And down came other insults and threats, with Brambilla dazed by this crazy giant, who lost control of his nerves. Afterwards, Brambilla and Emerson Fittipaldi talk at length in the Copersucar truck. The Brazilian is visibly shaken and worried about the damage done to his car. Mario Andretti also complains about Brambilla's impetuous driving, and in a report by the stewards it is claimed that the Italian driver had lost control of the March while braking, thus hitting the Copersucar. And the Brabhams with Alfa Romeo engines? It couldn't have been worse, with engineer Carlo Chiti following the tests of his twelve-cylinder engines with almost paternal love, biting his nails in the shadow of the pit. Carlos Reutemann was betrayed by the clutch on the starting line and covered only three hundred metres. Carlos Pace, after a rather slow start, flew off the road at 290 km/h due to a brake failure.
"When I realised that I couldn't brake and that I was a hundred metres from a curve, I put the car sideways to slow it down a bit and not end up pointing into the nets, then I closed my eyes. Now I have a few more white hairs".
In the hours following the Grand Prix in Formula 1, as mentioned, there is talk again of doping gasoline, of special fuels used by some teams, in particular by McLaren. On Monday morning, an Austrian newspaper writes:
"Niki Lauda was beaten by jet drivers?"
Making a bit of a fuss, the paper in question swaps out the fuel used in jets, which is plain petroleum, for special methanol-based blends, but the argument does not change. Certainly, it would not be the first time in Formula 1 that a possible doping of gasoline is mentioned, with the purpose of significantly increasing (from seven to fifteen percent) the power of an engine. They talked about it in 1969 in relation to an extraordinary performance of Beltoise and Matra in Clermont Ferrand, in 1970 for some inexplicable exploits of Lotus, in 1971 about the successes of the couple Stewart-Tyrrell, and in this regard were taken after the Grand Prix of France fuel samples to the Tyrrell of Stewart and Cevert, to the Lotus of Fittipaldi, to the B.R.M. of Siffert and to the Matra of Amon, but the tests were negative. McLaren is accused of putting in the tanks not so much some phantom additive, as a certain percentage (from ten to twenty percent) of methyl alcohol or a mixture of alcohol or even isooctane, a hydrocarbon with very high resistance to detonation, so as to bring the octane number of the fuel to one hundred and ten or more. The benefit would be substantial, and Teddy Mayer's reaction to such accusations is predictable:
"It's not true, it's just obviously not true. I'm upset, because this is simply malicious rumours being put out there by people who are trying to create agitation. It is not technically possible, you would have to convert the engine to a large extent, the fuel cells would break down, anyone with experience and knowledge of the trade would find that out. Those people are just trying to find an explanation for why McLaren's cars perform so well".
It seems that Mayer's explanation is slightly convoluted, in that it reads as if he is referring to the use of pure alcohol fuel, whereas it appears that the actual claims are simply about an additive of nitro-methane alcohol. However, in addition to sounding somewhat absurd, this accusation, which sparks a heated defence, has the independent support of another team director:
"I simply cannot align myself with these ridiculous rumours, if only because McLaren receives its fuel from Texaco, an important international company, which cannot afford to be involved in such matters. Rumours like this are always invented when someone has a series of victories, while before it was not going too well. From a technical point of view, if McLaren had started to put methanol in the gasoline, they would have had to make a lot of changes, the pumps, etc.".
And he adds:
"You have to put a lot of methanol in it for it to be useful and therefore you would have to increase the fuel load a lot, and the maximum tank capacity of any Cosworth-engined car that I know of is only two hundred litres for a race like the German Grand Prix only takes about 175 litres. No, I guess these are just rumours born from envy, even if it were technically possible - in my opinion it is not, too many complications - it would be too easy to find out".
Of course, Texaco remains firm on the point that the fuel was in compliance with the regulations. Beyond that, it must be noted that McLaren is far from being the most popular team in racing, so no one would ever let an opportunity like this pass them by without protesting loudly. So it would be rather unlikely that McLaren would take such a risk, at least not to the extent of using non-normal fuel in such quantities that could create a real difference in the performance of their cars. However, there is a suspicion in the minds of some people, and it will remain there until the true facts behind these claims are known. If indeed evidence, facts, do come to light, this will naturally lead to the biggest furor of the season. But until the facts are made public, most people will simply have suspicions that this is just another baseless story of this strange season. Perhaps, born also as a result of a statement made by McLaren's sporting director, Alistair Caldwell, to the British magazine Motor, in which - before the Austrian Grand Prix - he had said:
"Not only was the McLaren, and by a negligible amount, irregular at the Spanish Grand Prix, at Jarama, but the Ferraris were also irregular, and even dangerous. In fact, the fuel pressure gauge was installed with a line going into the cockpit, which is forbidden by the regulations. When the hose on Regazzoni's car broke during the race, Clay was hit by the spray of gasoline".
In reality, at Jarama, Regazzoni was hit by a spray of gasoline not because the hose broke, but because the pressure gauge itself broke, located in the dashboard in front of the driver. To be more precise, the control coil of the indicator needle broke. In addition, the pipe was covered with fireproof plastic as prescribed by Article 253 of Annex J for pipes that run outside the body or in the cockpit. It seems strange, moreover, in this unpleasant bickering of accusations and counter-accusations, that the McLaren technicians do not now remember to accuse Ferrari of not having the bodywork built according to the rules, something that had very briefly come up during the pre-race technical verification at the French Grand Prix at Castellet. On that occasion, there were those who accused the 312 T2 of lacking the non-deformable structure in the central part of the sides. Now it is the turn of the Hunt-McLaren duo, indeed there are those who explain the modest test of the Englishman with the fact that in the race he could not use the usual very special fuel.
"I don't know what happened, I had the impression that the nose wasn't fixed properly, both because I could see it moving and because the behaviour of the car changed at every corner. Anyway, I got three points and even though the championship is not closed yet, I am not worried. With Holland I'll close it now".
This attitude was probably the result of a phone call from Italy to the organisers the week before the Grand Prix, in which an Italian would have urged the organisers to cancel the event, leveraging national pride and the fact that Lauda was not present. Obviously, James Hunt and the McLaren team, present on the circuit to carry out tests, are informed of this phone call. Meanwhile, however, there are those who insinuate that McLaren would not have used this expedient because Mayer would have been frightened by the rumours circulating in the pits and because at the end of Friday's tests the organisers would have warned McLaren not to use particular gasoline, given that the Formula 1 regulations require that the single-seaters use the fuel available on the market. No one makes official statements, but the subject is often discussed in face-to-face conversations.
For example, during the weekend, engineer Carlo Chiti asked Bernie Ecclestone, owner of Brabham-Alfa Romeo, about the matter:
"Bernie, but would anyone really use special gasoline?"
And Ecclestone would answer:
"Sure. Look at Hunt going slow today. Watson, on the other hand, is going very fast, don't you think?"
So Carlo Chiti would retort:
"Then there's no point in racing".
But Ecclestone would close, saying:
"Many things will have to be changed for next year".
And the CSI and the FIA? As always, they are conspicuous by their absence. These rumours are unpleasant, it would be a case of clarifying certain situations, and it could be done in a very simple way: checking the cars. It would be possible to take petrol samples on the starting line, before the start, or to oblige everyone (a proposal launched by Enzo Ferrari during the 1971 controversy) to fill up at the same pump. But at Zeltweg the technical commissioners check the first six cars, limiting themselves to examining dimensions and weights (as was done, for example, in Spain). No fuel checks, also because - while the authoritative members of the various commissions eat cookies and drink champagne under the furious eye of two Italian representatives, who try in vain to stimulate their colleagues - there is a lack of equipment for the operation. What is certain is that the Formula 1 Circus must regard Ferrari with great respect: in Zeltweg, the Austrian Grand Prix took place in front of 50.000 spectators, while in previous years there had been an average of 130.000:
"For the first time, our race ended in a loss".
Admits Fritz Trailer, responsible for the organisation of the Grand Prix, which costs the organisers about 900.000.000 lire. It is calculated that in the green valley where the racetrack is hosted, there were 5.000 Italians against 30.000 in 1975. The enthusiasm of past years was missing, the joy of Lauda and Clay Regazzoni's fans was only a memory. The show was cold, and this on an important day for the Formula 1 Circus: for the first time a show was broadcast live in Eastern Europe. USSR, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Czechoslovakia were connected with Zeltweg. But there was not the only name known even in countries that have never hosted a Grand Prix and where the spread of the automobile is still in its infancy.
"The drop in spectators has exceeded our most pessimistic predictions. I believe that sixty percent did not come because of Ferrari's absence and the rest because of Niki Lauda's".
And it is no coincidence that on Monday, August 16, 1976, the Viennese newspaper Kurier opens its reports on the Grand Prix with a big headline:
"Zeltweg empty without Lauda".
Perhaps not even Enzo Ferrari fully understood the value of his name, the strength that came from fifty years of activity in the world of racing, from a prestige grown and nourished by successes, from the continuity of his action, from the fact that he really did produce cars. A name that ends up ennobling even those who are not noble, and who can find refuge in that association of Formula 1 manufacturers of which Ferrari is also a member. Ferrari can continue with serene firmness in its action of breaking certain patterns that have gradually transformed and corroded the world of Formula 1: on one hand, a sporting authority that, due to incapacity, no longer knows how to administer power, allowing improvisation to become the law; on the other hand, the organisers of the Grand Prix, who buy the show sight unseen and care nothing about what the actors do; on the other hand, again, the manufacturers, united with sponsors who are not linked to the car and for whom - except for rare exceptions - only a victory that directly or indirectly advertises that product counts. Now Ferrari's withdrawal can provoke a series of chain reactions, because if this absence determines a drop in public interest, and therefore affects the business of Formula 1, it is very likely that many people will become agitated. And this regardless of the reasons stated by Enzo Ferrari in his communiqués, which are not meant to be understood only by those who have no interest in them. It is now clear that Formula 1, as it is structured today, can no longer go on. The Grand Prix are losing credibility, while shadows and suspicions are gathering on many characters. As the weekend drew to a close, local newspapers indicated that once again the Austrian Grand Prix had become the Grand Prix of beer: although reduced compared to past years, spectators kept the police busy full time. In the night between Saturday and Sunday, two pitched battles took place inside as many beer tents. According to officers, in one case it all started at the hands of a Swiss group. Police dogs were needed to clear out. The Portuguese were also present, but the search effort paid off and several fines were issued to spectators caught without a ticket. The police were particularly appreciative of the ban on selling bottled beer, which left the troublemakers without ammunition. According to the authorities, all those arrested are between eighteen and twenty-five years old. On Saturday night, the theft of two pigs from a local farmer caused quite a stir. The commissioner on duty confesses, with sarcastic realism:
"We are already scouring the territory in search of the bones".
After the Grand Prix, on Monday, August 16, 1976, Niki Lauda returns to his home in Hof, near Salzburg. The Austrian driver leaves during the morning the Ludwigshafen clinic, where he had been hospitalised after the serious accident occurred two weeks before on the Nurburgring circuit. Accompanied by his wife Marlene, Lauda leaves the German city to reach Salzburg on board his private plane.
"I am satisfied with my stay in Ludwigshafen: I will have to return to the clinic for a check-up next week, but not to undergo another operation".
The first two face transplants were successful.
"The idea to anticipate going home came to me Sunday night after the race. Now I have to live in absolute quiet and stay under treatment. If I can sleep, if I'm not disturbed, if no one looks for me, everything will be fine. For now I have to stay in bed".
Says Lauda, who then exclaims about the Austrian Grand Prix:
"Some friends phoned me up to the time Pace retired, but I don't think anything else happened after that. I am happy because it is not bad with Hunt taking only three points. Of course it's not like it changes for the better, but seen from my side it's better this way".
Niki does not want to make predictions about Hunt's chances to close the gap that divides him in the world ranking.
"At Zeltweg Hunt was my favourite before the race. Now it would be premature to make predictions. We have to see what will happen in the next races".
Does this make Niki want to come back?
"Sure, I've already said that as soon as I can I'll be back racing. The accident certainly hasn't changed the way I think about sports and racing. My line is still the same as before".
So will he be on track in Canada?
"It's a hard decision to make because it's not a matter of setting a date. If I was okay I would already race in Holland, of course if Ferrari would give me the car. Instead, the problem is to arrive at the track completely in good shape and ready to give my best again. When I'll feel safe at one hundred percent of my physical possibilities, then I'll go back to racing. I repeat, it could be in Monza, like in Canada, like next year, but it's silly to anticipate it because even I don't know exactly".
Then Niki Lauda adds:
"I had my first facial surgery on Friday. It hurt a little bit at the beginning, but now I'm fine. At first it looked like I would have to stay here three weeks, but today the doctors told me that since things are going so well, in ten days I can go back to my home. By the way, I want to let people know that the plastic surgeries will only be on my face. In fact, someone said that my hands are burnt too, but it's not true, my hands are fine. I'll talk to Maranello again tomorrow. However, in the past week I have often heard from Audetto and Ghedini, so I know everything about what the commendatore has done. I still don't know everything in detail, however as a personal opinion I can only say that for me it was a good thing and I would have done the same in the Ferrari's shoes".
The duel continues: a strange duel between two drivers, one of which is fighting to get back behind the wheel of his single-seater soon and the other is taking to the track to win and to decrease the disadvantage that separates him from his rival in the World Championship standings. Lauda is winning the challenge with himself: the recovery of the World Champion is prodigious. The Austrian driver is not yet well, as he has to stay in bed and will have to face other operations on his face, but by now he has overcome the worst. And now he is already thinking about racing, about the possibility of being able to drive his Ferrari again. The reigning World Champion has the intention of starting again, and in fact nothing forbids it; if there is a doubt, it is psychological, certainly not physical. But knowing Niki, his iron character, his will, we are convinced that he will succeed in his undertaking, maybe soon, maybe in October, when the last three Grand Prix of the World Championship will be held.