Patrick Depailler qualified for the 1977 Monaco Grand Prix in eighth starting position. At Monaco, the two most important factors leading to a race victory are the start and the reliability of the car.
 
His former teammate, Jody Scheckter, led the field away at the start of the race in his Wolf WR1-Ford. Depailler and his new teammate for 1977, Ronnie Peterson, were running in 8th and 5th places respectively. Early in the race, both Depailler and Peterson began to experience brake problems. Peterson only lasted until lap 10, promoting the Frenchman to 7th.
 

 
As the race progressed, Depaillers drive was further complicated by the onset of gearbox trouble. In spite of these problems, Depailler fought a relentless battle with Jochen Mass and Mario Andretti in a close race for fifth place. On lap 47, however, Depailler was finally forced to stop on course with a broken gearbox, ending the weekend prematurely for the Tyrrell team.