The 1977 Dutch Grand Prix, otherwise known as the Dutch Grand Prix, was the thirteenth round of the 1977 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit Park Zandvoort on the 28 August, 1977.[1] The race would see Niki Lauda dominate the final two thirds of the race, after an all out fight for the lead in the opening stages.[1]
Pole had gone to Mario Andretti and Lotus during qualifying, while Jacques Laffite caused a stir by putting the Ligier-Matra on the front row.[1] Lauda claimed third ahead of arch-rival James Hunt while Carlos Reutemann and Gunnar Nilsson shared the third row.[1]
It was Hunt who got the best start off the line, carving through into the lead while Andretti tried to challenge around the outside of Tarzan.[1] The Lotus would ultimately run out of room and run onto the grass, allowing Laffite through, while the rest of the field made it through with only minor bumping.[1]
It was an eventful opening tour, with John Watson smashing his car on a kerb, while Jochen Mass was sent into the air by Alan Jones.[1] The McLaren landed back on its wheels but was out with heavy suspension damage, while Jones survived with barely a mark.[1]
Back with the leaders and Andretti elbowed his way past Laffite on lap two, before going on to challenge Hunt at the end of lap five.[1] The pair would open the following lap side-by-side, with Andretti again on the outside of Tarzan.[1] However, Andretti refused to back off as they rounded the hairpin, resulting in a costly collision for both.[1]
Andretti recovered behind Laffite, Lauda and Reutemann, while Hunt would drag the McLaren back to the pits for repairs.[1] Unfortunately for the Brit, the damage was too extensive for his crew to fix, signalling the end of his title defence in 1977.[1]
Out front, Lauda began to challenge Laffite for the lead, while Andretti caught back onto the back of Reutemann to try and get back onto the podium.[1] Yet, the Lotus' Ford Cosworth was beginning to struggle having had a massive shock when colliding with Hunt, and duly expired on lap 14.[1]
The Laffite/Lauda fight ultimately came to its own conclusion on lap 20, with the Ferrari muscling its way past before disappearing off into the distance.[1] Laffite was left in a lonely second, while Reutemann had to fend off another Lotus challenge in the form of Nilsson, until the Swede miscalculated a dive on lap 34, sending both into the grass.[1]
Reutemann would rejoin and fight back to the points, while Nilsson was out on the spot.[1] Their accident promoted Patrick Tambay into third in his Ensign, only to run out of fuel on the penultimate lap and promote a lonely Jody Scheckter onto the podium.[1]
That would be the final modification to the order, with Lauda cruising home with fastest lap to claim his fifteenth victory and a commanding lead in the Championship.[1] Laffite was second a couple of seconds back and the only other man on the lead lap, with Scheckter third ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi.[1] Tambay was still classified in fifth despite stopping ast the side of the circuit, with Reutemann a frustrated sixth.[1]
Background[]
F1 would make its annual trip to the seaside for the thirteenth race of the 1977 Championship, arriving at the Circuit Park Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Tucked away amid the dunes on the North Sea, Zandvoort remained one of the fastest circuits on the calendar, despite recent revisions to reduce speeds.[2] In terms of the 1977 edition of the Dutch Grand Prix there would be no major revisions to either circuit or schedule, although only after a legal challenge had defeated the latter.[2]
The organisers of the Dutch Grand Prix had decided to hold a pre-qualifying session ahead of the race weekend, after receiving a 35 car entry list for the meeting.[2] As such, the nine non-F.O.C.A. members were to run on the Tuesday, the 23 August, prior to the first official practice on Friday.[2] That list would include the highly rated Arturo Merzario, who was back with his March, only for the Italian to protest against the session.[2]
Merzario would arrive on the first practice day with an FIA rule book and legal advice, arguing that the FIA's own rules forbade the holding of a pre-qualifying session.[2] Wilting under the Italian's legal backing the organisers were left to allow all of the entries to take part, despite the fact that the session had been staged.[2] In the confusion, Emilio de Villota, who had failed to pre-qualify, had left the venue, while Loris Kessel, who arrived late, spent the first official day of running trying to get RAM Racing boss John MacDonald arrested over wages from the previous season.[2]
Those who did take part in the pre-qualifying session included Brett Lunger in his McLaren, Hans Binder (ATS-Penske), Brian Henton (Boro) and Teddy Pilette in the BRM.[2] They had all "pre-qualified", while de Villota was technically joined by Ian Ashley in the third Hesketh and Michael Bleekemolen with a RAM March on the reserve list.[2] Yet, with the cancellation of the reserve list both Ashley and Bleekemolen would join the fray, giving them an outside shot of claiming a spot on the grid.[2]
Away from the mess surrounding pre-qualifying and the Zandvoort circuit was expected to suit the Lotus 78s of Mario Andretti and Gunnar Nilsson, which were designed to cope with sweeping curves such as those amid the dunes.[2] They arrived with two of the older examples of the 78 for the weekend, although both were sporting new Cosworth tuned engines.[2] A newer 78 was kept in reserve, although neither Nilsson nor Andretti planned to spend any time in it.[2]
Elsewhere, the works McLaren team arrived in hopes of securing a strong finish with their refined M26s, with both James Hunt and Jochen Mass happier with their chargers.[2] Mass, was given an additional boost by getting the newest M26 chassis to be constructed, although Hunt retained priority when it came to the team's special Cosworth engines.[2] Mass' old M26 became the spare, meaning the German's old M23 could finally be retired.[2]
Over at Ferrari were was little to note for Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann, with the team quietly going about things at the top of both Championships, despite lacking out-right pace.[2] In contrast, fellow F12 users Brabham-Alfa Romeo arrived with images of their new BT46 to show to the public, although the car itself was completing some rather punishing testing back in Italy at the Alfa Romeo test track.[2] As such, John Watson and Hans-Joachim Stuck were set to use their 1977-spec BT45Bs, although bother were satisfied with the speed.[2]
Into the French faction and Ligier-Matra were back with a "long-wheelbase" JS7 for lone driver Jacques Laffite, a feat achieved by placing a spacer between the engine and gearbox.[2] In contrast, the chassis of the Renault had gone untouched since its last appearance at the British Grand Prix, although the team believed that they had solved their turbocharger issues.[2] As such, Jean-Pierre Jabouille was confident of a strong result, with the turbocharger now mounted higher within its own air-intake.[2]
Wolf, meanwhile, would arrive with the two older Wolves for Jody Scheckter to try in Zandvoort, WR3 having been abandoned for the time being by the Canadian squad.[2] In contrast, Fittipaldi had brought their two newest F5s for Emerson Fittipaldi to drive, although the new car was not proving to be much of an improvement over the older design.[2] Completing the "manufacturer" entries would be the BRM in the hands of Pilette, which had caused a stir by actually making the cut in the pointless pre-qualifying session.[2]
Elsewhere, Shadow were back to fielding Riccardo Patrese and Alan Jones together again, with the Italian's sponsors also returning to the sides of the white cars.[2] Surtees were likewise unchanged from their now default pairing of Vittorio Brambilla and Vern Schuppan, as were Hesketh with Rupert Keegan and Héctor Rebaque.[2] Tyrrell were also back with their familiar duo of Ronnie Peterson and Patrick Depailler, who were beginning to tire with their P34Bs.[2] Ensign were also back with two cars, one works entry for Clay Regazzoni, complemented by the factory supported chassis of Patrick Tambay.[2]
Completing the entry would be a scattering of Marches, led by the new factory 771 in the hands of Ian Scheckter.[2] The new 771 was effectively an evolution of the current 761Bs, although the delays in its debut were a result of budget issues rather than extreme development.[2] That meant that there was little hope of the South African finding a lot of speed over teammate Alex Ribeiro, with the Brazilian's future seemingly based on the size of his wallet rather than talent.[2]
The other Marches were to be found at Williams Grand Prix Engineering, piloted by Patrick Nève, Team Merzario, and the RAM Racing pairing of Boy Hayje and Bleekemolen.[2] They joined the semi-works Hesketh of Ashley, the Boro of Henton, Lunger's McLaren and the two ATS-Penskes of Jean-Pierre Jarier and Binder on the final entry list.[2]
Into the Championship and while it was Jones who had celebrated his maiden victory in Austria, it was actually Lauda whom had been the real winner, for the Austrian had pulled sixteen points clear at the top of the Championship. Jody Scheckter was still in second but had lost ground to Lauda, and was instead being drawn in by the Austrian's teammate Reutemann. The Argentine had overtaken Andretti after his own podium spot, while Hunt's title defence was already effectively over with five races to go.
Like their driver it was Ferrari whom left Austria in the best position in the International Cup for Manufacturers, pulling 24 points ahead of their nearest challengers. That challenge now rested solely in the hands of Team Lotus-Ford Cosworth, although the ever fragile Loti were costing them as many points as the lone Wolf-Ford Cosworth entry in third. McLaren-Ford Cosworth, meanwhile, had inched closer to the top three with another score, while Shadow-Ford Cosworth were within sight of the top half of the table after their maiden victory.
Entry list[]
The full entry list for the 1977 Dutch Grand Prix is outlined below:
Practice Overview[]
Qualifying[]
Practice/qualifying were to be staged across Friday and Saturday, with the cancellation of pre-qualifying ensuring that there would be as many as 34 cars on track at the same time.[2] Those 34 drivers would be fighting to take one of the 26 grid slots on offer, with three "timed" sessions giving ample time to qualify, while an "untimed" period would allow for some race practice.[2] As for a target time the top drivers would be aiming to best the circuit record, a 1:20.29 set by Niki Lauda in 1975.[2]
Friday Qualifying[]
Mario Andretti would dictate the pace during the first "timed" session of the race, weekend, the American smoothly shaving a few tenths off his effort with every lap.[2] Indeed, come sessions end the #5 Lotus had recorded a 1:18.85, a stunning time that ensured that Andretti headed into the rest of the weekend as favourite.[2] His closest challenger proved to be James Hunt, on a 1:19.70, while Carlos Reutemann was the only other driver to record a sub-1:20.00 time.[2]
Elsewhere, Lauda's efforts were hampered by a general dissatisfaction with his Ferrari, the Austrian monopolising the team's spare car to compare against his race car.[2] John Watson employed a similar tactic over at Brabham-Alfa Romeo, although the Ulsterman was instead setting up the spare to match his race car.[2] Elsewhere, the new Renault was stopped early on when a stone destroyed the turbine in its turbo, Riccardo Patrese was struggling with his updated Shadow, and local racer Michael Bleekemolen was forced to sit out completely after issues with his modified RAM March.[2]
Friday afternoon saw the outright pace slacken at the front of the field, with Gunnar Nilsson joining the sub-1:20.00 club in the #6 Lotus, the only man to break that particular barrier.[2] Andretti, meanwhile, would fail to get back into the 1:18.00s, but spent the entire afternoon in the 1:19.00s, much to the dismay of the rest of the field.[2] Otherwise the session followed much the same pattern as the morning session, albeit without the exploits of Patrick Nève who saw his engine expire right at the start.[2]
Saturday Qualifying[]
Overnight rain reset conditions ahead of the final practice day, although with the single "untimed" session there was plenty of opportunity to get rubber back onto the circuit.[2] Indeed, it would prove to be a particularly busy session, with most of the drivers using spare cars if they had them to ensure they had a reliable car in reserve in case anything went wrong in the final hour of qualifying.[2] In terms of times it was Andretti who once again dominated the session, albeit according to the unofficial stop watch.[2]
After such a successful morning there was little surprise when Andretti went on to dominate the final hour of qualifying, the American duly slinging his Lotus around to claim a 1:18.65.[2] Such was Andretti's confidence in his car that the American rarely recorded a time over 1:20.00, despite the "cool-down laps" or need to find a gap in the traffic.[2] This was a stark contrast to teammate Nilsson, who went through two Loti almost in vain to record a comparatively slow 1:19.57.[2]
Elsewhere, Hunt improved to a 1:19.50 to secure himself in second, only for Jacques Laffite to come charging through at the end of the afternoon to claim a 1:19.27.[2] He was the leader of the 1:19.00 group, which sported the Ligier-Matra, Hunt's McLaren, the two Ferraris split by Nilsson, Ronnie Peterson, Watson and Clay Regazzoni, all of whom would improve that afternoon.[2] Next up was the Renault of Jean-Pierre Jabouille after the turbocharger was persuaded to last for more than a lap, with Patrick Depailler just behind.[2]
Indeed, it was incredibly tight behind the second Tyrrell, with just a tenth covering the Frenchman in eleventh and Jody Scheckter in fifteenth, with three drivers setting identical times.[2] Elsewhere, Jean-Pierre Jarier went for a spin in the ATS-Penske, causing Vittorio Brambilla to go charging into the barriers as the Italian tried to avoid him.[2] Brambilla somehow dragged the wounded Surtees back to the pits and swapped to the spare, just in time to avoid a spin for Watson, caused by a suspension failure.[2]
At the back of the field, meanwhile, Alex Ribeiro caused a stir by beating teammate Ian Scheckter, despite the South African using the new March 771, while Rupert Keegan snuck onto the grid in the closing stages.[2] The Brit's late improvement meant that Nève missed out, as did pre-qualifying protester Arturo Merzario in his custom March.[2] Also out were Vern Schuppan, Ian Ashley, Boy Hayje, Héctor Rebaque and Teddy Pilette, while Bleekemolen failed to run at all in the final session.[2]
Qualifying Results[]
The full qualifying results for the 1977 Dutch Grand Prix are outlined below:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | |||||
| 1 | 5 |  Mario Andretti
|
 Lotus-Ford Cosworth
|
1:18.85 | 1:19.07 | 1:18.65 | — |
| 2 | 26 |  Jacques Laffite
|
Ligier-Matra
|
1:20.15 | 1:20.21 | 1:19.27 | +0.62s |
| 3 | 1 | James Hunt
|
McLaren-Ford Cosworth
|
1:19.70 | 1:20.13 | 1:19.50 | +0.85s |
| 4 | 11 |  Niki Lauda
|
 Ferrari
|
1:20.26T | 1:20.49 | 1:19.54T | +0.89s |
| 5 | 6 |  Gunnar Nilsson
|
Lotus-Ford Cosworth
|
1:20.13 | 1:19.98 | 1:19.57 | +0.92s |
| 6 | 12 |  Carlos Reutemann
|
Ferrari
|
1:19.74 | 1:20.82 | 1:19.66 | +1.01s |
| 7 | 3 | Ronnie Peterson
|
Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth
|
1:20.66 | 1:20.64 | 1:19.85 | +1.20s |
| 8 | 7 | John Watson
|
Brabham-Alfa Romeo
|
1:20.28 | 1:20.36 | 1:19.93 | +1.28s |
| 9 | 22 |  Clay Regazzoni
|
Ensign-Ford Cosworth
|
1:20.55 | 1:21.13 | 1:19.93T | +1.28s |
| 10 | 15 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille
|
Renault
|
1:26.96 | 1:23.89 | 1:20.13 | +1.48s |
| 11 | 4 | Patrick Depailler
|
Tyrrell-Ford Cosworth
|
1:20.86 | 1:20.92 | 1:20.14 | +1.49s |
| 12 | 23 | Patrick Tambay
|
 Ensign-Ford Cosworth
|
1:20.79 | 1:20.60 | 1:20.23 | +1.58s |
| 13 | 17 |  Alan Jones
|
Shadow-Ford Cosworth
|
1:20.26 | 1:20.24 | 1:20.25 | +1.59s |
| 14 | 2 |  Jochen Mass
|
McLaren-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.47T | 1:21.30T | 1:20.24 | +1.59s |
| 15 | 20 |  Jody Scheckter
|
 Wolf-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.11 | 1:20.88 | 1:20.24 | +1.59s |
| 16 | 16 | Riccardo Patrese
|
Shadow-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.24 | 1:21.12 | 1:20.43 | +1.78s |
| 17 | 28 |  Emerson Fittipaldi
|
Fittipaldi-Ford Cosworth
|
1:24.08 | 1:22.05 | 1:20.53 | +1.88s |
| 18 | 35 | Hans Binder
|
Penske-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.80 | 1:22.29 | 1:20.84 | +2.19s |
| 19 | 8 | Hans-Joachim Stuck
|
Brabham-Alfa Romeo
|
1:20.86 | 1:20.86 | 1:20.94 | +2.21s |
| 20 | 30 | Brett Lunger
|
McLaren-Ford Cosworth
|
1:23.00 | 1:21.77 | 1:20.87 | +2.22s |
| 21 | 34 | Jean-Pierre Jarier
|
Penske-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.06 | 1:21.47 | 1:21.63 | +2.41s |
| 22 | 19 | Vittorio Brambilla
|
Surtees-Ford Cosworth
|
1:22.38 | 1:22.39 | 1:21.12T | +2.47s |
| 23 | 38 | Brian Henton
|
 Boro-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.50 | 1:21.13 | 1:21.16 | +2.48s |
| 24 | 9 | Alex Ribeiro
|
March-Ford Cosworth
|
1:22.42 | 1:21.79 | 1:21.16 | +2.51s |
| 25 | 10 | Ian Scheckter
|
March-Ford Cosworth
|
1:21.33 | 1:21.52 | 1:21.19 | +2.54s |
| 26 | 24 | Rupert Keegan
|
Hesketh-Ford Cosworth
|
1:22.72 | 1:21.87 | 1:21.53 | +2.88s |
| DNQ | 27 |  Patrick Nève
|
March-Ford Cosworth
|
1:23.32 | — | 1:21.67 | +3.02s |
| DNQ | 37 | Arturo Merzario
|
March-Ford Cosworth
|
1:22.82 | 1:23.03 | 1:21.79 | +3.14s |
| DNQ | 18 | Vern Schuppan
|
Surtees-Ford Cosworth
|
1:22.83 | 1:23.01 | 1:21.80 | +3.15s |
| DNQ | 39 | Ian Ashley
|
Hesketh-Ford Cosworth
|
1:22.22 | 1:23.02 | 1:21.85 | +3.20s |
| DNQ | 33 | Boy Hayje
|
March-Ford Cosworth
|
1:22.20 | 1:23.04 | 1:24.50 | +3.55s |
| DNQ | 25 |  Héctor Rebaque
|
Hesketh-Ford Cosworth
|
1:23.87 | 1:24.36 | 1:22.49 | +3.84s |
| DNQ | 29 | Teddy Pilette
|
BRM
|
1:24.22 | 1:24.28 | 1:23.07 | +4.42s |
| DNQ | 32 | Michael Bleekemolen
|
March-Ford Cosworth
|
— | 1:26.68 | — | +8.03s |
| WD | 36 |  Emilio de Villota
|
McLaren-Ford Cosworth
|
Withdrawn | |||
| WD | 41 | Loris Kessel
|
Apollon-Ford Cosworth
|
Withdrawn | |||
| Source:[2][4] | |||||||
- Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
- T Indicates a test/spare car.
Grid[]
| Pos. | Pos. | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Driver | |
| ______________ | ||
| Row 1 | ______________ | 1 |
| 2 | Mario Andretti | |
| Jacques Laffite | ______________ | |
| Row 2 | ______________ | 3 |
| 4 | James Hunt | |
| Niki Lauda | ______________ | |
| Row 3 | ______________ | 5 |
| 6 | Gunnar Nilsson | |
| Carlos Reutemann | ______________ | |
| Row 4 | ______________ | 7 |
| 8 | Ronnie Peterson | |
| John Watson | ______________ | |
| Row 5 | ______________ | 9 |
| 10 | Clay Regazzoni | |
| Jean-Pierre Jabouille | ______________ | |
| Row 6 | ______________ | 11 |
| 12 | Patrick Depailler | |
| Patrick Tambay | ______________ | |
| Row 7 | ______________ | 13 |
| 14 | Alan Jones | |
| Jochen Mass | ______________ | |
| Row 8 | ______________ | 15 |
| 16 | Jody Scheckter | |
| Riccardo Patrese | ______________ | |
| Row 9 | ______________ | 17 |
| 18 | Emerson Fittipaldi | |
| Hans Binder | ______________ | |
| Row 10 | ______________ | 19 |
| 20 | Hans-Joachim Stuck | |
| Brett Lunger | ______________ | |
| Row 11 | ______________ | 21 |
| 22 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | |
| Vittorio Brambilla | ______________ | |
| Row 12 | ______________ | 23 |
| 24 | Brian Henton | |
| Alex Ribeiro | ______________ | |
| Row 13 | ______________ | 25 |
| 26 | Ian Scheckter | |
| Rupert Keegan | ______________ |
Race[]
Local laws regarding morning noise "pollution" meant that it would be a quiet start to proceedings on raceday, with the warm-up session staged at the very late time on 1:15pm.[2] That was scheduled to last for half an hour, before the cars hit the circuit at 2:30pm ahead of the 3:00pm start time.[2] Weather-wise a strong headwind down the start-finish straight had developed, although the Circuit Park Zandvoort was otherwise enjoying a dry and warm afternoon.[2]
Warm-up[]
It proved to be a rather hectic pre-race warm-up, with many teams opting to strip out and reduce the ratios of their final gears to account for the headwind.[2] On circuit, meanwhile, Jacques Laffite suffered a catastrophic oil leak in the stretched Ligier, forcing him to use the spare for the race, while Gunnar Nilsson made a late change to his spare after an engine failure.[2] Other engine issues would likewise cause Clay Regazzoni and Rupert Keegan to revert to their spares, while Vittorio Brambilla had his colours transferred to the now spare Surtees in spite of his own car being rebuilt after qualifying.[2]
Report[]
There was the briefest pause on the grid for the starter's lights to flash to green before the race got underway, with pole sitter Mario Andretti spinning his wheels having almost jumped the lights.[2] His smokey start allowed James Hunt to dive to inside of the Lotus on the run into Tarzan before the American could cover off the move, meaning they ran wheel-to-wheel into the corner.[2] Hunt duly ran Andretti wide to seize the lead, with Andretti also losing out to Laffite having lost traction on the sand that had gathered off the racing line.[2]
Alan Jones sends Jochen Mass towards orbit and, more importantly, into the catch fencing.
A similar fate would befall John Watson in the middle of the pack, with the Ulsterman's Brabham-Alfa Romeo run wide onto the exit kerb by a Ferrari.[2] That left Watson with a cracked oil sump, while his scrambling to maintain control knocked him further down the order.[2] He would carry on, albeit trailing a lot of blue smoke, unlike Jochen Mass who had his McLaren launched into the air by Alan Jones, only to crash back onto terra firma amid the crash fencing.[2]
Fortunately the rest of the opening lap was uneventful, with Hunt streaming across the line to complete the opening tour with a small lead over Laffite and Andretti.[2] They were followed by the two Ferraris and smokey Watson, while Ronnie Peterson fended off the attentions of Regazzoni's spare Ensign.[2] Next up were the two Patricks, Depailler and Tambay, while Nilsson was trying to climb up the order after his poor getaway.[2]
Indeed, it was the Swede who stole the show on the second lap, with the #6 Lotus carving its way past Depailler, Tambay and Regazzoni before latching onto the back of Peterson.[2] Further ahead, teammate Andretti was on the move, elbowing past Laffite, and was swiftly regaining the ground he had lost to Hunt on the opening tour.[2] Indeed, the American racer would be right on the back of the McLaren at the end of the third lap, although his first attack into Tarzan was easily swatted aside.[2]
Andretti would try another move on Hunt into Tarzan at the start of lap five, with the American again finding himself on the outside of the Brit as they rounded the hairpin.[2] The Lotus reluctantly ceded the position and followed the McLaren around for another lap, before trying an identical move, albeit a little bit further along the Brit as they entered Tarzan.[2] Again, Hunt moved to run Andretti out wide, only this time the Lotus was not going to back down.[2]
On the exit of the hairpin the front right of the Lotus was millimetres ahead of the left rear of the McLaren, with Andretti all over the kerb on the outside of the circuit.[2] Yet, Hunt would continue to squeeze the Lotus, and as he picked up traction, the left rear of his car duly ran over the front right of the Lotus, launching Hunt into the air.[2] After a brief flight the McLaren smashed down atop the kerb, destroying the water pump and suspension, while Andretti's Lotus was spinning off towards the inside of the circuit.[2]
Laffite, Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann flashed through the scene before Andretti recovered, the Lotus seemingly unharmed despite having a McLaren drive over its front right.[2] Hunt, meanwhile, would slide to a stop with steam shrouding his car, the Brit out on the spot and quickly out of the cockpit.[2] Indeed, it was only a few minutes before Hunt was seen launching a tirade at Lotus boss Colin Chapman about Andretti's antics, although his protests were waved away.[2]
Back on track and Andretti was soon closing back onto to the new lead group, with Reutemann his first victim on lap ten.[2] Behind, Andretti's teammate Nilsson had his progress checked by Peterson's increasingly wide Tyrrell, with the #3 having a queue form up behind it.[2] Indeed, Nilsson was joined by his earlier victims Regazzoni, Tambay and Depailler in the Tyrrell train, as well as a charging Alan Jones once the Australian racer had dealt with the rather quiet Jody Scheckter.[2]
Having dealt with Reutemann, Andretti's next task was to take the #11 Ferrari of Lauda, although his first attempt into Tarzan was easily swatted aside.[2] Again, at the start of lap 14 the Championship leader was not to be moved, with Andretti trying to find a gap to exploit as they disappeared out behind the dunes.[2] Yet, come the end of the lap, it would Reutemann in the mirrors of Lauda, with Andretti's Lotus coasting to a stop in the pits with smoke pouring from the exhausts.[2]
However, the Ferraris could hardly ease off the pace, for as one Lotus fell the other was coming to the fore.[2] Indeed, having elbowed his way past his compatriot, Nilsson was now rapidly closing onto the back of Reutemann, who was instructed to act as a rear-gunner for Lauda now that Andretti was no longer a factor.[2] That allowed the Austrian to go hunting after race leader Laffite, with the Frenchman's Ligier a few seconds up the road.[2]
Ultimately there would be no real fight for the lead, with Lauda using his momentum to cruise past Laffite before the Frenchman knew what was happening.[2] Teammate Reutemann, meanwhile, was still awaiting an attack from Nilsson, while Peterson disappeared from the fray with two ignition issues in two laps.[2] Depailler's Tyrrell would also disappear, albeit briefly, with a flat tyre, while Regazzoni's race came to a premature end of lap 18 with a connector broke on his throttle cable.[2]
The race began to settle down after the recent wave of retirements, for Nilsson, having dragged himself onto the back of Reutemann, found himself unable to launch an attack at the Ferrari.[2] His efforts were being hampered by a pack of backmarkers, with Reutemann just managing to keep a car in between himself and the Lotus.[2] Lauda, meanwhile, had established a healthy lead over Laffite, while Scheckter had the long list of retirements to thank for climbing up into sixth behind Tambay.[2] Indeed, there were so many early casualties that the Renault of Jean-Pierre Jabouille was in danger of scoring points, in spite of a near-miss when Jones' Shadow blew up in the Frenchman's face.[2]
Back to the Reutemann/Nilsson fight and, having cleared the back markers, the Lotus finally had enough room to size up a move on the Ferrari, and was right on the Argenine's tail as they disappeared out behind the paddock.[2] However, it would seem that the Swede was too close, for Nilsson ran straight into the back of Reutemann around the back of the circuit and buried himself in the sand.[2] Reutemann, meanwhile, would scramble clear and return to the pits with a damaged rear-wing, which was swiftly replaced.[2]
All that left Tambay in a shock third in his Ensign, Scheckter a lonely fourth, Emerson Fittipaldi fifth and Jabouille a stunning sixth for Renault.[2] Indeed, it seemed as if the new turbocharged effort had had its reliability issues successfully cured, for Jabouille cruised past half distance without any signs of trouble.[2] It was therefore unfortunate that the Frenchman's next action of note was a spin a few laps later, caused by a terminal case of broken suspension.[2]
With that the race became a very tame affair, although Laffite did manage to close onto the back of Lauda for the lead as the pair lapped the backmarkers.[2] Indeed, the only on-track pass to make a difference to the order would be made by Vittorio Brambilla, who slithered his Surtees past Fittipaldi for fifth just before getting lapped by the lead duo.[2] Unfortunately for the Italian his decision to sweep right back in behind the Ligier was to be a disastrous one, for the lack of undisturbed air over the front of his car caused him to fly into the barriers at the very next corner.[2]
With that the race was run, barring a last minute, and very cruel, retirement for Tambay, who ran out of fuel in the Teddy Yip funded Ensign.[2] The Frenchman was duly forced to walk back to the pits as Lauda cruised home a couple of seconds ahead of Laffite to claim victory, while Scheckter, a lap down, inherited the Frenchman's lost podium.[2] Fittipaldi was next ahead of Tambay, who retained fifth according to the timesheets, with Reutemann suddenly appearing in sixth after the last few retirements broke up the order ahead.[2]
Results[]
The full race results for the 1977 Dutch Grand Prix are outlined below:
- * Tambay, Brambilla and Patrese were all classified despite retiring as they had complete 90% of the race distance.[5]
- † Henton was disqualified for receiving a push start.[5]
Milestones[]
- First entry for Michael Bleekemolen.[6]
- Fifteenth career victory for Niki Lauda.[7]
- 68th victory for Ferrari as both a constructor and entrant.[7]
- Lauda claimed the 80th fastest lap to be set by a Ferrari chassis and engine.[7]
Standings[]
Victory ensured that Niki Lauda would leave Zandvoort in near total command of the Championship, his advantage having grown to nineteen points over Jody Scheckter. The South African would need to win two races just to get back on terms with the Austrian before the end of the season, with those two the only pair with a realistic chance at the title. Carlos Reutemann, meanwhile, would move three points clear of Mario Andretti, while James Hunt's title defence was over in fifth.
In the International Cup for Constructors' the battle was almost won for Ferrari, for the Italian firm had a 33 point advantage with just 36 points left to fight for. They would win the title with just one podium visit between Italy and Japan, regardless of what the rest of the field could muster. Indeed, the only team that could deny them would be Lotus-Ford Cosworth, although it would require the Norfolk squad to have a miraculous u-turn in reliability to even consider challenge.
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References[]
Images and Videos:
- Suyk, Koen, 'Grand Prix Zandvoort; Jochen Mass met McLaren (r) in moeilijkheden', gahetna.nl, (Nationaal Archief, 28/08/1977), http://www.gahetna.nl/collectie/afbeeldingen/fotocollectie/zoeken/weergave/detail/q/id/aca1b5da-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84, (Accessed 17/05/2018)
References:
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 'DUTCH GP, 1977', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr293.html, (Accessed 15/05/2018)
- ↑ 2.000 2.001 2.002 2.003 2.004 2.005 2.006 2.007 2.008 2.009 2.010 2.011 2.012 2.013 2.014 2.015 2.016 2.017 2.018 2.019 2.020 2.021 2.022 2.023 2.024 2.025 2.026 2.027 2.028 2.029 2.030 2.031 2.032 2.033 2.034 2.035 2.036 2.037 2.038 2.039 2.040 2.041 2.042 2.043 2.044 2.045 2.046 2.047 2.048 2.049 2.050 2.051 2.052 2.053 2.054 2.055 2.056 2.057 2.058 2.059 2.060 2.061 2.062 2.063 2.064 2.065 2.066 2.067 2.068 2.069 2.070 2.071 2.072 2.073 2.074 2.075 2.076 2.077 2.078 2.079 2.080 2.081 2.082 2.083 2.084 2.085 2.086 2.087 2.088 2.089 2.090 2.091 2.092 2.093 2.094 2.095 2.096 2.097 2.098 2.099 2.100 2.101 2.102 2.103 2.104 2.105 2.106 2.107 2.108 2.109 2.110 2.111 2.112 2.113 2.114 2.115 2.116 2.117 D.S.J., 'The Dutch Grand Prix', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport, 01/10/1977), https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1977/52/dutch-grand-prix, (Accessed 15/05/2018)
- ↑ 'Netherlands 1977: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), http://www.statsf1.com/en/1977/pays-bas/engages.aspx, (Accessed 15/05/2018)
- ↑ 'Netherlands 1977: Qualifications', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), http://www.statsf1.com/en/1977/pays-bas/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 16/05/2018)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 'Netherlands 1977: Results', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), http://www.statsf1.com/en/1977/pays-bas/classement.aspx, (Accessed 17/05/2018)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 '1977 Dutch GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2018), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1977&gp=Dutch%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 15/05/2018)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 '13. Netherlands 1977', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), http://www.statsf1.com/en/1977/pays-bas.aspx, (Accessed 15/05/2018)
| V T E | Dutch Grand Prix
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|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Zandvoort (1948-present) |  |
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| Non-Championship Races | 1950 • 1951 |
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