1977 Belgian Grand Prix
The Grand Prix of Belgium 1977 took place on 5 June at the Circuit Zolder Zolder - Terlaemen and was the seventh race of the Formula 1 season 1977.
- 3.1 Start -up
- 3.2 race
- 4.1 Drivers' Championship
- 4.2 Constructors' Championship
Reports
Background
One out of 32 drivers existing participants has been reported for the Belgium GP at the 27 starting places were available.
Larry Perkins took over this weekend the factory Surtees by Hans Binder. The local debutant Bernard de Dryver contributed as guest drivers Brian Henton of the private March. A second newcomer was Héctor Rebaque the wheel of a third factory Hesketh.
The team Williams Grand Prix Engineering, BRM, Chesterfield Racing and Iberia Airlines, which had the Grand Prix of Monaco omitted two weeks earlier, were again at the start.
For James Hunt once again one of the new McLaren M26 was reported, while Chesterfield acquired a copy of the previous model M23 for Brett Lunger. The Copersucar team of the Fittipaldi brothers brought the new type FD5 at the start.
Training
In rainy conditions Mario Andretti scored in the Lotus 78 superior pole position, which gave him the second pole position of the season. The best lap time of the second-placed John Watson was more than one and a half seconds slower than the U.S. American. The strong performance of the Lotus team was completed by reaching the third grid position by Gunnar Nilsson. This was followed by Jody Scheckter, Patrick Depailler, Jochen Mass, Carlos Reutemann and Ronnie Peterson.
Race
Even on race day it was raining. Just before the start, however, an early improvement in the weather conditions hinted at what James Hunt prompting to go was the only driver on slicks in the race. In the first curve, Ian Scheckter and Harald Ertl turned on the wet track, but the race could continue.
Watson, the best start was successful, went to Andretti in the lead. This made in a chicane a mistake and crashed into the back of Watson's car, after which the top two were eliminated in the first round. Nilsson, who immediately followed them, had to swerve abruptly to avoid colliding with them. This took over Jody Scheckter, who had already won two of the last six races of the season, the lead. Behind Gunnar Nilsson followed Jochen Mass, Carlos Reutemann, Patrick Depailler, Jacques Laffite, Ronnie Peterson and Niki Lauda. Hunts tire choice proved to be at this stage of the race as a wrong decision. He fell back to the last place.
In the ninth round Reutemann overtook the Mass in front of him and thus took the third place. Five laps later, however, he resigned from due to a rotator, which measure came back to this position. Soon after, the track began to dry and clear some drivers opted for a tire change. Lauda was able to overtake a number of counterparties due to a tactically clever early change to dry tires while they were still wet tires on the road or in turn sought out the boxes. In the 24th round started from rank 11 Austrian could even take the lead in front of Jochen Mass and Alan Jones.
Nilsson, who had in the meantime fallen to ninth, fought his way up to the 40th round back up to second place forward. As he went still on wets, it returned again the rain came in good stead, and the fact that Mass turned out by a spin and Scheckter another time the box was heading to be Refit rain tires.
As the track began to dry one more time, Nilsson overtook the leader Lauda, Scheckter during the tire had to adapt to the changing weather conditions again for the third time in the pits.
Gunnar Nilsson scored his first and only Grand Prix victory ahead of Niki Lauda and Ronnie Peterson, who had Vittorio Brambilla referred to fourth place before Alan Jones and Hans- Joachim Stuck after a close duel.
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).