1976 South African Grand Prix
The Grand Prix of South Africa 1976 took place on March 6th place at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and was the second race of the Formula 1 season 1976.
- 3.1 Start -up
- 3.2 race
- 4.1 Drivers' Championship
- 4.2 Constructors' Championship
Reports
Background
During the five weeks that elapsed between the opening race in Brazil and the second world championship race in South Africa, there were several driver changes to report. Ronnie Peterson had decided to leave the team Lotus and signed a contract with the team driver team March, for which he was already gone from 1970 to 1972 at the start. In return, March freely permitted his Formula 2 driver Gunnar Nilsson, who then took Peterson's successor at Lotus and thus came to his Formula 1 debut. For Lella Lombardi no more March cockpit was henceforth available by the obligation Peterson.
As Mario Andretti had decided to contest the South African GP for Parnelli, you still need at Lotus, a second new driver and found this in Bob Evans, which now no longer antretenden in the previous year factory team BRM had been under contract. Frank Williams replaced in his team Renzo Zorzi by Michel Leclère.
With a newly developed type cars TS19 and a new main sponsor of the Surtees returned to the participants. Brett Lunger was hired as a regular driver. With Ensign and Hesketh attacked two other teams that had missed the season opener, the first time this season into the action. As a driver, Chris Amon and Harald Ertl competed, who had been active for each team in the previous year.
Contrary to the habits of the past years has performed with Ian Scheckter, only a single local guest starter for his home race at. The brother of Jody Scheckter drove a privately-entered Tyrrell 007
Training
During training, there have been discussions about the legality of plastic aprons that were used by the teams McLaren and Penske. This can be used as the first signs of developments in ground effect racing cars are considered, from which developed in the following years, the so-called "Wing Cars".
From the training resulted in an identical front row as before the Brazilian Grand Prix with James Hunt on the pole position next to Niki Lauda to place on the grid. Its distance from the fastest lap of the third-placed John Watson was already more than two- tenths of a second. This was followed by Jochen Mass, Vittorio Brambilla, Patrick Depailler and Tom Pryce.
Race
Shortly after the start Lauda, Mass. and Brambilla walked past Hunt. He was followed Depailler before Peterson. Ian check Marketers race ended after only a few meters due to a collision with Leclère. This could, however, continue the race.
In the second round Brambilla won a three-way battle against Mass and Hunt for second place. After Mass had gone behind his team-mate Hunt, this gave chase Brambillas. However, it succeeded only in the fifth round to overtake Brambilla. The leading Lauda had already moved out about ten seconds ahead of his pursuers at this time.
By a collision between Peterson and Depailler Pryce had come to fifth place. As a little later Brambilla behind Mass and fell back him, he was on the fourth. The order at the top then remained constant for several rounds. Only when Pryce had to make a pit stop on lap 44, he lost his fourth place to Clay Regazzoni. However, this fell nine laps later because of an engine failure and had to Jody Scheckter left to the fourth.
The final phase of the race won by at voltage that Lauda had to fight during the final laps with a slow puncture and thus no longer able to drive at the limit. Hunt came up to the checkered flag still up to 1.3 seconds Lauda.
Message list
Classifications
Line-up
Race
WM stands after the race
The first six of the race were 9, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point (s).