A trip down memory lane
Driver-team combinations and spectacular driving styles create enthusiastic moments. But what about racetracks? With idyllic backdrops or breathtaking corners, every track has its own character—which can be spiced up by one key ingredient... weather! The 2011 Canadian GRAND PRIX is arguably the most notable race featuring changing conditions. Jenson Button had to make six pit stops, was involved in two accidents, and on the final lap, after Sebastian Vettel slid on damp tarmac, he clinched victory. Ten years earlier, in Malaysia, a monsoon swept over the circuit, resulting in the most chaotic laps in F1 history. Rain is the most common variable, and championships in particular have been decided by it, such as the showdown at the 1976 Japanese GRAND PRIX.
Beyond every limit
The year was defined by the rivalry between friends James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Hunt had a disappointing start to the season, whilst Lauda dominated until the middle of the year. At the Nürburgring, following Lauda’s life-threatening accident, Niki fought his way back to the grid and started again after just 41 days. Hunt had capitalised on the improvements to his car, closing up to the championship lead. Japan: Lauda vs Hunt, Ferrari vs McLaren. The first GRAND PRIX in Asia got underway later than planned. A heavy downpour and dark clouds meant the race could not go ahead. Finally, after more than an hour but under similar conditions, the decision was made to start. Hunt took the lead and on lap 2 Lauda returned to the pits. “This is madness, this is racing beyond any reasonable risk,” said the Austrian after pulling out. Nevertheless, Hunt held on valiantly to first place until his tyres dropped off. Fourth place would have been enough for him, but then a puncture forced him to pit, four laps before the finish line.
The WORLD CHAMPION is...
Now in fifth place, Hunt had to push on. He went all in, drove through the aquaplaning and overtook Jones and Regazzoni once again. He crossed the line in third place, but had no idea of his success. The final result was not immediately clear, and he berated his team for the delayed pit stop. However, everything soon became clear and James Hunt celebrated his sole Drivers' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP title. This race thus capped off a dramatic, hard-fought FORMULA 1 season that came to a cinematic conclusion. Famously, in 2013, a film was released that explored the Hunt-Lauda rivalry in greater depth. A curious detail is the fastest lap of the nipponic event, won by Mario Andretti. The driver who set it, Masahiro Hasemi, was overtaken thrice during that timed lap. Jacques Laffite, who was actually the fastest, was recognised locally, but the correction only became public decades later!
