1975 Formula One season

29th season of FIA Formula One motor racing February 2021 1975 Drivers' Champion: Niki LaudaConstructors' Champion: Ferrari 3 450 Niki Lauda, Bestanddeelnr 928-0040.jpg Niki Lauda, driving for Ferrari, won the first of his three world championships. Fittipaldi - El Gráfico 2834 2.jpg Two-time and defending champion Emerson Fittipaldi (pictured in 1974) placed second overall. Reutemann 1981.jpg Carlos Reutemann (pictured in 1981) finished third in the standings. Niki Lauda Ferrari 312T JPGP S 75 2.jpg Ferrari won the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers' title, their first since 11 years prior. Brabham BT44 Silverstone DEIT36 (cropped).jpg Brabham finished second in the Manufacturers' Championship. Emerson Fittipaldi 1975 Race of Champions.jpg McLaren finished third in the Manufacturers' Championship. The 1975 Formula One season was the 29th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1975 World Championship of F1 Drivers1976 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 90 and the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers1976 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 91 which were contested concurrently from 12 January to 5 October over fourteen races. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races and a nine race South African Formula One Championship. After a strong finish to the 1974 season, many observers felt the Brabham team were favourites going into the new year. An emotional first win for Carlos Pace in his native São Paulo looked to confirm this, but tyre wear frequently hampered the cars and the initial promise was not maintained.Gill, Barrie (1976) "The World Championship 1975" John Player Motorsport yearbook 1976 p. 103 Queen Anne Press Ltd. 0-362-00254-1 In his second year with Ferrari, Niki Lauda was given the keys to the Ferrari 312T, a car that was technically far superior to any of the competition. He won his first drivers' title with five wins and a huge margin over second place in the championship. Ferrari took home the championship trophy for manufacturers. Lauda often referred to 1975 as "the unbelievable year". American Mark Donohue died in August, two days after crashing in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. The 1975 season would be the last Formula One season to see a fatality caused by an accident in the rain until the 2014 season when Jules Bianchi died as a result of his injuries following an accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-B0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YtsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=845%2C4262148 Beaver County Times Pennsylvania, U.S. UPI Donohue dies after operation 20 August 1975 D-4https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pe0pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zxEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6772%2C4015615 Milwaukee Sentinel Wisconsin, U.S. Associated Press Donohue dies of injuries 20 August 1975 1, part 2 12 September 2019 6 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20190912113634/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pe0pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zxEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6772,4015615 dead https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=a61VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=J-ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6311%2C5102237 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon, U.S. Associated Press Donohue dies after surgery 20 August 1975 1C After the season, in late November, an Embassy Hill airplane crashed in England and all six aboard were killed, including team owner Graham Hill and driver Tony Brise.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=q-4bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nlYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4438%2C6718095 Pittsburgh Press Pennsylvania, U.S. UPI Plane crash kills driver Graham Hill 30 November 1975 D-1 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ioVQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2BEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7248%2C127474 Milwaukee Sentinel Wisconsin, U.S. UPI Racing mourns death of Graham Hill 1 December 1975 5, part 2 18 September 2019 6 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20190918233707/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ioVQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2BEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7248,127474 dead https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TM8hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pp4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=699%2C105162 Daytona Beach Morning Journal Florida, U.S. Associated Press After cheating death 20 years, Hill killed in air crash 1 December 1975 1C Drivers and constructors The following drivers and constructors and contested the 1975 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers. Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre No Driver Rounds GBR Marlboro Team Texaco McLaren-Ford M23C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 1 BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi All 2 FRG Jochen Mass All GBR Elf Team Tyrrell Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 3 ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter All 4 FRA 1974 Patrick Depailler All 15 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jabouille 9 FRA 1974 Michel Leclère 14 GBR John Player Team Lotus Lotus-Ford 72E Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear5 SWE Ronnie Peterson All 6 BEL Jacky Ickx 1–9 GBR Jim Crawford 10, 13 GBR John Watson 11 GBR Brian Henton 12, 14 15 10 GBR Martini Racing Brabham-Ford BT44B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 7 ARG Carlos Reutemann All 8 BRA 1968 Carlos Pace All GBR Beta Team MarchGBR Lavazza March March-Ford 741751 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 9 ITA Vittorio Brambilla All10 ITA Lella Lombardi 3–9 FRG Hans-Joachim Stuck 10–14 29 ITA Lella Lombardi 10–13 ITA SEFAC Ferrari Ferrari 312B3-74312T Ferrari 001/11 3.0 F12Ferrari 015 3.0 F12 Goodyear 11 CHE Clay Regazzoni All 12 AUT Niki Lauda All GBR Stanley-BRM BRM P201 BRM P200 3.0 V12 Goodyear 14 GBR Mike Wilds 1–2 GBR Bob Evans 3–9, 12–13 USA UOP Shadow Racing Shadow-Ford DN3BDN5 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 16 GBR Tom Pryce All 17 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jarier 1–11, 14 Shadow-Matra DN7 Matra MS73 3.0 V12 12–13 GBR Matchbox Team SurteesGBR National Organs Team Surtees Surtees-Ford TS16 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear18 GBR John Watson 1–10, 12 19 GBR Dave Morgan 10 GBR HB Bewaking Team Ensign Ensign-Ford N174N175 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 19 NLD Gijs van Lennep 11 31 8–9 NLD Roelof Wunderink 4–5, 10, 13–14 NZL Chris Amon 12 32 13 33 NLD Roelof Wunderink 12 GBR Frank Williams Racing CarsGBR Williams Ambrozium H7 Racing Williams-Ford FWFW04 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 20 ITA Arturo Merzario 1–6 GBR Damien Magee 7 ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter 8 FRA 1974 François Migault 9 GBR Ian Ashley 11 CHE Jo Vonlanthen 12 ITA Renzo Zorzi 13 ITA Lella Lombardi 14 21 ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter 7 FRA 1974 Jacques Laffite 1–3, 5–6, 8–14 GBR Tony Brise 4 GBR Embassy Racing with Graham Hill Lola-Ford T370T371 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 22 GBR Graham Hill 1–3 23 FRG Rolf Stommelen 1–3 Hill-Ford GH1 22 4, 12–13 FRA 1974 François Migault 6 AUS Vern Schuppan 7 AUS Alan Jones 8–11 23 FRA 1974 François Migault 4 GBR Graham Hill 5 GBR Tony Brise 6–14 GBR Hesketh RacingGBR Warsteiner BreweryGBR Polar Caravans Hesketh-Ford 308308B308C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 24 GBR James Hunt All 25 SWE Torsten Palm 5 AUT Harald Ertl 11 USA Brett Lunger 12–14 32 SWE Torsten Palm 7 AUT Harald Ertl 12 34 13 GBR Custom Made Harry Stiller Racing GBR Rob Walkers Custom Made Racing Hesketh-Ford 308B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 25 AUS Alan Jones 4 26 5–7 USA Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli-Ford VPJ4 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 FirestoneGoodyear 27 USA Mario Andretti 1–5, 7, 9–14 USA First National City Bank Team March-Ford 751 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 28 USA Mark Donohue 10–12 Penske-Ford PC1 1–9 GBR John Watson 14 BRA 1968 Copersucar Fittipaldi Fittipaldi-Ford FD01FD02FD03 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 30 BRA 1968 Wilson Fittipaldi 1–12, 14 ITA Arturo Merzario 13 ZAF 1928 Lucky Strike Racing McLaren-Ford M23 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 31 ZAF 1928 Dave Charlton 3 ZAF 1928 Lexington Racing Tyrrell-Ford 007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 32 ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter 3 GBR Pinch Plant (Ltd) Lyncar-Ford 006 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 32 NZL John Nicholson 10 ZAF 1928 Team Gunston Lotus-Ford 72E Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 33 ZAF 1928 Eddie Keizan 3 34 ZAF 1928 Guy Tunmer 3JPN 1947 Citizen Maki F1JPN 1947 Citizen Maki EngineeringJPN 1947 Citizen Maki F1-TeamMaki-FordF101CFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8FirestoneGoodyear35 JPN 1947 Hiroshi Fushida 8, 10 GBR Tony Trimmer 11–13 Team and driver changes thumb|225px|Jacques Laffite driving for Williams in Watkins Glen thumb|225px|John Watson driving for Surtees in the British Grand Prix thumb|225px|Graham Hill waving to the crowd in his farewell lap before the 1975 British Grand Prix, after announcing his retirement. Later in the year, he would tragically pass away in an airplane crash. The Williams had lost their sponsorship from Iso and Marlboro and entered two cars under their own name for the first time. Having driven for Brabham in 1972 and 1973, Wilson Fittipaldi entered this season with his own team and chassis. He drove the car himself and managed to launch two new developments of the car during the year. Denny Hulme retired at the end of the 1974 season. Jochen Mass, who already drove the last two races for McLaren, was signed for a full season with the team. March signed Lella Lombardi. She was the first woman to qualify in an F1 race since Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958. John Watson was signed by Surtees, after entering all 1974 races in a private Brabham. Mid-season changes After two races, Bob Evans replaced Mike Wilds at BRM, Jacky Ickx left Lotus halfway through the season. Embassy Racing, owned by Graham Hill, entered a Lola chassis for the first three races and then their first Hill chassis. The only difference, however, was the employment of their designer and subsequent naming of the chassis.Lola's Formula One heritage http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-1996/22/lolas-formula-one-heritage Motor Sport magazine December 1996 1 September 2015http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5647/Hill-GH1-Cosworth.html Hill GH1 Cosworth 8 December 2015Ewald Klaus Hill Ford GH2 http://www.research-racing.de/gh2-a.htm research-racing.de 2006 4 September 2015 24 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090150/http://www.research-racing.de/gh2-a.htm dead Ensign missed the first part of the season but returned with a duo of Dutch drivers, Roelof Wunderink and Gijs van Lennep, following new sponsorship by the Dutch security company HB Bewaking. John Nicholson had won the 1973 and 1974 British Formula Atlantic Championship in a Lyncar 005, before he debuted in the 1975 British Grand Prix with a Lyncar-commissioned F1 chassis. He also tried this in 1974, but had not managed to qualify on that attempt. Shadow trialled a Matra V12 engine for two races, but Jean-Pierre Jarier retired on both occasions. American Mark Donohue died in August, two days after crashing in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. John Watson was released from Surtees to drive for Penske and would stay with the American team in 1976. Nearing the end of 1974, Chris Amon had retired his own team and drove two races for BRM. He returned to F1 near the end of the 1975 season with Ensign. Calendar Round Grand Prix Circuit Date 1 Argentine Grand Prix ARG 1868 Autódromo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 12 January 2 Brazilian Grand Prix BRA 1968 Autodromo de Interlagos, São Paulo 26 January 3 South African Grand Prix RSA 1928 Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand 1 March 4 Spanish Grand Prix ESP 1945 Montjuïc Circuit, Barcelona 27 April 5 Monaco Grand Prix MCO Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 11 May 6 Belgian Grand Prix BEL Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder 25 May 7 Swedish Grand Prix SWE Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp 8 June 8 Dutch Grand Prix NLD Circuit Park Zandvoort, Zandvoort 22 June 9 French Grand Prix FRA 1974 Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet 6 July 10 British Grand Prix GBR Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 19 July 11 German Grand Prix FRG Nürburgring, Nürburg 3 August 12 Austrian Grand Prix AUT Österreichring, Spielberg 17 August 13 Italian Grand Prix ITA 1946 Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 7 September 14 United States Grand Prix USA Watkins Glen Grand Prix Course, New York 5 October Calendar changes The Spanish Grand Prix was moved from Jarama to Montjuïc, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. Likewise, the French Grand Prix was moved from Circuit de Dijon-Prenois to Circuit Paul Ricard, and the British Grand Prix was moved from Brands Hatch to Silverstone. The Belgian Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix swapped places on the calendar so that the Monaco round followed the Belgian Grand Prix. The Canadian Grand Prix was originally scheduled to be the penultimate race in 1975 but was cancelled due to a small row between Formula One Constructors' Association and Mosport Park about payments.https://www.canadianracer.com/cdn-gp-cancel.asp Cancelled Grands Prix of Canada - 1975 and 1987 22 August 2022 canadianracer.com Regulation changes Fire-resistant race suits were made obligatory.https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/history-of-safety-devices-in-formula-1-the-halo-barriers-more-4982360/4982360/#:~:text=Fire%2Dresistant%20race%20suits%20%2D%20obligatory%20from%201975&text=By%201963%2C%20the%20FIA%20made,breathable%20material%20with%20Nomex%20coating. History of safety devices in Formula 1: The halo, barriers & more Autosport.com Anna Duxbury 4 July 2022 7 February 2024https://www.f1technical.net/articles/25 F1 rules and stats 1970-1979 F1Technical.net Steven de Grootte 1 January 2009 7 February 2024https://www.atlasf1.com/news/safety.html Safety Improvements in F1 since 1963 AtlasF1 7 February 2024 The concept of marshal posts, with service roads leading to and from them, was created and implemented at various circuits. Also, from now on, marshals had to practice rescuing drivers from their cars. Season report Race 1: Argentina The drivers went to Argentina to start the season, and it was Jean-Pierre Jarier in the Shadow who took pole position with the Brabhams of Carlos Pace and Carlos Reutemann second and third on the grid. However, poleman Jarier could not even start the race because his transmission failed on the parade lap. Home hero Reutemann took the lead from teammate Pace, with Niki Lauda's Ferrari third. Pace passed teammate Reutemann to take the lead but then spun off and dropped to seventh. James Hunt in his Hesketh soon overtook Lauda and then Reutemann, much to the chagrin of the crowd. By then, reigning world champion Emerson Fittipaldi in his McLaren was past Lauda and up to third, and soon took Reutemann for second as well. Fittipaldi closed in on Hunt and took the lead with 18 laps left. Pace recovered to fourth after his spin, but it was to no avail as his engine blew up. Fittipaldi started his title defence with a win, Hunt was a superb second, and Reutemann third in front of his home crowd. Race 2: Brazil The second round was in Brazil, and Jarier took pole position again with Fittipaldi alongside and Reutemann third. Reutemann, just like in Argentina, took the lead at the start from Jarier and Pace was up to third, whereas home driver Fittipaldi dropped to seventh. Jarier retook the lead from Reutemann on lap 5 and then pulled away. Reutemann struggled with handling issues and dropped well down the order then, with Pace up to second, Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari third and Fittipaldi recovering to fourth. Jarier's engine stopped with seven laps left and Pace took the lead. Regazzoni was up to second but dropped behind Fittipaldi and Jochen Mass in the second McLaren as he too suffered handling issues. Pace took a home victory, with countryman Fittipaldi second and Mass third. Race 3: South Africa A month after the Brazilian race, the field went to South Africa and Pace followed up his win with pole, with Reutemann alongside as Brabham locked out the front row, and home hero Jody Scheckter was third in the Tyrrell. Pace led at the start, with Scheckter second, and Ronnie Peterson in his Lotus jumped up from eighth to take third. However, the Swede did not have the pace of the front runners and dropped back down the order. Scheckter took the lead from Pace on the third lap, to the delight to the fans. Pace kept second until he struggled with tyres and was passed by Reutemann and the second Tyrrell of Patrick Depailler. Scheckter took an emotional home victory, with Reutemann and Depailler completing the podium. Race 4: Spain Nearly two months after the third round, the European season began in Spain at the very fast Montjuic street circuit in Barcelona. The Grand Prix Drivers Association was not happy with the state of the barriers, which were not bolted properly, and the drivers threatened not to take part. Mechanics from the teams went around the entire circuit to attempt to repair/fasten down the barriers. After work was done on the circuit, the drivers agreed that the circuit was still not safe enough. Reigning world champion and championship leader Emerson Fittipaldi had no intention to race because of the condition of the barriers, and went home on Sunday morning. The organisers of the event then locked the cars and motorhomes inside the circuit confines for breach of contract and threatened to keep them there. This being incompatible with the schedule for the next race at Monaco, the teams decided to cater for the organisers wishes and raced anyway. The rest of the drivers were there for qualifying, and Ferrari took the front row, with Lauda on pole from Regazzoni, and Hunt third in the Hesketh. There was chaos at the start when Mario Andretti in his Parnelli tapped the car of polesitter Lauda, sending it into the sister car of Regazzoni and knocking both Ferraris out of contention. Hunt gratefully took the lead, and Andretti, whose car was undamaged was second. Hunt led until he crashed after spinning on oil on the track, leaving Andretti leading from John Watson in the Surtees and Rolf Stommelen's Hill. Watson then had to pit with a vibration and the leader Andretti retired after a suspension failure sent him into the guardrail. This promoted Pace to second and Peterson to third, but the Swede retired after colliding with backmarker François Migault while lapping him. On lap 26, Stommelen's rear wing broke, and the car bounced into the barriers and flew back onto the road, hitting the barrier on the other side but the momentum of the car was enough for it to fly over the barrier where spectators were watching. The car hit some of them, and four persons were killed, and Stommelen and other spectators were injured. Pace also crashed while trying to avoid the Hill as it bounced back off the road. The race went on for the moment, with Jochen Mass passing Jacky Ickx's Lotus to lead. The organizers stopped the race on lap 30 due to the debris on the track caused by Stommelen's crash. Mass was declared the winner, with Ickx second and Reutemann third. Only half points were awarded as the race was stopped before it had run 75% of its full course. With Lella Lombardi's March in sixth when the race was stopped, she received half a point, becoming, to date, the first and only female Formula One driver to score points in a championship race. Race 5: Monaco After the chaotic and tragic Spanish GP, the race on the streets of Monaco was next. Lauda took pole ahead of the Shadow of Tom Pryce, with Pryce's teammate Jarier third. Rain before the race meant that it was started on a damp track. Lauda took off into the lead and Jarier climbed up to second but crashed on the first lap. Peterson was up to second, and Pryce was third. Pryce spun off after 20 laps, giving third to Scheckter. The field soon pitted for dry weather tyres and this shuffled up the order, with Scheckter dropping back after pitting too late. Fittipaldi was up to second behind Lauda, and Pace jumped up to third. That is how it stayed, with Lauda winning, Fittipaldi second and Pace third. It was the last weekend for Graham Hill in Formula One. Race 6: Belgium The next race took place in Belgium, and Lauda was on pole with Pace with him on the front row, and Vittorio Brambilla in the March a surprising third. It was Pace who got the better of Lauda at the start, to lead into the first corner. Pace was leading from Lauda and Brambilla at the end of the first lap, but Brambilla was on the move, and shocked everyone by overtaking both the front-row starters to lead. But this spurred Lauda into action, and after almost immediately passing Pace, he took the lead from Brambilla on the sixth lap. Scheckter was also on the move and was up to second, after passing Brambilla on lap 9. Brambilla held third until he was forced to pit with tyre troubles. Lauda won, becoming the first driver to take two wins this season, with Scheckter second and Reutemann third. Race 7: Sweden In Sweden, it was Brambilla who took his first career pole, with Depailler second and Jarier third on the grid. The order was unchanged at the start, with Brambilla leading but Reutemann was up to third after three laps. Brambilla continued to lead, whereas second-placed Depailler dropped out of contention with brake problems. Reutemann was up to second, and now took the lead from Brambilla. Brambilla had to pit for new tyres almost immediately. Jarier ran second now, but his engine blew up and this gave the position to Pace until he spun off and retired. Lauda was now second, and towards the end of the race Reutemann began to suffer from oversteer, allowing Lauda to take the lead with 10 laps left. Lauda went on to win, with Reutemann and Regazzoni completing the podium. Race 8: Netherlands The first race in the second half of the season took place in the Netherlands, and pole went to Lauda as usual, with teammate Regazzoni alongside, and Hunt's Hesketh third. The race started on a damp track and Lauda took the lead, with Scheckter up to second ahead of Regazzoni. The order was unchanged until the drivers had to pit for dry tyres. Hunt and Jarier pitted early, and their gamble paid off as they were first and second, with Lauda, Scheckter and Regazzoni third, fourth and fifth respectively. Lauda passed Jarier for second midway through the race, and started closing on Hunt. Jarier almost immediately retired with a tyre failure, and Scheckter who inherited third had his engine blow up with just 12 laps left. Hunt held off Lauda to take his first career win, with Regazzoni completing the podium. Race 9: France France was host to the 9th round of the season at Paul Ricard, and it was Lauda on pole ahead of Scheckter and Hunt. The top three maintained their starting positions into the first corner. In the early laps, Regazzoni was on a charge, and got up to second on the sixth lap but his engine blew up and he had to retire. Scheckter soon faded away, giving Hunt second. That was how it ended, with Lauda winning to take a large championship lead, Hunt finishing second and Mass third. Race 10: Great Britain The tenth round was held at the Silverstone airfield circuit in Great Britain, and Tom Pryce took a home pole position, with Pace second and championship leader Lauda third. Pace beat Pryce into the first corner, with Regazzoni third ahead of Lauda. After 10 laps, Regazzoni passed Pryce for second, and soon both of them passed Pace. It soon began to rain, and Regazzoni was pulling away until he spun off, hit a barrier and damaged his rear wing. He rejoined two laps down. Pryce now led, but he crashed out as well, two laps later. Scheckter had meanwhile passed both Lauda and Pace, and he was now leading. Scheckter pitted for wet tyres from the lead, and most drivers followed suit. Hunt (after passing Pace) was the leader from Pace and Emerson Fittipaldi as they had not pitted for dries. Scheckter and Jarier both caught and passed the trio, but the track was drying out, and both had to pit for dries soon after. Hunt began to lose power in his engine, and was passed by Fittipaldi, and then Pace, and even a recovering Scheckter. On lap 56 out of 70, the rain fell again, in a massive shower with the whole field on dries. Nearly all the drivers spun off and crashed, and race was stopped. Only 6 drivers were left (notably Fittipaldi). The race was stopped, and the results were declared on the lap before the storm struck. Fittipaldi was the winner, and Pace and Scheckter, despite crashing out, were given second and third. The result meant that Fittipaldi closed within 14 points of Lauda with five races left. Race 11: West Germany The drivers had to go to West Germany, in the legendary Nordschleife track, for round 11- and this proved to be the most crucial round in the championship (the German Grand Prix often was). Lauda was on pole, lapping the 14.2 mi (22.8 km) circuit in under 7 minutes- becoming the first driver to accomplish this feat. Pace was on the front row, and the two Tyrrell drivers Scheckter and Depailler third and fourth respectively. At the start, Lauda led from Pace, with Depailler getting third from his teammate Scheckter, who made a dreadful start and dropped to 20th. Depailler was past Pace early on, but by midway through the race, both drivers were out of contention, Pace retiring with a puncture, and Depailler having to pit after a suspension failure. Lauda continued to lead with Regazzoni up to second, until the latter's engine failed. Lauda then suffered a puncture and a damaged spoiler and had to pit, leaving Reutemann to lead from Hunt and Pryce. Hunt was next to retire, with a wheel hub failure on the straight behind the pits, and Pryce took second, but only briefly as he had to back off towards the end with fuel-feed troubles. At the front, Reutemann took his first win of the season, with Jacques Laffite's Williams second, and Lauda recovering to third. Race 12: Austria The Austrian GP on 17 August had a very large attendance, as Lauda had a chance of getting close to the championship at his home race. Lauda did not disappoint them, as he took pole position, with Hunt second and Fittipaldi third. His chief rival, Reutemann, was only 11th. On a morning practice lap, Mark Donohue's March slid off the track after a tyre failure and hit two marshals.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U0UfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ddEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2477%2C1034065 Daytona Beach Morning Journal Florida, U.S. Associated Press Donahue seriously injured 18 August 1975 4B Donohue died two days later, and one of the marshals also died. It began to rain just before the race started, but it did not deter Lauda, who led from Hunt and Depailler. Depailler soon dropped back, and it was Vittorio Brambilla who was up to third. Lauda also began to struggle as the rain became heavier, and Hunt took the lead and Brambilla second on lap 15. Brambilla went to take the lead from Hunt four laps later when they were lapping a backmarker, whereas Pryce passed Lauda for third. Conditions became so bad that the organizers showed the chequered flag early, with Brambilla the winner (he spun off on the slowing down lap and crashed, and drove around to the pits waving to the fans with a badly damaged car), Hunt second and Pryce completing the podium. Only half points were given, as the race was stopped early, just like in Spain. Race 13: Italy The penultimate round was in Italy, and after the cancellation of the Canadian GP, Lauda needed only half a point to be the 1975 world champion. The Ferrari fans were very happy as their team locked out the front row, with Lauda on pole from Regazzoni, and Fittipaldi third. Regazzoni took the lead at the start, with Lauda and Mass following. Soon Reutemann was up to third, but he needed to win to keep any faint hopes alive. However, he was passed by Fittipaldi, and towards the end, Lauda backed off and let Fittipaldi through. It was Regazzoni who won the race, with Fittipaldi second, and Lauda's third was enough to seal the championship. Race 14: United States The final round took place in the US, and it was no surprise that at the spectacular Watkins Glen track in upstate New York (which had a new chicane at the Esses introduced), new World Champion Lauda took pole again, with Fittipaldi alongside and Reutemann third. Lauda led into the first corner from Fittipaldi, and it was Jarier in third. Lauda and Fittipaldi drove away from the rest of the field, whereas Jarier retired with a wheel failure one-third into the race. This left Hunt in third, but Mass had other ideas and took the place midway through the race. Lauda went on to win, his fifth of the season, as he signed off in style, with Fittipaldi close behind in second, and Mass also on the podium. Results and standings Grands Prix Round Grand Prix Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning constructor Report Race report 1 ARG Argentine Grand PrixFRA 1974 Jean-Pierre JarierJean-Pierre Jarier set the fastest time in qualifying, but did not start the race. Pole position was left vacant on the grid. Carlos Pace, in the second slot, was the first driver on the grid. Jarier is still considered to have held pole position. GBR James Hunt BRA 1968 Emerson FittipaldiGBR McLaren-Ford Report 2 BRA 1968 Brazilian Grand PrixFRA 1974 Jean-Pierre JarierFRA 1974 Jean-Pierre JarierBRA 1968 Carlos PaceGBR Brabham-Ford Report 3ZAF 1928 South African Grand Prix BRA 1968 Carlos Pace BRA 1968 Carlos Pace ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Ford Report 4 ESP 1945 Spanish Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda USA Mario Andretti FRG Jochen Mass GBR McLaren-Ford Report 5 MCO Monaco Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda FRA 1974 Patrick Depailler AUT Niki Lauda ITA Ferrari Report 6 BEL Belgian Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda CHE Clay Regazzoni AUT Niki Lauda ITA Ferrari Report 7 SWE Swedish Grand Prix ITA Vittorio Brambilla AUT Niki Lauda AUT Niki Lauda ITA Ferrari Report 8 NLD Dutch Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda AUT Niki Lauda GBR James Hunt GBR Hesketh-Ford Report 9 FRA 1974 French Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda FRG Jochen Mass AUT Niki Lauda ITA Ferrari Report 10 GBR British Grand Prix GBR Tom Pryce CHE Clay Regazzoni BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi GBR McLaren-Ford Report 11 FRG German Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda CHE Clay RegazzoniARG Carlos Reutemann GBR Brabham-Ford Report 12 AUT Austrian Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda ITA Vittorio BrambillaITA Vittorio Brambilla GBR March-Ford Report 13 ITA Italian Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda CHE Clay Regazzoni CHE Clay Regazzoni ITA Ferrari Report 14USA United States Grand Prix AUT Niki LaudaBRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi AUT Niki Lauda ITA Ferrari Report Scoring system List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. For both the Championship and the Cup, the best six results from rounds 1–7 and the best six results from rounds 8–14 were counted. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system: Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th Race964321Source:18 January 2019 World Championship points systems http://8w.forix.com/6thgear/points.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20190924032459/http://8w.forix.com/6thgear/points.html 24 September 2019 21 December 2020 8W Forix World Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver ARGARG BRABRA 1968 RSAZAF 1928 ESP‡ESP 1945 MONMCO BELBEL SWESWE NEDNLD FRAFRA 1974 GBRGBR GERFRG AUT‡AUT ITAITA USAUSA Pts 1 AUT Niki Lauda 6 5 5 Ret p 1 p 1 p 1 f 2 p f 1 p 8 3 p 6 p 3 p 1 p 64.5 2 BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi 1 2 NC DNS 2 7 8 Ret 4 1 Ret 9 2 2 f 45 3 ARG Carlos Reutemann 3 8 2 3 9 3 2 4 14 Ret 1 14 4 Ret 37 4 GBR James Hunt 2 f 6 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 1 2 4 Ret 2 5 4 33 5 CHE Clay Regazzoni 4 4 16 NC Ret 5 f 3 3 Ret 13 f Ret f 7 1 f Ret 25 6 BRA 1968 Carlos Pace Ret 1 4 p f Ret 3 8 Ret 5 Ret 2 Ret Ret Ret Ret 24 7 ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter 11 Ret 1 Ret 7 2 7 16 9 3 Ret 8 8 6 20 8 FRG Jochen Mass 14 3 6 1 6 Ret Ret Ret 3 f 7 Ret 4 Ret 3 20 9 FRA 1974 Patrick Depailler 5 Ret 3 Ret 5 f 4 12 9 6 9 9 11 7 Ret 12 10 GBR Tom Pryce 12 Ret 9 Ret Ret 6 Ret 6 Ret Ret p 4 3 6 NC 8 11 ITA Vittorio Brambilla 9 Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret p Ret Ret 6 Ret 1 f Ret 7 6.5 12 FRA 1974 Jacques Laffite Ret 11 NC DNQ Ret Ret 11 Ret 2 Ret Ret DNS 6 13 SWE Ronnie Peterson Ret 15 10 Ret 4 Ret 9 15 10 Ret Ret 5 Ret 5 6 14 USA Mario Andretti Ret 7 17 Ret f Ret 4 5 12 10 Ret Ret Ret 5 15 USA Mark Donohue 7 Ret 8 Ret Ret 11 5 8 Ret 5 Ret DNS 4 16 BEL Jacky Ickx 8 9 12 2 8 Ret 15 Ret Ret 3 17 AUS Alan Jones Ret Ret Ret 11 13 16 10 5 2 18 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jarier DNS p Ret p f Ret 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 14 Ret Ret Ret Ret 1.5 19 GBR Tony Brise 7 Ret 6 7 7 15 Ret 15 Ret Ret 1 20 NLD Gijs van Lennep 10 15 6 1 21 ITA Lella Lombardi Ret 6 DNQ Ret Ret 14 18 Ret 7 17 Ret DNS 0.5 — FRG Rolf Stommelen 13 14 7 Ret 16 Ret 0 — GBR John Watson DSQ 10 Ret 8 Ret 10 16 Ret 13 11 Ret 10 9 0 — AUT Harald Ertl 8 Ret 9 0 — FRG Hans-Joachim Stuck Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 0 — GBR Bob Evans 15 Ret DNQ 9 13 Ret 17 Ret Ret 0 — BRA 1968 Wilson Fittipaldi Ret 13 DNQ Ret DNQ 12 17 11 Ret 19 Ret DNS 10 0 — GBR Graham Hill 10 12 DNQ DNQ 0 — USA Brett Lunger 13 10 Ret 0 — SWE Torsten Palm DNQ 10 0 — ITA Arturo Merzario NC Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret 11 0 — ZAF 1928 Guy Tunmer 11 0 — NZL Chris Amon 12 12 0 — ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter Ret Ret 12 0 — FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jabouille 12 0 — GBR Jim Crawford Ret 13 0 — ZAF 1928 Eddie Keizan 13 0 — ZAF 1928 Dave Charlton 14 0 — GBR Damien Magee 14 0 — ITA Renzo Zorzi 14 0 — GBR Brian Henton 16 DNS NC 0 — NZL John Nicholson 17 0 — GBR Dave Morgan 18 0 — NLD Roelof Wunderink Ret DNQ DNQ NC DNQ Ret 0 — FRA 1974 François Migault NC Ret DNS 0 — GBR Mike Wilds Ret Ret 0 — AUS Vern Schuppan Ret 0 — GBR Ian Ashley DNS 0 — CHE Jo Vonlanthen Ret 0 — FRA 1974 Michel Leclère Ret 0 — JPN 1947 Hiroshi Fushida DNS DNQ 0 — GBR Tony Trimmer DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 Pos Driver ARGARG BRABRA 1968 RSAZAF 1928 ESP‡ESP 1945 MONMCO BELBEL SWESWE NEDNLD FRAFRA 1974 GBRGBR GERFRG AUT‡AUT ITAITA USAUSA Pts ‡ Half points were awarded because the races were stopped before 75% of the scheduled distance was completed. International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings thumb|Ferrari won the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers with the 312B3 and the 312T (pictured) PosConstructorARGARGBRABRA 1968RSAZAF 1928ESP‡ESP 1945MONMCOBELBELSWESWENEDNLDFRAFRA 1974GBRGBRGERFRGAUT‡AUTITAITAUSAUSAPtsOnly the best six results from the first seven races and the best six results from the last seven races counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. 1ITA Ferrari445 NC11121 8361172.5 2GBR Brabham-Ford312 (3)3324 1421 144 Ret54 (56) 3GBR McLaren-Ford12612 7 8 Ret31 Ret42253 4GBR Hesketh-Ford26 Ret Ret Ret Ret 10124 825433 5GBR Tyrrell-Ford5 Ret1 Ret52 7 963 9 8 7625 6USA Shadow-Ford 12 Ret 94 Ret6 Ret6 8 14436 NC9.5 7GBR Lotus-Ford 8 9 1024 Ret 9 15 10 16 Ret5 1359 8GBR March-Ford 9 Ret Ret5 Ret Ret Ret 14 185 71 Ret 77.5 9GBR Williams-Ford NC 11 NC 7 DNQ Ret 14 12 11 Ret2 Ret 14 DNS6 10USA Parnelli-Ford Ret 7 17 Ret Ret 4 5 12 10 Ret Ret Ret5 11GBR Hill-Ford NC DNQ Ret6 7 7 105 15 Ret Ret3 12USA Penske-Ford 7 Ret 8 Ret Ret 115 8 Ret 92 13GBR Ensign-Ford DNQ 10 15 DNQ6 12 12 Ret1 —GBR Lola-Ford 10 12 7 DNQ 0 —GBR Surtees-Ford DSQ 10 Ret 8 Ret 10 16 Ret 13 11 10 0 —GBR BRM Ret Ret 15 Ret DNQ 9 13 Ret 17 Ret Ret 0 —BRA 1968 Fittipaldi-Ford Ret 13 DNQ Ret DNQ 12 17 11 Ret 19 Ret DNS 11 100 —GBR Lyncar-Ford 17 0 —USA Shadow-Matra Ret Ret0 —JPN 1947 Maki-Ford DNS DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0PosConstructorARGARGBRABRA 1968RSAZAF 1928ESP‡ESP 1945MONMCOBELBELSWESWENEDNLDFRAFRA 1974GBRGBRGERFRGAUT‡AUTITAITAUSAUSAPts Bold results counted to championship. ‡ Half points awarded because the races were stopped before 75% of the scheduled distance was completed. Non-championship races Other Formula One races were also held in 1975, which did not count towards the World Championship. Race name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Report GBR X Race of Champions Brands Hatch 16 March GBR Tom Pryce USA Shadow-Cosworth Report GBR XXVII BRDC International Trophy Silverstone 13 April AUT Niki Lauda ITA Ferrari Report FRA 1974 XV Swiss Grand Prix Dijon-Prenois 24 August CHE Clay Regazzoni ITA Ferrari Report South African Formula One Championship Race name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Report ZAF 1928 Cape South Easter Trophy Killarney 8 February ZAF 1928 Dave Charlton GBR McLaren-Cosworth Report ZAF 1928 Goldfields 100 Goldfields 22 March ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Cosworth Report ZAF 1928 Natal Mercury 100 Roy Hesketh 29 March ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Cosworth Report ZAF 1928 Brandkop Winter Trophy Brandkop 3 May ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Cosworth Report ZAF 1928 South African Republic Trophy Kyalami 31 May ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Cosworth Report ZAF 1928 False Bay 100 Killarney 5 July ZAF 1928 Guy Tunmer GBR Lotus-Cosworth Report ZAF 1928 Rand Winter Trophy Kyalami 26 July ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Cosworth Report ZAF 1928 Natal Spring Trophy Roy Hesketh 1 September ZAF 1928 Dave Charlton GBR McLaren-Cosworth Report ZAF 1928 Rand Spring Trophy Kyalami 4 October ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Cosworth Report Notes References 2 Category:Formula One seasons