Watson and Penske Score Maiden Win at Austrian GP
The Austrian Grand Prix in 1976 was the scene of some great racing in tricky conditions. Enzo Ferrari, irritated by McLaren having their points reinstated for the controversial Spanish Grand Prix, decided his team would not be attending. Ferrari had a history of taking such action when decisions were not to his liking, so it came as little surprise.
James Hunt started from pole with John Watson joining him in his Penske. The track was damp which contributed to some spirited battles between Hunt, Watson, Ronnie Peterson, Jody Scheckter, Jacques Laffite and Gunnar Nilsson. Watson, Peterson and Scheckter all lead but the latter crashed out early on. At the flag it was Watson ahead of Laffite, with Nilsson third. The victory cost Watson his beard, which he shaved off to honour a bet with team owner Roger Penske. Hunt gained useful points in the absence of Niki Lauda by finishing fourth.
At Zandvoort there was a sole Ferrari for Clay Regazzoni while Lauda continued his recovery from the devastating Nurburgring accident. Peterson was on pole in his March, ahead of Hunt and Tom Pryce in a Shadow.
Watson started well and found himself second behind Peterson. Hunt then passed both of them to take the lead. Watson also found a way past Peterson and, for many laps, shadowed Hunt’s McLaren, before his gearbox failed. Hunt went on to win at the circuit where he’d scored his maiden Grand Prix victory the previous year. It was also the Englishman’s 29th birthday. Regazzoni was second and Andretti third. Pryce had strong race to finish in fourth.
Lauda Returns for Italian GP at Monza
Incredibly, Lauda was back in a Ferrari at Monza, just six weeks after his near-fatal crash. Swathed in bandages he began cautiously but increased his speed throughout the weekend. Laffite took a surprise pole for the Italian Grand Prix, but it was Peterson who stole the show come the race.
The Swede scored his only points of the season with a memorable victory. Hunt dented his own title hopes by crashing out after misjudging a passing manoeuvre on Pryce. Lauda drove courageously to finish fourth and endeared himself to the tifosi. His Ferrari team-mate Regazzoni finished second while Laffite scored another podium for Ligier in third.
Canada was the next stop on the 1976 Formula 1 calendar and Hunt improved his points tally with a victory, while Lauda finished out of the points in eighth. Tyrrell also had a good race, with Depailler second and Scheckter third. Ferrari left Canada with just one point from Regazzoni’s sixth place.
A week later at Watkins Glen saw Hunt further close the gap to Lauda in the championship. After passing Scheckter twice during a frenetic battle he won again. Scheckter finished second while Lauda could only manage third. The luckiest man at the Glen was undoubtedly Jacky Ickx, who somehow survived an enormous accident in his Ensign relatively uninjured.
Hunt Wins Title in Final Race of F1 Season
The 1976 Formula 1 World Championship came down to a final race showdown at Fuji in Japan. The start of the race was delayed by rain but, with no signs of conditions improving, the cars were released. Lauda lasted two laps before pulling in to retire. He considered the conditions to be suicidal and decided he valued his life more than the world championship.
Hunt led the race until his left front tyre, struggling on the drying track, deflated. An unplanned pit-stop saw him emerge in third place behind Depailler’s Tyrrell and the leading Lotus of Mario Andretti. It stayed that way to the flag and Hunt won the title by a single point from Lauda. A despondent Hunt climbed from his car convinced that he had not finished third but, after much consultation with his crew, he realised he was the 1976 Formula 1 World Champion.
