Reutemann Wins British GP after Lotus Retire
At Brands Hatch, for the 1978 British Grand Prix, the Lotus pairing of Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson again looked unstoppable. They both qualified on the front row, with Andretti on pole. They had a disastrous race, however, as both cars retired.
Jody Scheckter led for a while in the Wolf before suffering gearbox problems. This gave the lead to Niki Lauda’s Brabham but the Austrian was baulked while lapping a backmarker, which allowed Carlos Reutemann’s Ferrari through into first place. Lauda finished the race behind Reutemann with John Watson third in the other Brabham. Hans Stuck had an impressive drive to fifth after going off track on the first lap and dropping to last.
Lauda was enjoying the less stressful surroundings at Brabham, compared to Ferrari, but he did notice some curious aspects of the team. In his 1986 autobiography, “Meine Story,” published by Motorbooks International, he recalled the scene in the Alfa-Romeo workshops, where team technician Carlo Chiti worked;
“I visited Chiti a couple of times in Milan and was always fascinated by the forty or so stray dogs that ran around the workshops. Chiti seemed to be looking after every stray in Milan and the surrounding district.”
Andretti, Peterson and Lotus Score Hat-trick of F1 Wins
Andretti was again on pole in the Lotus 79 for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. The start saw a collision between Patrick Depailler’s Tyrrell and Patrick Tambay’s McLaren. Scheckter drove an inspired race to progress from last position to second behind Andretti at the finish. In third was Jacques Laffite for Ligier, while Emerson Fittipaldi scored some welcome points for Copersucar in fourth. Peterson had been lying second until he retired near the end.
Peterson had better luck in Austria where he claimed pole and went on to win a race held in changeable conditions. Andretti started with slick tyres on a damp track and failed to complete the first lap. The race was stopped and restarted when the rain returned and everyone changed to wets. Eventually, slicks became a viable option as the track dried. Depailler passed the Ferrari of Gilles Villeneuve for second but the French-Canadian held on for third, scoring his first ever Formula 1 podium finish.
Andretti, Peterson and Lotus were untouchable at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix. Andretti started from pole, ahead of Peterson in second, and they finished the race in the same order. For a while, Laffite held third place but it was Lauda who occupied the position at the flag. Fittipaldi had another good race, bringing his Copersucar home in fifth. The result meant that, depending what happened at Monza, Andretti could clinch the 1978 World Championship there.
1978 Formula 1 season review continues here.
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