Classification
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford | 78 | 1:42:15.767 | 12 | 9 |
| 2 | 4 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell-Ford | 78 | +0.466 secs | 11 | 6 |
| 3 | 2 | John Watson | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 78 | +4.442 secs | 10 | 4 |
| 4 | 27 | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 78 | +30.986 secs | 18 | 3 |
| 5 | 26 | Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra | 78 | +1:09.218 | 13 | 2 |
| 6 | 3 | Didier Pironi | Tyrrell-Ford | 77 | +1 Lap | 14 | 1 |
| 7 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 77 | +1 Lap | 2 | |
| 8 | 10 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | ATS-Ford | 77 | +1 Lap | 17 | |
| 9 | 36 | Rolf Stommelen | Arrows-Ford | 77 | +1 Lap | 22 | |
| 10 | 25 | Hector Rebaque | Lotus-Ford | 77 | +1 Lap | 21 | |
| 11 | 30 | Brett Lunger | McLaren-Ford | 76 | +2 Laps | 20 | |
| 12 | 19 | Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees-Ford | 76 | +2 Laps | 19 | |
| Ret | 35 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 63 | Engine | 7 | |
| Ret | 20 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf-Ford | 59 | Spun Off | 5 | |
| Ret | 8 | Patrick Tambay | McLaren-Ford | 56 | Accident | 4 | |
| Ret | 12 | Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | 55 | Oil Leak | 8 | |
| Ret | 11 | Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 55 | Spun Off | 9 | |
| Ret | 1 | Niki Lauda | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 52 | Engine | 1 | |
| Ret | 18 | Rupert Keegan | Surtees-Ford | 52 | Engine | 23 | |
| Ret | 9 | Jochen Mass | ATS-Ford | 43 | Engine | 15 | |
| Ret | 37 | Arturo Merzario | Merzario-Ford | 39 | Suspension | 26 | |
| Ret | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | Renault | 38 | Engine | 6 | |
| Ret | 32 | Keke Rosberg | Theodore-Ford | 15 | Clutch | 24 | |
| Ret | 14 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi-Ford | 9 | Transmission | 16 | |
| Ret | 24 | Eddie Cheever | Hesketh-Ford | 8 | Oil Leak | 25 | |
| Ret | 7 | James Hunt | McLaren-Ford | 5 | Engine | 3 | |
| DNQ | 31 | René Arnoux | Martini-Ford | ||||
| DNQ | 17 | Clay Regazzoni | Shadow-Ford | ||||
| DNQ | 23 | Lamberto Leoni | Ensign-Ford | ||||
| DNQ | 16 | Hans Joachim Stuck | Shadow-Ford |
Read more about this topic: 1978 South African Grand Prix