1977 saw Niki Lauda start the season, scarred but fit. And determined to put his horrific accident in '76 behind him. The first race of the season, in Argentina, provided a maiden victory for the Wolf team, which was followed by an extremely successful debut season, ending with Jody Scheckter taking second place in the championship. The season didn't start so well for Lauda, and it wasn't until the third round that he secured his first victory. However, his celebrations at Kyalami were muted, as the safety regulations in Formula One were once again brought into question.. To purchase your own copy of this season review, or the entire 1970s series, please go to our website!
1971. This was the year of the Stewart-Tyrrell double-act. But it wasn't as clear-cut at the start of the season. Ferrari was still the team to beat, and the brute force of the V-12 engine threatened to destroy everything in its wake. It was the addition of Stewart and Tyrrell into the Championship that challenged the balance of power. It made for an epic season that pitted mechanical muscle against driving skill. And as the season progressed Stewart and Tyrrell developed a magical formula that combined radical aerodynamics with Stewart's sublime talent. It became clear that the might of the prancing horse could (and would) be tamed. To purchase your own copy of the full version of this season review, or the entire series, please see our website!
1975 was the year the prancing horse got its spring back. The early decade had been a challenging period for Ferrari, as they struggled to find a body shape that would do justice to the brute force of the V12 engine. Enter Niki Lauda and his brand new car - the Ferrari 312T; an irresistible combination that would prove to be unstoppable. To purchase the full length version of this season review, or the entire 1970s series, see our website!
1974 was the year of change in Formula One. Defending champion Jackie Stewart had retired from racing, creating a power vacuum that sucked a host of racers, old and new, into the battle for the Championship. And what a season! Predicting the outcome of each race was impossible as the drivers battled to come to terms with closer racing brought about by faster cars with better tyres. It was reliability as much as driving skill that kept the leaderboard in a state of constant flux. By the final race of the season Emerson Fittipaldi (McLaren), Clay Regazzoni (Ferrari) and Jody Scheckter (Tyrrell) were locked in a fascinating three-way battle for the title. It went right down to the wire. To purchase your own copy of this season review, or the entire series, please see our website!
1978 Ferrari and Lauda had now gone their separate ways despite winning the championship together in '77. Lauda moved to Brabham and Ferrari took on the young Gilles Villeneuve. Frank Williams and Patrick Head formed Williams Grand Prix Engineering, mounting their first title challenge with Alan Jones in the driving seat. Tyrrell had reverted back to four wheels from their radical six-wheeled P34, and this year it was Brabham who turned heads with the introduction of their BT-46B 'fan car'. On its first Grand Prix in Sweden it took first place only to be banned from future competition by the FIA... To purchase the full length version of this season review, or the entire 1970s series, please visit our website!
1976 saw reigning Champion Niki Lauda start as the favourite in his Ferrari, as nearest rival Emerson Fittipaldi made the patriotic switch from McLaren to the Brazilian funded Copersucar team. This left a hole at McLaren, filled by the ambitious, British hopeful, James Hunt, to set the scene for a dramatic season of racing. Tyrrell stole the limelight early on in the season, not for their results, but through the unveiling of their revolutionary six-wheeled P34. Hunt quickly adapted to life at McLaren and, unfazed by Lauda's early dominance, continued to pick up valuable points and podium finishes. To purchase your own copy of this season review, or the entire 1970s series, see our website!
Enzo Ferrari was certainly one of the most powerful names, and probably one of the most powerful and influential men, in motoring history. As a young boy, Enzo dreamt of being an opera singer, a journalist or a racing driver, instead he created one of the most recognised company names in the modern world. During his 50-year reign he rarely left Maranello - the spiritual home of his beloved race teams and birthplace of the sports cars against which all others are judged - and remained a very private man. This superb racing documentary by acclaimed Formula One producer John Tully reveals the essence of the man and his machines.
1972. All eyes were on the defending champion Jackie Stewart and expectations were high that he would repeat the total domination of the previous year. He made his intentions clear with an emphatic win in the 1st GP - cruising home half a minute ahead of the chasing pack. However, there was another driver intent on stealing his crown: Emerson Fittipaldi, a whirlwind of talent and youthful arrogance in his iconic black and gold Lotus 72. And it turned out to be a thrilling season of on-the-limit action that climaxed at Monza : Fittipaldi's spiritual home. Stewart's broken clutch put him out of the race, ensuring Fittipaldi's place in the record books: at just 25 years of age, 'Emmo' became the youngest-ever World Champion. To purchase the full length version of this season review, or the entire 1970s series, please visit our website!
1970 was the year of transition in Grand Prix racing; the season that pitched the old guard against a feisty new breed of racers intent on pushing Formula One forward into the new decade. Nothing symbolised this battle more than the cars used by top contenders: Jackie Ickx's Ferrari 312B relied on brute force to compensate for its outdated styling, whereas Jochen Rindt's Lotus 72 showed that radical aerodynamics represented a brave and (potentially) faster way forward... To purchase your own copy of the full length season review, or the entire 1970s series, please visit our website!
1979 saw Carlos Reutemann move to partner Mario Andretti at Lotus as Jody Scheckter took his seat at Ferrari. Wolf filled the gap left by Scheckter with James Hunt, and McLaren gave John Watson a drive in place of Hunt. The type 79 'wing car' had offered Lotus a great advantage in aerodynamic grip during the previous season. But for this year, many of the teams had incorporated the technology into their designs. Over the first two races Ligier appeared to have made up the most ground with Jacques Laffite taking the victories. In round 3, Ferrari laid down the team's intentions, giving the new 312T4 model its successful debut. To purchase the full version of this season review, or the entire 1970s series, see our website!
1980. The new decade brought a record number of entries for the start of the season. Expectations were high that the champions of '79, Ferrari and Jody Scheckter, could be beaten. Enter Team Williams and Alan Jones - the new force in a bright new era for Formula One racing. But it took the entire season before the victory was in the bag. Jones took the opening race, but then faltered. Brabham's Nelson Piquet took advantage in the interim, completing a spectacular double in the Dutch and US GPs to lead the championship with two races remaining. It was up to Williams and Jones to pull out all the stops to seize the title. To purchase the full length version of this season review, or the entire 1970s series, see our website!
1973 Emerson Fittipaldi was the reigning champion. But there was no question regarding the intention of his biggest rival, Jackie Stewart, who had lost his title to the big Brazilian and wanted it back. It was Fittipaldi who laid down the gauntlet, winning three out of the first four races. However, Stewart refused to buckle under pressure, and consistent displays of driving genius with the Tyrrell wondercar brought him right back into contention. By the halfway point of the season, Stewart led the Championship by a single point. From this, he turned on the style, transforming his slender lead into something that was simply unassailable. He retired from Grand Prix racing at the end of the season as champion - with his position as one of the all-time greats assured. To purchase the full length version of this season review, or the entire series, see our website!
Not finding what you want? View results from YouTube.
Comments