.png "os2 trasparenza (1)")
The Formula 1 circus heads to Sweden for its seventh stop on the calendar at the Anderstorp circuit. Thirty drivers are entered to participate in the Grand Prix practice sessions, but only the twenty-six with the fastest times will secure a spot on the starting grid for Sunday afternoon's race. It is perhaps needless to say that the two super-favorites are Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni in their Ferraris. They are so favored, in fact, that local bookmakers are offering odds of 43-to-1 (or 8,200 lire for every 190 lire bet) should anyone else win the race. Located in the woods of southern Sweden, the Anderstorp circuit is built using the runways of a local airport. The nearby village itself is a significant industrial and commercial center, owing much of its fame and prosperity to the annual car and motorcycle races held there. Naturally, Swedish fans are hoping not only for a victory, but also for a strong finish from their three local drivers: Ronnie Peterson (March), Gunnar Nilsson (Lotus), and rookie Connie Andersson (McLaren). Due in part to the excitement surrounding their presence, the Grand Prix is expected to draw a crowd of approximately 100,000 fans to Anderstorp. Lotus alludes to the possibility of unveiling a new six-wheeled single-seater in Sweden, but they arrive the week before the Grand Prix with their traditional cars, albeit with considerably reinforced front ends. This modification, however, proves insufficient: during preliminary testing on Friday, June 10, 1976, Mario Andretti's car suffers a front-end failure while traveling at almost 200 km/h. The Italian-American's Lotus ends up against the protection net and is irreparably damaged, necessitating its return to England alongside the car Nilsson was due to test. Andretti escapes the incident with only a minor concussion. Meanwhile, the Swedish press is dedicating significant coverage to the Ferrari team in the broadest sense of the word. They underscore the Italian company's high-level technological effort and the quality of the man-machine combinations coming out of Maranello.
Local experts are unanimous in their predictions for the Anderstorp race, even if their expected result will mean the early end of the 1976 World Drivers' Championship. Practice sessions for the Swedish Grand Prix will start on Friday at 11:00 am and will run until 3:00 pm, including a ninety-minute interval. The same schedule applies to Saturday's sessions. On Sunday, the race will start at 1:40 pm and will cover seventy-two laps, totaling a distance of 289.3 kilometers. The lap record is held by Depailler, set in 1973, with a time of 1'27"262 at an average speed of 165.785 km/h. The race, however, is overshadowed by the threat of poor weather: until Friday, rain has been falling intermittently, it is cold, and overnight temperatures have not risen above 6 degrees above zero. On Friday, June 11, 1976, the idyllic peace of the Anderstorp airport is shattered as the roar of engines at full throttle fills the morning air. Twenty-nine enrolled drivers take to the track for their first taste of the circuit. Among them is John Watson, who debuts Penske’s new PC4 model, but also American drivers Mario Andretti (Lotus) and Brett Lunger (Surtees). RAM also returns to the event, introducing Danish driver Jac Nelleman to pair with Loris Kessel. Another Dane, Tom Belsø, is entered in one of the Wolf-Williams cars, replacing Jacky Ickx, who is competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Belsø, whose last World Championship appearance was at the 1974 British Grand Prix, ultimately does not take part in the practice sessions. The attention of all attendees is primarily focused on Ferrari and Tyrrell, both of whom have started the weekend exceptionally well. The Maranello factory, having been on-site since Thursday (the mechanics and cars arrived days earlier, while Lauda, Regazzoni, and some management arrived in the afternoon), conducts a collective reconnaissance in the early evening. It is during this meeting that the main directives are set and the strategy is clarified. Following the reconnaissance, it is a morning wake-up call for all and a prompt start to the work. Niki Lauda, whom a Stockholm evening paper hailed as one of the greatest drivers of all time, offered some brief remarks to journalists:
"The circuit is quite challenging. The 312 T2s are better suited to undulating tracks. Here, however, we are faced with a very flat circuit with curves that feel identical. Regardless, we’re here to win, and in all likelihood, we will. As for problems, for the moment, there are none".
And Regazzoni agrees:
"To be honest, we have never secured a truly convincing victory here at Anderstorp. Last year, Reutemann was leading until ten laps from the end, when he was forced to retire due to a failure. Lauda then took the lead and crossed the finish line first. I truly hope that, this time, a Ferrari victory will be achieved purely through superiority".
Optimism is also high at Tyrrell, with Scheckter declaring:
"Last year, we didn't have the mechanical means to counter Ferrari's superiority. This year, the situation is different: Tyrrell cars are the only ones capable of breaking their superiority. We've already enjoyed some success at Anderstorp, with a splendid victory by Depailler one year. Perhaps this is the right time for me".
Depailler declares:
"The six-wheeler, initially met with incredulity and skepticism, is proving itself completely up to the task. It is absolutely safe and works perfectly. If someone asks today what the difference is between a four-wheel car and a six-wheel car, I can give the exact answer: the six-wheel car is the only one that has a chance to beat the Ferrari right now".
The mood is more tense and heated within the other teams. Everyone is aware that they have very little to challenge the superiority of Ferrari and Tyrrell. The Swedes - specifically Peterson, who is struggling to acclimatize to the March; Nilsson, whose Lotus is constantly battling setup issues; and Andersson, who lacks even the least confidence in his McLaren - have the greatest desire to perform well in front of their home crowd. However, they must surely wonder how they can achieve even an honorable placing, especially since, by the end of Friday, June 11, 1976, practice sessions, Niki Lauda had secured the best time. The Ferrari is not immune to problems, but since these have been solved one by one, satisfaction and confidence are evident within the Maranello team. Although Anderstorp is not the most suitable circuit for the Ferrari, the team is on the right track. In these terms, we can perhaps summarize the first day of testing, which sees an increase in the competitive level of the 312 T2s driven by Lauda and Clay Regazzoni. Both the Tyrrell and one of the Lotus cars prove to be a nuisance and even appear very dangerous to their competitors. However, Lauda is in splendid form, making it seem very difficult, at the moment, for anyone to overtake him. McLaren, on the other hand, arrives with two distinct cars: the single-seater driven by Mass featured a double rear wing, while both cars are fitted with an additional air intake for the front brakes.
The bodywork has been modified following the well-known technical problems: it has been shifted laterally by about six centimeters to accommodate the routing of the famous oil pipe, which was disputed in Spain. During the practice sessions, Mo Nunn confirms that Lella Lombardi will no longer race the second Ensign, starting from the French Grand Prix. In fact, unless significant funding materializes, the team enters only Amon’s car. This decision is due, in part, to the lack of sponsorship money brought by Lombardi from Lavazza (approximately thirty-five million lire), which is poor compensation considering a single Formula 1 race costs around £20,000,000. The practice sessions begin at 11:00 am, with the six-wheeled Tyrrells of Patrick Depailler and Jody Scheckter setting initial times of 1'27"9. Mario Andretti, in the Lotus, immediately threatens their pace. Lauda only takes over after this leading trio. The issue is that the Maranello single-seaters, exacerbated by a drop in temperature, cannot find a valid setup compromise for this circuit, which features a mix of oversteering and understeering corners. If the car is adjusted one way, it performs well, or even very well, in one corner but suffers in the next. Frequent trips to the pits and long, detailed conversations between drivers and technicians become routine. Regazzoni’s 312 T2 shows an anomalous behavior at the rear axle and breaks traction under braking, leading to the decision for the Swiss driver to continue with the spare car. Ferrari Sporting Director, Daniele Audetto, states:
"I believe this is a transient problem. The other teams were able to test last Saturday and Sunday, so they have been able to set up their cars better. We are now gaining experience, and in all likelihood, we will improve little by little".
The first part of practice, the morning session, ends with the following results: Depailler sets the best time in 1'27"076, followed by Andretti with 1'27"270, Scheckter with 1'27"480 and Lauda with 1'27"534. Then comes Amon (Ensign) with 1'27"731, Peterson (March) with 1'27"882 and Laffite (Ligier-Matra) with 1'28"012. The first practice session passes without any major incidents, apart from Pryce's off-track excursion after a suspension failure on his Shadow. Meanwhile, Scheckter's Tyrrell loses its first small front wheel on the left side, fortunately without consequences for the driver. The South African is forced to stop after only twenty-three laps, after Andretti signals the breakdown to him. Brambilla also completes only a few laps, twenty in total, before his March suffers an engine failure. This brings the session to the afternoon. At 3:00 pm, Lauda returns to the track and immediately begins to run quickly, a clear sign that the crucial setup compromise has been found. Regazzoni tries the spare car and records times faster than his morning efforts. Meanwhile, the Tyrrells fail to improve their performance. Only Andretti, driving the Lotus, seems capable of threatening Lauda. The times of the two drivers show differences of only a few tenths of a second, and they are constantly dropping. Twenty minutes before the end of the session, Lauda completes a series of laps under 1'26"0, thereby taking the lead. Having finally secured a time of 1'26"535, the Austrian returns to the pits. When asked why he comes in, Lauda replies:
"I don't believe there is any chance of improving today. Therefore, I’m stopping now and we will discuss it tomorrow".
Regazzoni pits almost immediately, his car smoking and leaking lubricant due to a detached oil pipe. The issue is promptly fixed, and the Swiss driver is able to rejoin the session. The setback is a real shame, however, as it disrupts Clay's momentum just when he is finding his pace and setting faster lap times. Other than Stuck, who suffers an engine failure on his March, this second practice session - which ends at 4:00 p.m. - yields no other significant developments. Audetto summarizes the situation:
"We are very satisfied as we performed much better than we did on the first day last year. The lap times today prove beyond doubt that Ferrari is competitive even at Anderstorp, the track everyone was watching us on. No issues to report at the moment. Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow".
Lauda appears calm and smiles:
"The car feels good. I had a few problems this morning, but they've been sorted out. All we can do now is wait for tomorrow".
And Regazzoni declares:
"Tomorrow, I will continue using the mule car. The mechanics will set up the other car this evening, and then we’ll assess the situation".
There is much satisfaction and hope within the Lotus team; they are surprised by Andretti’s second place on the first day of testing, too. Between the two Tyrrell cars there is Amon on the Ensign, while Brambilla is immediately after Regazzoni. However, nothing is certain yet. The presence of a Ferrari, both Tyrrells, and one Lotus has already established the look of the race field. It is a disastrous time for Emerson Fittipaldi, who cannot produce good results with his Copersucar:
"I don't know what to say. The car is undriveable; the wheels are not generating grip. I can’t figure out where the problem is. We’re going to fit more anti-roll bars now. It’s exhausting, of course".
Teddy Mayer and James Hunt are deeply unhappy, as the British driver finishes the first session in a disappointing fifteenth place. To address the car's lack of competitiveness, the team decides to use the setup of the Spanish Grand Prix. This includes adopting the regulation-maximum 1.8 cm extra width for the rear axle. However, the oil radiators are left in their current position, on the back under the rear wing, because the mechanics lack the necessary equipment to make that specific change. Despite these efforts, nothing changes. While a few teams, such as McLaren and Lotus, have conducted pre-race testing here, most of the paddock arrives just the day before first practice and immediately gets stuck in under surprisingly bright, sunny conditions. As safety is paramount, the chicane at the end of the runway has been realigned, making it tighter to slow the cars down even further before the technical, winding section. It quickly becomes clear who is pushing hard or who has mastered the conditions. A slight surprise is Merzario, who sets the fourth fastest time in the initial rush, only to be pushed back to tenth when the established stars begin to show their pace. There are 27 drivers practicing, but only 26 will be allowed to start, and Formula One deserves praise for the fact that nearly every driver reliably turns up; non-arrivals for Grand Prix practice are rare. As is now customary, Lauda’s Ferrari is setting the pace, though he is two or three seconds slower than last year's practice times due to the tighter chicane. Just as typically, the Tyrrell cars are right on his heels, their six-wheelers appearing beautifully balanced and controllable. Scheckter, emerging from his 1975 lethargy, is truly pushing hard and looks both extremely confident and spectacular. Harald Ertl suddenly ends up in the trackside scrub with his Hesketh but manages to escape. Tom Pryce, however, is not so lucky: his Shadow is truly stuffed into the barriers, an unrecoverable crash caused not by a simple mistake, but by a mechanical failure in the front end. Meanwhile, while Carlos Pace is pushing hard in the Brabham-Alfa Romeo, his teammate Reutemann is hampered by persistent gear selection problems, which are eventually traced to distortion in the gearbox end cover over the selector mechanism.
Practice is briefly suspended while the recovery vehicle collects the damaged Shadow and Pryce, who is thankfully unhurt, prepares to continue in the spare car. Over at McLaren, Hunt is unhappy with the feel of his regular car (M23/8), so when practice resumes, he switches to the spare car (M23/6) and finds it much more to his liking. Michel Leclère tries the Hesketh-Williams car, but it makes little difference to his position near the bottom of the grid. The other two tail-enders, Kessel and Nellemann, both retire their RAM Racing Brabham-Cosworths on track due to minor troubles. Up front, Scheckter and Depailler are truly pushing their six-wheeled Tyrrells. Joining them, and demonstrating that Lauda and Ferrari can potentially be beaten, is Mario Andretti in the Lotus 77. Signs at Zolder suggest that Andretti and Colin Chapman are successfully sorting out the new Lotus. Even before practice began at Anderstorp, the former USAC driver expressed his satisfaction with the car and his confidence that he would be right up there with the frontrunners, whoever they might be. While some teams are dealing with minor or even major troubles, Scheckter runs into a hilarious issue. As he exits the chicane, the tiny left-front wheel detaches from his Tyrrell. The first Scheckter knows of it is a slight car twitch, much like getting a puncture. He glances through the left side of the cockpit surround and sees a stationary brake disc - and no wheel. Since the car remains quite stable (at slower speeds, naturally) on five wheels, he drives straight back to the pits. His mechanics immediately gather around the cockpit, only to find him laughing hysterically inside his Bell helmet. None of them has noticed the tiny wheel is missing, until one of them finally looks down. No serious damage is done, and the car is soon ready to race again. The entire hour-and-a-half session seems to generate an air of frenzy, as if it is the last chance to secure a good grid position. Amidst the chaos, however, the small Ensign team is performing admirably. Chris Amon, driving neatly and smoothly on his first visit to the Swedish track, finishes fifth fastest. This places him just behind Lauda, who is himself nestled behind the Tyrrell-Lotus-Tyrrell sandwich. Peterson is next fastest, the extra paint on his March due to the First National Bank sponsorship clearly not hindering his performance. In a scientific attempt to optimize the car for Anderstorp, the Peterson March is running an enormously long wheelbase. This length is achieved by inserting a giant spacer between the engine and gearbox, which is actually the empty gearbox casing from the old central-gearbox 721X, containing nothing but the shaft linking the flywheel to the Hewland input shaft.
Moving the entire rear assembly rearward created an unforeseen overheating problem. This is because the side-mounted water radiators rely on air turbulence generated immediately ahead of the rear wheels to induce crossflow. However, the turbulence has now shifted back along with the wheels, and no longer reaches the radiators, which remain in their original positions alongside the engine. This overheating issue is solved during the lunch break by reverting to the short wheelbase configuration: the spacer is removed, bringing the gearbox and rear wheels forward to their normal position. The other March-A car faces a more fundamental challenge: a broken engine immediately halts Brambilla’s practice. Fortunately, numerous March mechanics quickly install a new engine, making the car ready for the afternoon session. Penske mechanics use the lunch break to weld stiffening plates onto the front pick-up points of the top rear radius arms of the new car. While the work is being finished, Watson gets back out on track in the spare PC3/02. Regazzoni also drives the spare car in the afternoon session; his regular car has braking issues and is sidelined for further work. Gunnar Nilsson is a driver who surely wishes his team had a spare car available; they would have, had their new chassis not destroyed itself in pre-race testing. As it stands, his regular car (77/R2) refuses to run properly because the German Rita ignition system is malfunctioning. Before the afternoon session concludes, the car is wheeled back into the paddock for a serious investigation. While Lauda has reasserted his normal position at the front, his teammate Regazzoni continues to struggle, returning to the pits with oil pouring from a loose fitting under the engine. Fortunately, no damage is done, and the issue is quickly fixed, but he wastes valuable track time. In the Brabham pits, Pace is complaining bitterly to Alfa Romeo designer Carlo Chiti about the oil splattered all over the rear of the car and the inboard brakes. However, the cause isn't a simple loose fitting, as was the case on the flat-12 Ferrari; Chiti appears to suggest that a little oiliness is simply a design characteristic of the flat-12 Alfa Romeo engine. When the pandemonium subsides and the electronic timing apparatus feeds its information into the computer system, the result of the afternoon session shows Lauda as fastest, followed by Andretti (second), Amon (third), Scheckter (fourth), Depailler (fifth), and Laffite in the Ligier-Matra (sixth).
The only change in the combined times for the day is Depailler moving his six-wheeler up into third place; all other positions remain unaltered. Saturday morning is cool and overcast, though the track remains dry. The one-and-a-half-hour practice session is designated for running full fuel tank tests and scrubbing in new sets of tyres for race day. This schedule is conceived by the Goodyear tyre technicians and the constructors' representative. In reality, however, most teams continue experimenting with handling adjustments to improve their lap times, even though there is no official timekeeping. Others are focused on overcoming insurmountable problems, such as getting an engine to rev correctly or a gearbox to shift properly. Actual race preparation is far from the minds of many teams, as the final hour of timed practice is still to come. This session represents the last chance to secure a good grid position, or, for the tail-enders, the final opportunity to qualify at all. The frenzy and pandemonium remain as intense as ever. While Laffite is bedding in a new Matra engine and gearbox on the Ligier, Scheckter tests his Tyrrell with the sausage-like air collector box. However, most teams are generally beginning to abandon air collector boxes, preferring to let the engine ingest air naturally and allow the overall airflow over the car to have a greater effect on the rear aerofoil. Scheckter is pushing aggressively while Reutemann is simply circulating in his Brabham-Alfa Romeo. As the six-wheeler passes, it chops in too soon, and its wide rear wheels clip the front of the Brabham, spinning it into the wall. This forces a pause for cleanup, after which both drivers have to account for their incident to the stewards. Reutemann has injured his right hand quite badly and is reluctant to continue practice, despite the Brabham mechanics having the spare car ready for him. Merzario would like to continue running, but the left rear corner of his March is being disassembled after a hub bearing has failed and needs immediate replacement. Saturday, June 12, 1976, marks the second and decisive day of practice for setting the starting grid. At 11:00 a.m., Lauda takes to the track to solidify his pole position, primarily checking that his car continues to run properly. Meanwhile, Regazzoni not only attempts to set a quick time with the spare car but also tests his regular car, which exhibited abnormal rear axle behavior on Friday.
Ferrari's excellent and disciplined mechanics work tirelessly throughout the night and Saturday morning on Regazzoni's car, hoping it will be fully sorted for the afternoon session. However, by the end of testing, four drivers - Scheckter (Tyrrell), Andretti (Lotus), Depailler (Tyrrell), and Amon (Ensign) - manage to surpass Lauda's time. The Ferraris, which performed so well on Friday, are unable to improve their positions. The threat posed by Tyrrell and Lotus, only hinted at on Friday, materialized on Saturday at Anderstorp. The day has two very different and distinct phases. In the morning, drivers take to the track for ninety minutes of free practice. Lauda and Regazzoni both start strongly, to the extent that the unofficial morning times, when compared to Friday's official times, show Lauda in the lead, followed by Scheckter, Regazzoni, and Amon. During the first practice session, Scheckter collides with Reutemann's Brabham-Alfa, forcing the Argentine to go off the track. Reutemann leaves his car and walks back to the pits, heading directly for Scheckter, who had already gone to Ecclestone to apologize and explain the incident. Reutemann approaches just as Jody is preparing to leave the garage. Not a word is exchanged between the two; Carlos simply makes a gesture to Scheckter, indicating that his driving was reckless. The Argentine driver is sent to the first aid station amid fears of a fracture to three fingers. Fortunately, he is cleared of any serious injury; only a bad, painful bruise remains. When the official afternoon qualifying session begins, everyone expects nothing but a confirmation of the situation previously outlined. Instead, while Lauda struggles to match his Friday times (sub-1'27"0), Scheckter starts with a 1'26"0 lap and, after only a few more laps, drops the time to an impressive 1'25"80. Barely fifteen minutes into the session, Amon records an excellent 1'26"0 lap, and Depailler begins running consistently in the 1'26"50 range. The possibility of times surpassing those of the Ferraris is becoming increasingly concrete. Andretti, who had been second on Friday, only manages one lap before his third gear failed; he returns to the pits, and the ensuing repair takes more than twenty minutes. Once back on track, Mario records times below 1'26"0, slotting himself between the Tyrrells, which appear completely trouble-free. Regazzoni, still driving the spare car because his regular one is not perfectly tuned, runs with great regularity, but his times are significantly slower, consistently hovering around 1'27"0.
At this point, Lauda begins returning to the pits with increasing frequency to adjust his car's setup, but these changes fail to alter the situation. Three minutes before the practice session ends, Niki decides to change tyres, but gives up immediately afterward. In fact, Lauda's car has significant understeer problems, while Regazzoni's is oversteering, as Ferrari Sporting Director Daniele Audetto will confirm that evening. Furthermore, towards the end of the session, Lauda complains of a loss of power in the engine, causing him to run far slower than usual. It takes the Swedish Grand Prix at the Anderstorp circuit to finally break Ferrari's positive streak, a run that has lasted since Clay Regazzoni's victory at the Italian Grand Prix in September 1975. The men of the British teams and those who fear a premature conclusion to the Formula 1 World Championship breathe a collective sigh of relief. However, the underlying truth remains: Niki Lauda and Regazzoni still hold top positions even when their session does not go smoothly. In short, for once, a mediocre Ferrari proves superior to many of its adversaries. The final hour sees the intensity rise even further. Scheckter and Depailler push hard in their six-wheelers, whose handling gives them the confidence to let the entire car slide through the corners in a graceful, balanced, and spectacular style. In complete contrast, the Ensign, driven by Amon with studied neatness and precision, is achieving the very same fast results. Lauda's Ferrari engine is showing signs of fatigue (a new unit is scheduled to be fitted for the race), and he cannot challenge for the front, ultimately finishing fifth but still ahead of 22 others. Andretti, meanwhile, is truly in the Anderstorp groove and heading toward the front of the timing sheets when all the teeth strip off the third gear pinion in his Hewland gearbox. Despite the extremely hot conditions, the Lotus mechanics swiftly disassemble the gearbox, clear out the broken fragments, fit new gears, and send Andretti back into the fray. He repays their intense efforts by setting the second fastest time overall and securing a place on the front row of the grid. The other Lotus faces just as many problems. Although a complete engine change finally gets the car running properly, a joint in the front suspension collapses, costing Nilsson a significant amount of time while it is replaced. At that point, he is at the back of the field. However, just before time runs out, everything suddenly begins working perfectly. He then delivers a superb fast lap, achieving sixth place - and then the Lotus runs out of fuel. Clearly, you can't think of everything when panic sets in.
Reutemann resumes practice rather disconsolately in the spare Brabham-Alfa Romeo after the Ferrari-style nose piece is removed and the original one fitted - a modification that requires hack-sawing off the new mounting framework. Elsewhere, Pryce is not as confident with the spare Shadow as he was prior to his accident. Jochen Mass spends time adjusting the lower rear aerofoil on his McLaren before choosing to keep it on. Hunt, by contrast, is in perpetual trouble, the McLaren spinning constantly. Alan Jones is pushing the Surtees to the limit with little success, perhaps trying too hard. And poor Emerson Fittipaldi finds himself back with the strugglers, his Copersucar refusing to react to his desired chassis adjustments. Frank Williams must be wondering why he requires such a large and opulent setup merely to achieve twenty-fifth place overall, while Morris Nunn, operating with virtually no setup or entourage, has his car sitting in third. Nunn runs his entire operation from the back of what resembles a secondhand furniture van compared to the vast Walter Wolf Racing transporter, motorhome, and support vehicles. Frank Williams is not the only one casting a sidelong glance at the red Ensign on the second row of the grid, with its Valvoline sticker and the name of a completely unknown property development company adorning its side. When the session concludes, it is no surprise that Danish driver Jac Nellemann, making his first attempt in Formula One, is the odd man out. More interestingly, no single driver has managed to dominate the practice sessions. Depailler was fastest in the first session, Lauda in the second, and Scheckter in the third. However, we have seen enough races and practice sessions to recognize the primary battle: Ferrari versus the six-wheelers. This format is spiced up by the cheeky intervention of the Ensign and the welcome return of Lotus to the front. The rumored demise of the Lotus team, which had dropped them to the back of the grid, simply doesn't reflect reality. The Ligier-Matra V12 is consistently competitive, and the March teams show occasional flashes of excitement. The McLaren team is still puzzled over how a one-inch increase in width could have made such a profound difference. As for the Brabham-Alfa Romeos, if they intend to achieve results commensurate with the size of their operation, they need to hurry, as the season is already halfway through. Unsurprisingly, the back-markers remain the back-markers, with little indication of future change.
Sunday, June 13, 1976, at 1:40 p.m.: race day is cool and cloudy, but the track remains quite dry. After the Swedish Air Force performs a display attempting to emulate the Red Arrows, and a number of diversions and parades entertain the 33,000 paying spectators, the serious business of the 72-lap race - all one and three-quarter hours of it - draws near. While the cars are warming up, Colin Chapman and his engineers are meticulously measuring the overall balance of Nilsson's car - fore-and-aft, side-to-side, and even corner-to-diametric-corner. Chapman ultimately decides that the car is undriveable in that state. Following this, every driver sets off on a warm-up lap and lines up in grid formation directly in front of the pits, which are located at one end of the circuit. The starting line and timekeepers are situated at the other end of the circuit, about half a lap away. Once ready, Scheckter and Andretti on the front row lead the field around to the true start, followed by Amon and Depailler, and then Lauda and Nilsson. With the current two-by-two grid layout and 26 cars taking part, those positioned at the back can barely see the starting flag (if one is used). This time, the tail-enders are still rounding the corner at the beginning of the starting straight when Scheckter and Andretti reach the line. The Swedish flag trembles, and then falls, and everyone lunges forward, rear wheels spinning furiously on the slippery surface. With his Cosworth V8 bouncing off the rev-limiter at 11,500 r.p.m., Andretti snatches second gear, and the black and gold Lotus leaps into the lead as the others finally find grip and chase after him toward the first corner. While the Swedish Ferrari Owners Club look puzzled to see Lauda and Regazzoni's cars in the pack, the Lotus owners in the crowd feel a surge of nostalgia. As the field sweeps around the 150-degree curve by the pits, the order is Andretti, Scheckter, Depailler, Amon, Nilsson, Lauda, and Laffite. Suddenly, the new Penske shoots out from the back-markers, its throttle jammed open by dust and grit on the slides. As Watson frantically scrambles to switch everything off, the car bounds over an earth bank and nearly into the spectators, ending its race. Meanwhile, Reutemann peels off into the pits, his engine sounding anything but healthy. The slim little Lotus speeds along the runway, with the two six-wheelers in hot pursuit, and the order among the front runners remains unchanged at the end of the opening lap. However, a commotion begins in race control: the start-line judges, Allan Parsson and Gustav Larsson, decide that Andretti has jumped the start and penalize him by one minute, treating the infraction as if it is a Formula Ford race.
This penalty information is promptly transmitted to Colin Chapman in the pits, who signals "-58 sec." to Andretti as the driver goes by, steadily increasing his lead. Naturally, none of his opponents are aware of the penalty, and few pit personnel can hear the loudspeaker announcement over the continual roar of the passing cars. One thing everyone is certainly aware of, however, is that Gunnar Nilsson is no longer racing: on the third lap, he spins out of the right-angle corner before the pits and slams backward into the pit wall. There is no need for explanations to his team, as he has ended up almost at their feet. The other Swedish hero, Ronnie Peterson, is driving cleanly but fails to excite the crowd, running in eighth place behind Hunt. Reutemann retires as his right hand is causing him too much pain, feeling there is no virtue in being brave and heroic while running in last place. Kessel spins off into the rough on lap 6. Fittipaldi has managed to achieve a temporary fix by completely removing the front anti-roll bar, but the consequence is that the front tyres wear out so rapidly that continuing is pointless. Ferrari enthusiasts claim that if Lauda's fresh engine is to make a difference, he will be leading within five laps. By lap ten, he isn't, and it is obvious he never will be as long as the leaders maintain their pace. Andretti is pulling away from the field, showing no intention of stopping to argue his penalty, while Scheckter is beautifully sliding the Tyrrell through the corners but struggling to hold the gap. Depailler is holding third place, followed by Amon in fourth, and then Lauda, who is driving flat-out but unable to close the distance. A significant gap has formed before Laffite appears, leading a nose-to-tail string of eleven cars, positioned in the order: Hunt, Peterson, Pace, Regazzoni, Brambilla, Mass, Jarier, Pryce, Jones, Merzario, and Stuck. Trailing at the back are Leclère, Perkins, and Lunger, while Ertl has already made a pit stop after running off the track. Gradually, the leading group stretches out, with roughly equal gaps separating the first five cars, while Laffite pulls his Ligier-Matra well clear of Hunt. Ertl's Hesketh proves troublesome for the following pack as they try to lap him; the car is fast down the straight but slow through the tight corners. By the twentieth lap, the high-speed procession has settled considerably, turning the focus toward which car will fail first. The field size is reduced by one when the Dutch-owned Ensign suffers a spectacular engine failure at the chicane, leaving Perkins with a long walk back to the pits.
Andretti looks so smooth and comfortable out in front that nothing seems capable of stopping him - certainly not the six-wheeled Tyrrells or the Ferraris. Many feel that Amon and the Ensign shouldn't be in fourth place, yet Amon is enjoying himself and sees no reason why he shouldn't claim third, as he is gradually catching Depailler. A cloud of dust erupts as Branshills gets into a muddle while braking for the pit corner and takes to the rough ground. Fortunately, this does not delay him, and he holds his place behind Regazzoni. The March nose cowling is now decidedly tatty on the right side, and the resulting imbalance - due to air getting under the nose on right-hand bends - causes Brambilla to gradually drop back. Merzario, unable to understand why those in front of him are moving so slowly, livens things up by passing Pryce, Jarier, and Mass before setting off after Brambilla. Just over half-distance, a lethargic air pervades the scene when a massive cloud of dust at the first corner signals a serious incident. Amon has Depailler in his sights when the left front corner of the Ensign suddenly collapses. The car goes head-on into the barriers after knocking down two catch-fences. A very shaken New Zealander climbs out of the wreckage with bruised legs, extremely lucky to be otherwise uninjured. While the previous crash at Zolder happened too quickly for Amon to know what occurred, this time the incident unfolded slowly and fully in his view. Simultaneously, a stir is occurring in the pits. Ken Tyrrell is trying to confirm whether the minute penalty on Andretti is official, but Race Control at the pit end of the circuit cannot get a clear answer from the start-line control point. Until he receives official confirmation, Tyrrell is not going to signal Scheckter or Depailler. Consequently, as far as they know, they are still trying (albeit in vain) to catch the Lotus. What they don't know is that the Lotus Cosworth V8 engine has lost its edge, and Andretti has been going slower for the past ten to fifteen laps. This explains why his lead has stopped increasing. As the Lotus finishes lap 45, it is slowing visibly. Then, as it approaches the pit end of the circuit on lap 46, a gusher of oil blows out of one of the inlet trumpets as a piston shatters. The entire car coasts past the pits in a cloud of smoke, and that is the end of the race for him.
Looking out of Race Control, and no longer waiting for confirmation of the minute penalty, Tyrrell simply says: Don't bother. He returns to his pit to urge his lads to take it easy and concentrate on completing the remaining laps. In first and second places, the revolutionary six-wheeled Tyrrells, the brainchild of Derek Gardner, are cruising around in complete control in only their fourth Grand Prix. Any doubting Thomases, Michaels, or Leonards must have been feeling profoundly uncomfortable. While they only inherited those positions because the Lotus engine blew up, this does not alter the fact of being first and second - even if luck played a part. Behind them are thirteen other cars that would have gladly accepted that same luck. Lauda holds a comfortable, though somewhat dejected, third place, while Laffite is equally secure and very content in fourth. In fifth place is Hunt, but Peterson is closing up on him. Similarly, in seventh place, Pace has Regazzoni gaining ground, the Ferrari driver clearly becoming conscious of the fact that one of the supposedly hopeless Alfa Romeo-engined cars is ahead of his all-conquering Ferrari. In ninth place is the struggling Brambilla in the orange March, with Merzario, waving his fist, right behind him in the white March. Pryce, Mass, Jarier, Jones, Lunger, Stuck, and Ertl have all been lapped. With everything to lose and so much to gain, Scheckter drives on tiptoe, doing his utmost not to strain the engine, clutch, gearbox, brakes, or suspension, as only one small failure could spoil everything. Apart from Stuck retiring at the pits, Ertl spinning off erratically again, and Merzario’s engine giving out right at the end, the Swedish Grand Prix runs its course. The two six-wheeled Tyrrells finish in first and second places. The Ferrari team is far from happy with their third place, nor with Regazzoni, even though he successfully passed both Pace and Peterson. This is despite the fact that many other teams would have been delighted to finish third, or even sixth. It is interesting to note that Regazzoni’s Ferrari flew past Peterson’s March on the long straight as if the March were standing still, yet it could not gain any ground on Hunt’s McLaren on that very same straight. With this triumph, the new model realized by Derek Gardner and Ken Tyrrell proves to be extremely fast and, above all, to have reached a high level of competitiveness in a very short time. However, it is necessary to consider that the Anderstorp circuit has always been favorable to the English team’s cars; curiously, Scheckter and Depailler achieved a similar winning 1-2 here in 1974. Ken Tyrrell welcomes his men at the finish line with a hug, and then declares:
"The cars are performing exceptionally well, and I am absolutely convinced that we have a very good chance for future races. We can say that we have solved all the problems and that we look to the future with great optimism".
Scheckter and Depailler report that they didn't have the slightest problem, conducting the race at their leisure without even facing any attacks. After the race, the South African shares how the project originates and what his first impressions were:
"I came here expecting to win. Naturally, I was impressed by Andretti's performance, but since it was impossible to catch him, I settled comfortably into second place. My car performed well; I just had some momentary grip issues that made me worry about tyre degradation. After that, everything was fine. The 'anti-Ferrari' Tyrrell? I don't think it's ready yet, but it will be very soon. Let's just say that we'll give everyone a serious challenge, because the car has potential and is already very competitive. We could have performed better if my car hadn't had some instability at the rear. Naturally, I initially struggled to adapt to the six-wheel Formula 1 car. However, slowly, driving it convinced me that Gardner had an exceptional intuition. Today in Formula 1, to beat Ferrari, we must either seek new engine alternatives, as Matra and Alfa Romeo are doing, or find new technical solutions. We believe we've already found the answer. Given the progress we are making from race to race, we will soon be the only team capable of challenging the Ferraris. I don't think Derek Gardner, the Elf-Tyrrell designer, would have been pleased had he known my reaction after my first time driving the revolutionary six-wheeler. It felt just like driving a touring car. I couldn't see the front wheels, which made hitting the apex of a corner impossible to aim for. I had to calculate the limit progressively, moving forward lap by lap until I finally found the optimum turning point. Once I knew where that was, it was simply like driving a conventional car with covered wheels again. The other bizarre feeling I had when driving it for the first time was that it felt like I was on roller skates. I had the impression that the second pair of front wheels was positioned directly beneath me. It was truly a strange sensation".
And he adds:
"Despite these two differences, it didn't take me long to properly feel the car and develop a suitable driving technique. Funnily enough, this technique isn't radically different. I imagine the simplest comparison for the average motorist would be switching from a left-hand drive car to a right-hand drive car. Before I adjusted to the narrower front end, I would enter a corner, only to discover on the exit that I had missed the apex. On the very next lap, I started aiming for the apex later, realizing I could turn in later and still have extra room on the corner exit. Essentially, the car was much more efficient in terms of the road space required to execute a turn. This simply means that you gain two key advantages: first, you gain fractions of a second in the corner, and second, the clean, efficient trajectory allows you to reach top speed sooner. I am sure Derek's idea for the car's advantages is much more complex than my own theory. About eighteen months ago, I first got wind that Ken and Derek were working on something very unusual. Ken had a habit of saying things like, 'How would you like a car with twenty percent more front-end grip?' or 'How do you feel about a front that is twenty inches narrower?' I knew something was coming, but I wasn't sure in what form. Patrick and I tried to guess what it might be. We imagined all sorts of things - some of them genuinely disturbing - but the one thing that never crossed our minds was a six-wheeled car. We first actually heard about it during a practice session at Paul Ricard about a year ago. Derek pulled out the car's blueprints, settled in, and simply asked, 'What do you think?' I believe Patrick uttered something like 'Damn,' and I said 'Jeeze' or something equally eloquent".
He continues:
"There isn't much one can truly say in a situation like that. However, I was absolutely certain of one thing: it would work. I have immense respect for Derek, and I know that once he sets his mind to something, he is one of those modern designers capable of producing a competitive car right off the drawing board. In fact, we often joke with Derek that the drivers are his biggest obstacle. The 007 was actually more competitive during its first six races than it is now that the drivers have had time to develop it. The other truly interesting thing about the six-wheeler is the way people react to it. When the car was first unveiled to the press at the Elf reception, you could hear nervous giggles; people genuinely didn't know whether to laugh or applaud. The reaction from other teams' drivers and managers was much the same: they openly mocked and joked about it. Now that we have raced it, the drivers simply try to ignore it. The team principals, however, rush to the guardrail with stopwatches in hand every time the car turns a wheel, like a pack of frightened rabbits. But going back to the car itself, almost everyone asks what it feels like to have four front wheels. Here is the answer: you don't realize you have four wheels up front. It feels exactly like driving with two. What you do notice, however, is that the car goes exactly where you point it. Normally, pointing the steering wheel is just an indication of where the car will head... eventually. At low speeds, the car truly feels like it's running on rails. I can already anticipate the next valid question: 'Why do you need four front wheels?' The simple answer is this: the narrower the car, the faster it goes on the straights. The issue is that narrower cars typically struggle in the corners. In other terms, you'd ideally need a car with a variable track - very narrow on the straights, and one that widens as you approach the corners. Since that isn't possible, we have a narrow car with extra roadholding for the corners. This additional grip comes from the four front wheels, which essentially means a larger rubber footprint on the road at the front end. We also gain an advantage when it comes to straight-line braking. For instance, when approaching a tight hairpin quickly, I believe I can brake later than most. However, if I have to brake once the car is already in the hairpin, then I suspect our car is comparable to the others. With all this rubber upfront, I've noticed on several occasions that when entering a corner quickly, the car tends to lift the inside rear wheel off the ground. I've looked in my mirror several times and seen that our rear wheel wasn't rotating. However, this can also happen with a four-wheeled car, so it's not a trait unique to the six-wheeler. Ken is quite astute concerning the car's benefits. I believe he prefers to let the other designers figure things out for themselves".
So he concludes:
"However, I am fully prepared to handle one of the major disadvantages, which is definitely the extra time required for pit stops when changing from wet to slick tyres. One thing is certain: this car must be driven cleanly. What I mean is that it demands maximum concentration from the driver and performs best when steered smoothly rather than jerkily. It absolutely requires a very smooth driving style. With other cars, you can compensate for certain errors by sliding them slightly sideways. I was always a driver with that sideways tendency, but as I get older, I am increasingly convinced that a clean driving line is the better approach. The entire team has tremendous confidence in this car. We have placed all our hopes in it to help us move past this negative phase. To be honest, we didn't achieve consistently good results last year. I believe a large part of that was due to the fact that there wasn't much more development we could do with the four-wheeled 007. The old car certainly suffered because all our development work was being focused on the new one. It is definitely starting to deliver some good results for us. I personally have a huge amount of faith and hope in this car, but at the same time, there is still significant development work ahead. Regardless, you can see why we are all so passionate and why we believe in it. To have achieved these results with such a revolutionary car and with so little development time suggests we can expect even greater benefits. In the future, we might even introduce a car with different characteristics tailored for long and fast circuits; who knows? I am convinced that we have become a team capable of beating Ferrari. We certainly have our share of problems, as is the case with every new car. This is, as far as I can recall, the most exciting project ever developed in Formula 1. I am delighted to be part of it, and I am confident that we will do well".
And Depailler, second, comments:
"A decent second place, though I might have been able to stay closer to Jody had I not opted for softer tyres, which caused some unexpected issues as the race progressed. In fact, by mid-race, I had very little rear grip. My confidence in this six-wheel project seems justified, wouldn't you agree?"
When asked by a journalist if the World Championship race truly begins at Anderstorp, Ken Tyrrell simply replies:
"I prefer not to comment".
Yet, only minutes before, he had stated:
"We are very confident about the future. We will continue to win".
There is no doubt that the six-wheeled Tyrrells, finishing first and second in the Swedish Grand Prix, are unequivocally the cars of the moment. They thoroughly outpaced their rivals, crossing the finish line ahead of the Ferraris and proving that effort and sacrifice are never truly wasted. It is worth remembering, however, that Tyrrell secured a victory under similar circumstances in Sweden just two years prior. It is now more than evident that the Anderstorp circuit - with its long-radius corners, sudden temperature shifts, and a track surface often left dirty by the series of support races held before Formula 1 - is simply not congenial to the Ferraris, whereas it perfectly suits the characteristics of the British car. In this situation, Ferrari likely hit the bottom of its performance curve at the very moment Tyrrell reached its peak, and the convergence of these two factors determined the outcome at Anderstorp. Despite this, Ferrari views the result of the Swedish Grand Prix as quite satisfactory, as Daniele Audetto confirms:
"Finishing third and sixth at Anderstorp is a very strong result for us. The fact that the cars didn’t have any problem is what truly matters. The results we achieved here confirm the quality of our cars. This circuit simply does not suit our characteristics, and we cannot engineer a victory just for this one race. We will definitely return to winning ways. Drivers like Lauda and Regazzoni in this form can only bring us great satisfaction".
Lauda highlights the poor grip, noting that the tyre temperature at the end of the race was twenty degrees lower than it had been on Saturday. He also recounts the recurrent oversteer and understeer issues experienced during the race. The Austrian driver admits that nothing more could be done under the circumstances and expresses his belief that Ferrari will return to winning ways as early as the French Grand Prix.
"The car lacked grip, yet on a particularly difficult circuit for Ferrari, I brought home four points that I consider important. Not so much for the championship standings, but because, even on this track - where Ferrari should almost build a purpose-built car - we didn't look bad. I checked the tyre temperature after the race, and they were twenty degrees colder than yesterday, which was already a chilly day. That explained the lack of grip that the Ferrari was suffering from. It was genuinely hard to drive because I had heavy oversteer entering the corners and a crazy amount of understeer on the exit. Ultimately, though, it wasn't a surprise for us: we knew Sweden would be difficult".
Mario Andretti and the Lotus's performance cannot be truly judged due to the Italian-American's false start. However, it must be said that Colin Chapman's car is clearly improving - and it's certainly about time after such a long negative period.
"My Lotus was an exceptional car. I got away fast, and it’s not true that I jumped the start. Jody and I were side-by-side at the line, but there was oil flagged on the grid, which caused my car to skid. I put the car into second gear, and perhaps that gave the impression I started early. But that's just an irrelevant argument now. I certainly wasn't scrambling the car, considering I had a six-second lead over Scheckter. Then, suddenly, right in front of the pits, a valve spring failed, making it impossible for me to win my second Grand Prix".
Strange but true, there were people willing to bet any amount of money on Lotus completely vanishing from contention. Those who bet won, but not for the reasons they expected. The Lotus cars retired, not due to mechanical failures - though everyone says the cars are delicate because they operate at the limit - but rather due to the impetuousness of the drivers. The Swede, Nilsson, vanished from the scene before he could even get into the heat of the race, which is a pity, as experts predict a great future for him. Andretti got everything wrong: he jumped the start, incurred a penalty, and effectively forced himself to blow the engine. The indisputable fact remains that Lotus poses no threat to Ferrari and Tyrrell. The Anderstorp crowd was highly entertained by the two Italians, Brambilla and Merzario. Vittorio repeatedly challenged Regazzoni but ultimately failed to overtake him. His impetuousness also proved to be a negative factor: having been forced to brake hard and pull back after an impossible overtaking attempt, he damaged his nose, subsequently having to finish the race conservatively. This was a great pity, as he certainly had the potential for a good points finish. The Italian March driver, Vittorio Brambilla, who finished tenth, states:
"I had a good opportunity until the problem with the nose; after that, the car developed heavy understeer and I was forced to slow down".
Merzario truly gave his all. He climbed from seventeenth after the second lap, passing competitor after competitor to reach ninth position. Just as he was recovering, his engine failed.
"I was running a decent race when suddenly everything cut out. Having to retire with only one lap remaining is nothing short of terrible luck".
In short, the Anderstorp circuit clearly highlighted the potential of the Tyrrells, which are currently the only cars capable of truly challenging Ferrari. The Maranello team certainly has the necessary personnel and technology to find the optimal solution to this challenge. Lauda, as reported from Sweden, drove defensively, avoiding any unnecessary risks. This intelligent tactic earned him four points and had even secured him the victory the previous year. However, this time, only two of the four cars ahead of the Ferrari retired - Andretti's Lotus and Amon's Ensign - leaving the Austrian to settle for a third place that should not be underestimated. Just as in Monte Carlo, Regazzoni's splendid drive must be highlighted; starting from the sixth row, he battled hard for a long time, ultimately overtaking Ronnie Peterson and his March in the final stages. While the Swiss driver was not challenging for the victory, his sheer determination and desire to race should be admired.