This day 48 years ago was the 1976 British Grand Prix, which should serve as a reminder to anyone who is whining about the length of time it sometimes takes the stewards to make a decision over a driver’s activity.
It was a two-part event with controversy, mayhem, a winner announced on stage, and a second winner chosen two months later!
At Brand Hatch’s Paddock Bend, it all began when the pack surged forward on the first lap, causing Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzino, teammates in the Ferrari squad, to crash into each other.
The scramble forced the race to halt, with James Hunt’s McLaren among the unintentionally caused collateral damage caused by the Scuderia.
Driven away from the scene in his disabled vehicle, Hunt parked his vehicle behind the pits and entered the rear gate.
The Stewards initially operated under the assumption that any car that had not finished a full lap while there were red flags would not be permitted to participate in the restart, but they were unsure of who would be eligible to do so.
Due to the controversial decision to bench Hunt, chaos broke out in the grandstands as beer cans started to fall onto the track, sparking a rebellion.
Ferrari objected to Hunt and McLaren’s victory as soon as the checkered flag flew. In the end, the FIA decided in favor of Ferrari and disqualified Hunt two months later. But as the British Grand Prix winner of 1976, the Brit will always be regarded as the moral winner.
Thankfully, James Hunt won the title at the very last race in Japan, thus the contentious call had no bearing on the result.
For as long as it needed to fix Hunt’s race car and persuade officials to allow the hometown hero to start on the grid, cunning Team McLaren chief Teddy Mayer played politics and fought with race control!
The race finally started. Up until lap 45, Lauda was leading when gearbox issues made the Austrian give up the lead to Hunt.