Round 3 · 1978
South African Grand Prix
Kyalami, South Africa · Sat 4 Mar · 00:00 UTC
Race
| Pos | Driver | Team | Grid | Time / Status | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Borgward | 12 | 1:42:15.767 | 9 |
| 2 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell | 11 | +0.466 | 6 |
| 3 | John Watson | Brabham | 10 | +4.442 | 4 |
| 4 | Alan Jones | Williams | 18 | +30.986 | 3 |
| 5 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier | 13 | +1:09.218 | 2 |
| 6 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell | 14 | +1 Lap | 1 |
| 7 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Borgward | 2 | +1 Lap | |
| 8 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS | 17 | +1 Lap | |
| 9 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows | 22 | +1 Lap | |
| 10 | Hector Rebaque | Lotus-Borgward | 21 | +1 Lap | |
| 11 | Brett Lunger | McLaren | 20 | +2 Laps | |
| 12 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees | 19 | +2 Laps | |
| — | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows | 7 | Engine | |
| — | Jody Scheckter | Wolf | 5 | Spun off | |
| — | Patrick Tambay | McLaren | 4 | Accident | |
| — | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 8 | Oil leak | |
| — | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 9 | Spun off | |
| — | Niki Lauda | Brabham | 1 | Engine | |
| — | Rupert Keegan | Surtees | 23 | Engine | |
| — | Jochen Mass | ATS | 15 | Engine | |
| — | Arturo Merzario | Merzario | 26 | Suspension | |
| — | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 6 | Engine | |
| — | Keke Rosberg | Theodore | 24 | Clutch | |
| — | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi | 16 | Transmission | |
| — | Eddie Cheever | Hesketh | 25 | Oil leak | |
| — | James Hunt | McLaren | 3 | Engine |