Patrick Depailler finally claimed his first Formula 1 victory at the 1978 Monaco Grand Prix, taking Tyrrell back to the top of the podium. A demanding weekend on the streets ended with Depailler ahead of Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter, and leading the championship.
Race Guide
Season: 1978 F1 World Championship
Race date: 7 May 1978
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit de Monaco
Laps: 75 laps
Circuit length: 3.312 km
1977 winner: Jody Scheckter
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari |
| Pole time | 1:28.34 | |
| Fastest lap | Niki Lauda | Brabham |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:28.650 on lap 72 | |
| First | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell |
| Second | Niki Lauda | Brabham |
| Third | Jody Scheckter | Wolf |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1978 | Thursday pre-qualifying | Two 30-minute sessions |
| 4 May 1978 | Thursday morning timed practice | Approximately 11:30–13:00 |
| 4 May 1978 | Thursday afternoon timed practice | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 6 May 1978 | Saturday untimed practice | 90 minutes; start unconfirmed |
| 6 May 1978 | Saturday final qualifying | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 7 May 1978 | Warm-up | 30 minutes; morning start unconfirmed |
| 7 May 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
Carlos Reutemann arrived at round 5 leading the 1978 F1 World Championship on 18 points, with Mario Andretti on 18. Lotus – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 27 points.
Race entries
Monaco allowed only 20 starters, making selection a significant part of the weekend. Renault and Williams received invitations to join the principal practice sessions, while eight other drivers contested two remaining places. Wolf, Surtees and Ligier brought new machinery, and Lotus continued developing the 79 without committing it to the race.
Thursday pre-qualifying
Riccardo Patrese and Rolf Stommelen secured the two available places for Arrows. Derek Daly and Héctor Rebaque both crashed and switched to spare cars, but neither recovered enough time to progress. Keke Rosberg, Brett Lunger, René Arnoux and Arturo Merzario also missed out. Danny Ongais did not arrive.
Thursday pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:31,31 |
| 2 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 1:31,88 |
| 3 | 32 | Keke Rosberg | Theodore | 1:33,07 |
| 4 | 24 | Derek Daly | Hesketh | 1:33,55 |
| 5 | 31 | René Arnoux | Martini | 1:33,72 |
| 6 | 25 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:34,59 |
| 7 | 30 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | 1:34,86 |
| 8 | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 1:49,43 |
Thursday morning timed practice
Carlos Reutemann set the pace as gearboxes and suspension absorbed Monaco’s relentless demands. Jody Scheckter broke second gear in both the new Wolf and the older spare. Patrese damaged his Arrows, while Stommelen suffered a painful rib injury. The two new Surtees cars encountered fuel-pump and clutch problems, putting their spare into frequent use.
Thursday afternoon timed practice
Reutemann improved again, establishing the lap that would earn pole. Andretti briefly tried the Lotus 79 before returning to the 78, while Peterson missed the session as repairs continued after his morning accident. Tyrrell had a particularly trying afternoon: rear-suspension failures damaged radiators on two cars, sending Depailler back to the pits amid escaping water and steam.
Saturday untimed practice
After Friday’s break, Tyrrell returned with stronger rear-suspension components and Lotus had Peterson’s car repaired. Gearbox trouble remained a recurring problem, affecting Scheckter and Andretti. Watson compared the Brabham spare with his regular car, while Surtees worked with revised front suspension. The morning was as much about securing reliability as finding speed.
Saturday final qualifying
Reutemann’s Thursday time remained unbeatable, but John Watson produced a late improvement to take second from Lauda. Repairs had kept Watson waiting anxiously before his final run. Patrese crashed again and borrowed Stommelen’s car, while Scheckter moved between Wolves as his mechanics fought further gearbox trouble.
Andretti qualified fourth, ahead of Depailler and James Hunt. Jochen Mass, Clay Regazzoni, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Vittorio Brambilla failed to qualify. Stommelen overcame his rib pain to make the field, and Arrows faced another substantial rebuild before Sunday.
Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:28.34 |
| 2 | 2 | John Watson | Brabham | 1:28.83 |
| 3 | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:28.84 |
| 4 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:29.10 |
| 5 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 1:29.14 |
| 6 | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren | 1:29.22 |
| 7 | 6 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 1:29.23 |
| 8 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:29.40 |
| 9 | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 1:29.50 |
| 10 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:29.51 |
| 11 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 1:30.08 |
| 12 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:30.18 |
| 13 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 1:30.55 |
| 14 | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:30.59 |
| 15 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:30.60 |
| 16 | 22 | Jacky Ickx | Ensign | 1:30.72 |
| 17 | 16 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1:31.30 |
| 18 | 18 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | 1:31.31 |
| 19 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 1:31.31 |
| 20 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:31.36 |
| 21 | 9 | Jochen Mass | ATS | 1:31.40 |
| 22 | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 1:31.61 |
| 23 | 10 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS | 1:32.11 |
| 24 | 19 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | 1:32.46 |
Sunday warm-up
The final half-hour gave the teams another chance to check their repairs in cool, dry conditions. Reserves Jochen Mass and Clay Regazzoni were allowed to run, but Regazzoni damaged his Shadow and no vacancy opened in the starting field. Scheckter selected the older Wolf, while Andretti stayed with the Lotus 78.
What happened in the 1978 Monaco Grand Prix?
John Watson led into the first corner as Reutemann’s race immediately went wrong in contact with James Hunt. The Ferrari needed repairs, leaving Depailler and Lauda chasing the leading Brabham. Watson controlled the opening phase, but an excursion eventually handed Depailler the opportunity he needed.
Lauda also passed Watson before a puncture forced him to stop for tyres. He recovered strongly to retake second late in the race, while another Watson mistake allowed Jody Scheckter through into third. The streets continued to reward precision and punish every lapse.
Depailler held on for a long-awaited first Grand Prix victory, with Lauda second and Scheckter third. Watson salvaged fourth, ahead of Didier Pironi and Riccardo Patrese. Jean-Pierre Jabouille finished tenth to give Renault its first completed Grand Prix, while Depailler’s breakthrough put him at the top of the drivers’ standings.
After the race, Patrick Depailler headed the drivers’ standings with 23 points, followed by Carlos Reutemann on 18. Lotus – Ford led the constructors’ table on 27, with Tyrrell – Ford on 24.
1978 Monaco Grand Prix race results
The 1978 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 7 May 1978.
1978 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 72 | 1:28.650 |
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 Monaco Grand Prix.
1978 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1978 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lotus – Ford | 27 |
| 2 | Tyrrell – Ford | 24 |
| 3 | Brabham – Alfa Romeo | 20 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 18 |
| 5 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 6 |
| 6 | Wolf – Ford | 4 |
| 7 | Ligier – Matra | 4 |
| 8 | McLaren – Ford | 3 |
| 9 | Williams – Ford | 3 |
| 10 | Shadow – Ford | 2 |
| 11 | Arrows – Ford | 2 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Renault | 0 |
| — | Surtees – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ensign – Ford | 0 |
| — | Merzario – Ford | 0 |
| — | Theodore – Ford | 0 |
| — | Hesketh – Ford | 0 |
| — | Martini – 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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