1978 German F1 Grand Prix Race Report & Results

Event: German Grand Prix
Track: Hockenheimring

Weather: hot, dry, 33°C

Mario Andretti won his 11th F1 World Championship race at the 1978 German Grand Prix. The Lotus-Ford Cosworth driver started from pole position and won on the Hockenheim circuit for the 1st time. It was also his 5th win of the season and the 69th win for the Lotus F1 team.

Andretti restores order, Piquet arrives

The 1978 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim brought Mario Andretti’s fifth win of the year and the F1 debut of Nelson Piquet Souto Maior, 25 years old, leading the British F3 championship, drafted into the second Ensign on a Chuck Jones recommendation. He qualified 21st, retired with engine failure on lap 33; the start of a fifteen-year career.

The race

Peterson took the lead at the start; Andretti got him at the Ostkurve on lap 5 and pulled away. Niki Lauda’s Brabham-Alfa engine blew on lap 12; Jones in the Williams kept the Lotuses in sight until vapor-lock fuel problems began on lap 30 and finally retired him. Peterson dropped out with a stuck gearbox on lap 37.

Jody Scheckter recovered from a botched start, he was 22nd at the end of lap one, to finish second for Wolf, his best of the year. Laffite third for Ligier. Fittipaldi fourth, Pironi fifth, Hector Rebaque sixth for his first F1 point at 22 in a year-old Lotus 78. Goodyear shut out Michelin completely. Andretti 54, Peterson 36; the title was a Lotus matter now.

Classification 1978 German F1 GP

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Car & Engine	Grid	Laps	Led	Time	Pts
1	5	MarioAndretti	Team Lotus	Lotus 79Ford DFV	1	45	41	1:28:00.900	9
2	20	JodyScheckter	Wolf	Wolf WR5Ford DFV	4	45		1:28:16.250+15.350s	6
3	26	JacquesLaffite	Ligier	Ligier JS9Matra MS76	7	45		1:28:28.910+28.010s	4
4	14	EmersonFittipaldi	Fittipaldi	Fittipaldi F5AFord DFV	10	45		1:28:37.780+36.880s	3
5	3	DidierPironi	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 008Ford DFV	16	45		1:28:58.160+57.260s	2
6	25	HectorRebaque	Team Lotus	Lotus 78Ford DFV	18	45		1:29:38.760+1:37.860	1
7	2	JohnWatson	Brabham	Brabham BT46Alfa Romeo 115-12	5	45		1:29:40.430+1:39.530
8	12	GillesVilleneuve	Ferrari	Ferrari 312T3Ferrari 015	15	45		1:29:57.770+1:56.870
9	35	RiccardoPatrese	Arrows	Arrows FA1Ford DFV	14	44		+1 lap
10	32	KekeRosberg	Wolf	Wolf WR1Ford DFV	19	42		+3 laps
11	23	HaraldErtl	Ensign	Ensign N177Ford DFV	17	41		Engine
DSQ	36	RolfStommelen	Arrows	Arrows FA1Ford DFV	23	42		Disqualified
DNF	6	RonniePeterson	Team Lotus	Lotus 79Ford DFV	2	36	4	Gearbox
DSQ	7	JamesHunt	McLaren	McLaren M26Ford DFV	8	34		Disqualified
DNF	27	AlanJones	Williams	Williams FW06Ford DFV	6	31		Fuel System
DNF	22	NelsonPiquet	Ensign	Ensign N177Ford DFV	21	31		Engine
DNF	19	VittorioBrambilla	Surtees	Surtees TS20Ford DFV	20	24		Fuel System
DNF	8	PatrickTambay	McLaren	McLaren M26Ford DFV	11	16		Accident
DNF	11	CarlosReutemann	Ferrari	Ferrari 312T3Ferrari 015	12	14		Fuel System
DNF	1	NikiLauda	Brabham	Brabham BT46Alfa Romeo 115-12	3	11		Engine
DNF	15	Jean-PierreJabouille	Renault	Renault RS01Renault EF1	9	5		Engine
DNF	9	JochenMass	ATS	ATS HS1Ford DFV	22	1		Accident
DNF	16	HansJoachim Stuck	Shadow	Shadow DN9Ford DFV	24	1		Accident
DNF	4	PatrickDepailler	Tyrrell	Tyrrell 008Ford DFV	13	0		Accident
DNQ	17	ClayRegazzoni	Shadow	Shadow DN9Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	10	Jean-PierreJarier	ATS	ATS HS1Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	18	RupertKeegan	Surtees	Surtees TS20Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNQ	37	ArturoMerzario	Merzario	Merzario A1Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNPQ	31	RenéArnoux	Martini	Martini MK23Ford DFV		0		No Time
DNPQ	30	BrettLunger	McLaren	McLaren M26Ford DFV		0		No Time

Fastest lap: 1:55.620 min by Ronnie Peterson (Team Lotus 79) in lap 26

✅ Check out 1978 F1 Championship Standings
✅ Check out 1978 F1 Teams & Drivers

✅ Check out All Time F1 Drivers Rankings
✅ Check out All Time F1 Driver Records
✅ Check out All Time F1 Teams Rankings

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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