Championship of the world of Formula 1 1977

The championship of the world of Formula 1 1977 was gained by the Austrian Niki Lauda over a Ferrari. Ferrari gains the championship of the world of the manufacturers.

Sporting payment

  • the attribution of the points is carried out according to scale 9,6,4,3,2,1.

  • Seuls the 8 best results of the 9 first sleeves and the 7 best results of the 8 last sleeves are retained.

Technical payment

  • Driving atmospheric: 3.000 cm ³

  • Engine supercharged: 1.500 cm ³

Principal volunteers

At Ferrari, it fast Argentinian pilot Carlos Reutemann (already engaged as a 3rd pilot with Monza the previous year) replaces Clay Regazzoni. The winter test schedule even let foresee that Ferrari made of Reutemann its new first pilot. In spite of its heroic return to the competition after its serious accident of Nurburgring, Niki Lauda seems indeed in full disgrace with Maranello following its voluntary abandonment with the GP of Japan 1976, and its capacities to find its best level are openly questioned.
Among the outstanding transfers of the winter, one notes the departure surprised of Jody Scheckter towards the new stable Wolf Racing. It is replaced at Tyrrell (which again aligns the famous car with 6 wheels) by Ronnie Peterson, wearied erratic services of March.

From a technical point of view, the season 1977 marks the arrival of two innovations called to upset Formula 1 in the years to come:

  • Lotus introduced with its Lotus 78 the concept of wing-because (or wing conveys), which consists in giving to the single-seater a profile of wing of plane reversed intended to offer a better adherence in curve. The ground effect thus created is safeguarded by the use of skirts on the sides of bridge which ensure the sealing of the system.
  • the other great innovation is introduced by Renault, which announces for the middle of the season its engagement with a car been driven by a turbo engine. While taking the route of overfeeding, Renault decides to explore a technical solution authorized by the payment since 1966 but that nobody still dared to approach because of the equivalence of the cubic capacities (1 per 2) considered to be crippling.

Summary of the championship of the world 1977

Opening of the season in the form of dramatic turn of events. After the abandonments of the fastest pilots (in particular Hunt and Watson, left the first line and dominators), the victory returns in Jody Scheckter. Springing only 11th place on the grid, the South-African succeeds in the exploit to impose Wolf as of the very first Grand Prix of this new mark. Similar performance had not occurred since the GP of France 1954 and the victory of Fangio over Mercedes.

To Brazil, the things return to the normal. Presented like one of the big favorites of the championship, Carlos Reutemann gains the race, in spite of a new noticed service of the Brabham-Esparto (that of Carlos Pace this time). In South Africa, Scuderia is essential again, but via Niki Lauda, of which it is the first success since its accident of the previous year. Solid second, Scheckter takes the head of the championship. The race will be marked by the fatal accident of the Welshman Tom Pryce, who struck at full speed an imprudent police chief of track. A few days later, Formula 1 is again endeuillée: the Brazilian pilot Carlos Pace, very in liveliness since the beginning of the season on his Brabham-Esparto indeed found death in an air crash.

With Length Beach in California (where Alan Jones replaces Pryce at Shadow while the Stuck German is called to replace Pace), Mario Andretti offers to the Lotus 78 wing because its first success. Again with its advantage, Jody Scheckter finishes 3rd and at the head remains championship with equality with Lauda. In Spain, in a way even clearer than in Calfornie, Andretti takes down a new victory. Again on the podium, Scheckter makes profitable the fixed price of Lauda (whose badly consolidated coast, after-effect of its accident of 1976, broke) to take again only the head of the championship.

In Monaco, Jody Scheckter confirms the Wolf feeling by taking down its second victory of the season in front of the Lauda ghost. Contrary to its lucky victory of Buenos Aires, this success of Scheckter does not owe anything randomly since it dominated the race after having taken from beginning to end the best over the poleman Watson at the beginning.

Little with their ease in the streets principality, the Lotuses find of their superb in Belgium. But if Andretti carries out the pole, the victory returns to its Swedish team-member Gunnar Nilsson. Second, Lauda returns at a point of Scheckter to the championship. The Lotus domination continues in Sweden, but victim of a gasoline breakdown for the arrival, Andretti must yield the victory to the innatendu Jacques Laffite over the Ligier-Matra, qualified 8th, but imperial in race. In the history of the championship of the world, it is the first victory of a Franco-French combination frame-engine. The French public awaits " Bleus" that they republish their exploit with the GP of France, but in Dijon, Mario Andretti takes her revenge after having benefitted in her turn from a breakdown from gasoline from an unhappy adversary in end of the road (John Watson in fact). Modeste fifth, Lauda takes in Scheckter the head of the championship. He precedes Andretti and the South-African of a very small point.

In Silverstone, the world champion in title James Hunt remembers to the good memory of all by taking down his first victory of the season following one énième abandonment of John Watson, incontestably the large unlucky person of the season. Mario Andretti, the other large sprinter of the season is him victim of her engine, while Scheckter leaves to the fault at the beginning of race, which makes it possible always regular Lauda to take its distances to the championship. To note the great beginnings at the time of this Grand Prix of famous Turbo Renault with the hands of Jean-Pierre Jabouille. Still far from the account in term of performances, and victim moreover of a doubtful reliability of its engine of which often escapes from smoke, the yellow car is ironically renamed The yellow tea-pot (the yellow teapot) by the British observers.

Almost a year day for day after its terrible accident, Lauda carries out a victorious return in Germany (with this nuance close F1 forsook Nurburgring for the layout of Hockhenheim). Then, second in Austria behind the innatendu Alan Jones, and still victorious in the Netherlands, it flies away irresistibly with the championship. In same time, Mario Andretti, who made figure at semi-season of favorite for the title, underwent three new break-ins engine and appears definitively released. Andretti joins again with success with Monza, but solid second, Lauda takes a new step towards the title. Titrate that it ensures definitively Watkins Glen by a simple fourth place.

In cold with principal members of Scuderia since winter previous (Lauda did not digest criticisms in its opposition as well as the disavowal consisting in making of him the second pilot of the stable behind Reutemann, Reutemann which it should be said in passing will be clearly dominated by Lauda throughout the year), Niki Lauda signed for the following season with the stable Brabham de Bernie Ecclestone during the summer. The world title out of pocket, the Austrian snap the door of Scuderia Ferrari before even the two last tests of the season. It is replaced by the inhabitant of Quebec Gilles Villeneuve. The race is gained by Scheckter, which in spite of a second part of puffing season, benefits from one énième driving break-in of Andretti to make sure the place of vice-champion of the world.

Then, in Japan, in a race marked by the fixing between Villeneuve and Peterson which costs the life two people (located in a theoretically prohibited place at the public), it is James Hunt who asserts himself. It should be noted that on the podium of the race, alone third Patrick Depailler is reproduced. Hunt and Reutemann indeed were sulky the protocolar ceremony in order not to miss their plane for Europe!

Grand Prix of the season 1977

Classification of the pilots

Classification of the manufacturers

(to be made)

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