The 1976 Formula One season was the 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1976 World Championship of DriversWorld Championship of Drivers, FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport 1976, Orange section, pages 17 to 21 and the 1976 International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers.International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers, FIA Yearbook of Automobile Sport 1976, Orange section, page 21 The two titles were contested over a 16-race series that began on 25 January and ended on 24 October. Two non-championship races were also held during the 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 victory to Lauda, only for the decision to be overturned on appeal months later. In protest, Ferrari declined to enter the Austrian Grand Prix. 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 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 312T312T2 Ferrari 015 3.0 F12 1 Niki Lauda 1–10, 13–16 2 Clay Regazzoni 1–10, 12–16 35 Carlos Reutemann 13 Elf Team Tyrrell Tyrrell-Ford 007P34 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 3 Jody Scheckter All 4 Patrick Depailler All John Player Team Lotus Lotus-Ford 77 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 5 Ronnie Peterson 1 Bob Evans 2–3 Mario Andretti 4–5, 7–16 6 1 Gunnar Nilsson 2–16 Martini Racing Brabham-Alfa Romeo BT45 Alfa Romeo 115-12 3.0 F12 7 Carlos Reutemann 1–12 Rolf Stommelen 13 Larry Perkins 14–16 8 Carlos Pace All 77 Rolf Stommelen 10 Beta Team March Lavazza March March Racing Theodore Racing Ovoro Team March March Engineering March-Ford 761 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 9 Vittorio Brambilla All 10 Lella Lombardi 1 Ronnie Peterson 2–16 34 Hans-Joachim Stuck All 35 Arturo Merzario 3–9 Marlboro Team McLaren McLaren-Ford M23DM26 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 11 James Hunt All 12 Jochen Mass All ShellSport Whiting Surtees-Ford TS16 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 13 Divina Galica 9 Stanley-BRM BRM P201B BRM P200 3.0 V12 14 Ian Ashley 1 Lexington Racing Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 15 Ian Scheckter 2 Shadow Racing Team Lucky Strike Shadow Racing Tabatip Shadow Racing Benihana Shadow Racing Shadow-Ford DN5BDN8 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 16 Tom Pryce All 17 Jean-Pierre Jarier All Chesterfield Team Surtees Team Surtees Durex Team Surtees Durex Team Surtees / Theodore Racing Surtees-Ford TS19 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 18 Brett Lunger 2–5, 7–11, 13–15 Conny Andersson 12 Noritake Takahara 16 19 Alan Jones 3–16 Frank Williams Racing Cars Walter Wolf Racing Wolf-Williams-Ford FW04FW05 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 20 Jacky Ickx 1–6, 8–9 Arturo Merzario 10–16 21 Renzo Zorzi 1 Michel Leclère 2–8 Chris Amon 14 Warwick Brown 15 Hans Binder 16 Masami Kuwashima 16 Team Ensign Team Tissot Ensign Ensign-Ford N174N176 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 22 Chris Amon 2–7, 9–10 Patrick Nève 8 Hans Binder 11 Jacky Ickx 12–15 Hesketh Racing Penthouse Rizla+. Racing with Hesketh Hesketh-Ford 308D Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 24 Harald Ertl 2–16 25 Guy Edwards 5, 8–10, 13–14 Rolf Stommelen 12 Alex Ribeiro 15 Mapfre-Williams Williams-Ford FW04 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 25 Emilio Zapico 4 Ligier Gitanes Ligier-Matra JS5 Matra MS73 3.0 V12 26 Jacques Laffite All Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli-Ford VPJ4B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 27 Mario Andretti 2–3 Boro Racing Boro-Ford 001 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 27 Larry Perkins 12 37 4–7 40 13 First National City Bank Team Penske Penske-Ford PC3PC4 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 28 John Watson All Copersucar Fittipaldi Fittipaldi-Ford FD03FD04 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 30 Emerson Fittipaldi All 31 Ingo Hoffmann 1, 3–4, 8 RAM Racing RAM Racing with Lavazza Brabham-Ford BT44B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 32 Loris Kessel 4–5, 7–8, 11 Bob Evans 9 33 Emilio de Villota 4 Patrick Nève 5 Jac Nellemann 7 Damien Magee 8 Lella Lombardi 9, 11 36 Rolf Stommelen 10 37 Lella Lombardi 10 Scuderia Gulf Rondini Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 37 Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi 13 39 11 40 10, 12 Team Norev Surtees-Ford TS19 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 38 Henri Pescarolo 6, 8–15 F&S Properties Penske-Ford PC3 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 39 Boy Hayje 12 ÖASC Racing Team Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 39 Otto Stuppacher 13–15 Team P R Reilly Shadow-Ford DN3B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 40 Mike Wilds 9 Kojima Engineering Kojima-Ford KE007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 51 Masahiro Hasemi 16 Heros Racing Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 52 Kazuyoshi Hoshino 16 Maki Engineering Maki-Ford F102A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 54 Tony Trimmer 16
Team and driver changes
Despite the success of Gordon Murray's Cosworth-powered cars, Bernie Ecclestone signed a deal with Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo to use their large and powerful flat-12 engine. The engines were supplied for free, but they rendered the new BT45s, now in red Martini Racing livery, unreliable and overweight.Henry (1985) pp. 159–161 champion Emerson Fittipaldi moved to his brother Wilson's team Fittipaldi Automotive, with Wilson taking on the role of manager instead of driver. Emerson's seat at McLaren was given to James Hunt. The Shadow team which had entered into Formula One in the 1973 season under an American licence received a British licence, thus becoming the first team to officially change its nationality. After the departure of Matra at the end of the season, no French constructor competed in Formula One for three seasons until Ligier's arrival at the start of this season. Guy Ligier, owner of various sports car operations, decided to buy Matra's assets and start a Formula 1 team. He hired Jacques Laffite from Williams. After a dismal season with Lotus, Jacky Ickx moved to the newly formed Wolf-Williams Racing. Mario Andretti drove for Lotus in the opening race of the season and then acquired a permanent contract after his employer, the Parnelli team, folded. John Watson had moved from Surtees to Penske Racing at the end of 1975, and drove for them the whole 1976 season. BRM continued to decline, both in results and in operation size, only entering the first race of the 1976 season. Embassy Hill was scheduled to have entered a full season with Tony Brise but they pulled out following the Embassy Hill plane crash in November 1975 which killed all six members on the plane including Brise and team owner Graham Hill.
Mid-season changes At the end of , Ronnie Peterson was convinced by Colin Chapman to stay with Lotus, but after just one race into the 1976 season, the Swede joined March in favour of female driver Lella Lombardi. Fellow Swede Gunnar Nilsson, signed by March, was loaned to Lotus. Niki Lauda was seriously injured in a crash at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. His Ferrari burst into flames, nearly killing him after he inhaled hot toxic fumes and suffered severe burns.Daily Express pp. 1, 8 & 16 Battle for Lauda's Life Monday 2 August 1976 "Heroes pull world champion from race wreck." Carlos Reutemann negotiated a release from his Brabham contract to act as a replacement to Lauda. This would only lead to one drive, but the Argentinian was offered to a full-season drive in . Reutemann's seat at Brabham was taken up by Rolf Stommelen and then Boro's Larry Perkins. After seeing Lauda's crash, Chris Amon promptly retired from Formula 1, until the Wolf-Williams team persuaded him to return. However, after a heavy collision with another car during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, he walked away unharmed and hung up his helmet for good. Jacky Ickx finished the season with Amon's former employer Ensign, while Wolf-Williams hired Arturo Merzario from the March team.
Calendar The Drivers and Manufacturers titles were contested over sixteen races. Round Grand Prix Circuit Date 1 Brazilian Grand Prix Autodromo de Interlagos, São Paulo 25 January 2 South African Grand Prix Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand 6 March 3 United States Grand Prix West Long Beach Street Circuit, Los Angeles, California 28 March 4 Spanish Grand Prix Circuito Permanente del Jarama, Madrid 2 May 5 Belgian Grand Prix Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder 16 May 6 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 30 May 7 Swedish Grand Prix Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp 13 June 8 French Grand Prix Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet 4 July 9 British Grand Prix Brands Hatch, Kent 18 July 10 German Grand Prix Nürburgring, Nürburg 1 August 11 Austrian Grand Prix Österreichring, Spielberg 15 August 12 Dutch Grand Prix Circuit Park Zandvoort, Zandvoort 29 August 13 Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 12 September 14 Canadian Grand Prix Mosport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario 3 October 15 United States Grand Prix Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, New York 10 October 16 Japanese Grand Prix Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka 24 October
Calendar changes The Argentine Grand Prix at Buenos Aires was originally scheduled as the first round of the season on 11 January, but was cancelled, largely due to economic and political concerns. The United States Grand Prix West hosted its first Grand Prix. The race was held on a street circuit in Long Beach near Los Angeles on 28 March. The Spanish Grand Prix was moved permanently to Jarama near Madrid. This was done in reaction to the accident in the 1975 race in Montjuïc, in which five spectators were killed. The Belgian Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix swapped places on the calendar so that the Monaco came second this time. Nivelles-Baulers in Brussels was due to host the Belgian Grand Prix in rotation with Circuit Zolder, but the track surface at Nivelles had deteriorated and Zolder took over the slot. The British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. The Dutch Grand Prix was moved from mid June to late August. The Canadian Grand Prix returned to the calendar, after it was cancelled in due to a dispute between two rival breweries and event sponsors, Labatt and Molson. The Japanese Grand Prix hosted its first Grand Prix with a three-year contract. The race was held at Fuji Speedway on 24 October.
Regulation changes