James Hunt and McLaren were controversially disqualified while Williams scored their first Grand Prix win at Silverstone.
For the 1975 Grand Prix a chicane was installed to slow down Woodcote corner, which had previously been a flat-out right-hander. Tom Pryce produced a scintillating lap in qualifying to put his Shadow on pole. The race was stopped prematurely due to a sudden hail shower which caught out many drivers, most of them crashing at Club corner. Emerson Fittipaldi drove sensibly to keep his McLaren on the track and was awarded the win. Carlos Pace and Jody Scheckter were awarded second and third despite both of them crashing out on the lap the race was stopped.
The race at Brands in 1976 turned out to be highly controversial. At the first corner Clay Regazzoni caused an accident which damaged the McLaren of James Hunt. The race was red-flagged but Hunt was judged to have contravened the rules by not completing the red flag lap on his way back to the pits for repairs. Crowd pressure ensured that he was allowed to restart. Although he won the race on the road his victory he was later disqualified, handing the victory to Niki Lauda’s Ferrari.
Hunt also the crossed the line first in 1977 but this time was allowed to keep his win. The race was notable for two debut appearances. Renault arrived with a turbocharged car for Jean-Pierre Jabouille. Although it qualified near the back and retired early, within a few years a turbo engine would be the norm in Formula 1. A young French-Canadian also made his Grand Prix debut, driving an old McLaren. Gilles Villeneuve was immediately on the pace. Although he finished 11th he would have been considerably higher but for an unnecessary pit-stop to check a faulty gauge.
Lotus were the team to beat in 1978, with their ground-effect Type 79. Carlos Reutemann did beat them at Brands, finishing first in his flat-12 Ferrari. The rest of the podium comprised Brabham team-mates Niki Lauda and John Watson.
At Silverstone in 1979 years of struggling and competing at the wrong end of the grid were vindicated for Frank Williams as his tam scored their maiden Grand Prix victory. Initially it seemed as though Alan Jones would be the Williams driver to achieve the milestone but he was forced to retire while leading when a water pump failed. Instead, it was left to his team-mate Regazzoni to take the win. It was also the final win of Regazzoni’s career. The veteran Swiss driver was paralysed in a practice crash at Long Beach the following year.
