Lotus embarrassed

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 30

Lotus embarrassed

NZPA-Reuter Zeltweg The 1978 Formula One championship has turned into a dramatic duel between the two Lotus drivers following Ronnie Peterson’s impressive victory in the Austrian Grand Prix yesterday. The Swede s win gave him 45 points in the championship standings, just nine short of his Lotus teammate, Mario Andretti, of the United States, whose hold on the top place looked unshakable until he careered off the track at the very start of yesterday’s race. With just four races to go, it now seems certain that Lotus will take the championship. But Peterson is threatening to undo his team’s carefully-laid plans to give its No. 1 driver the title. Peterson cruised to an

easy win at the end of a race which in its early stages was turned into a de* bacle by a sudden cloudburst. Six drivers followed Andretti’s example, spinning off the circuit because their smooth tyres were unable to grip the rain-soaked tarmac. The race was halted on the eighth lap for a general change to wet-weather tyres.

Peterson, who had led from the start, quickly regained his edge and was one of the first to gamble with a pit stop to revert to dryweather tyres when the rain eased.

The gamble paid off. The Ferrari duo of Carlos Reutemann (Argentina) and Gilles Villeneuve (Canada), who seized a brief lead, soon realised they had no chance erf staying out in front with rain tyres as the track dried. When they raced for the pits, Peterson regained the

•lead and held it for the last 30 laps of the 54-circuit race.

Patrick Depailler (France, Tyrrell) passed Villeneuve near the end to take second place and Reutemann was disqualified after accepting a push-start after spinning off and stalling. Keke Rosberg (Finland, Wolf) was the eleventh and last finisher.

Leading world champion* ship standings after the race:—

Andretti, 54 points, 1; Peterson, 45, 2; Depailler, 32, 3; Niki Lauda (Austria Brabham), Reutemann 31, equal 4; John Watson (Britain Brabham), Jacques Laffite (Frances, Matra), 16, equal 6; Jody Scheckter (South Africa, Wolf), 14, 7; Emerson Fittipaldi ■ (Brazil, Copersucar), 13, 8; Riccardo Patrese (Italy, Arrows), James Hunt (Britain, McLaren), 8, equal 9.