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1976 Formula One season

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Briton James Hunt won the World Championship of Drivers, driving for McLaren
Niki Lauda (pictured in 1975) was runner up by one point, driving for Ferrari

The 1976 Formula One season was the 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1976 World Championship of Drivers[1] and the 1976 International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers.[2] The two titles were contested over a sixteen race series which commenced on 25 January and ended on 24 October.[3] Two non-championship races were also held during the 1976 season. In an extraordinarily political and dramatic season, the Drivers' Championship went to McLaren driver James Hunt by one point from Ferrari's defending champion Niki Lauda, although Ferrari took the Manufacturers' trophy.

The controversy began in Spain where Hunt was initially disqualified from first place, handing the race win to Lauda, only for the decision to be overturned on appeal months later. Ferrari did not enter the Austrian Grand Prix out of protest.[4] Hunt won in France and, it seemed, in Britain, but the race had been restarted after a first lap pile-up and Hunt drove on an access road returning to the pits, which was against the rules. He was eventually disqualified after an appeal from Ferrari. Lauda became the official race winner. Lauda had a massive crash at the Nürburgring in West Germany and appeared likely to die from his injuries, but managed to return after missing just two races. Going into the final race in Japan, Lauda led Hunt by three points. In the appalling weather conditions, Lauda withdrew from the race and Hunt finished third to take the championship trophy. This was the last championship for a British driver until Nigel Mansell in 1992. The 2013 film Rush is based on this season, focusing on the rivalry and friendship between Hunt and Lauda.

Other noteworthy events include the introduction of the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34, the last race by Chris Amon, regarded as one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship, and the British Grand Prix, for being the only championship race ever in which more than one female driver were entered (although both failed to qualify).

Teams and drivers

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The following teams and drivers contested the 1976 World Championship of Drivers and the 1976 International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers.

Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre No Driver Rounds
Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 312T
312T2
Ferrari 015 3.0 F12 G 1 Austria Niki Lauda 1–10, 13–16
2 Switzerland Clay Regazzoni 1–10, 12–16
35 Argentina Carlos Reutemann 13
United Kingdom Elf Team Tyrrell Tyrrell-Ford 007
P34
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 3 South Africa Jody Scheckter All
4 France Patrick Depailler All
United Kingdom John Player Team Lotus Lotus-Ford 77 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 5 Sweden Ronnie Peterson 1
United Kingdom Bob Evans 2–3
United States Mario Andretti 4–5, 7–16
6 1
Sweden Gunnar Nilsson 2–16
United Kingdom Martini Racing Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT45 Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 G 7 Argentina Carlos Reutemann 1–12
West Germany Rolf Stommelen 13
Australia Larry Perkins 14–16
8 Brazil Carlos Pace All
77 West Germany Rolf Stommelen 10
United Kingdom Beta Team March
United Kingdom Lavazza March
United Kingdom March Racing
United Kingdom Theodore Racing
United Kingdom Ovoro Team March
United Kingdom March Racing with John Day Model Cars
United Kingdom Jägermeister Team March
United Kingdom First National City Bank Team March
March-Ford 761 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 9 Italy Vittorio Brambilla All
10 Italy Lella Lombardi 1
Sweden Ronnie Peterson 2–16
34 West Germany Hans-Joachim Stuck All
35 Italy Arturo Merzario 3–9
United Kingdom Marlboro Team McLaren McLaren-Ford M23
M26
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 11 United Kingdom James Hunt All
12 West Germany Jochen Mass All
United Kingdom ShellSport Whiting Surtees-Ford TS16 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 13 United Kingdom Divina Galica 9
United Kingdom Stanley-BRM BRM P201B BRM P200 3.0 V12 G 14 United Kingdom Ian Ashley 1
South Africa Lexington Racing Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 15 South Africa Ian Scheckter 2
United Kingdom Shadow Racing Team
United Kingdom Lucky Strike Shadow Racing
United Kingdom Tabatip Shadow Racing
United Kingdom Benihana Shadow Racing
Shadow-Ford DN5B
DN8
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 16 United Kingdom Tom Pryce All
17 France Jean-Pierre Jarier All
United Kingdom Chesterfield Team Surtees
United Kingdom Team Surtees
United Kingdom Durex Team Surtees
United Kingdom Durex Team Surtees / Theodore Racing
Surtees-Ford TS19 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 18 United States Brett Lunger 2–5, 7–11, 13–15
Sweden Conny Andersson 12
Japan Noritake Takahara 16
19 Australia Alan Jones 3–16
United Kingdom Frank Williams Racing Cars
Canada Walter Wolf Racing
Wolf-Williams-Ford FW04
FW05
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 20 Belgium Jacky Ickx 1–6, 8–9
Italy Arturo Merzario 10–16
21 Italy Renzo Zorzi 1
France Michel Leclère 2–8
New Zealand Chris Amon 14
Australia Warwick Brown 15
Austria Hans Binder 16
Japan Masami Kuwashima 16
United Kingdom Team Ensign
United Kingdom Team Tissot Ensign
Ensign-Ford N174
N176
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 22 New Zealand Chris Amon 2–7, 9–10
Belgium Patrick Nève 8
Austria Hans Binder 11
Belgium Jacky Ickx 12–15
United Kingdom Hesketh Racing
United Kingdom Penthouse Rizla+. Racing with Hesketh
Hesketh-Ford 308D Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 24 Austria Harald Ertl 2–16
25 United Kingdom Guy Edwards 5, 8–10, 13–14
West Germany Rolf Stommelen 12
Brazil Alex Ribeiro 15
United Kingdom Mapfre-Williams Williams-Ford FW04 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 25 Spain Emilio Zapico 4
France Ligier Gitanes Ligier-Matra JS5 Matra MS73 3.0 V12 G 26 France Jacques Laffite All
United States Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli-Ford VPJ4B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 27 United States Mario Andretti 2–3
Netherlands Boro Racing Boro-Ford 001 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 27 Australia Larry Perkins 12
37 4–7
40 13
United States First National City Bank Team Penske Penske-Ford PC3
PC4
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 28 United Kingdom John Watson All
Brazil Copersucar Fittipaldi Fittipaldi-Ford FD03
FD04
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 30 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi All
31 Brazil Ingo Hoffmann 1, 3–4, 8
United Kingdom RAM Racing
United Kingdom RAM Racing with Lavazza
Brabham-Ford BT44B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 32 Switzerland Loris Kessel 4–5, 7–8, 11
United Kingdom Bob Evans 9
33 Spain Emilio de Villota 4
Belgium Patrick Nève 5
Denmark Jac Nellemann 7
United Kingdom Damien Magee 8
Italy Lella Lombardi 9, 11
36 West Germany Rolf Stommelen[a][5][6][7] 10
37 Italy Lella Lombardi 10
Italy Scuderia Gulf Rondini Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 37 Italy Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi 13
39 11
40 10, 12
United Kingdom Team Norev Surtees-Ford TS19 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 38 France Henri Pescarolo 6, 8–15
Netherlands F&S Properties Penske-Ford PC3 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 39 Netherlands Boy Hayje 12
Austria ÖASC Racing Team Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 39 Austria Otto Stuppacher 13–15
United Kingdom Team P R Reilly Shadow-Ford DN3B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G 40 United Kingdom Mike Wilds 9
Japan Kojima Engineering Kojima-Ford KE007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 D 51 Japan Masahiro Hasemi 16
Japan Heros Racing Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 B 52 Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino 16
Japan Maki Engineering Maki-Ford F102A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 D 54 United Kingdom Tony Trimmer 16

Team and driver changes

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After taking on Alfa Romeo engines, the Brabhams were painted rosso corsa red.
Emerson Fittipaldi drove for his brother's team.
The Ligier team with Matra engine and Jacques Laffite as driver would go on to become the first all-French F1 team to win a Grand Prix.

Mid-season changes

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Calendar

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The Drivers and Manufacturers titles were contested over sixteen races.

Round Grand Prix Circuit Date
1 Brazilian Grand Prix Brazil Autodromo de Interlagos, São Paulo 25 January
2 South African Grand Prix South Africa Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand 6 March
3 United States Grand Prix West United States Long Beach Street Circuit, Los Angeles, California 28 March
4 Spanish Grand Prix Spain Circuito Permanente Del Jarama, Madrid 2 May
5 Belgian Grand Prix Belgium Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder 16 May
6 Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 30 May
7 Swedish Grand Prix Sweden Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp 13 June
8 French Grand Prix France Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet 4 July
9 British Grand Prix United Kingdom Brands Hatch, Kent 18 July
10 German Grand Prix West Germany Nürburgring, Nürburg 1 August
11 Austrian Grand Prix Austria Österreichring, Spielberg 15 August
12 Dutch Grand Prix Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort 29 August
13 Italian Grand Prix Italy Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 12 September
14 Canadian Grand Prix Canada Mosport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario 3 October
15 United States Grand Prix United States Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, New York 10 October
16 Japanese Grand Prix Japan Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka 24 October

Calendar changes

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Regulation changes

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Left: James Hunt driving the McLaren with the high air box, Right: Jochen Mass driving the McLaren with the adapted air box, conformed to the new regulations

There had been no impactful regulation changes over the winter,[13] but before the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix, a restriction was placed on the height of the air box to no more than 850 mm (33 in). This eliminated many eye-striking designs seen in the past years.[14][15] It was also stipulated at that time, that an F1 car could not be wider than 215 cm (85 in).[16] This caught out the McLaren team and James Hunt was disqualified, only for the decision to be overturned by the team's appeal.

Season report

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Race 1: Brazil

[edit]

For the opening round of the season in Brazil at the 5-mile Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, James Hunt took pole position in his McLaren with reigning World Champion Niki Lauda alongside in his Ferrari (which set the tone for the season). Clay Regazzoni in the second Ferrari took the lead at the start. Regazzoni, Lauda, Hunt and Shadow's Jean-Pierre Jarier battled. Regazzoni and Jarier collided, and the former had to pit for repairs. Lauda now led from Hunt and Jarier, but Hunt crashed out due to a sticking throttle, and Jarier did the same a lap later after driving on some oil in the track. Lauda thus started his title defence with victory, with Patrick Depailler second in the Tyrrell, and Tom Pryce completing the podium in the other Shadow.

Race 2: South Africa

[edit]

At the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg, Hunt took pole position for the second time in two races, with Lauda alongside again. It was Lauda who led into the first corner, with Hunt dropping down to fourth behind McLaren teammate Jochen Mass and Vittorio Brambilla in his March. Hunt was waved through by Mass, and passed Brambilla to take second after five laps. Lauda led from start to finish to win again, with Hunt second and Mass third for McLaren.

Race 3: United States GP West

[edit]

Well after the South African race, the drivers assembled at Long Beach in the US for the third round. Regazzoni took pole position with Depailler second, forcing Hunt and Lauda onto the second row. The top four maintained their positions at the start, and almost immediately Regazzoni began to pull away. Hunt now tried to pass Depailler for second; they collided; Hunt was out, Depailler went wide, and Lauda sailed through to second. Depailler kept third until a spin which dropped him well down the order, but he charged back up to fifth, and was back in third after Pryce's Shadow, and Jody Scheckter in the second Tyrrell retired after driveshaft and suspension failures respectively. Regazzoni went on to take a dominant victory, with Lauda completing the Ferrari 1–2, and Depailler third.

Race 4: Spain

[edit]

As the European season began at the Jarama circuit near Madrid, there was a big talking point as the Tyrrell team entered a new P34 six-wheeler for Depailler. Depailler was on the pace and qualified third, behind Hunt and Lauda. Lauda once again beat Hunt off the line at the start and led for the first third of the race. Depailler, after a slow start, was running fourth behind Mass when he spun off and crashed with brake problems. Just before mid-race, the McLarens of Hunt and Mass found another gear and drove past Lauda, but towards the end of the race, Mass had to retire with an engine failure. Hunt took his first win of the season, with Lauda second and Gunnar Nilsson's Lotus third.

After the race, Hunt was disqualified because his McLaren was found to be too wide. McLaren appealed, saying this was due to the expansion of the tyres during the race, and two months after the race, Hunt was reinstated.

Race 5: Belgium

[edit]

The fifth round was at the Zolder circuit near the Dutch-Belgian border. Ferrari locked out the front row, with Lauda on pole from Regazzoni. Lauda motored away as the start, with Hunt up to second but, soon Regazzoni took the place back. The Ferraris raced away, and Hunt dropped to sixth, behind Jacques Laffite's Ligier and the two six-wheeled Tyrrells, before eventually retiring with a transmission failure. Depailler also retired when his engine blew up. Lauda won, and Regazzoni completed a dominant Ferrari 1–2, with Laffite taking his first podium.

Race 6: Monaco

[edit]

Lauda took pole with Regazzoni alongside on the front row again. Lauda led into the first corner, and was never headed again. Ronnie Peterson's March got up to second, and allowed Lauda to pull away by holding up Regazzoni and the two Tyrrells. At one-third distance, Regazzoni went down an escape road because of oil on the track, and Peterson spun off and crashed on the next lap due to the same reason. This left Scheckter second and Depailler third but Regazzoni charged back and passed Depailler. He, however crashed out with 5 laps left while chasing Scheckter, thus ensuring that both the six-wheeled cars were on the podium behind Lauda.

Lauda now had a massive 33-point lead in the championship over Regazzoni and Hunt.

Race 7: Sweden

[edit]

Scheckter took pole in Sweden at Anderstorp, the first for the Tyrrell P34, with Mario Andretti's Lotus second and Chris Amon an amazing 3rd on the grid in the Ensign. Andretti took the lead at the start, but went off with engine failure at around two thirds distance. The six-wheelers went on to dominate (much to the chagrin of some of the other teams) and finished 1–2, with Scheckter winning. Amon was robbed of a possible podium by a suspension failure. As a result, third place went to the consistent Lauda. With Hunt finishing fifth Scheckter was now second in the points for the world championship.

Race 8: France

[edit]

The French round took place at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France, and 'normal service' was resumed, with Hunt on pole and Lauda second, with Depailler third, continuing Tyrrell's strong form. Lauda beat Hunt off the line as usual, and led the early stages until his engine failed. Hunt now led with Regazzoni close behind, but Regazzoni's Ferrari engine also failed. With the Ferraris out, any challenge to Hunt evaporated, and Hunt went on to win with Depailler second. Scheckter ran third until he faded away with engine trouble, giving John Watson third and Penske its first podium.

Race 9: Great Britain

[edit]

The British fans had found a new hero in Hunt, but it was Lauda who took pole at Brands Hatch, beating the home hero Hunt into second, and Andretti showing Lotus's pace with third. At the start, Regazzoni began like a rocket and was immediately up to second, and was challenging Lauda. The two touched, and Regazzoni spun. He was hit by Hunt and Jacques Laffite but the rest of the field were away safely. However, there was too much debris on track, and the race was to be restarted. In controversial circumstances McLaren, Ferrari and Ligier had Hunt, Regazzoni and Laffite all take part in the restarted race in spare cars.

There was no trouble in the restart, as Lauda led from Hunt and Regazzoni into the first corner. The top three were unchanged till mid-race until Regazzoni retired with a gearbox problem, promoting Scheckter to third. Lauda led comfortably until he too suffered from gearbox troubles, and home hero Hunt took the lead with 15 minutes left, sending the home fans wild. Hunt went on to win, with Lauda hanging on to second and Scheckter third.

After the race, Ferrari, Tyrrell and the Fittipaldi team appealed against Hunt being allowed to take part in the spare car. Ferrari took the matter to the FIA (which was hypocritical since their own driver, Regazzoni had started in a spare, although he retired), and two months later, Hunt was disqualified and Lauda was given the win. Scheckter was promoted to second, Watson had another podium, and Two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi got sixth place and a point.

Race 10: West Germany

[edit]

There were concerns by the drivers in the German GP held at the legendary Nordschleife about the safety of the track. The mountainous Nordschleife section of the Nürburgring was 14 miles (23 km) long – almost 3 times longer than Interlagos, the next longest circuit on the calendar and 7 times longer than the Monaco street circuit and its size meant it was nearly impossible to manage it safely to 1976 regulatory standards- the organizers were not willing or able to provide up to 5 times the marshals, medical services and firefighters needed at this circuit than at any other F1 circuit. Ultimately, all the drivers decided to race, and it was no surprise that Hunt and Lauda were on the front row, the British driver on pole, with Depailler heading the second row. At the start, on a damp but drying track, once again it was Regazzoni who started off best, whereas Lauda was slow and lost a lot of places. Regazzoni was leading from Hunt but he spun and dropped to fourth. At the end of the first lap, over eight minutes after the race started most of the drivers decided to pit for dry tyres. This left Mass's McLaren leading from Gunnar Nilsson.

Regazzoni driving the Ferrari 312T2 at the Nürburgring in 1976.

On the second lap, Lauda lost control at high speed due to a suspected rear suspension failure and crashed into the barriers before bouncing back on to the track, and the car caught fire. The car was then hit by Harald Ertl's Hesketh and Brett Lunger's Surtees. The two drivers immediately got out of their cars, and soon Arturo Merzario stopped his Wolf–Williams as well and also Guy Edwards helped. The four pulled Lauda out of the burning car, and the race was stopped. It took the one helicopter (which was parked at the pits on one extreme end of the circuit) at the track an excruciating 5 to 6 minutes to get to the accident site, and Lauda was sent to hospital with serious burns and was fighting for his life.

Hans-Joachim Stuck driving for the March team in the German Grand Prix

The race restarted, with the starting slots of Lauda, Ertl and Lunger left empty. Hunt led at the restarted race with Regazzoni up to second, but this did not last long as Regazzoni spun off and dropped back, and Depailler hit the barriers while trying to avoid him. This left Hunt with a big lead ahead of Carlos Pace in the Brabham, the Brabham team showing some speed. Soon, Scheckter was up to second, and Pace was passed by a recovering Regazzoni. Hunt eased to victory ahead of Scheckter, and Mass completed the podium by passing Pace after Regazzoni spun off (again).

With Hunt's crucial victory at this longest of racing circuits, and after 49 years of Grand Prix racing, the 1976 German Grand Prix was the last Grand Prix at the old Nürburgring- one of the most iconic, historic and legendary circuits in motorsport. The German Grand Prix moved further south to the Hockenheimring and Grand Prix racing did not return to the Nürburgring until 1984 on the newly constructed 2.8 mile (4.5 km) Grand Prix circuit.

Race 11: Austria

[edit]

The news before the Austrian GP at the Österreichring was that Lauda's condition was no longer life-threatening, but there was a low attendance with Lauda not racing; and Ferrari were so shaken by Lauda's crash that they did not compete at all. Hunt meanwhile took pole, ahead of countryman Watson and Ronnie Peterson. Watson took the lead at the start ahead of Peterson and Hunt, but soon Peterson was in the lead. Scheckter was on a charge from the mid-field, and he took the lead on the 10th lap, but then Watson was back in front. Scheckter battled until he crashed due to a suspension failure, and Peterson ultimately began to drop back. Watson thus won, the result being his and Penske's first win, and the podium was completed by Laffite and Nilsson.

Race 12: Netherlands

[edit]

Lauda had begun his recovery, and was planning to race later in the season, and as a result, Ferrari were back in business in the Netherlands, but with only one car for Regazzoni. It was Peterson who took pole at Zandvoort, beating pole king Hunt and Tom Pryce's Shadow. Peterson led the early stages ahead of Watson, until Watson made a mistake which let Hunt through. Peterson then struggled and dropped behind Hunt, Watson and Regazzoni. Watson retired with a gearbox failure, promoting Regazzoni and Peterson, but the latter also retired when he lost oil pressure. Regazzoni now closed up on Hunt, bringing Mario Andretti with him, but Hunt held them off, with Regazzoni and Andretti within two seconds of him in second and third.

Race 13: Italy

[edit]

After the Dutch GP, with Hunt only two points behind Lauda, the championship seemed to be a cakewalk for him. But then came the news that Lauda was going to make an astonishing return for the last four races of the season (it was so unexpected that Ferrari had to run three cars for Lauda, Regazzoni, and Lauda's supposed replacement Carlos Reutemann), just six weeks after his accident.

As the event went on at the modified Monza circuit, Laffite took pole in qualifying, with Scheckter's six-wheeler alongside and Pace third. Lauda was fifth, and Hunt along with Watson and Mass were penalised and sent to the back because of supposed fuel irregularities. At the start, Scheckter led ahead of Laffite and Depailler with Lauda down in the midfield, but soon Peterson was on a charge and took the lead after 14 laps. Peterson's charge also brought Regazzoni with him, and soon the Swiss was up to third. Scheckter dropped off, and the top four of Peterson, Depailler, Regazzoni and Laffite ran closely. Hunt spun off while trying to charge up the field, and Depailler dropped back late on with engine trouble. Peterson took his first win in two years, with Regazzoni second, Laffite third, and Lauda an incredible fourth.

Race 14: Canada

[edit]

The week-long North American tour started with the teams assembling at the scenic Mosport Park track near Toronto for the Canadian Grand Prix. Hunt's disqualification from the British GP came after the Italian race, and as a result Hunt had only 47 points to Lauda's 64 with three races left. The Englishman took pole, with Peterson also on the front row ahead of March teammate Vittorio Brambilla. As usual, Hunt did not start well, and Peterson took the lead. But it was not for long as Hunt retook the lead on lap 10, and soon both Marches dropped way back, and so Depailler was second and Andretti third. The top three of Hunt, Depailler and Andretti were unchanged for the rest of the race. Lauda was running fifth until handling issues dropped him out of the points, and Hunt had closed the gap to 8 points.

Race 15: United States

[edit]

The penultimate round and the second leg of the North American tour was in the US at Watkins Glen, New York, a circuit similar (and close by) to Mosport Park in that it was fast and scenic with a number of long, sweeping corners. Hunt took his eighth pole of the season, with the six-wheeler of Scheckter alongside, and Peterson third. As expected, Scheckter took the lead at the start, with Hunt and Brambilla following. The front two pulled away and battled, with Hunt passing Scheckter mid-race and Scheckter returning the favour a few laps later. Hunt took the lead again with 14 laps left and went on to win, and Scheckter had to settle for second. The Marches were again unable to keep up the pace, and it was left to Lauda to take an astonishing podium, just beating Mass in the second McLaren.

Race 16: Japan

[edit]

The championship was to be decided in Japan at the fast Fuji Speedway near Tokyo, and Lauda was leading Hunt by three points. In qualifying, Hunt took second, but Lauda was right behind in third as Andretti took pole for Lotus. On race day, it rained heavily, and the weather was dreadful with the track full of water and the rain pelting down. Hunt got a good start for once, and took the lead from Andretti. Some of the drivers protested, saying it was too dangerous to race. At the end of the second lap, Lauda came into the pits and withdrew, saying that the conditions were too dangerous. Emerson Fittipaldi and Carlos Pace also withdrew. At the front, Hunt was leading but was soon challenged by Brambilla until the Italian spun out of contention. By mid-race, Mass had jumped up to second behind his teammate and acted as a protective buffer, but then crashed out. Hunt led from Depailler and Andretti, but then began to suffer from tyre wear, and both drivers passed with 11 laps left. This was still fine as Hunt was third and needed only three points to become World Champion, because he had more wins than Lauda. This became second when Depailler's tyres gave out, and he suffered a puncture but soon Hunt himself also had the same fate and had to pit. Andretti now led, with Alan Jones's Surtees second, Regazzoni third, Depailler fourth and Hunt fifth. On old, worn-out tyres, Jones and Regazzoni were fighting just to save their tyres, and first Depailler, and then Hunt with just two laps left passed both of them. Andretti won, getting his first win in five years, with Depailler second, and Hunt's third place meant that he was the F1 World Champion of 1976.

Results and standings

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Grands Prix

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The 1976 World Championship of Drivers and the International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers were contested concurrently over a sixteen race series.

Round Grand Prix Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning constructor Report
1 Brazil Brazilian Grand Prix United Kingdom James Hunt France Jean-Pierre Jarier Austria Niki Lauda Italy Ferrari Report
2 South Africa South African Grand Prix United Kingdom James Hunt Austria Niki Lauda Austria Niki Lauda Italy Ferrari Report
3 United States United States Grand Prix West Switzerland Clay Regazzoni Switzerland Clay Regazzoni Switzerland Clay Regazzoni Italy Ferrari Report
4 Spain Spanish Grand Prix United Kingdom James Hunt West Germany Jochen Mass United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Report
5 Belgium Belgian Grand Prix Austria Niki Lauda Austria Niki Lauda Austria Niki Lauda Italy Ferrari Report
6 Monaco Monaco Grand Prix Austria Niki Lauda Switzerland Clay Regazzoni Austria Niki Lauda Italy Ferrari Report
7 Sweden Swedish Grand Prix South Africa Jody Scheckter United States Mario Andretti South Africa Jody Scheckter United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford Report
8 France French Grand Prix United Kingdom James Hunt Austria Niki Lauda United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Report
9 United Kingdom British Grand Prix Austria Niki Lauda Austria Niki Lauda Austria Niki Lauda Italy Ferrari Report
10 West Germany German Grand Prix United Kingdom James Hunt South Africa Jody Scheckter United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Report
11 Austria Austrian Grand Prix United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom John Watson United States Penske-Ford Report
12 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix Sweden Ronnie Peterson Switzerland Clay Regazzoni United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Report
13 Italy Italian Grand Prix France Jacques Laffite Sweden Ronnie Peterson Sweden Ronnie Peterson United Kingdom March-Ford Report
14 Canada Canadian Grand Prix United Kingdom James Hunt France Patrick Depailler United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Report
15 United States United States Grand Prix United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom McLaren-Ford Report
16 Japan Japanese Grand Prix United States Mario Andretti France Jacques Laffite[17][18] United States Mario Andretti United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Report

Scoring system

[edit]

Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. For both the Championship and the Cup, the best seven results from rounds 1-8 and the best seven results from rounds 9-16 were counted.

Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th 
Race 9 6 4 3 2 1
Source:[19]

World Drivers' Championship standings

[edit]
Pos Driver BRA
Brazil
RSA
South Africa
USW
United States
ESP
Spain
BEL
Belgium
MON
Monaco
SWE
Sweden
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
CAN
Canada
USA
United States
JPN
Japan
Pts
1 United Kingdom James Hunt Ret 2 Ret 1 Ret Ret 5 1 DSQ 1 4 1 Ret 1 1 3 69
2 Austria Niki Lauda 1 1 2 2 1 1 3 Ret 1 Ret 4 8 3 Ret 68
3 South Africa Jody Scheckter 5 4 Ret Ret 4 2 1 6 2 2 Ret 5 5 4 2 Ret 49
4 France Patrick Depailler 2 9 3 Ret Ret 3 2 2 Ret Ret Ret 7 6 2 Ret 2 39
5 Switzerland Clay Regazzoni 7 Ret 1 11 2 14 6 Ret DSQ 9 2 2 6 7 5 31
6 United States Mario Andretti Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 12 5 3 Ret 3 Ret 1 22
7 United Kingdom John Watson Ret 5 NC Ret 7 10 Ret 3 3 7 1 Ret 11 10 6 Ret 20
8 France Jacques Laffite Ret Ret 4 12 3 12 4 14 DSQ Ret 2 Ret 3 Ret Ret 7 20
9 West Germany Jochen Mass 6 3 5 Ret 6 5 11 15 Ret 3 7 9 Ret 5 4 Ret 19
10 Sweden Gunnar Nilsson Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 3 Ret 13 12 Ret 6 11
11 Sweden Ronnie Peterson Ret Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret 7 19 Ret Ret 6 Ret 1 9 Ret Ret 10
12 United Kingdom Tom Pryce 3 7 Ret 8 10 7 9 8 4 8 Ret 4 8 11 Ret Ret 10
13 West Germany Hans-Joachim Stuck 4 12 Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 8
14 Brazil Carlos Pace 10 Ret 9 6 Ret 9 8 4 8 4 Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 7
15 Australia Alan Jones NC 9 5 Ret 13 Ret 5 10 Ret 8 12 16 8 4 7
16 Argentina Carlos Reutemann 12 Ret Ret 4 Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret 9 3
17 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi 13 17 6 Ret DNQ 6 Ret Ret 6 13 Ret Ret 15 Ret 9 Ret 3
18 New Zealand Chris Amon 14 8 5 Ret 13 Ret Ret Ret DNS 2
19 Italy Vittorio Brambilla Ret 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 7 14 Ret Ret 1
20 West Germany Rolf Stommelen 6 12 Ret 1
Austria Harald Ertl 15 DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ Ret Ret 7 Ret 8 Ret 16 DNS 13 8 0
France Jean-Pierre Jarier Ret Ret 7 Ret 9 8 12 12 9 11 Ret 10 19 18 10 10 0
Belgium Jacky Ickx 8 16 DNQ 7 DNQ DNQ 10 DNQ Ret 10 13 Ret 0
Australia Larry Perkins 13 8 DNQ Ret Ret Ret 17 Ret Ret 0
France Henri Pescarolo DNQ Ret Ret DNQ 9 11 17 19 NC 0
Italy Arturo Merzario DNQ Ret Ret DNQ 14 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret Ret Ret 0
Italy Renzo Zorzi 9 0
Japan Noritake Takahara 9 0
France Michel Leclère 13 DNQ 10 11 11 Ret 13 0
United States Brett Lunger 11 DNQ DNQ Ret 15 16 Ret Ret 10 14 15 11 0
United Kingdom Bob Evans 10 DNQ Ret 0
Italy Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi 14 11 DNQ 18 0
Brazil Ingo Hoffmann 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
Japan Masahiro Hasemi 11 0
Switzerland Loris Kessel DNQ 12 Ret DNQ NC 0
Italy Lella Lombardi 14 DNQ DNQ 12 0
Brazil Alex Ribeiro 12 0
Australia Warwick Brown 14 0
United Kingdom Guy Edwards DNQ 17 Ret 15 DNS 20 0
Belgium Patrick Nève Ret 18 0
Austria Hans Binder Ret Ret 0
United Kingdom Ian Ashley Ret 0
South Africa Ian Scheckter Ret 0
Netherlands Boy Hayje Ret 0
Sweden Conny Andersson Ret 0
Japan Kazuyoshi Hoshino Ret 0
Austria Otto Stuppacher DNS DNQ DNQ 0
Japan Masami Kuwashima DNS 0
Spain Emilio de Villota DNQ 0
Spain Emilio Zapico DNQ 0
Denmark Jac Nellemann DNQ 0
United Kingdom Damien Magee DNQ 0
United Kingdom Mike Wilds DNQ 0
United Kingdom Divina Galica DNQ 0
United Kingdom Tony Trimmer DNQ 0
Pos Driver BRA
Brazil
RSA
South Africa
USW
United States
ESP
Spain
BEL
Belgium
MON
Monaco
SWE
Sweden
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
CAN
Canada
USA
United States
JPN
Japan
Pts
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Other points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
Purple Not classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (cell empty)
Text formatting Meaning
Bold Pole position
Italics Fastest lap


International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings

[edit]
Ferrari won the International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers
McLaren placed second
Tyrrell placed third
Pos Constructor BRA
Brazil
RSA
South Africa
USW
United States
ESP
Spain
BEL
Belgium
MON
Monaco
SWE
Sweden
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
CAN
Canada
USA
United States
JPN
Japan
Pts[20]
1 Italy Ferrari 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 Ret 1 9 WD 2 2 6 3 5 83
2 United Kingdom McLaren-Ford 6 2 5 1 6 5 5 1 Ret 1 4 1 Ret 1 1 3 74 (75)
3 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Ford 2 4 3 Ret 4 2 1 2 2 2 11 5 5 2 2 2 71
4 United Kingdom Lotus-Ford Ret 10 Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 5 3 3 13 3 Ret 1 29
5 United States Penske-Ford Ret 5 NC Ret 7 10 Ret 3 3 7 1 Ret 11 10 6 Ret 20
6 France Ligier-Matra Ret Ret 4 12 3 12 4 14 DSQ Ret 2 Ret 3 Ret Ret 7 20
7 United Kingdom March-Ford 4 8 10 Ret Ret 4 7 7 Ret Ret 6 6 1 9 5 Ret 19
8 United Kingdom Shadow-Ford 3 7 7 8 9 7 9 8 4 8 Ret 4 8 11 10 10 10
9 United Kingdom Brabham-Alfa Romeo 10 Ret 9 4 Ret 9 8 4 8 4 Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 9
10 United Kingdom Surtees-Ford 11 NC 9 5 Ret 13 16 5 10 9 8 12 15 8 4 7
11 Brazil Fittipaldi-Ford 11 17 6 Ret DNQ 6 Ret Ret 6 13 Ret Ret 15 Ret 9 Ret 3
12 United Kingdom Ensign-Ford 14 8 5 Ret 13 Ret 18 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 13 Ret WD 2
13 United States Parnelli-Ford 6 Ret 1
United Kingdom Hesketh-Ford 15 DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ Ret 17 7 15 8 12 16 20 12 8 0
Canada Wolf-Williams-Ford 8 13 DNQ 7 11 11 Ret 10 DNQ Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret 14 Ret 0
Netherlands Boro-Ford 13 8 DNQ Ret WD Ret Ret 0
Japan Kojima-Ford 11 0
United Kingdom Brabham-Ford DNQ 12 Ret DNQ Ret DNS 12 WD WD 0
United Kingdom BRM Ret WD 0
United Kingdom Williams-Ford DNQ 0
Japan Maki-Ford DNQ 0
Pos Constructor BRA
Brazil
RSA
South Africa
USW
United States
ESP
Spain
BEL
Belgium
MON
Monaco
SWE
Sweden
FRA
France
GBR
United Kingdom
GER
West Germany
AUT
Austria
NED
Netherlands
ITA
Italy
CAN
Canada
USA
United States
JPN
Japan
Pts
  • Bold results counted to championship.

Non-championship races

[edit]

Two non-championship races for Formula One cars were also held in 1976.

Race Name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Report
United Kingdom XI Race of Champions Brands Hatch 14 March United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom McLaren-Cosworth Report
United Kingdom XXVIII BRDC International Trophy Silverstone 11 April United Kingdom James Hunt United Kingdom McLaren-Cosworth Report

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Stommelen was originally entered in a RAM Racing Brabham BT44B but after the team's cars were impounded by the police, he was transferred into the spare factory Brabham BT45.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ World Championship of Drivers, FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport 1976, Orange section, pages 17 to 21
  2. ^ International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers, FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport 1976, Orange section, page 21
  3. ^ "1976 RACE RESULTS". www.formula1.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  4. ^ Hope-Frost, Henry. "Top 12: Ferrari‑free Grands Prix". www.goodwood.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Grand Prix Results: German GP, 1976". grandprix.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  6. ^ "GP Germany 1976". racingsportscars.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  7. ^ "The German Grand Prix". motorsportmagazine.com. 7 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  8. ^ Henry (1985) pp. 159–161
  9. ^ "1973 United States Grand Prix Entry list". Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  10. ^ "1976 Austrian Grand Prix Entry list". Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  11. ^ "1976 Italian Grand Prix Entry list". Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  12. ^ Daily Express pp. 1, 8 & 16 Battle for Lauda's Life Monday 2 August 1976 "Heroes pull world champion from race wreck."
  13. ^ Steven de Groote (1 January 2009). "F1 rules and stats 1970-1979". F1Technical.net. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Five Moments When F1 Changed the Rules in the Middle of the Season". AutoEvolution=author=Silvian Irimia. 24 July 2022. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  15. ^ Bas Naafs (3 February 2016). "History: The 1976 season: Ferrari versus McLaren". GPToday.net. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  16. ^ Giorgio Piola (2 May 2020). "How McLaren and Ferrari went to war with the rules in '76". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  17. ^ "1976 Fastest Laps". www.formula1.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  18. ^ It was initially announced that Masahiro Hasemi set the fastest lap at the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix, but it was a measurement mistake, and, several days later, the circuit issued a press release to correct the fastest lap holder of the race to Jacques Laffite.
  19. ^ "World Championship points systems". 8W. Forix. 18 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  20. ^ Only the best 7 results from the first 8 races and the best 7 results from the last 8 races counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.