South Africa Grand Prix 1978: results
Round 3 of the 1978 season, 4 March 1978, at Kyalami Racing Circuit. Ronnie Peterson won for Lotus from P11 on the grid. Niki Lauda took pole position. Fastest lap: Mario Andretti, 1:17.090 (lap 2).
Race result
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 1:42:15.767 | 9 |
| 2 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | +0.466 | 6 |
| 3 | John Watson | Brabham | +4.442 | 4 |
| 4 | Alan Jones | Williams | +38.990 | 3 |
| 5 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | +1:09.220 | 2 |
| 6 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | +1 lap | 1 |
| 7 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | +1 lap | 0 |
| 8 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS | +1 lap | 0 |
| 9 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | +1 lap | 0 |
| 10 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | +1 lap | 0 |
| 11 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | +2 laps | 0 |
| 12 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | +2 laps | 0 |
| DNF | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | Engine | 0 |
| DNF | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | Spun off | 0 |
| DNF | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | Accident | 0 |
| DNF | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | Spun off | 0 |
| DNF | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | Oil leak | 0 |
| DNF | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | Engine | 0 |
| DNF | Niki Lauda | Brabham | Engine | 0 |
| DNF | Jochen Mass | ATS | Engine | 0 |
| DNF | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | Suspension | 0 |
| DNF | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | Engine | 0 |
| DNF | Keke Rosberg | Theodore | Clutch | 0 |
| DNF | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | Transmission | 0 |
| DNF | Eddie Cheever | Hesketh | Oil leak | 0 |
| DNF | James Hunt | McLaren | Engine | 0 |
| DNQ | René Arnoux | Martini | — | 0 |
| DNQ | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | — | 0 |
| DNQ | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign | — | 0 |
| DNQ | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow | — | 0 |
Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | Team | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham | |
| 2 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | |
| 3 | James Hunt | McLaren | |
| 4 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | |
| 5 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | |
| 6 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | |
| 7 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | |
| 8 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | |
| 9 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | |
| 10 | John Watson | Brabham | |
| 11 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | |
| 12 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | |
| 13 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | |
| 14 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | |
| 15 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | |
| 16 | Jochen Mass | ATS | |
| 17 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS | |
| 18 | Alan Jones | Williams | |
| 19 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | |
| 20 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | |
| 21 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | |
| 22 | Héctor Rebaque | Lotus | |
| 23 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | |
| 24 | Keke Rosberg | Theodore | |
| 25 | Eddie Cheever | Hesketh | |
| 26 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | |
| 27 | René Arnoux | Martini | |
| 28 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow | |
| 29 | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign | |
| 30 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Shadow |
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