Formula 1 historical archive

Carlos Reutemann won the 1978 United States Grand Prix West

Carlos Reutemann won the 1978 United States Grand Prix West for Ferrari, ahead of Mario Andretti and Patrick Depailler at Long Beach.

Browse the full classification, related season, driver, team, circuit, and championship history.

Race recap

Winner
Carlos Reutemann
Team
Ferrari
Top listed
Carlos Reutemann, Mario Andretti, and Patrick Depailler
Race date
April 2, 1978
Pole
Carlos Reutemann
Fastest lap
Alan Jones
Classified drivers
30
Circuit
Long Beach

The decisive result

Carlos Reutemann finished first for Ferrari. Mario Andretti is listed 2 for Team Lotus, with Patrick Depailler 3 for Tyrrell.

Grid to finish

Clay Regazzoni from P20 to P10 (+10), Patrick Depailler from P12 to P3 (+9), and Jacques Laffite from P14 to P5 (+9) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. Carlos Reutemann started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 5 +1 lap, 5 Finished, 4 Accident, 4 DNPQ, and 2 Accident in practice. Alan Jones holds the fastest-lap entry at 1:22.215 on lap 27. It records the result without speculating about incidents or strategy.

This summary sticks to the classification and does not speculate about incidents, strategy, weather, or causes. Source: F1DB (CC BY 4.0) · updated Jul 26, 2026.

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Race classification
PosDriverConstructorTime / statusPoints
1Carlos ReutemannFerrari1:52:01.3019
2Mario AndrettiTeam Lotus1:52:12.3626
3Patrick DepaillerTyrrell1:52:30.2524
4Ronnie PetersonTeam Lotus1:52:46.9043
5Jacques LaffiteLigier1:53:24.1852
6Riccardo PatreseArrows+1 lap1
7Alan JonesWilliams+1 lap0
8Emerson FittipaldiFittipaldi+1 lap0
9Rolf StommelenArrows+1 lap0
10Clay RegazzoniShadow+1 lap0
11Jean-Pierre JarierATS Wheels+5 laps0
12Patrick TambayMcLarenAccident0
DNFJody ScheckterWolfAccident0
DNFVittorio BrambillaSurteesTransmission0
DNFJean-Pierre JabouilleRenaultTurbo0
DNFGilles VilleneuveFerrariAccident0
DNFNiki LaudaBrabhamIgnition0
DNFDidier PironiTyrrellGearbox0
DNFArturo MerzarioMerzarioGearbox0
DNFJochen MassATS WheelsBrakes0