Vittorio doesn't hide the fact that, despite everything, he likes the circuit:
"As a design, the circuit is very nice. Interesting, but it is certainly lacking in safety. But, I am sincere, I just drive. I don't make controversies. Mosport should be changed, but not only Mosport. I have heard many colleagues criticize the road surface. But I haven't had any problems with it. It doesn't jerk and the wheels go well".
Brambilla, who this year has not yet succeeded in repeating the success obtained in 1975 in Austria, is emotionally charged, also because he would not like to remain at the March and is looking for a new arrangement, perhaps Brabham-AIfa Romeo.
"At least there they also speak Italian. Here they favor only those who know English. I really want to win on Sunday, for me and why not, also for Ferrari. Beating Hunt would be a pleasure for them too".
There's no doubt about that, because Hunt and McLaren are not well liked by Ferrari's men, and of course the feeling is mutual: Hunt, when he sees Lauda or Daniele Audetto, seems to launch flashes of fire. But the team in Maranello has also other things to think about, since it has been struggling with problems in the tuning of the cars. And if Regazzoni at the end of training is all in all happy, Lauda declares himself dissatisfied again.
"We still have to work a lot".
Niki says to the staff at Maranello, who find themselves, despite themselves, at the center of a new episode in the war of regulations that is now raging in Formula 1, after the British teams, in the forefront McLaren, spread the word that the positioning of the oil radiator on the Ferraris was irregular, leaving the mechanics stunned.
"But how, isn't it since the beginning of the year that the radiator has been placed in the aileron support? In all the previous Grands Prix, no one had found anything to complain about".
In order to parry the blow, Audetto asks for a technical check from the Canadian Grand Prix stewards who, with the regulations in hand, ascertain that the radiator is not correctly positioned. What is absurd is that the engineer Forghieri had asked the same CSI delegate for indications to be able to mount the radiator in the position that is now contested by the same person. As if that were not enough, the French delegate Crombac began to spread the word that the Ferrari times would be cancelled, but the intervention of the Csai delegate, the lawyer Causo, averted this possibility. So, during the night, the engineer Tomaini and the mechanics remedy the problem. In the meantime, during the afternoon, Clay Regazzoni, thirty-seven years old, wife who is always in Lugano, two beautiful children, Swiss by birth but Neapolitan by origin (ancient), smiles light-heartedly, adjusts his mustache, and gives a very Latin look to a beautiful girl looking for autographs. In Canada, two years before he aimed for the world title with Ferrari, now he is about to end his relationship with Maranello. Three Grands Prix, this one in Mosport, then those in the United States and Japan, and goodbye. Chapter closed, after seventy races, four victories, a long series of placings and seven years together with the Maranello team: never in the history of Ferrari has a driver taken to the track in so many races, and for so many years, with the Maranello cars. Goodbye to Ferrari, but not to competitions, because Regazzoni wanted to race and have fun.
"I'm a young man, age doesn't count. What counts is what you feel, what you want to do".
The Neapolitan Swiss, whom Ferrari fans love as if he were the much-sought-after all-Italian driver, is looking for an accommodation, and is a bit embarrassed. McLaren or Brabham-Alfa Romeo?
"Guys, advise me a little bit. Let's analyze the situation together. McLaren is strong, it has a competitive car, it's a smart team; Brabham went badly this year, but it's preparing a new car and Alfa have developed a super version of their already valid twelve-cylinder engine. Both are fine for money. Money interests me, but relatively. You know what? Well, I like Brabham-Alfa better. They speak English, but also Italian, if I choose Bernie Ecclestone's team I will feel less the change".
Soon after, Clay left the Holliday Inn in Oshawa to look for Ecclestone, returning an hour later, visibly pleased.
"It's almost done. There's a sponsor problem, he's all Martini, I should have Marlboro as well, but I don't think it's a difficult problem to solve. Within a week I hope to combine".
The smile fades when talking about Ferrari, about these seven years spent with the Maranello team:
"It was great to be able to work with all the technical staff: you saw the drawings, you discussed, there were no secrets. The car was also yours. The English don't behave like that with their drivers. It was bad, instead, to be often at the center of unprovoked polemics, of discussions, and not to have a real direct relationship with the commander. With him I talked about more or less, not about problems. He never complimented me on a good result or accused me of an unhappy performance...".
Regazzoni adds:
"I have a bit of nostalgia, of sorrow, like when you break up with a woman without arguing, serenely. With Ferrari I have experienced great joys and moments of bitterness. Any examples? Well, the two successes at Monza: unforgettable. Anger instead for that title bitterly lost in 1974. It escaped me in America, but before that in Argentina or Monaco or Italy. Someone did not believe in me".
Finally he talks about Ferrari's choice to hire Reutemann:
"What I don't understand is having chosen Reutemann to replace me. If they had chosen a young man, it would have been logical. But Carlos is only three years younger than me, and he's not a speed freak: if the car isn't going well, it can be easily disassembled. And now they have to rebuild the team, there will be many problems to solve. One is trivial, but important: Lauda and Reutemann have very different sizes. Their cars will have to be very different. Niki and I, on the other hand, could have swapped our single-seaters or got on the mule cars without the slightest adaptation".
He concludes:
"I don't know if Ferrari realized the work that Lauda and I have done over the years. In 1974 we fixed a car that was coming from a bad season, in 1975 Niki won the title. And remember, please, that the test runs were not all his doing. I did more kilometers at Fiorano than he did. Well, I really don't understand why it was decided that it was time to interrupt the Regazzoni-Ferrari duo".
Regazzoni torments himself a little, then anticipates a question.
"Don't think that I spend my time tormenting myself or that I meditate who knows what kind of revenge. I love Ferrari and its people too much. I simply hope to have a competitive car next year, so much so that I can be ahead of Lauda or Reutemann a few times. As for Sunday's race or those of the United States and Japan, I will race for me, above all for Maranello".
As to say: if it will be necessary, I will give a hand to Lauda, I will try to take points away from Hunt and McLaren. It is an intelligent and nice attitude. Regazzoni takes his leave as a gentleman. Meanwhile, at Mosport, Niki Lauda sips a glass of milk. Dressed in blue velvet jeans, checkered shirt, gray wool sweater, cap on his head to hide the bite of the flames of that now distant Sunday in August, in a moment of pause a young boy arrives, introduces himself, shakes his hand, and congratulates him:
"Bravo, you are strong".
Lauda smiles.
"Nice, isn't it?"
Says the Austrian driver, then reflects for a moment and adds:
"Right now I am less strong than he thinks. I'm still not back to the Lauda I used to be. I need a few more races, I have to improve. The Nurburgring accident has left me with a consequence: I keep my foot too light, I don't give as much gas as I should. But I'm not worried, it was expected".
Then he continues:
"I wanted to anticipate my return to the race to limit the aftermath of that bad adventure. The longer you are away from the wheel after an accident, the more difficult it is to recover. It happens to everyone, even to normal drivers. I had no problems, I was happy to take this first step. However, with my Ferrari I have to get back to the old feeling. I'm still not satisfied: I brake a little earlier than I should, I accelerate a little less. Normal. It's a matter of time, of getting used to it again and it will be like before. Of course, you need willpower".
Niki makes a confession:
"I didn't get a brilliant time. My fault, I went too slowly. I hadn't driven since Monza and this lack of training made itself felt. Moreover, I was determined to set the car in a certain way and I didn't try other ways. But what could I do? Try Fiorano? Private testing doesn't offer the stimulus of a Grand Prix".
As he chats, James Hunt passes by, dressed in ratty pants, T-shirt and sandals, looking like a hippy. Lauda glances at him, takes a sip of milk, then blurts out:
"He's crazy, all crazy, and should be sent to a clinic. I've been racing for many years in Formula 1, I've always respected the other drivers: we're in the same boat, it's hard to get on the track. After the Spain affair I criticized Teddy Mayer and McLaren because they had given Hunt an irregular car, not James. He, instead, after the Grand Prix of Great Britain and the sentence of the International Automobile Federation has insulted me, has sustained that I am not sporting. Absurd".
Niki continues:
"And I didn't like some of his interviews. After my accident Hunt declared that he would have preferred not to win the title, since I was in the hospital. Then, after he almost reached me in the standings, he started to say that he would have liked to see me on the track. Thank you very much. First he scores points while I cannot defend myself, then he wants me when we are close. What does he think, he is so smart? He's a jerk, that's all".
Then he talks about Teddy Mayer, saying:
"More of a jerk than Hunt and Mayer, though. This year he tried all the tricks possible and imaginable to beat Ferrari. But he hasn't been able to do them well, he's always been found out. And I would be the unsporting one? Ferrari has always competed with legal cars. Don't talk to me about the matter of the gearbox oil radiator: first, there is no bad faith; second, the arrangement of the radiator on the wing support could not offer me the slightest advantage".
Lauda interrupts his outburst, as Vittorio Brambilla greets him and inquires about his condition.
"Don't worry, tomorrow I'll take care of Hunt".
Promises Brambilla, while Lauda continues:
"The March at Mosport is doing well, as other cars are very competitive on other circuits. We no longer have the advantage of last year: in 1975 we were the fastest everywhere, while in this championship we have been caught up. It's time to think about '77, about the new version of the 312 T2, which is being prepared in Maranello. In the next season, from the first Grand Prix, I want to start in pole position. I will work a lot in November, then in Japan, even if I still don't know how to conciliate the tuning of the car with the operation I have to do to the face. I can't close the eyelid of my right eye completely, it gets irritated and it tears. I haven't even found a doctor: I would like a good one, but not one looking for publicity on my shoulders".
The speech on the prospects 1977 provokes a question: what do you think about the arrival of Carlos Reutemann and the departure of Clay Regazzoni?
"Nothing. The commander decides, everything is fine with me, I am only a driver. Carlos arrives? I hope to do a good job with him. Clay leaves? A normal fact, it happens in every team".
However, on Saturday, October 2, 1976, James Hunt conquers the pole, the seventh in season, while Ronnie Peterson beats for few thousandths the teammate Brambilla, conquering so the first row.
Lauda is only sixth, and in the course of the tests he is even forced to return to the pits, on the indication of a commissioner who points out to him that a rear wheel turns crooked. Amon and Ertl, after the accident on Friday, although qualified, cannot continue because they are injured. This allows Guy Edwards and Arturo Merzario to move up one position on the grid. Otto Stuppacher, the only non-qualified driver, is not picked up because his time in practice is too slow, more than 110% of Hunt's time. Larry Perkins, up to this moment at the wheel of the Boro, passes to Brabham to take the place of Rolf Stommelen, since the Boro will no longer make any appearance in the 1976 World Championship. The New Zealander Chris Amon, after being fired from Ensign after the German Grand Prix for refusing to start the second race after Niki Lauda's accident, is hired by Wolf-Williams. For him it is the fourteenth different manufacturer for which he runs in the world championship. Amon thus holds the record of the driver who has been hired by the highest number of different manufacturers for a world championship race. Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi, on the other hand, is no longer seen, just as RAM continues to be missing. The backwardness of the structure of the Mosport circuit creates peculiar circumstances, such as thefts, since during the weekend, two of their mini front wheels are stolen from the Tyrrell team, which could have caused big problems if they had damaged the wheels during the race, and also the wheel centers of Ferrari and Tyrrell, which are used to balance the wheels on the Goodyear balancing machine are stolen, causing serious problems for both teams. In Canada, finally, we learn that the new B.R.M., if it will be made, will be designed by Len Terry, after that Ron Tauranac refused the job that had been proposed to him, while Colin Chapman lets it be known that his new Lotus 78 will debut at the Argentine Grand Prix, because he doesn't want to give the opportunity to the other teams to study his idea, which is based on an internal aerodynamic concept that foresees an increase of the ground effect by means of two big air intakes that are not purified by the engine power supply, but to this work to increase stability. During the day of Saturday the engineer Rocchi, who is one of the key elements of the technical troika composed by Forghieri and Bussi, is struck by a serious heart attack.
Moreover, also the designer Salvarani, also 52 years old, and who is the creator of the solution of the special gears of the transversal gearbox, is victim of a serious relapse of an anginal attack. In the meantime Forghieri, who flies to the USA to help Tomaini and the sporting director Audetto, exposed in Canada by the difficult moment of Hunt and McLaren's psychological attack. Three races before the end of the season, Lauda could already be crowned World Champion, since the championship regulation foresees that only the best seven results of the first eight Grand Prix count, and the best seven of the last eight. However, none of the three drivers still fighting for the title (Lauda, Hunt and Scheckter) are in the position of having to discard points from the last three Grands Prix. Niki Lauda has already won on five occasions, James Hunt four, while Jody Scheckter only once. Therefore, Lauda wins the world championship if: he wins; he finishes second with Hunt not winning; he finishes third with Hunt not finishing in the top four; he finishes fourth with Hunt not arriving in the first five; he finishes fifth with Hunt out of the points zone and Scheckter not winning. Also Scuderia Ferrari could already win the constructors' cup: also in this case the regulations foresee that only the best seven results of the last eight races count, but none of the three manufacturers still in contention - Ferrari, Tyrrell and McLaren - must discard points in the last three Grands Prix. Therefore, Ferrari could win the cup if: one of its cars finishes on the podium; its first car finishes fourth, fifth or sixth with Tyrrell and McLaren not winning; or the Tyrrell does not arrive in the first two places and the McLaren is not winning, independently from the result in race of the Scuderia Ferrari. Sunday, October 3, 1976 the Canadian Grand Prix takes place on a warm sunny day, like an Indian summer, as they say in the area. Orgy of colors, trees with red or yellow leaves, meadows still green, which since dawn are filled with cars arrived from all over Canada and the nearby States. Few tents, many large motor-houses with bed, shower and every comfort. The public, however, is not large. The organizers of Mosport talk about 45.000 thousand people at most, but the budget is saved the same, because the tickets are very expensive (25 dollars to see the cars in the pits) and the service staff is poor, provided mainly by clubs of motor sports amateurs. Before the race, Hunt is very nervous and also has a problem with his left arm, where water has formed at the elbow. The night before the race, the English driver undergoes several acupuncture treatments from a local doctor. Niki, who obviously learns of his friend-enemy's disadvantage, admits:
"I think it's going to be a tough race, and therefore you have to be in very good health. I have a slight problem with a stiff neck, I sprained a vertebra in the crash at the Nurburgring. I hope it won't cause me any problems. My plan is to sit still and watch Hunt, Peterson and Brambilla, who put each other out, hoping that I will always be there at the end of the race".
Lauda also hasn't slept well over the past few nights, and he's not in top physical shape; in addition, skin grafts, especially around his eye, create enormous pain for him. The race starts three quarters of an hour late due to the need to make the track safe, after the damages caused by an accident during a Formula Ford race, which took place shortly before. Finally we start and Peterson, with his March is very quick to overtake Hunt at the start: the Swedish driver takes the lead of the race and at the end of the first lap precedes Hunt, Depailler (Tyrrell), Andretti (Lotus), Brambilla (March), Scheckter (Tyrrell) and Lauda. In the first laps a small group of four drivers is formed, Peterson, Hunt, Depailler and Andretti, who fight side by side. Slightly detached Scheckter. Brambilla and Lauda, but they come back. It is a snake of impressive cars. No one is able to break away for now. From pole position Hunt makes a tremendous getaway at the start of the 80-lap race, but Ronnie Peterson is even quicker, the March slipping ahead as they lead the field through the first downhill right-hander and away down towards the bottom of the circuit. Back on the grid poor Gunnar Nilsson is left stranded just before the field departed at the start of its parade lap, and the recalcitrant Lotus was half a lap behind before it would fire up. Thus the rest of the field are long-gone into their first lap before Nilsson appears to take the starting flag, and nobody seems to mind him taking a flying start under the circumstances.
At the end of the opening lap Peterson leads a tight bunch with Hunt right on his tail, and then comes Depailler, Andretti, Brambilla, Scheckter, Lauda, Mass, Laffite, Stuck, Pace, Regazzoni, Pryce, Fittipaldi, Perkins, lckx, Pescarolo, Watson, Edwards, Lunger, Merzario, Janet, Jones and Nilsson. Hunt is really pressing Peterson hard and although the Swede continues to lead for the first seven laps it is pretty clear that the McLaren driver would be through and away gives half a chance. Within a few laps of the start Peterson finds his March deteriorating into its customary near-undriveable state, but he isn’t giving up without a struggle and when Hunt slips past on the inside of the hairpin on lap 8 he takes full advantage of his rival running slightly wide and slips by again as they come back up the hill towards the start/finish area. Next time Hunt makes no mistakes and takes the lead confidently and cleanly, giving his M23 everything he has once he has a clear road in front of him, for he knew full-well that Peterson would keep his rivals tied up for a good while and by the time they have past the March it is Hunt’s intention to be out of sight. Depailler takes until lap 13 to displace the Swede’s March and then it is Andretti’s turn to take over third place on lap 16 as Peterson drops to fifth behind Jody Scheckter. At the back of the field Merzario’s Williams disappears unnoticed after spinning off the circuit, and Perkins has a wild old spin in the Brabharn-Alfa which drops him to last place. At the ninth lap James Hunt overtakes Peterson and Lauda passes Brambilla. The Englishman reiterates his desire to win. His McLaren quickly increases its advantage. In the meantime, at the eleventh lap Merzario crashes and goes off the road with his Williams: the Italian driver remains bruised at the left knee. While Merzario inserts the fifth gear, in the middle of the straight the car turns and ends its race against a guardrail.
"Unfortunately this car has no grip on the road. I knew it was so and I started slowly, but it was not enough".
Hunt pulls away inexorably, while Peterson is attacked and overtaken also by Depailler, bringing him to four seconds of disadvantage from the McLaren driver. The Englishman is also advantaged by the overtaking of a lapped driver, the Australian Perkins (Brabham). Lauda's rival for the title continues his march with great progression, bringing to seven seconds the margin over Depailler, who in turn overtakes Peterson, Andretti, Scheckter and Lauda. Peterson progressively gives up, in difficulty for the road holding and for a problem with the braking system, and is overtaken also by Andretti and Scheckter. His March must have some problems. Lauda passes Peterson on the eighteenth lap, and at the same time Regazzoni moves up to tenth place, overtaking Pace (Brabham-Alfa). Brambilla, like Peterson, is in trouble because of gearbox problems, and loses positions.
At lap 20 Hunt is still in the lead, followed by Depailler with his six-wheel car, then Andretti, Scheckter, Lauda who is fifth, Peterson, Mass with the other McLaren, then Brambilla and Regazzoni. Mass and Brambilla overtake Peterson at the twenty-first lap and Regazzoni does the same at the twenty-third. Lauda is fifth at twenty seconds from Hunt: in this moment he would still have the possibility to become World Champion with the two points of the placement, but on condition that Hunt retires. The Englishman, however, continues his very safe march. The queue of cars is now lengthened: Depailler tries to attack Hunt and takes less than a second. The game of lapping still favors James, who suddenly gains two seconds. On lap 29 Regazzoni overtakes Brambilla and rises to seventh place. A great comeback, if you think that Clay started from the sixth row. Then Stuck stops at the pits on the thirty-sixth lap, due to poor road holding, and Fittipaldi on the forty-first lap, due to fatigue. The situation seems to be stabilized even if Depailler, with stubbornness, tries to get back in Hunt's wake. Hunt at the half of the race, that is after forty laps, is still in the lead with a second on the French and 5.9 seconds on Andretti. The race proceeds without changes, until Mass, Regazzoni and Pace progressively get closer to Lauda. Pace shakes his fists at Regazzoni, a blatant gesture to show everyone that the Swiss does not want to be overtaken, while during the forty-third lap Laffite retires because of the engine failure. There are the overtakes of lapped drivers to complicate the life of the leaders, while the small group of Mass, Regazzoni and Pace reaches Lauda, who sees his fifth place threatened. And on the fifty-ninth lap Mass overtakes the Austrian driver to the disappointment of the Ferrari fans. At the next lap Lauda is passed also by Regazzoni and Pace and he goes down in eighth position. What happens? It will be known at the end that it was not fatigue that stopped the Austrian driver, but a mechanical failure. The Grand Prix starts towards the end, with Hunt and Depailler in the lead alone, then Andretti, Scheckter, and the small group composed by Mass, Regazzoni and Pace. In the last laps Depailler's car has a fuel system failure, which preventes the French driver from continuing his attacks on Hunt's first position. In fact in the meantime the fuel has enters the cockpit and its gases start to stun Depailler.
Hans Stuck retires his March after 37 laps with dire handling problems, while Fittipaldi’s Copersucar never handles properly again after its first pit stop, and a broken exhaust pipe is the last straw that prompted the Brazilian to retire on lap 42. Three laps later, Laffite, who is throwing his Ligier-Matra all over the place in a desperate effort to get past Peterson’s tardy March and takes over 10th place, inadvertently selects first gear when he wants fourth and creeps into the pits to retire with dangerously low oil pressure on the French V12. From that point onwards to the finish nobody else retires from the race. At the head of the field it looks as though an impasse sets in with Depailler constantly challenging for the lead but unable to get close enough to really have a try at getting alongside Hunt. The British ace is driving his McLaren in tremendous style, never putting a wheel wrong and obviously determined to prove that he is the best driver and his team’s machine is the best car. On lap 58 Lauda suddenly slows, dropping out of the top six as he finds his Ferrari weaving slightly on the straights and yawning from side to side in the corners. Unbeknown to the World Champion the right rear suspension top link is working loose, altering the camber on that wheel from corner to corner. Naturally cautious of any potential chassis fault after his still-unexplained German Grand Prix accident, Lauda eases right off and drops to eighth place behind Mass, Regazzoni and Pace by lap 60. But he is still a long way ahead of Ronnie Peterson, the March team leader refusing to concede an inch to John Watson’s Penske, while Tom Pryce finally gets back into 11th place on lap 60. The Shadow team leader is gradually catching Peterson in the first half of the race but drops behind Laffite, Icloc and Watson whilst lapping some particularly difficult rivals, notably his team mate jarier in the older DN5. Although Depailler inwardly feels that he can beat Hunt in the closing stages, feeling his Tyrrell P34 to be quicker out of the hairpin and backs up the hill to the -start/finish area, the possibility of the Frenchman making a challenge is to be negated by a minor fuel leak. A leaking diaphragm behind Depailler’s head, which transmits the fuel pressure to an alcohol-filled capillary tube running to the pressure gauge on the Tyrrell’s instrument panel fails and begins leaking Elf fuel into the cockpit. Not only is the fuel leaking over the determined little Frenchman but he is inhaling fuel vapor and feeling very unwell indeed over the last few laps, completing the race fractionally over 6 sec. behind the jubilant Hunt.
Behind Andretti and Scheckter, Mass finishes a very satisfied fifth, while Clay Regazzoni holds onto sixth after a precarious moment four laps from the finish when he runs wide in a huge oversteering slide on the right hand corner before the pits. Whether by accident or design, the Swiss then overcorrects and comes lunging back across the track, colliding with Pace and pressing the Brabham BT45 against the pit wall. For a Couple of seconds the two cars remain locked together as they hurtle down the wall, Pace’s right front wheel rim sending up a Shower of sparks which sends all the mechanics with their signaling equipment rushing away from the track’s edge. Fortunately both cars are able to continue, Regazzoni holding on to sixth place to the finish. Upon returning to the pits, mechanics believe Niki Lauda is the victim of a collapse due to fatigue and Daniele Audetto, the team's sporting director, as a precaution requeste the presence of a doctor in the box. He arrives with some nurses and first aid equipment. The group is secretly placed in one of the stands: Marlene Lauda, very pale, did not even notice. The episode have an almost paradoxical twist as the race came to a close. Patrick Depailler, intoxicated by gasoline spray on his face and overalls by the broken pressure gauge, stop the car after the finish line and faint. The doctor would to jump to the Frenchman's aid, but is held back by Audetto.
"I have to go to Depailler...".
Audetto:
"No, wait for Lauda".
Doctor:
"But that one has already lost consciousness".
Fortunately, Lauda resolved the situation by driving his car into the pits and making it clear that he was doing very well and the Ferrari a little less so. The Frenchman Depailler performed a feat that can be defined as heroic: with nineteen laps to go, the fuel gauge of his car broke and a stream of fuel splashed onto the Frenchman's face. The gasoline flowed under his helmet and wet his overalls. Result: Patrick suffered burns on his back and the blinding, thankfully only temporary, of one eye.
"I drove the last six laps in a trance. I could hardly see and I was just following the curves of the track by intuition. But I wanted to finish second, absolutely".
Immediately after the arrival, Depailler collapses on the steering wheel and loses consciousness: the French driver is therefore taken to the field hospital of the circuit, and after the first treatments he returns to his caravan. Here a doctor gives him some more oxygen. After recovering, Depailler asks for a cigarette, a Gauloises, but his wife, who had followed Patrick's story with trepidation, answers him, with a quick wit:
"No, otherwise we all blow up".
On the Mosport circuit there are not many people; only around James Hunt, who waters everyone with jets of champagne, there is a big crowd. Needless to say, smiles are wasted in the McLaren box: Teddy Mayer is so happy that he doesn't even hide all his nervous tics, and it is not difficult to get Hunt to talk.
"I have shown that the World Championship is won on the track, and not with FIA verdicts. At the beginning of the year Ferrari was undoubtedly the strongest, but we found a way to beat them. Then all the complaints and mutual accusations came up. I saw that those in Maranello were travelling with the yellow booklet of regulations at their fingertips. For me, today was a great revenge: now I'm beginning to think I can even win this title. It was a race without problems. I just had to struggle a bit to get past Peterson in the early stages, then everything went smoothly. I controlled Depailler as I wanted to".
At Ferrari there are no dramas, but certainly the atmosphere is not cheerful. The reasons that caused Lauda and Regazzoni difficulties are explained in detail. The two components that stop the arm of the right rear suspension, which is used to control the kinematic motion of the wheel, were sheared in both cars. It is an inconvenience that happened for the first time and that was probably caused by the uneven surface of the circuit.
"I heard in the pits they were worried about me. They thought my slowdown was due to some physical reason. Not at all: it was all the fault of the suspension of the car that became very difficult to drive. It's clear that by going slowly I would have been able to control it. What can I say, life is not always easy. If I hadn't had this problem, I would have at least finished fifth. Only two points, but that was something. It consoles me to see that my physical condition is good".
The journalists ask how the duel with Hunt will continue. Lauda answers:
"For James and for me now the US Grand Prix becomes a very important appointment. Hunt has done his good race. Well done. We will see each other again at Watkins Glen. On Wednesday we will have a private practice session on that circuit. It will be decisive for us, who will have to fine-tune the cars if we want to run a valid race. And I would really hope to win this title, after all I've been through".
Clay Regazzoni listens, then it's his turn to speak.
"I had the Lauda mishap too. I am very sorry because the car was going well, and I had passed Pace and was catching up to Mass. Unfortunately at a certain point I had to slow down because I couldn't control the car anymore, at least at a certain limit. The accident with Pace? Simple. The rear of the car skidded at the entrance of the curve that leads to the pit straight: I immediately lifted my foot off the accelerator and entered the curve slowly. Pace was so close to my tail that he did not realize that I was slowing down quickly. So he bumped into me. Luckily I had already managed to straighten the car, otherwise he would have made me spin in the middle of the track. Nothing serious happened and we continued until the end. I also grabbed a sixth place that brings me one point. But it would have been better if Niki had taken it".
Regazzoni, who tries at all costs to contain the offensive of Carlos Pace, he has a bad adventure: entering the curve that leads to the pit straight, the Swiss driver feels his Ferrari skidding and slows down immediately. The car reverses, closing any space for overtaking Pace, who is practically glued to Clay's wheels. Result: a collision that fortunately did not cause any damage, and that allowed the two to continue the race and to place sixth and seventh ahead of Lauda. A controversial tail follows: Bernie Ecclestone presents a complaint, even accusing Regazzoni of having made an attempt on Pace's life, while the Brazilian comments:
"If it had been a young novice driver, they would probably have withdrawn his license".
Therefore, the Swiss and Brazilian drivers are called by the stewards of the Grand Prix. The two drivers clarify to the Grand Prix stewards the dynamics of the collision and the affair ends in nothing: it was rightly ruled that Regazzoni had no intention of damaging his colleague and that, therefore, he was innocent. Lauda is, at least in appearance, serene. He comments almost with detachment on the events of this Canadian Grand Prix that ended for him in a bitter defeat and for James Hunt in a brilliant victory. The Austrian has a remarkable ability to control himself, but from one of his suggestive lines it is clear that he feels a great anger and a desperate desire for revenge.
"On Sunday at Watkins Glen I intend to stay ahead of him".
For Lauda the race at Mosport was a disappointment: the commitment of the tests was wasted, the comeback from seventh place to fifth was useless. A hard blow for a man who two months earlier had been fighting between life and death in a Mannheim hospital and who, with the help of an athlete's physique and an admirable willpower, had managed to anticipate his return to the world of competition.
"I had some fears for my physique, for the lack of training. And, instead, I had no problems: I kept my foot down on the accelerator, I had a very normal race. It's a pity that my Ferrari wasn't in good shape either".
At Monza Lauda would have been content to arrive at the end of the Italian Grand Prix and he had obtained the fourth place, here he would have wanted to progress, to fight with Hunt and he did not conquer even one point. At Mosport, however. Lauda also picked up a positive indication, at least according to what he says:
"At the beginning the car was too understeery in the slow corners. However, Peterson was in the lead and I was driving without any particular difficulty. Then Hunt took the lead. Patience. I pass Brambilla and Peterson and I am fifth. Not bad. Suddenly, the car becomes oversteer. Control is very difficult, I have to slow down. For me the race is over. But I insist: I'm fine, the race is good training. That's something, isn't it?"
So if the Mosport drama is more Ferrari's than Lauda's, at least in the basic motivations, one wonders how it could have happened. This is the second time this year that Ferrari has had a bad day, but in July, in France, the failure of the engines of Lauda and Regazzoni's cars was caused by faulty material from a supplier. Here is the road surface of the circuit, with cracks and bumps, but at the origin there cannot be but a certain lack of preparation. And here is a serious implication of Lauda's long absence: the Austrian could not test on the Fiorano track for about three months and the tuning of the cars was entrusted only to Regazzoni, who certainly did not have Niki's ear and ability. Moreover, the development of the cars was compromised: as it is known, a Formula 1 single-seater is refined from race to race, progressing in details that are perhaps minimal but relevant for the improvement of performance. McLaren has now reached and, on certain circuits, perhaps surpassed Ferrari: a further reason for concern is the fact that the cars cannot return to Maranello for an accurate overhaul, but remain in North America. Work is more difficult and precarious. We touch wood, remembering the shock absorbers problem that broke out two years ago in the USA, a problem that costs Regazzoni the title, and we console ourselves by thinking back to 1975, to Lauda's success at Watkins Glen. Audetto proclaims:
"Let's unite around Niki. We will turn this negative experience into a springboard for the next two Grand Prix".
Lauda gives his approval, then concludes harshly:
"For Watkins Glen the cars have to be perfect. On Wednesday we will have a free practice day: it will have a definitive importance. It is there that we will build our victory or defeat in the World Championship".
In conclusion, it can be said that James Hunt is once again a danger for Niki Lauda and Ferrari: the Canadian Grand Prix, the thirteenth and third-last round of the Formula 1 Championship, is resolved with a brilliant victory for the blond English driver and a defeat for the Austrian, whose advantage in the world ranking has diminished considerably. Now Lauda has 64 points while Hunt has risen to 56, therefore the gap has fallen from seventeen to eight points, a margin of a certain consistency, given that only two races are missing to the conclusion of the championship, but that does not allow distractions or mistakes. On the eve of the race, the Austrian himself had some doubts about his endurance, about his limits and, on the contrary, the eighty laps in Mosport, a hard circuit, showed that the Ferrari driver is in good shape, for sure more than the 312 T2 he drove yesterday. While Daniele Audetto, Ferrari's sporting director, had called a doctor with a respirator and an oxygen cylinder, fearing that the decline depended on his physical condition, Lauda finished the Grand Prix without any problems, although he was not serene, as he immediately indicated to the Ferrari mechanics that the cars had to be perfectly tuned for the United States.
"For me, to be able to win the title will count more than anything the day of free practice that we will have on Wednesday at Watkins Glen. That's where we will win or lose the World Championship".
While Hunt celebrates with the McLaren mechanics the success against the hated Ferrari, drinking beer and smoking one cigarette after another, before going with them to dinner, Lauda flies to Akron, in Ohio, for a visit to the tire factory that supplies the whole Formula 1 Circus, before moving to Watkins Glen. You can lose a battle, but you mustn't lose the war: Ferrari has already done it once in North America; two would really be too many.