1977 Spanish Grand Prix
The Grand Prix of Spain 1977 was on May 8 at the Circuito Permanente del Jarama near Madrid and was the fifth race of the Formula 1 season 1977.
- 3.1 Start -up
- 3.2 race
- 4.1 Drivers' Championship
- 4.2 Constructors' Championship
Reports
Background
For the first European race of the season 31 potential participants were reported. These were nine more than the five weeks past the U.S. Grand Prix West.
Ian Scheckter, who had missed the race in South Africa and Long Beach, now returned permanently back to the March factory team. Also back at the start were the team Hesketh Racing with a revised version of the Type 308 for Harald Ertl and Formula 1 debutant Rupert Keegan, RAM Racing with Boy Hayje and BRM Conny Andersson instead of Larry Perkins as a driver.
A few months after his original team of Frank Williams Racing Cars assigned to Walter Wolf, Frank Williams founded together with Patrick Head, a new company with the name of Williams Grand Prix Engineering. It involves the Williams team, which with abgewandeltem name still (as of 2012) is active in Formula 1. A own racing car designed not yet the team in the first year of its existence. Instead, a pilotierter by Patrick Neve March 761 was used as the customer's vehicle. Cars of this type were purchased by the first antretenden private teams of pilots Arturo Merzario and Brian Henton. A total of seven copies of the 761 registered for the race weekend. The financial support of the Spanish airline Iberia private driver Emilio de Villota, however, came to a McLaren M23 of last year.
With a natural design known as LEC CRP1 the team of David Purley for the Grand Prix notified after the carriage at not belonging to the World Cup Race of Champions was used for the first time in a Formula 1 race. The Wolf team first appeared on the new WR2.
Training
Mario Andretti secured the third pole position of his Formula 1 career at the wheel of the Lotus 78, the then novel Wing Car principle has been constantly developed, which led to a noticeable increase competitiveness. Jacques Laffite qualified with the Ligier JS5 for second place in the front row before the two Ferrari 312T2 Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann. Jody Scheckter and John Watson were the third row in front of James Hunt in 1976 used the first time since the Grand Prix of the Netherlands McLaren M26.
Since only 25 participants were registered for the race, failed the six slowest of the training of the qualification, including three of the seven pilots March.
Race
On the morning of the race day Niki Lauda drove during the warm-up after driving over a bump due to severe pain in the pit. At the hospital, the rupture of a not yet completely healed rib was found. Because of these long-term consequence of his nine months previous accident at the Nurburgring in 1976 he had to renounce participation in the race.
Mario Andretti led the race from the first until the last lap and gave the Team Lotus, a convincing victory, gave us a glimpse of the future importance of the pioneering Wing Car principle. During the first rounds Jacques Laffite was his immediate pursuer, before this had to visit the pits due to a problem with one of the rear suspension. Then Carlos Reutemann took second place for the rest of the afternoon.
Defending champion James Hunt was forced to retire due to misfire the race after just a few laps. John Watson was long in third place, had this but in the 25th round due to a spin on Jody Scheckter exits. Jochen Mass also got it past him to fourth place.
When Watson finally retired after the 64th round due to a problem with the fuel pump, Gunnar Nilsson and Hans- Joachim Stuck arrived on the fifth and sixth place, and thus in the points.
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).