For the 1978 season, Ligier continued to run a single entry for Jacques Laffite, the team's regular driver. After completing the first six races of the season with the JS7 and JS7/9 (a hybrid car), the JS9 made its debut at the Spanish Grand Prix. Laffite qualified it 10th on the grid and in the race itself finished on the podium in third. After finishing out of the points for the next three races, he finished third again in Germany, this time from seventh on the grid.