1978 Austrian Grand Prix
The Grand Prix of Austria in 1978 was held on 13 August at the ring Austria near Zeltweg and was the twelfth round of the Formula 1 season 1978.
- 3.1 Start -up
- 3.2 race
- 4.1 Drivers' Championship
- 4.2 Constructors' Championship
Reports
Background
Shortly before the twelfth World Championship race of the season in Spielberg confirmed a court that the team Arrows breached the construction of FA1 the copyrights of the plaintiff Shadow and that the vehicle therefore should no longer be used. Since it had been expected at Arrows with this judgment, was in time for Austria -GP, the new A1 model available that had developed in the meantime. Since the beginning of the season had been speculated, given the similarity between the FA1 and the Shadow DN9 that possibly former Shadow Leaders like Jackie Oliver, Alan Rees and Tony Southgate may have illegally copied and taken the blueprints of the new racing car shortly before her exit, then to establish on this basis their new team.
Nelson Piquet, who made his Grand Prix debut in Ensign Racing Grand Prix of Germany, moved to the private team BS Fabrications where you started a M23 as a second car next to the McLaren M26 for Brett Lunger. Piquet's place in the second factory Ensign was then returned to the now committed as a regular driver Derek Daly.
Instead of Jean -Pierre Jarier, who had left the ATS Racing Team after a short return again already, Hans Binder was allowed to complete his home Grand Prix for the German team.
Training
As the only of the eight pilots who had to attend the pre-qualification, failed Rolf Stommelen, at its new Arrows A1 due to technical difficulties.
For the experts, not surprisingly, the front row was made up of the two Lotus 79, with Ronnie Peterson again was slightly faster than his teammate Mario Andretti. Jean -Pierre Jabouille reached with the much more developed Renault RS01 the third place next to Carlos Reutemann in the Ferrari 312T3. The third row was composed of Jacques Laffite and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Race
In rainy conditions Peterson took the lead, while Andretti fell back behind Reutemann. The fourth place was taken by Jody Scheckter before Jacques Laffite, Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt. When overtaking during the first round of the cars of Andretti and Reutemann, whereupon the leading in the World Cup Americans crashed into the barriers and retired touched. Reutemann lost his second place at Scheckter.
When it started to rain much stronger in the fourth round, Scheckter slid off the track and collided with the parked there Lotus by Andretti. Shortly after also Reutemann and Jabouille had turned due to hydroplaning, the race was interrupted for safety reasons with the red flag.
A fading rain a new starting line-up was formed, which corresponded to the order at the time of the racing crash. Accordingly, Peterson started before Patrick Depailler, John Watson and Jacques Laffite, while Reutemann and Jabouille had to stand in the middle of the field.
While Depailler made a good restart, Watson was only poorly by the body, resulting in a chain reaction due to a collision between Riccardo Patrese and Harald Ertl, whereby both were eliminated. Also in the same round, there was a collision between Daly and Hunt, who was preceded by a spin by Alan Jones. At the end of the first lap after the restart Ronnie Peterson was before Patrick Depailler, Niki Lauda and Jacques Laffite.
Peterson led the race to continue, while the track was drying. Reutemann, who had made good a few places in the meantime, took over the lead on lap 19, he drove by on rain tires, while some opponents appealed for pit stops to switch to slicks. For the same reason it succeeded the original 12 square started Gilles Villeneuve, expand Reute 's top position to a Ferrari double guide. In the 23rd round, he finally took over even the tip of his teammates.
When the Ferrari driver finally also umstiegen on slicks, Peterson took over the top spot again and defended him to the finish. Hans -Joachim Stuck was, until he retired due to an accident on the fourth. Then Daly took over this place, but also turned off the track. He was the race although continued after him marshals had pushed out of the gravel, but was disqualified because of this then unauthorized use of foreign aid. This Fittipaldi came in fourth place ahead of Laffite and Vittorio Brambilla, who thus secured his first point of the season.
By winning Peterson was in the championship standings, only nine points behind his teammate Andretti. Due to its contractually agreed number -two status he was allowed this but anyway the title is not to dispute.
Message list
1 Brian Henton drove Surtees TS20 with the start number 18 only during training on Saturday, but posted no -evaluated lap time.
Classifications
Line-up
Race
WM stands after the race
The first six of the race were 9, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point (s).