1978 Monaco Grand Prix
| 1978 Monaco Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 16 in the 1978 Formula One season | |||
| |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 7 May 1978 | ||
| Location | Circuit de Monaco | ||
| Course | Street circuit | ||
| Course length | 3.312 km (2.057 miles) | ||
| Distance | 75 laps, 248.4 km (154.348 miles) | ||
| Weather | Dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:28.34 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | |
| Time | 1:28.65 on lap 72 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
| Second | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | ||
| Third | Wolf-Ford | ||
|
Lap leaders | |||
The 1978 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 7 May 1978 at Monaco. It was the fifth race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
The 75-lap race was won by Frenchman Patrick Depailler, driving a Tyrrell-Ford. It was Depailler's first Formula One victory in his 69th Grand Prix. Niki Lauda finished second in a Brabham-Alfa Romeo, with Jody Scheckter third in a Wolf-Ford.
Report
Carlos Reutemann started on pole with the Brabham duo of John Watson and Niki Lauda second and third. Watson had a good start and led into the first corner, whereas Reutemann collided with James Hunt and had to pit for repairs, which left Patrick Depailler and Lauda second and third. For the first half of the race, the top three remained the same until Watson had an off allowing Depailler and Lauda through, but the latter then suffered a puncture and had to pit for tyres before charging back up and retaking second from Watson towards the end of the race. At the front, Depailler took his first career victory with Lauda second, and Jody Scheckter third after Watson made another mistake in the final laps. Jean-Pierre Jabouille's 10th-place finish was Renault's first race finish.
Classification
Pre-qualifying classification
| Pos. | Driver | Constructor | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 1:31,31 |
| 2 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows-Ford | 1:31,88 |
| 3 | Keke Rosberg | Theodore-Ford | 1:33,07 |
| 4 | Derek Daly | Hesketh-Ford | 1:33,55 |
| 5 | René Arnoux | Martini-Ford | 1:33,72 |
| 6 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus-Ford | 1:34,59 |
| 7 | Brett Lunger | McLaren-Ford | 1:34,86 |
| 8 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario-Ford | 1:49,43 |
*Positions in red indicate entries that failed to pre-qualify.
Qualifying classification
| Pos. | Driver | Constructor | Time | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:28,34 | 1 |
| 2 | John Watson | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:28,83 | 2 |
| 3 | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:28,84 | 3 |
| 4 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 1:29,10 | 4 |
| 5 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:29,14 | 5 |
| 6 | James Hunt | McLaren-Ford | 1:29,22 | 6 |
| 7 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford | 1:29,23 | 7 |
| 8 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:29,40 | 8 |
| 9 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf-Ford | 1:29,50 | 9 |
| 10 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 1:29,51 | 10 |
| 11 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren-Ford | 1:30,08 | 11 |
| 12 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 1:30,18 | 12 |
| 13 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:30,55 | 13 |
| 14 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 1:30,59 | 14 |
| 15 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra | 1:30,60 | 15 |
| 16 | Jacky Ickx | Ensign-Ford | 1:30,72 | 16 |
| 17 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow-Ford | 1:31,30 | 17 |
| 18 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees-Ford | 1:31,31 | 18 |
| 19 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows-Ford | 1:31,31 | 19 |
| 20 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:31,36 | 20 |
| 21 | Jochen Mass | ATS-Ford | 1:31,40 | DNQ |
| 22 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow-Ford | 1:31,61 | DNQ |
| 23 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS-Ford | 1:32,11 | DNQ |
| 24 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees-Ford | 1:32,46 | DNQ |
*Positions in red indicate entries that failed to qualify.
Race classification
Championship standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.