Carlos Reutemann won the 1978 United States Grand Prix West after Ferrari team-mate Gilles Villeneuve crashed out of the lead at Long Beach. Mario Andretti finished second, leaving the pair level at the head of the championship, while Alan Jones’s determined challenge ended in frustration.
Race Guide
Season: 1978 F1 World Championship
Race date: 2 April 1978
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC-08:00)
Circuit: Long Beach Street Circuit
Laps: 80 laps
Circuit length: 3.251 km
1977 winner: Mario Andretti
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari |
| Pole time | 1:20.636 | |
| Fastest lap | Alan Jones | Williams |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:22.215 on lap 27 | |
| First | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari |
| Second | Mario Andretti | Lotus |
| Third | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 1978 | Friday pre-qualifying | One hour before official practice |
| 31 March 1978 | Friday morning timed practice | 90 minutes; start unconfirmed |
| 31 March 1978 | Friday afternoon timed practice | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 1 April 1978 | Saturday untimed practice | 90 minutes; start unconfirmed |
| 1 April 1978 | Saturday final qualifying | One hour; start unconfirmed |
| 2 April 1978 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 2 April 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 4 leading the 1978 F1 World Championship on 12 points, with Ronnie Peterson on 11. Lotus – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 21 points.
Race entries
Thirty drivers arrived for only 22 starting places, requiring pre-qualifying for eight entrants before the main sessions. Derek Daly drove the Hesketh and Danny Ongais entered a Shadow. The tight street circuit also had a revised starting location on Shoreline Drive, intended to give the field a better chance of negotiating the opening corner cleanly.
Friday pre-qualifying
Only four of the eight drivers could progress. Both Arrows made it through, along with Arturo Merzario and Brett Lunger. Keke Rosberg, Héctor Rebaque, Danny Ongais and Derek Daly were eliminated before the principal practice sessions began. With no prior running on the closed streets, this was an unforgiving first hurdle.
Friday pre-qualifying Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 1:23.540 |
| 2 | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:23.840 |
| 3 | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 1:24.729 |
| 4 | 30 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | 1:25.076 |
| 5 | 32 | Keke Rosberg | Theodore | 1:25.785 |
| 6 | 25 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:26.128 |
| 7 | 39 | Danny Ongais | Shadow | 1:26.150 |
| 8 | 24 | Derek Daly | Hesketh | 1:26.615 |
Friday morning timed practice
Carlos Reutemann challenged Niki Lauda for the early advantage, switching Ferraris after a vibration developed. McLaren had a difficult morning: Patrick Tambay spun and stalled, while James Hunt overheated his engine and later struck a wall. Andretti also needed the spare Lotus following an engine failure. Gearboxes and driveshafts suffered under the repeated acceleration and braking.
Friday afternoon timed practice
Ferrari consolidated its position while officials struggled to resolve timing problems. Reutemann’s Friday lap would remain the weekend’s best, and Gilles Villeneuve helped establish a strong Ferrari challenge. Ronnie Peterson lost an engine, Renault had further mechanical trouble and Alan Jones found encouragement in the second Williams FW06. The final Friday times were issued as a combined list after delays.
Saturday untimed practice
Repairs continued as the street circuit punished small mistakes. Patrick Depailler broke a driveshaft and Jody Scheckter suffered a rear-upright failure. Hans-Joachim Stuck badly damaged his Shadow while avoiding Rupert Keegan’s troubled Surtees. Reutemann preferred the spare Ferrari, and teams used the untimed running to assess race settings and fuel loads.
Saturday final qualifying
Reutemann retained pole without improving, with Villeneuve completing an all-Ferrari front row. Lauda and Andretti followed, then John Watson and Peterson. Didier Pironi struck a wall early and lost his opportunity to improve; Stuck’s Shadow was too badly damaged to run.
Keegan qualified but could not start after further damage left Surtees able to prepare only one car. Stuck was also unable to take the available place, so Pironi joined the grid. Lunger and Lamberto Leoni failed to qualify. The heavy repair bill underlined how narrow the margin had been throughout the weekend.
Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:20.636 |
| 2 | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:20.836 |
| 3 | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:20.937 |
| 4 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:21.188 |
| 5 | 2 | John Watson | Brabham | 1:21.244 |
| 6 | 6 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 1:21.474 |
| 7 | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren | 1:21.738 |
| 8 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:21.935 |
| 9 | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:22.006 |
| 10 | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 1:22.163 |
| 11 | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 1:22.234 |
| 12 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 1:22.414 |
| 13 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:22.491 |
| 14 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:22.630 |
| 15 | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:22.790 |
| 16 | 9 | Jochen Mass | ATS | 1:23.106 |
| 17 | 19 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | 1:23.212 |
| 18 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 1:23.291 |
| 19 | 10 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS | 1:23.419 |
| 20 | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 1:23.454 |
| 21 | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 1:23.589 |
| 22 | 18 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | 1:23.677 |
| 23 | 16 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1:23.733 |
| 24 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 1:23.792 |
| 25 | 30 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | 1:23.795 |
| 26 | 22 | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign | 1:24.008 |
Sunday warm-up
Tyrrell fitted fresh driveshafts to Depailler’s car as a precaution after the morning running. Reutemann remained happy with the spare Ferrari, while Scheckter prepared to race the spare Wolf. The teams then moved to the revised starting area for the 22-car start.
What happened in the 1978 United States West Grand Prix?
Gilles Villeneuve emerged ahead after John Watson’s first-corner attack carried Carlos Reutemann wide. Villeneuve built his lead as Watson retired with engine trouble and Niki Lauda later stopped with an electrical failure. Alan Jones passed Andretti and closed on the remaining Ferrari, keeping the leaders under pressure.
Villeneuve’s promising run ended when he tried to lap Clay Regazzoni in the tight section. Contact launched the Ferrari into the barrier, leaving Reutemann ahead of Jones. The Williams continued to threaten until its front wings drooped, followed by worsening fuel-pressure trouble that sent Jones tumbling down the order.
Reutemann secured his second victory of the season, ahead of Andretti and Patrick Depailler. Ronnie Peterson finished fourth, Patrick Tambay fifth and Riccardo Patrese sixth. Jones recovered seventh and set fastest lap, but a much bigger result had slipped away. Reutemann and Andretti now shared the championship lead.
After the race, Carlos Reutemann headed the drivers’ standings with 18 points, followed by Mario Andretti on 18. Lotus – Ford led the constructors’ table on 27, with Ferrari on 18.
1978 United States West Grand Prix race results
The 1978 United States West Grand Prix was held on 2 April 1978.
1978 United States West Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams | 27 | 1:22.215 |
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 West Grand Prix.
1978 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
| POS | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Reutemann | Argentine | Ferrari | 18 |
| 2 | Mario Andretti | American | Lotus | 18 |
| 3 | Ronnie Peterson | Swedish | Lotus | 14 |
| 4 | Patrick Depailler | French | Tyrrell | 14 |
| 5 | Niki Lauda | Austrian | Brabham | 10 |
| 6 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Brazilian | Fittipaldi | 6 |
| 7 | John Watson | British | Brabham | 4 |
| 8 | Jacques Laffite | French | Ligier | 4 |
| 9 | Alan Jones | Australian | Williams | 3 |
| 10 | James Hunt | British | McLaren | 3 |
| 11 | Clay Regazzoni | Swiss | Shadow | 2 |
| 12 | Didier Pironi | French | Tyrrell | 2 |
| 13 | Riccardo Patrese | Italian | Arrows | 1 |
| 14 | Patrick Tambay | French | McLaren | 1 |
| – | Jochen Mass | German | ATS | 0 |
| – | Jean-Pierre Jarier | French | ATS | 0 |
| – | Gilles Villeneuve | Canadian | Ferrari | 0 |
| – | Rolf Stommelen | German | Arrows | 0 |
| – | Hector Rebaque | Mexican | Lotus | 0 |
| – | Jody Scheckter | South African | Wolf | 0 |
| – | Brett Lunger | American | McLaren | 0 |
| – | Vittorio Brambilla | Italian | Surtees | 0 |
| – | Hans-Joachim Stuck | German | Shadow | 0 |
| – | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | French | Renault | 0 |
| – | Arturo Merzario | Italian | Merzario | 0 |
| – | Danny Ongais | American | Ensign / Shadow | 0 |
| – | Rupert Keegan | British | Surtees | 0 |
| – | Lamberto Leoni | Italian | Ensign | 0 |
| – | Keke Rosberg | Finnish | Theodore | 0 |
| – | Eddie Cheever | American | Theodore / Hesketh | 0 |
1978 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lotus – Ford | 27 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 18 |
| 3 | Tyrrell – Ford | 15 |
| 4 | Brabham – Alfa Romeo | 14 |
| 5 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 6 |
| 6 | Ligier – Matra | 4 |
| 7 | McLaren – Ford | 3 |
| 8 | Williams – Ford | 3 |
| 9 | Shadow – Ford | 2 |
| 10 | Arrows – Ford | 1 |
| — | ATS – Ford | 0 |
| — | Wolf – Ford | 0 |
| — | Surtees – Ford | 0 |
| — | Ensign – Ford | 0 |
| — | Merzario – Ford | 0 |
| — | Theodore – Ford | 0 |
| — | Hesketh – Ford | 0 |
| — | Renault | 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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