1976 Formula One season

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:F1 season

Template:Multiple image

The 1976 Formula One season was the 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1976 World Championship of Drivers<ref>World Championship of Drivers, FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport 1976, Orange section, pages 17 to 21</ref> and the 1976 International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers.<ref>International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers, FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport 1976, Orange section, page 21</ref> The two titles were contested over a sixteen race series which commenced on 25 January and ended on 24 October.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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

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
Template:Flagicon Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 312T
312T2
Ferrari 015 3.0 F12 Template:Goodyear 1 Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda 1–10, 13–16
2 Template:Flagicon Clay Regazzoni 1–10, 12–16
35 Template:Flagicon Carlos Reutemann 13
Template:Flagicon Elf Team Tyrrell Tyrrell-Ford 007
P34
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 3 Template:Flagicon Jody Scheckter All
4 Template:Flagicon Patrick Depailler All
Template:Flagicon John Player Team Lotus Lotus-Ford 77 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 5 Template:Flagicon Ronnie Peterson 1
Template:Flagicon Bob Evans 2–3
Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti 4–5, 7–16
6 1
Template:Flagicon Gunnar Nilsson 2–16
Template:Flagicon Martini Racing Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT45 Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 Template:Goodyear 7 Template:Flagicon Carlos Reutemann 1–12
Template:Flagicon Rolf Stommelen 13
Template:Flagicon Larry Perkins 14–16
8 Template:Flagicon Carlos Pace All
77 Template:Flagicon Rolf Stommelen 10
Template:Flagicon Beta Team March
Template:Flagicon Lavazza March
Template:Flagicon March Racing
Template:Flagicon Theodore Racing
Template:Flagicon Ovoro Team March
Template:Flagicon March Engineering
March-Ford 761 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 9 Template:Flagicon Vittorio Brambilla All
10 Template:Flagicon Lella Lombardi 1
Template:Flagicon Ronnie Peterson 2–16
34 Template:Flagicon Hans-Joachim Stuck All
35 Template:Flagicon Arturo Merzario 3–9
Template:Flagicon Marlboro Team McLaren McLaren-Ford M23
M26
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 11 Template:Flagicon James Hunt All
12 Template:Flagicon Jochen Mass All
Template:Flagicon ShellSport Whiting Surtees-Ford TS16 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 13 Template:Flagicon Divina Galica 9
Template:Flagicon Stanley-BRM BRM P201B BRM P200 3.0 V12 Template:Goodyear 14 Template:Flagicon Ian Ashley 1
Template:Flagicon Lexington Racing Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 15 Template:Flagicon Ian Scheckter 2
Template:Flagicon Shadow Racing Team
Template:Flagicon Lucky Strike Shadow Racing
Template:Flagicon Tabatip Shadow Racing
Template:Flagicon Benihana Shadow Racing
Shadow-Ford DN5B
DN8
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 16 Template:Flagicon Tom Pryce All
17 Template:Flagicon Jean-Pierre Jarier All
Template:Flagicon Chesterfield Team Surtees
Template:Flagicon Team Surtees
Template:Flagicon Durex Team Surtees
Template:Flagicon Durex Team Surtees / Theodore Racing
Surtees-Ford TS19 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 18 Template:Flagicon Brett Lunger 2–5, 7–11, 13–15
Template:Flagicon Conny Andersson 12
Template:Flagicon Noritake Takahara 16
19 Template:Flagicon Alan Jones 3–16
Template:Flagicon Frank Williams Racing Cars
Template:Flagicon Walter Wolf Racing
Wolf-Williams-Ford FW04
FW05
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 20 Template:Flagicon Jacky Ickx 1–6, 8–9
Template:Flagicon Arturo Merzario 10–16
21 Template:Flagicon Renzo Zorzi 1
Template:Flagicon Michel Leclère 2–8
Template:Flagicon Chris Amon 14
Template:Flagicon Warwick Brown 15
Template:Flagicon Hans Binder 16
Template:Flagicon Masami Kuwashima 16
Template:Flagicon Team Ensign
Template:Flagicon Team Tissot Ensign
Ensign-Ford N174
N176
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 22 Template:Flagicon Chris Amon 2–7, 9–10
Template:Flagicon Patrick Nève 8
Template:Flagicon Hans Binder 11
Template:Flagicon Jacky Ickx 12–15
Template:Flagicon Hesketh Racing
Template:Flagicon Penthouse Rizla+. Racing with Hesketh
Hesketh-Ford 308D Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 24 Template:Flagicon Harald Ertl 2–16
25 Template:Flagicon Guy Edwards 5, 8–10, 13–14
Template:Flagicon Rolf Stommelen 12
Template:Flagicon Alex Ribeiro 15
Template:Flagicon Mapfre-Williams Williams-Ford FW04 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 25 Template:Flagicon Emilio Zapico 4
Template:Flagicon Ligier Gitanes Ligier-Matra JS5 Matra MS73 3.0 V12 Template:Goodyear 26 Template:Flagicon Jacques Laffite All
Template:Flagicon Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli-Ford VPJ4B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 27 Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti 2–3
Template:Flagicon Boro Racing Boro-Ford 001 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 27 Template:Flagicon Larry Perkins 12
37 4–7
40 13
Template:Flagicon First National City Bank Team Penske Penske-Ford PC3
PC4
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 28 Template:Flagicon John Watson All
Template:Flagicon Copersucar Fittipaldi Fittipaldi-Ford FD03
FD04
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 30 Template:Flagicon Emerson Fittipaldi All
31 Template:Flagicon Ingo Hoffmann 1, 3–4, 8
Template:Flagicon RAM Racing
Template:Flagicon RAM Racing with Lavazza
Brabham-Ford BT44B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 32 Template:Flagicon Loris Kessel 4–5, 7–8, 11
Template:Flagicon Bob Evans 9
33 Template:Flagicon Emilio de Villota 4
Template:Flagicon Patrick Nève 5
Template:Flagicon Jac Nellemann 7
Template:Flagicon Damien Magee 8
Template:Flagicon Lella Lombardi 9, 11
36 Template:Flagicon Rolf StommelenTemplate:Efn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 10
37 Template:Flagicon Lella Lombardi 10
Template:Flagicon Scuderia Gulf Rondini Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 37 Template:Flagicon Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi 13
39 11
40 10, 12
Template:Flagicon Team Norev Surtees-Ford TS19 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 38 Template:Flagicon Henri Pescarolo 6, 8–15
Template:Flagicon F&S Properties Penske-Ford PC3 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 39 Template:Flagicon Boy Hayje 12
Template:Flagicon ÖASC Racing Team Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 39 Template:Flagicon Otto Stuppacher 13–15
Template:Flagicon Team P R Reilly Shadow-Ford DN3B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Goodyear 40 Template:Flagicon Mike Wilds 9
Template:Flagicon Kojima Engineering Kojima-Ford KE007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Dunlop 51 Template:Flagicon Masahiro Hasemi 16
Template:Flagicon Heros Racing Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Bridgestone 52 Template:Flagicon Kazuyoshi Hoshino 16
Template:Flagicon Maki Engineering Maki-Ford F102A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Template:Dunlop 54 Template:Flagicon Tony Trimmer 16

Template:Reflist

Team and driver changes

After taking on Alfa Romeo engines, the Brabhams were painted rosso corsa red.
Error creating thumbnail:
Emerson Fittipaldi drove for his brother's team.
File:Jacques Laffite GP Italia 1976.jpg
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

Calendar

The Drivers and Manufacturers titles were contested over sixteen races.

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

Calendar changes

Regulation changes

Template:Multiple image There had been no impactful regulation changes over the winter,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but before the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix, a restriction was placed on the height of the air box to no more than Template:Convert. This eliminated many eye-striking designs seen in the past years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was also stipulated at that time, that an F1 car could not be wider than Template:Convert (which remained valid until 1992).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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

Template:Unreferenced section

Race 1: Brazil

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

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

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

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

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 at 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

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

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

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

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

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.

File:Regazzoni, Clay am 31.07.1976 - Ferrari 312T.jpg
Regazzoni driving the Ferrari 312T2 at the Nürburgring in 1976.

On the second lap, Lauda lost control at high speed at a fast left before Bergwerk 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.

File:StuckHansJ1976-07-31.jpg
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

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 first win and Penske's only win, and the podium was completed by Laffite and Nilsson. Template:As of, this remains the last World Championship race that Ferrari did not enter and the last time an American-licensed constructor won a F1 race.<ref>Though American-owned, Shadow achieved a victory at the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix having raced with a British licence.</ref>

Race 12: Netherlands

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

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

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

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

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

Grands Prix

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 Template:Tooltip
1 Template:Flagicon Brazilian Grand Prix Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon Jean-Pierre Jarier Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Ferrari Report
2 Template:Flagicon South African Grand Prix Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Ferrari Report
3 Template:Flagicon United States Grand Prix West Template:Flagicon Clay Regazzoni Template:Flagicon Clay Regazzoni Template:Flagicon Clay Regazzoni Template:Flagicon Ferrari Report
4 Template:Flagicon Spanish Grand Prix Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon Jochen Mass Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon McLaren-Ford Report
5 Template:Flagicon Belgian Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Ferrari Report
6 Template:Flagicon Monaco Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Clay Regazzoni Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Ferrari Report
7 Template:Flagicon Swedish Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Jody Scheckter Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti Template:Flagicon Jody Scheckter Template:Flagicon Tyrrell-Ford Report
8 Template:Flagicon French Grand Prix Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon McLaren-Ford Report
9 Template:Flagicon British Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda Template:Flagicon Niki LaudaTemplate:Efn Template:Flagicon Ferrari Report
10 Template:Flagicon German Grand Prix Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon Jody Scheckter Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon McLaren-Ford Report
11 Template:Flagicon Austrian Grand Prix Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon John Watson Template:Flagicon Penske-Ford Report
12 Template:Flagicon Dutch Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Ronnie Peterson Template:Flagicon Clay Regazzoni Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon McLaren-Ford Report
13 Template:Flagicon Italian Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Jacques Laffite Template:Flagicon Ronnie Peterson Template:Flagicon Ronnie Peterson Template:Flagicon March-Ford Report
14 Template:Flagicon Canadian Grand Prix Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon Patrick Depailler Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon McLaren-Ford Report
15 Template:Flagicon United States Grand Prix Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon James Hunt Template:Flagicon McLaren-Ford Report
16 Template:Flagicon Japanese Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti Template:Flagicon Jacques Laffite<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>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.</ref> Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti Template:Flagicon Lotus-Ford Report

Scoring system

Template:Further 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 
Points 9 6 4 3 2 1
Source:<ref name="8WPointsSystems">Template:Cite web</ref>

World Drivers' Championship standings

Pos Driver BRA
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RSA
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USW
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ESP
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BEL
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MON
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SWE
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FRA
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GBR
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GER
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AUT
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NED
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ITA
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CAN
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USA
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JPN
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Pts
1 Template:Flagicon James Hunt Ret 2 Ret 1 Ret Ret 5 1 DSQ 1 4 1 Ret 1 1 3 69
2 Template:Flagicon Niki Lauda 1 1 2 2 1 1 3 Ret 1 Ret 4 8 3 Ret 68
3 Template:Flagicon Jody Scheckter 5 4 Ret Ret 4 2 1 6 2 2 Ret 5 5 4 2 Ret 49
4 Template:Flagicon Patrick Depailler 2 9 3 Ret Ret 3 2 2 Ret Ret Ret 7 6 2 Ret 2 39
5 Template:Flagicon Clay Regazzoni 7 Ret 1 11 2 14 6 Ret DSQ 9 2 2 6 7 5 31
6 Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 12 5 3 Ret 3 Ret 1 22
7 Template:Flagicon John Watson Ret 5 NC Ret 7 10 Ret 3 3 7 1 Ret 11 10 6 Ret 20
8 Template:Flagicon Jacques Laffite Ret Ret 4 12 3 12 4 14 DSQ Ret 2 Ret 3 Ret Ret 7 20
9 Template:Flagicon Jochen Mass 6 3 5 Ret 6 5 11 15 Ret 3 7 9 Ret 5 4 Ret 19
10 Template:Flagicon Gunnar Nilsson Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 3 Ret 13 12 Ret 6 11
11 Template:Flagicon Ronnie Peterson Ret Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret 7 19 Ret Ret 6 Ret 1 9 Ret Ret 10
12 Template:Flagicon Tom Pryce 3 7 Ret 8 10 7 9 8 4 8 Ret 4 8 11 Ret Ret 10
13 Template:Flagicon Hans-Joachim Stuck 4 12 Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 8
14 Template:Flagicon Carlos Pace 10 Ret 9 6 Ret 9 8 4 8 4 Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 7
15 Template:Flagicon Alan Jones NC 9 5 Ret 13 Ret 5 10 Ret 8 12 16 8 4 7
16 Template:Flagicon Carlos Reutemann 12 Ret Ret 4 Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret 9 3
17 Template:Flagicon Emerson Fittipaldi 13 17 6 Ret DNQ 6 Ret Ret 6 13 Ret Ret 15 Ret 9 Ret 3
18 Template:Flagicon Chris Amon 14 8 5 Ret 13 Ret Ret Ret DNS 2
19 Template:Flagicon Vittorio Brambilla Ret 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 7 14 Ret Ret 1
20 Template:Flagicon Rolf Stommelen 6 12 Ret 1
Template:Flagicon Harald Ertl 15 DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ Ret Ret 7 Ret 8 Ret 16 DNS 13 8 0
Template:Flagicon Jean-Pierre Jarier Ret Ret 7 Ret 9 8 12 12 9 11 Ret 10 19 18 10 10 0
Template:Flagicon Jacky Ickx 8 16 DNQ 7 DNQ DNQ 10 DNQ Ret 10 13 Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Larry Perkins 13 8 DNQ Ret Ret Ret 17 Ret Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Henri Pescarolo DNQ Ret Ret DNQ 9 11 17 19 NC 0
Template:Flagicon Arturo Merzario DNQ Ret Ret DNQ 14 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret Ret Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Renzo Zorzi 9 0
Template:Flagicon Noritake Takahara 9 0
Template:Flagicon Michel Leclère 13 DNQ 10 11 11 Ret 13 0
Template:Flagicon Brett Lunger 11 DNQ DNQ Ret 15 16 Ret Ret 10 14 15 11 0
Template:Flagicon Bob Evans 10 DNQ Ret 0
Template:Nowrap 14 11 DNQ 18 0
Template:Flagicon Ingo Hoffmann 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Masahiro Hasemi 11 0
Template:Flagicon Loris Kessel DNQ 12 Ret DNQ NC 0
Template:Flagicon Lella Lombardi 14 DNQ DNQ 12 0
Template:Flagicon Alex Ribeiro 12 0
Template:Flagicon Warwick Brown 14 0
Template:Flagicon Guy Edwards DNQ 17 Ret 15 DNS 20 0
Template:Flagicon Patrick Nève Ret 18 0
Template:Flagicon Hans Binder Ret Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Ian Ashley Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Ian Scheckter Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Boy Hayje Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Conny Andersson Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Kazuyoshi Hoshino Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Otto Stuppacher DNS DNQ DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Masami Kuwashima DNS 0
Template:Flagicon Emilio de Villota DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Emilio Zapico DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Jac Nellemann DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Damien Magee DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Mike Wilds DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Divina Galica DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Tony Trimmer DNQ 0
Pos Driver BRA
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RSA
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USW
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ESP
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BEL
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MON
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SWE
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FRA
Template:Flagicon
GBR
Template:Flagicon
GER
Template:Flagicon
AUT
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NED
Template:Flagicon
ITA
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CAN
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USA
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JPN
Template:Flagicon
Pts

Template:F1 driver results legend 4

International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings

Pos Constructor BRA
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RSA
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USW
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ESP
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BEL
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MON
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SWE
Template:Flagicon
FRA
Template:Flagicon
GBR
Template:Flagicon
GER
Template:Flagicon
AUT
Template:Flagicon
NED
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ITA
Template:Flagicon
CAN
Template:Flagicon
USA
Template:Flagicon
JPN
Template:Flagicon
Pts<ref name="points">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.</ref>
1 Template:Flagicon Ferrari 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 Ret 1 9 WD 2 2 6 3 5 83
2 Template:Flagicon McLaren-Ford 6 2 5 1 6 5 5 1 Ret 1 4 1 Ret 1 1 3 74 (75)
3 Template:Flagicon Tyrrell-Ford 2 4 3 Ret 4 2 1 2 2 2 11 5 5 2 2 2 71
4 Template:Flagicon Lotus-Ford Ret 10 Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret 5 Ret 5 3 3 13 3 Ret 1 29
5 Template:Flagicon Penske-Ford Ret 5 NC Ret 7 10 Ret 3 3 7 1 Ret 11 10 6 Ret 20
6 Template:Flagicon Ligier-Matra Ret Ret 4 12 3 12 4 14 DSQ Ret 2 Ret 3 Ret Ret 7 20
7 Template:Flagicon March-Ford 4 8 10 Ret Ret 4 7 7 Ret Ret 6 6 1 9 5 Ret 19
8 Template:Flagicon Shadow-Ford 3 7 7 8 9 7 9 8 4 8 Ret 4 8 11 10 10 10
9 Template:Flagicon Brabham-Alfa Romeo 10 Ret 9 4 Ret 9 8 4 8 4 Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 9
10 Template:Flagicon Surtees-Ford 11 NC 9 5 Ret 13 16 5 10 9 8 12 15 8 4 7
11 Template:Flagicon Fittipaldi-Ford 11 17 6 Ret DNQ 6 Ret Ret 6 13 Ret Ret 15 Ret 9 Ret 3
12 Template:Flagicon Ensign-Ford 14 8 5 Ret 13 Ret 18 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 13 Ret WD 2
13 Template:Flagicon Parnelli-Ford 6 Ret 1
Template:Flagicon Hesketh-Ford 15 DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ Ret 17 7 15 8 12 16 20 12 8 0
Template:Flagicon Wolf-Williams-Ford 8 13 DNQ 7 11 11 Ret 10 DNQ Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret 14 Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Boro-Ford 13 8 DNQ Ret WD Ret Ret 0
Template:Flagicon Kojima-Ford 11 0
Template:Flagicon Brabham-Ford DNQ 12 Ret DNQ Ret DNS 12 WD WD 0
Template:Flagicon BRM Ret WD 0
Template:Flagicon Williams-Ford DNQ 0
Template:Flagicon Maki-Ford DNQ 0
Pos Constructor BRA
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RSA
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USW
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ESP
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BEL
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MON
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SWE
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FRA
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GBR
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GER
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AUT
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NED
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ITA
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CAN
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USA
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JPN
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Pts
  • Bold results counted to championship.

Non-championship races

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

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

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Formula One Championship Template:Authority control