The 1978 Italian Grand Prix was overshadowed by the accident that fatally injured Ronnie Peterson. Niki Lauda was declared the winner after penalties for Mario Andretti and Gilles Villeneuve, but the race and Andretti’s championship success were eclipsed by the loss of his Lotus team-mate the following morning.
Race Guide
Season: 1978 F1 World Championship
Race date: 10 September 1978
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Laps: 40 laps (52 laps scheduled)
Circuit length: 5.800 km
1977 winner: Mario Andretti
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Mario Andretti | Lotus |
| Pole time | 1:37.520 | |
| Fastest lap | Mario Andretti | Lotus |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:38.230 on lap 33 | |
| First | Niki Lauda | Brabham |
| Second | John Watson | Brabham |
| Third | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 3 September 1978 | Advance pre-qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 8 September 1978 | Friday morning timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 8 September 1978 | Friday afternoon timed practice | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 9 September 1978 | Saturday untimed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 9 September 1978 | Saturday final qualifying | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 10 September 1978 | Warm-up | 30 minutes; morning start unconfirmed |
| 10 September 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 14 leading the 1978 F1 World Championship on 63 points, with Ronnie Peterson on 51. Lotus – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 85 points.
Race entries
Jochen Mass was absent after injuries in testing, with Michael Bleekemolen and Harald Ertl driving for ATS. Ertl had already failed to pre-qualify an Ensign before taking the ATS opportunity. Carlo Franchi, racing as Gimax, replaced the injured Rupert Keegan at Surtees. Several teams arrived with cars repaired after Zandvoort, and spare machinery would play a major role throughout the weekend.
Advance pre-qualifying
The selection session was held on the preceding Sunday. Héctor Rebaque, Nelson Piquet and Brett Lunger progressed, while Keke Rosberg, Alberto Colombo and Harald Ertl’s Ensign entry missed out. Ertl subsequently joined ATS for official practice, giving him a separate opportunity to qualify for the race.
Advance pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:39.88 |
| 2 | 29 | Nelson Piquet | McLaren | 1:40.11 |
| 3 | 30 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | 1:40.24 |
| 4 | 23 | Harald Ertl | Ensign | 1:40.27 |
| 5 | 32 | Keke Rosberg | Wolf | 1:40.75 |
| 6 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 1:40.93 |
| 7 | 38 | Alberto Colombo | Merzario | 1:42.55 |
Friday morning timed practice
Andretti established the pace while Peterson’s engine failed before he could mount a sustained challenge. Villeneuve also needed the spare Ferrari after an engine failure. Lauda lost an engine and Watson damaged his sump over a kerb, leaving Brabham with extensive repairs. Daly’s brake problem and Rebaque’s seized wheel bearing added to a busy morning for the smaller teams.
Friday afternoon timed practice
Peterson used the older Lotus 78 because his 79 was still being repaired and he could not fit into the prototype spare 79’s cockpit opening. Lauda began in the spare Brabham before returning to his repaired car. Jabouille’s Renault showed exceptional straight-line speed, while Villeneuve remained Ferrari’s quickest driver. Rebaque damaged his preferred Lotus again and switched back to the spare.
Saturday untimed practice
Mechanical failures disrupted preparations once more. Peterson suffered rear-brake overheating and clutch slip, while Lauda, Regazzoni, Tambay and Laffite all encountered engine failures. Andretti checked the spare Lotus and Jones tried the spare Williams. Instead of concentrating solely on race settings, several crews faced another urgent round of repairs.
Saturday final qualifying
Andretti secured pole, but Villeneuve produced an excellent lap to claim second ahead of Jabouille. Lauda qualified fourth and Peterson fifth, the latter unable to improve on his Friday morning time after waiting for repairs. Jones took sixth, continuing Williams’s strong run of qualifying performances.
Reutemann abandoned the spare Ferrari with fuel-pressure trouble, and Stuck suffered an internal water leak. The ATS drivers’ efforts were insufficient to reach the grid. Rebaque, Ertl, Bleekemolen and Gimax were the four drivers eliminated from official qualifying.
Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:37.520 |
| 2 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:37.866 |
| 3 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:37.930 |
| 4 | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:38.215 |
| 5 | 6 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 1:38.256 |
| 6 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:38.271 |
| 7 | 2 | John Watson | Brabham | 1:38.610 |
| 8 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:38.917 |
| 9 | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 1:38.937 |
| 10 | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren | 1:38.938 |
| 11 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:38.959 |
| 12 | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:39.179 |
| 13 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:39.421 |
| 14 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 1:39.531 |
| 15 | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 1:39.621 |
| 16 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 1:39.630 |
| 17 | 16 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1:39.701 |
| 18 | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign | 1:40.075 |
| 19 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 1:40.163 |
| 20 | 33 | Bruno Giacomelli | McLaren | 1:40.199 |
| 21 | 30 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | 1:40.302 |
| 22 | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 1:40.702 |
| 23 | 19 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | 1:40.805 |
| 24 | 29 | Nelson Piquet | McLaren | 1:40.846 |
| 25 | 25 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:41.063 |
| 26 | 23 | Harald Ertl | ATS | 1:41.185 |
| 27 | 9 | Michael Bleekemolen | ATS | 1:41.408 |
| 28 | 18 | Gimax | Surtees | 1:41.677 |
Sunday warm-up
Peterson crashed at the second chicane after rear-brake trouble, damaging the front of his Lotus 79. He therefore had to race the older Lotus 78. Rebaque also took part as first reserve, but no starting place became available. Peterson’s accident completed an exceptionally difficult mechanical build-up for his side of the Lotus garage.
What happened in the 1978 Italian Grand Prix?
The start was given before the entire field had settled into position, compressing the cars as they approached the first chicane. A multi-car accident followed, and Peterson’s Lotus struck the barrier and caught fire. Fellow drivers helped him from the wreckage. Peterson and Vittorio Brambilla were taken to hospital, while the race was stopped.
A further delay followed when Scheckter lost a wheel and crashed on his way to the restart, requiring barrier repairs. The eventual race was shortened from 52 laps to 40. Villeneuve led Andretti away, but both received one-minute penalties for jumping the start. Andretti passed the Ferrari near the finish, yet their penalties moved Lauda and Watson into first and second, with Reutemann third.
Jacques Laffite and Patrick Tambay completed the top five ahead of the penalised Andretti, with Villeneuve seventh. Peterson died in hospital on 11 September 1978. Andretti’s title was secured, but there was no celebration: Monza’s sporting result remained inseparable from the loss of one of Formula 1’s most admired drivers.
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 Brabham – Alfa Romeo on 53.
1978 Italian Grand Prix race results
The 1978 Italian Grand Prix was held on 10 September 1978.
1978 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 33 | 1:38.230 |
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 Italian Grand Prix.
1978 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1978 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lotus – Ford | 86 |
| 2 | Brabham – Alfa Romeo | 53 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 40 |
| 4 | Tyrrell – Ford | 36 |
| 5 | Ligier – Matra | 19 |
| 6 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 15 |
| 7 | Wolf – Ford | 14 |
| 8 | McLaren – Ford | 14 |
| 9 | Arrows – Ford | 8 |
| 10 | Shadow – Ford | 6 |
| 11 | Williams – Ford | 5 |
| 12 | Surtees – Ford | 1 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Martini – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ensign – Ford | 0 |
| — | Renault | 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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