Carlos Reutemann won the 1978 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, completing a season sweep of the two American races. Alan Jones finished second for Williams and Jody Scheckter third, while newly crowned champion Mario Andretti endured a frustrating home weekend after dominating qualifying.
Race Guide
Season: 1978 F1 World Championship
Race date: 1 October 1978
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-04:00)
Circuit: Watkins Glen International
Laps: 59 laps
Circuit length: 5.435 km
1977 winner: James Hunt
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Mario Andretti | Lotus |
| Pole time | 1:38.114 | |
| Fastest lap | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:39.557 on lap 55 | |
| First | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari |
| Second | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Third | Jody Scheckter | Wolf |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 28 September 1978 | Thursday familiarisation | Start time unconfirmed |
| 29 September 1978 | Friday morning timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 29 September 1978 | Friday afternoon timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 30 September 1978 | Saturday untimed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 30 September 1978 | Saturday final qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 1 October 1978 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 1 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 15 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
Jean-Pierre Jarier joined Lotus after Ronnie Peterson’s death, using number 55 rather than Peterson’s number six. Riccardo Patrese was excluded following pressure from fellow drivers over the Monza accident; responsibility for that collision remained disputed. Bobby Rahal made his Grand Prix debut in a second Wolf, while René Arnoux and Beppe Gabbiani joined Surtees. Brett Lunger moved to Ensign.
Thursday familiarisation
Initial running revealed how badly parts of the circuit had deteriorated over the winter. The bumps were especially troublesome near the uphill chicane. Ferrari revised its anti-roll-bar arrangement, and Villeneuve found the Formula 1 car more manageable over the uneven surface than the Can-Am machinery he had previously driven here.
Friday morning timed practice
Andretti quickly established a clear advantage, finding the Lotus 79 exceptionally effective despite the bumps. Jarier began adapting to his new car as Lotus investigated brake-system components. Ferrari also showed competitive pace, while Jabouille compared Renault’s two cars. The leading Lotus’s speed offered Andretti an encouraging start to his home appearance as champion.
Friday afternoon timed practice
Reutemann was quickest in the afternoon as unequal rear-tyre diameters upset Andretti’s handling. Jones crashed after a front stub-axle failure, forcing Williams to prepare the spare car. Villeneuve lost time with a broken exhaust, while Watson improved in his new Brabham. Rahal steadily reduced his lap times as he gained confidence in the Wolf.
Saturday untimed practice
Villeneuve’s gearbox failed, and Ligier suffered two engine failures as Laffite moved between cars. Rosberg’s new ATS developed steering trouble that would prevent him from taking part in final qualifying. Lotus continued its brake work, while several teams faced major repairs before their last chance to improve the grid.
Saturday final qualifying
High winds made improvements difficult, but Andretti extended his advantage to take pole by more than a second. Jones recovered brilliantly in the spare Williams to qualify third, between the Ferraris. Jabouille’s challenge was disrupted by an anti-roll-bar failure and a spin after brake trouble.
Jarier qualified eighth despite a late exhaust problem, and Rahal secured 20th before an ignition failure stranded him. Gabbiani was the only driver to miss the 26-car grid. Andretti appeared to have the ideal car for the race, but Sunday would overturn that expectation.
Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:38.114 |
| 2 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:39.179 |
| 3 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:39.742 |
| 4 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:39.820 |
| 5 | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:39.982 |
| 6 | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren | 1:39.991 |
| 7 | 2 | John Watson | Brabham | 1:40.000 |
| 8 | 55 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus | 1:40.034 |
| 9 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:40.136 |
| 10 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:40.228 |
| 11 | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 1:40.762 |
| 12 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 1:40.828 |
| 13 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:41.007 |
| 14 | 16 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1:41.681 |
| 15 | 10 | Keke Rosberg | ATS | 1:41.773 |
| 16 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 1:41.815 |
| 17 | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 1:41.855 |
| 18 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 1:41.974 |
| 19 | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign | 1:42.179 |
| 20 | 21 | Bobby Rahal | Wolf | 1:42.429 |
| 21 | 18 | René Arnoux | Surtees | 1:42.541 |
| 22 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 1:42.741 |
| 23 | 25 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:43.028 |
| 24 | 23 | Brett Lunger | Ensign | 1:43.067 |
| 25 | 9 | Michael Bleekemolen | ATS | 1:43.572 |
| 26 | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 1:44.286 |
| 27 | 19 | Beppe Gabbiani | Surtees | 1:45.155 |
Sunday warm-up
Andretti suffered a rear stub-axle failure and crashed, leaving his race car badly damaged. Lotus reassigned Jarier’s car to the champion, with Jarier taking the newly arrived spare. Stuck also needed an urgent engine change after his Shadow began to seize, his mechanics completing the work only shortly before the start.
What happened in the 1978 United States Grand Prix?
Andretti led initially, but brake trouble soon allowed Reutemann and Villeneuve through. Ferrari ran first and second until Villeneuve’s engine failed. Jones had already passed Andretti and inherited second, while the champion and Lauda subsequently retired with engine failures.
Jarier recovered strongly after an early tyre stop, setting fastest lap and passing both Scheckter and Jabouille to reach third. His charge ended when he ran out of fuel near the finish, returning the final podium place to Scheckter. Jabouille also had to manage brake problems but kept the Renault running.
Reutemann won comfortably ahead of Jones and Scheckter. Jabouille’s fourth place earned Renault its first championship points and the first for a turbocharged Formula 1 car. Fittipaldi recovered from clutch trouble at the start to finish fifth, with Clay Regazzoni sixth. Andretti’s qualifying domination had brought no race reward.
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 United States Grand Prix race results
The 1978 United States Grand Prix was held on 1 October 1978.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 59 | 1:40:48.800 | 9 |
| 2 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 59 | +19.739 secs | 6 |
| 3 | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 59 | +45.701 secs | 4 |
| 4 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 59 | +1:25.007 | 3 |
| 5 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 59 | +1:28.089 | 2 |
| 6 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 59 | +1:50.210 | 1 |
| 7 | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren | 58 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 8 | 22 | Derek Daly | Ensign | 58 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 9 | 18 | René Arnoux | Surtees | 58 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 10 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 58 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 11 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 58 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | 21 | Bobby Rahal | Wolf | 58 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | 23 | Brett Lunger | Ensign | 58 | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 56 | +3 Laps | 0 |
| 15 | 55 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus | 55 | Out of Fuel | 0 |
| 16 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 54 | +5 Laps | 0 |
| Ret | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 46 | Gearbox | 0 |
| Ret | 9 | Michael Bleekemolen | ATS | 43 | Oil Leak | 0 |
| Ret | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 28 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 27 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 2 | John Watson | Brabham | 25 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 23 | Wheel | 0 |
| Ret | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 22 | Engine | 0 |
| Ret | 10 | Keke Rosberg | ATS | 21 | Transmission | 0 |
| Ret | 16 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1 | Fuel System | 0 |
| Ret | 25 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 0 | Clutch | 0 |
| DNQ | 19 | Beppe Gabbiani | Surtees | 0 |
1978 United States Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Lotus | 55 | 1:39.557 |
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 United States 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 | 49 |
| 4 | Tyrrell – Ford | 36 |
| 5 | Ligier – Matra | 19 |
| 6 | Wolf – Ford | 18 |
| 7 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 17 |
| 8 | McLaren – Ford | 15 |
| 9 | Williams – Ford | 11 |
| 10 | Arrows – Ford | 8 |
| 11 | Shadow – Ford | 6 |
| 12 | Renault | 3 |
| 13 | Surtees – Ford | 1 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ensign – 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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