The 72-lap race was won by Frenchman Jacques Laffite, driving a Ligier-Matra. This is generally considered to have been the first all-French victory in the Formula One World Championship[2] as well as the first Formula One victory for a French-licensed team[3] and a French engine.
The Swedish race was full of anticipation after Gunnar Nilsson's win last time out, but once again in qualifying, it was his teammate Mario Andretti leading the way from John Watson, with James Hunt heading the second row.
At the start of the race, Watson led into the first corner, followed by Jody Scheckter. Soon, however, Andretti passed both of them and opened up a lead. Watson and Scheckter battled for second until they collided, forcing Scheckter to retire and Watson to have to pit for repairs. James Hunt, who was now in second, began to drop back; he was passed by a charging Jacques Laffite and his teammate, Jochen Mass.
Andretti's dominance ended after a fuel metering problem Andretti, however, was dominant until he had to pit due to a fuel metering problem with two laps left. In doing so, he handed the lead to Laffite, who went on to take his first ever Formula One victory ahead of Mass and Carlos Reutemann.
Laffite's victory in his Gitanes-sponsored Ligier-Matra marked the first all-French victory in World Championship history.[4]
This was the Formula One World Championship debut for Finnish driver Mikko Kozarowitzky.
This was the 5th Grand Prix win for a French driver, the 1st Grand Prix win for Ligier, the 1st Grand Prix for a Matra-powered car and for a French engine supplier. Additionally, it was the 10th podium finish for a Matra-powered car.
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Notes
^Formula1.com in early 2022 listed it as 14.367, but the archived version says 14.369 which is also confirmed by a contemporary report in the Motorsport magazine.
