1978 European Formula Two Championship

The 1978 European Formula Two season was contested over 12 rounds. Italian driver Bruno Giacomelli, driving the works March car, won the season in dominant fashion.^[1]

Calendar

Race No	Circuit	Date	Laps	Distance	Time	Speed	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winner
1	Thruxton	27 March	55	3.792=208.560 km	1'06:13.77	188.943 km/h	Bruno Giacomelli	Bruno Giacomelli	Bruno Giacomelli
2	Hockenheim	9 April	20+20	6.789=271.56 km	1'20:22.0	202.741 km/h	Bruno Giacomelli	Bruno Giacomelli Marc Surer	Bruno Giacomelli
3	Nürburgring (Eifelrennen)	30 April	9	22.835=205,515 km	1'06:34.2	185.232 km/h	Bruno Giacomelli	Keke Rosberg	Alex Ribeiro
4	Pau	15 May	73	2.76=201.48 km	1'33:11.73	129.714 km/h	Brian Henton	Bruno Giacomelli	Bruno Giacomelli
5	Mugello	28 May	42	5.245=220.290 km	1'15:39.7	174.691 km/h	Bruno Giacomelli	Eddie Cheever	Derek Daly
6	Vallelunga	4 June	65	3.2=208.0 km	1'17:12.2	161.651 km/h	Bruno Giacomelli	Bruno Giacomelli	Derek Daly
7	Rouen	18 June	38	5.543=210.634 km	1'08:43.2	183.906 km/h	Bruno Giacomelli	Ingo Hoffmann	Bruno Giacomelli
8	Donington Park	25 June	40+40	3.149=251.92 km	1'29:51.43	168.214 km/h	Bruno Giacomelli	Brian Henton	Keke Rosberg
9	Nogaro	9 July	65	3.12=202.80 km	1'19:12.23	153.629 km/h	Bruno Giacomelli	Bruno Giacomelli	Bruno Giacomelli
10	Pergusa-Enna	23 July	41	4.95=202.95 km	1'04:05.6	189.989 km/h	Derek Daly	Derek Daly	Bruno Giacomelli
11	Misano	6 August	60	3.488=209.28 km	1'13:45.09	170.258 km/h	Brian Henton	Bruno Giacomelli	Bruno Giacomelli
12	Hockenheim	24 September	20+20	6.789=271.56 km	1'20:20.02	202.824 km/h	Marc Surer	Derek Daly	Bruno Giacomelli

Note:

Race 2, 8 and 12 were held in two heats, with results shown in aggregate.

Final point standings

Points were awarded to the top six classified non-graded finishers. Only the best nine results were counted.^[2]

Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
Race	9	6	4	3	2	1

Pos	Driver	THR	HOC1	NÜR	PAU	MUG	VLL	ROU	DON	NOG	ENN	MIS	HOC2	Pts
1	Bruno Giacomelli	1^P^F	1^P^F	Ret^P	1^F	(3)^P	2^P^F	1^P	Ret^P	1^P^F	1	1^F	1	78 (82)
2	Marc Surer	2	2^F	(4)	3	2	9	3	3	2	Ret	2	2^P	48 (51)
3	Derek Daly	6	9	Ret	9†	1	1	11†	Ret	3	3^P^F	9†	Ret^F	27
4	Eddie Cheever	4	Ret	3	5	7^F	Ret	2	Ret	9	2	6	Ret	24
5	Keke Rosberg	Ret	8	2^F	DNS	Ret	Ret		1	17†				16
6	Piero Necchi	Ret	Ret	Ret	4	Ret	3	DNQ	2	10	Ret	DNQ	Ret	13
=	Ingo Hoffmann	Ret	4	6	Ret	4	Ret	Ret^F	4	5	Ret	10	14	13
8	Alex Ribeiro	15	6	1	NC	10	NC	10	Ret	Ret	7	13		11
=	Manfred Winkelhock	5	12	Ret	8	9	4	12†	5	7	9	Ret	3	11
=	Alberto Colombo	8	5	7	NC	5		4	Ret	4	Ret	8	15	11
11	Eje Elgh	DNQ	DNQ	9	2	13	DNQ	6	Ret	13	Ret	DNQ	6	8
=	Ricardo Zunino	14	Ret	13	Ret	18	6	5	9	DNS	5	7	5	8
13	Rad Dougall	3	10	Ret		12	Ret	DNQ	6	DNQ	Ret	Ret	Ret	5
14	Elio de Angelis	Ret	Ret	10		14	10	Ret	13†	12	Ret	3	DNS	4
=	Geoff Lees								Ret	6	DNQ	4	Ret	4
16	Piercarlo Ghinzani	10	Ret	Ret	Ret	8	7	Ret	Ret	8	4	Ret	10	3
=	Stephen South								Ret				4	3
=	Brian Henton	Ret	17	5	Ret^P	15	8	14†	11^F	Ret	6	11^P	Ret	3
19	Beppe Gabbiani	7	11	Ret		Ret	5	DNQ	DNQ	15	Ret	12	DNQ	2
20	Roberto Marazzi	DNQ	18	12	7	11	Ret	DNQ	DNQ					1
—	Boy Hayje	11	16	14		23	DNQ	7	Ret			DNQ	7	0
—	Miguel Ángel Guerra					16	13	DNQ	7	Ret	8	DNQ	12	0
—	Gianfranco Brancatelli		DNQ					DNQ	8		Ret	Ret		0
—	Michael Bleekemolen									DNQ	Ret		8	0
—	Peter Scharmann		14	11						DNQ	10	15	9	0
—	Axel Plankenhorn		15	Ret				9	DNQ					0
—	Larry Perkins	9												0
—	John David Briggs	13	DNQ	Ret	DNQ	19	11	DNQ	10	DNQ	Ret	DNQ	Ret	0
—	Don Breidenbach	Ret	DNQ	Ret	10†	20	12	DNQ	12	16	DNS	DNQ	DNQ	0
—	Sandro Cinotti		Ret	Ret	DNQ	Ret	Ret			14	12	17	11	0
—	Richard Dallest	NC	DNQ							11	Ret	16	DNQ	0
—	Ariel Bakst	17	Ret	Ret		DNQ	DNQ				11	DNQ		0
—	Bernard de Dryver	Ret	13	Ret	DNQ	Ret	DNQ	Ret		DNQ	Ret	DNQ		0
—	Jean-Pierre Jaussaud							13		Ret				0
—	Markus Hotz												13	0
—	Norman Dickson			16					DNQ			14		0
—	Wolfgang Locher			17	DNQ	NC	14						Ret	0
—	Michael Korten		DNQ	15									DNQ	0
—	Giacomo Agostini	18	DNQ	18		17	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	16	0
—	Romeo Camathias	16	DNQ											0
—	Giancarlo Martini			19			DNQ							0
—	Gianfranco Trombetti					21					DNQ			0
—	Walter Raus	DNQ	DNQ			22	DNQ					DNQ	DNQ	0
—	José Dolhem				Ret	Ret		DNQ						0
—	Kazuyoshi Hoshino							Ret	Ret					0
—	Alain Couderc							Ret		DNS			DNQ	0
—	Carlo Giorgio	DNQ	DNQ	Ret			DNQ	DNQ			DNQ			0
—	Sergio Mingotti			DNQ		DSQ	DNQ							0
—	Dieter Kern		DNQ	Ret									DNQ	0
—	Harald Ertl		Ret										DNQ	0
—	Hans Meier	Ret												0
—	Patrick Nève	Ret												0
—	James King			Ret										0
—	Riccardo Patrese			Ret										0
—	Rudolf Dötsch			Ret										0
—	Alain Prost				Ret									0
—	Tiff Needell												Ret	0
—	Marc Sourd												Ret	0
—	Giancarlo Naddeo					DNQ	DNQ	DNQ			DNQ	DNQ		0
—	Gérard Pillon		DNQ				DNQ						DNQ	0
—	Pierre Maublanc	DNQ					DNQ							0
—	Gaudenzio Mantova						DNQ					DNQ		0
—	Helmut Bross		DNQ										DNQ	0
—	Gerd Biechteler		DNQ											0
—	Kurt Lotterschmid		DNQ											0
—	Peter Dienemann		DNQ											0
—	Michel Leclère							DNQ						0
—	Nigel Mansell								DNQ					0
—	Tony Trimmer								DNQ					0
—	Luciano Pavesi											DNQ		0
—	Gimax											DNQ		0
—	Herbert Jerich											DNQ		0
—	Divina Galica												DNQ	0
—	Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi												DNQ	0
—	Henning Hagenbauer												DNQ	0
—	Marco Micangeli												DNQ	0
—	Klaus Walz												DNQ	0
—	Eugen Grupp												DNQ	0
Graded drivers ineligible for points
—	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Ret	3				Ret	8						0
—	Arturo Merzario					6						5		0
—	Patrick Tambay				6†									0
—	Jochen Mass	12	7	8										0
—	Jacques Laffite				11†					Ret				0
—	Clay Regazzoni											Ret		0
Pos	Driver	THR	HOC1	NÜR	PAU	MUG	VLL	ROU	DON	NOG	ENN	MIS	HOC2	Pts
Source:^[3]

Key
Colour	Result
Gold	Winner
Silver	Second place
Bronze	Third place
Green	Other points position
Blue	Other classified position
Blue	Not classified, finished (NC)
Purple	Not classified, retired (Ret)
Red	Did not qualify (DNQ)
Red	Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black	Disqualified (DSQ)
White	Did not start (DNS)
White	Race cancelled (C)
Blank	Did not practice (DNP)
	Excluded (EX)
	Did not arrive (DNA)
	Withdrawn (WD)
	Did not enter (empty cell)
Annotation	Meaning
P	Pole position
F	Fastest lap

References

^ "1978 European F2 Championship". motorsportmagazine.com. Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
^ FIA Year Book of Automobile Sport 1979. Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. gold p. 11. ISBN 0-85059-320-4.
^ "1978 European F2 Championship". motorsportmagazine.com. Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 27 February 2026.

[1] "1978 European F2 Championship". motorsportmagazine.com. Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2018.

[2] FIA Year Book of Automobile Sport 1979. Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. gold p. 11. ISBN 0-85059-320-4.

[3] "1978 European F2 Championship". motorsportmagazine.com. Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 27 February 2026.

[1]

[2]

[3]

Formula Two seasons
1960 Formula Two season	1960
European Formula Two Championship	1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 Succeeded by International Formula 3000
FIA Formula Two Championship (2009–2012)	2009 2010 2011 2012 (List of drivers)
FIA Formula 2 Championship (since 2017)	Rebranded from the GP2 Series 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 (List of drivers) (List of race winners)