, with Ferrari on 58.
1978 Canadian Grand Prix race results
The 1978 Canadian Grand Prix was held on 8 October 1978.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 70 | 1:57:49.196 | 9 |
| 2 | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 70 | +13.372 | 6 |
| 3 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 70 | +19.408 | 4 |
| 4 | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 70 | +24.667 | 3 |
| 5 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 70 | +28.558 | 2 |
| 6 | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign | 70 | +54.476 | 1 |
| 7 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 70 | +1:21.250 | 0 |
| 8 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 70 | +1:26.560 | 0 |
| 9 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 70 | +1:28.942 | 0 |
| 10 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 69 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 11 | 66 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham | 69 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 65 | +5 Laps | 0 |
| NC | 10 | Keke Rosberg | ATS | 58 | +12 Laps | 0 |
| Ret | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 52 | Transmission | 0 |
| Ret | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren | 51 | Spun Off | 0 |
| Ret | 55 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus | 49 | Oil Leak | 0 |
| Ret | 18 | René Arnoux | Surtees | 37 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 21 | Bobby Rahal | Wolf | 16 | Fuel System | 0 |
| Ret | 2 | John Watson | Brabham | 8 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 5 | Brakes | 0 |
| Ret | 16 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 0 | Accident | 0 |
| DNQ | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 19 | Beppe Gabbiani | Surtees | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 25 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 0 | ||
| DNQ | 9 | Michael Bleekemolen | ATS | 0 |
1978 Canadian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 70 | 1:38.072 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1978 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix.
1978 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1978 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lotus – Ford | 86 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 58 |
| 3 | Brabham – Alfa Romeo | 53 |
| 4 | Tyrrell – Ford | 38 |
| 5 | Wolf – Ford | 24 |
| 6 | Ligier – Matra | 19 |
| 7 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 17 |
| 8 | McLaren – Ford | 15 |
| 9 | Williams – Ford | 11 |
| 10 | Arrows – Ford | 11 |
| 11 | Shadow – Ford | 6 |
| 12 | Renault | 3 |
| 13 | Surtees – Ford | 1 |
| 14 | Ensign – Ford | 1 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Martini – Ford | 0 |
| — | Merzario – Ford | 0 |
| — | Theodore – Ford | 0 |
| — | Hesketh – Ford | 0 |
| — | March – Ford | 0 |
Drivers counted their best 7 results from rounds 1–8 and their best 7 from rounds 9–16. Only the highest-placed car for each constructor could score constructor points, with the same dropped-results limits applying.
1978 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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