Published evidence
Grande Prêmio do Brasil 1978 · race
A historical profile with source-linked evidence. Further research is in progress.
THE HISTORICAL RECORD
Profile & context
- Name
- Grande Prêmio do Brasil 1978 · race
PROVENANCE
Sources behind this page
F1DB
v2026.17.0 · session/299-race
Original reference ↗Historical source & scope
F1DB v2026.17.0 · CC BY 4.0. Normalisation, links and calculations by MotorPedia. Original source observations retained.
Source-reported facts are not independent historical confirmation. Missing times and points remain unknown; source-rounded points retain their published precision. Constructor, entrant and team identities are kept distinct.
Grand Prix context
Grande Prêmio do Brasil 1978 · Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet
Technical formula: Formula 1. World Championship membership is separate from technical regulations.
1978 Formula 1 World Championship · round 2
Race classification
| Position | Driver | Constructor | Recorded details | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:49:59.860 · 63 laps · ferrari | 9 |
| 2 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:50:48.990 · 63 laps · ford | 6 |
| 3 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:50:56.880 · 63 laps · alfa-romeo | 4 |
| 4 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:51:32.980 · 63 laps · ford | 3 |
| 5 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | Time not recorded · 62 laps · ford | 2 |
| 6 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | Time not recorded · 62 laps · ford | 1 |
| 7 | Jochen Mass | ATS | Time not recorded · 62 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| 8 | John Watson | Brabham | Time not recorded · 61 laps · alfa-romeo | Unknown / not applicable |
| 9 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | Time not recorded · 61 laps · matra | Unknown / not applicable |
| 10 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | Time not recorded · 59 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| 11 | Alan Jones | Williams | Time not recorded · 58 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | Physical · Time not recorded · 40 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | Spun off · Time not recorded · 35 laps · ferrari | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | Spun off · Time not recorded · 34 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | Fuel system · Time not recorded · 25 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | James Hunt | McLaren | Spun off · Time not recorded · 25 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | Accident · Time not recorded · 16 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | Collision · Time not recorded · 15 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Danny Ongais | Ensign | Brakes · Time not recorded · 13 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Brett Lunger | McLaren | Overheating · Time not recorded · 11 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | Accident · Time not recorded · 8 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNF | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | Accident · Time not recorded · 5 laps · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNS | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign | Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNS | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS | Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNQ | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNQ | Eddie Cheever | Theodore | Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNQ | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
| DNQ | Divina Galica | Hesketh | Time not recorded · ford | Unknown / not applicable |
Qualifying
| Position | Driver | Constructor | Recorded details | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 1:40.450 · ford | |
| 2 | James Hunt | McLaren | 1:40.530 · ford | |
| 3 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:40.620 · ford | |
| 4 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:40.730 · ferrari | |
| 5 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 1:40.940 · ford | |
| 6 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:40.970 · ferrari | |
| 7 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:41.500 · ford | |
| 8 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:41.870 · ford | |
| 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1:42.070 · ford | |
| 10 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:42.080 · alfa-romeo | |
| 11 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 1:42.100 · ford | |
| 12 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 1:42.110 · ford | |
| 13 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | 1:42.650 · ford | |
| 14 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:42.710 · matra | |
| 15 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 1:42.800 · ford | |
| 16 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS | 1:42.910 · ford | |
| 17 | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign | 1:43.190 · ford | |
| 18 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:43.190 · ford | |
| 19 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 1:43.550 · ford | |
| 20 | Jochen Mass | ATS | 1:43.740 · ford | |
| 21 | John Watson | Brabham | 1:43.750 · alfa-romeo | |
| 22 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:43.860 · ford | |
| 23 | Danny Ongais | Ensign | 1:43.940 · ford | |
| 24 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | 1:44.200 · ford | |
| 25 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 1:44.200 · ford | |
| 26 | Eddie Cheever | Theodore | 1:44.280 · ford | |
| 27 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | 1:44.660 · ford | |
| 28 | Divina Galica | Hesketh | 1:46.790 · ford |
Starting grid
| Position | Driver | Constructor | Recorded details | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 1:40.450 · ford | |
| 2 | James Hunt | McLaren | 1:40.530 · ford | |
| 3 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 1:40.620 · ford | |
| 4 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:40.730 · ferrari | |
| 5 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 1:40.940 · ford | |
| 6 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 1:40.970 · ferrari | |
| 7 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 1:41.500 · ford | |
| 8 | Alan Jones | Williams | 1:41.870 · ford | |
| 9 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | 1:42.070 · ford | |
| 10 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1:42.080 · alfa-romeo | |
| 11 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 1:42.100 · ford | |
| 12 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 1:42.110 · ford | |
| 13 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | 1:42.650 · ford | |
| 14 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 1:42.710 · matra | |
| 15 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | 1:42.800 · ford | |
| 16 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS | 1:42.910 · ford | |
| 17 | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign | 1:43.190 · ford | |
| 18 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 1:43.190 · ford | |
| 19 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 1:43.550 · ford | |
| 20 | Jochen Mass | ATS | 1:43.740 · ford | |
| 21 | John Watson | Brabham | 1:43.750 · alfa-romeo | |
| 22 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | 1:43.860 · ford | |
| 23 | Danny Ongais | Ensign | 1:43.940 · ford | |
| 24 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | 1:44.200 · ford |
Championship progression
| Position | Driver | Constructor | Recorded details | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mario Andretti | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 12 |
| 2 | Niki Lauda | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 10 |
| 3 | Carlos Reutemann | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 9 |
| 4 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 6 |
| 5 | Patrick Depailler | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 4 |
| 6 | James Hunt | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 3 |
| 7 | Ronnie Peterson | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 2 |
| 7 | Clay Regazzoni | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 2 |
| 9 | Patrick Tambay | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 1 |
| 9 | Didier Pironi | Not applicable / not recorded | Time not recorded | 1 |