#294 1977 Italian Grand Prix

"When one has to make a decision one is always assailed by the doubt of making a mistake; however one must go ahead". 

Already in Spain, at the Grand Prix, the differential war broke out. It was said that the phenomenal performance of Andretti’s Lotus was due to the differential, or rather, to the lack thereof. Since then there have been rumors about who used the differential and who didn’t. It is known that on certain occasions racing cars can run without this device. Porsche, for example, eliminated him for the Can-Am series. Even in Indianapolis, as far as we know, most cars have no differential, so it is obvious that Mario Andretti, strong of his American experience, may have recommended this solution to Lotus. The differential is that group of gears that connects the driving wheels to each other, so that one can turn faster than the other when, in a curve, the outer wheel takes a longer path than the internal one. But it is known that the differential allows a single wheel to turn by sliding if the ground does not have the same consistency and anyway if the available power is a lot. In racing cars you want to avoid this slip that wastes time and risks compromising the correct trajectory in the curve. The so-called self-locking differentials, which in fact only limit the possibility that each wheel has to slip, have been adopted for some time. They are constructed so that if one wheel slides, the other receives a good part of the power: this percentage serves to indicate the type of differential. Formula 1 cars use devices calibrated to 75 or 80%. Various Formula 1 teams have tried differentials with blocking percentages of up to 90%, and now it is rumored that Ferrari is experiencing an adjustable type.

This would be an advantage not so much in racing, as to facilitate and make faster tuning on the circuit, With an adjustable system, instead, the driver can try various solutions, practically every lap, if desired. The secret consists in a hydraulic system applied to a self-locking differential of the type with calibrated clutches. The clutches serve to predetermine the percentage of power applicable to each wheel, and instead of using springs (which would require disassembly whenever you want to change the calibration) a hydraulic system such as that of the brakes is used, In this way it is possible to vary the stress on the clutches and ultimately the locking of the differential, from 0% up to 100%. In the old circuit of Monza, which at the end of next year should close its doors in homage to ecology, will begin Friday, September 9, 1977 tests for the Italian Grand Prix. This race and the Lombard track have always played a leading role in the Formula 1 World Championship. In over fifty years of history, men and cars have been the protagonists of legendary episodes, uncontrollable joys and terrible tragedies. Every time Monza proposes stimulating themes, collects enthusiasm and tensions, excites fantasies. Today as yesterday, even if the sport of the steering wheel, at least at the level of Formula 1, has undergone profound changes and tends to approach an exact science. Since he decided his divorce from Ferrari, all we talk about is Lauda, in the racing world. On Sunday in Monza almost all spectators go to see the Italian Grand Prix exclusively to enjoy the joy of seeing it hurtling. But after he said everything he had to say, the Austrian now thinks only to conclude the season, but there are others who speak. Let’s take Regazzoni, who through the Turin sports newspaper states:

"Lauda was wrong to leave Ferrari. The driver’s car counts more. Ferrari will certainly find a good replacement, while Lauda with another car may not get the same results". 

While through another Milanese newspaper, Regazzoni declares:

"Lauda leaves Ferrari because the car doesn’t work anymore. The Italian engine is great, but the chassis isn’t". 

And then releases a long series of negative considerations on the account of engineer Forghieri. Meanwhile, the problem of qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, which will officially start on Friday, September 9, 1977, is resolved in extremis with the admission of all registered competitors. It is a fact that is incredible if you think that for several weeks now this issue had been under discussion and that it was only concluded during the late evening of Thursday, September 8, 1977.

In the past, such a problem had never occurred, because the number of aspiring competitors had always been lower. This year the number of registrations has increased from trial to trial and so it has come to admit to training too many competitors compared to the maximum number allowed by the circuits based on safety considerations. Previously, the FOCA (the Association of Formula 1 Manufacturers) had tried to overcome the inconvenience with the proposal to have the drivers not belonging to the association of preliminary tests. The organizers Monzesi, instead, rightly considering that all members have the right to participate in the actual training, have decided not to play these pre-prove, referring to the International Regulation, that, art. 74 of the Sports Code, provides that the organizers must accept all registrations received by known pilots. In this case it is the task of the organization to provide as many series of tests as the circumstance requires. In particular, for Formula 1 there is a special statute, drawn up in 1976, bulletin FIA n. 104 of the month of April, and still valid as confirmed by telex of 12-4-1977 by the CIS. This regulation, page 20, art. 36, provides: the maximum number of cars admitted to a series of tests is represented by the maximum number of cars admitted to the start plus five. In the specific case of the Italian Grand Prix, the cars allowed to start from the particular rules of the race is 24 (page 7, art. 4, paragraph B, of the Rules of the Grand Prix). The limit of cars in Monza was already known, and had been agreed with the FOCA on 11 March 1977. On that occasion it was decided to contain in 24 cars allowed on the Milan track, for safety reasons. The engineer Nosetto, representing Ferrari, before the meeting, had specified that he wanted the regulations to be respected (in a nutshell, that the tests were carried out in two groups), for obvious safety reasons, being the track approved for 29 cars, and therefore not suitable to accommodate 35. At the end of the meeting, attended by Ecclestone. Mosley and Nosetto for the constructors, Restelli and Maffezzoli for the organizers, and the CSI delegate, Cormist, were agreed to start all the drivers together. Here is the statement issued by the Formula 1 Manufacturers Association. 

"At the recent meeting in Rome, the CSI accepted the new rules to overcome the problem of registrations in Formula 1. At Zandvoort, both organizers and competitors agreed that all machines test together. The FOCA, in an effort to help the organizers of Monza for what is now the last race in which this problem arises, has established that all machines test in the same session according to FIA regulations, the supplementary rules of the tender and the contract between the FOCA and the organisers. Ferrari expressed its disagreement on this decision". 

However, Scuderia Ferrari will issue a statement shortly after, explaining that: 

"Ferrari confirms that it has not lodged any complaint regarding the criterion adopted for the qualification tests. It only drew the attention of the organizers and members of the FOCA so that everything will take place in accordance with the provisions of the CSI. Ferrari will however comply with the decision of the sports stewards, hoping for a smooth running of the tests, without prejudice to the observation that on this occasion, as in other previous ones, we tend not to respect the sports law". 

The number one problem of racing cars is the engine: once you find the right one, with enough power, a good manufacturer can make a good car even in a small workshop. The so-called assemblers have always existed, the same Enzo Ferrari likes to remember that he began by combining Alfa Romeo engines to his cars. The flourishing of English manufacturers has depended on the ease of finding the main organs that form a car, but especially the engine: the Coventry Climax before and the Cosworths later (and until today). In Italy the panorama could have been different if, for example, Ferrari had sold its engine? Probably yes, because at least a couple of teams would have produced cars, but the story is not written with if. However, today the situation has improved for the sake of interest in racing. As shown in the multiplication table, in Monza we will see five types of engine for Formula 1, with a variety really worthy of note. There are the two rivals of all time, Ferrari and Cosworth: the first only equips the cars of Maranello, the other numerous teams, but it’s not like it used to be, when there were two Ferraris against 24 Cosworths. 

The comparison then was too favorable to the English eight-cylinder, also for the superiority of some frames. Now on track are also the two Brabham cars with Alfa Romeo engine, Ligier with Matra and Renault with its engine, and the results were seen: the Brabham-Alfa were often in the lead, Ligier won in Sweden, Renault is emerging. Cosworth cars don’t dominate like they used to. Formula 1 that seemed to languish (at least from the point of view of the engine) in the monotony of the Ferrari-Cosworth comparison has really revived. As you know, the regulation requires engines to have a maximum of 12 cylinders and a displacement of 3000 cc if aspirated and 1500 cc if supercharged. There are no other restrictions except in the type of fuel that must be super gasoline (and you will remember the dilemma of last year at Monza when some cars used a super that was too super, ie had up to 107 octane, instead of 101 regulations). Ferrari and Alfa have chosen the solution 12 cylinders boxer, that is with the two rows of six cylinders horizontal and opposed. The motor is low and compact, but creates some difficulties of assemblage in the loom. Furthermore, the motor block is not rigid enough to be cantilevered. The Matra by Ligier is a classic 12-cylinder V of 60 degrees, excellent in every respect and just a bit 'more bulky than the boxer. Cosworth begins to show the years (he turned ten celebrating the hundred victories), but remains a great engine, especially from the point of view of performance in relation to the price. A Cosworth today costs 18.000.000 lire new (as much as the price of a couple of revisions of the 12-cylinder boxer), and allows poorer teams to participate in various races with the same unit. Finally, the latest addition, the Renault with turbocharger: it must overcome the problems of youth and those associated with the enormous power that must be developed with such a small displacement. The power of the Renault is approximately eight times greater than that of a production car engine of the same displacement (using the same gasoline). 

Speaking of engines and drivers, as widely anticipated, the Italians will greet, inside the old track of the Autodrome, the combination that seemed perfect between Niki Lauda and Ferrari, which will begin the tests after a long series of private tests. Monza is a circuit where the 312 T2 can develop its power, although the chicanes introduced in recent years bring to the forefront features such as handling and road holding. If Lauda, Reutemann and the Maranello technicians can find - tyres permitting - a valid compromise. But the Brabham-Alfa Romeo and the new Renault with a supercharged engine should not be underestimated. The Anglo-Italian team has a potentially competitive car. The day you succeed in realizing the undoubted possibilities, may those who can be saved. Renault is growing from race to race. In the pre-Monza tests it proved to be a formidable reality. Thursday, September 8, 1977 everything is well that ends well: the proverb - used not by chance - is appropriate to the eventful events that accompany the performance of the Grand Prix single formula for rock crusher, held yesterday in Piazza dei Partigiani. From 11:00 a.m. the first motoring enthusiasts begin to take their seats in the grandstands arranged on the perimeter of a rectangle at the center of which is the path of 150 meters. Nine of the most prestigious steering axles, in addition to Giacomo Agostini, give life to the whirling top speed of 12 kilometers per hour, the extravagant trophy. Each rock crusher bears the driver’s name on the side: Hunt, Regazzoni, Merzario, de Adamich, Reutemann, Mass, Peterson, Murari, Scheckter and Agostini. On the stretch of sea in front, the square, to offer a hint of color to the numerous cameramen and photographers, there are fifty sailboats, most of the sailing school of the nautical club. The stands flourish with shirts with the most disparate writings, while restless crowds of children run from one side to the other. Luisella, animator of Radio Montecarlo, stands as mistress in the center of the track and does the honors of house. 

"The steering wheel aces will be at Alassio around 5:00 p.m.". 

They say the speakers. Then, according to the program, here’s the fashion show. From 5:00 p.m. the appointment slips around 6:00 p.m. Luisella announces: 

"The plane that has to take the pilots from Bern to Villanova is a few minutes late". 

The problem of drivers' participation in Grands Prix is one of many and Ecclestone has at least six or seven more important issues to solve, but he doesn’t give up. 

"It’s a feature of mine. I never neglected any detail and so I always managed to reach the final goal". 

It is a fine statement and he is pleased with it, but perhaps it is not quite true, because for example the British who remember him racer around 1957-1958 qualify him bluntly unskilled. Yet if he had not had that experience as a pilot, then that of a small manager Connaught who rotated among many aspiring champions, probably would not be the Bernie now. Others say that it would not be even if it had not worked in the following years in some obscure areas of Import-Export, where the money was at least for a few years rather easy. What was it about? Cars, though Bernie slips elegantly over the subject and only says that he prefers the current craft, because it paradoxically allows him to stay more time at home. He lives on the top floor of a skyscraper. on the Albert Embakment, and the Thames seems to flow only for him beyond the windows of a great stay. He is married, has no children, loves stamps and modelling, say his biographies. He simplifies and enriches himself: 

"I love life". 

Back to the present, from the particular, the participation of the drivers, to the general, what is this time the final goal? 

"You have to decide new rules, adjust the rides to the size they took". 

Remember that in Japan, on that day full of non-decisions that preceded the dispute of the most discussed Grand Prix of the year, the members of the CIS were bloody Stupid, their behavior from unconscious their non-existent competence. He was right, but in the cold it takes more diplomacy, which does not shake even the most open provocation. Ecclestone wants to take over the entire Formula 1 business?

"Everyone says it’s already my domain, but it’s not true. The president is the Ferrari commander, I try to look after everyone’s interests. We can no longer deal with sloppy organisations on the one hand and an inconsistent sporting body on the other. But do you remember how Tom Pryce died? That’s a stupid death that must never happen again. Then the wrongdoing? This year there has been an escalation, but the explanation is soon given: the commissioners on the track have neither the authority nor especially the competence to identify impropriety. It is a world to be rebuilt, at least to change a lot". 

To Bernie I am more or less everyone agrees in giving confidence, also the other managers who also have conflicting interests. At Bernie renews the contract Alfa Romeo, who also had Individualistic ambitions, and almost certainly does the same for Martini. Especially with Bernie goes Niki driver more good and the team relaunches towards goals never achieved so far (given also the fact that in the days before the race, Niki Lauda and Bernie Ecclestone meet inside the car of the English manager in the Park of Monza, to close the agreement). Making this assessment out loud, Ecclestone smiles smugly, but remains discreet:

"There is nothing official yet, everything can change from today to tomorrow. Let’s say I try to do things for the best, for me and for everyone". 

Sure, with a world title. Despite annual rumours that the race must be moved eventually owing to various local objections, legal sanctions or whatever, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza continues to be the final race in the European Formula One season. Over the years we saw the Milanese circuits change and evolve in many ways, going from road circuit to a combination of road and banked circuit and then, when the banking begun to deteriorate and prove too punishing for the frail Grand Prix cars of the early 1960s, it reverted to a pure road circuit once more. For more than ten seasons Monza has been a slipstreaming blind where the drivers’ iron nerves and reliable machinery have been more important than sheer skill; but that stopped in 1972 when two stupidly conceived chicanes were installed, one immediately after the pits and one at the Ascari curve. Fortunately, after a few years of silly spins, shunts and coming-togethers, the whole affair has been redesigned for 1976. There’s now all ess-bend at the Ascari Curve, and two relatively easy chicanes, one before Curva Grande and one before the Lesmo curves. Now the cars come rushing out of Parabolica, fan out across the wide start/finish straight and rocket away on full song. You could happily sit in the main grandstand today and imagine there were no chicanes at all for the Italian Grand Prix. Despite rumours that there might be a third Ferrari at Monza for the young American driver Eddie Cheever, the Maranello team brings along their usual trio of 312 transversales for Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann. It has been left to the Brabham team to pander to their Alfa Romeo engine suppliers by installing local hero Giorgio Francia in BT45/1B in the first practice session, even though team chief Ecclestone has assured everybody the previous week that he would be running only two cars in the Italian Grand Prix. In fact, he has been right to the letter of his assurance, because Francia has been allowed only a handful of painfully slow laps before Stuck commandeered it after the clutch centre plate sheared on BT45/3B. Another local driver making his first appearance in Formula One at Monza is Lamberto Leoni, the Young Italian who recently won the Formula 2 Misano race in a Chevron-Ferrari V6, and he has been installed in the second works Surtees TS19, recently vacated by the disillusioned Schuppan. Similarly the McLaren team has given Formula 2 ace Bruno Giacomelli his Formula 1 debut in M23/8, in much the same way as they recruited Villeneuve for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. 

Using Ferrari 312/031 Lauda opens off the first session in fine style on Friday morning, the Austrian driver clearly keen to prove that he is the driving force behind the current level of the Ferrari team’s competitiveness. He ends up fastest after the first hour and a half with a 1'38"97 best. It is a reflection on the progress made on the tyre front since last year that the 1976 pole position time of 1'45"35 (established by Laffite’s Ligier-Matra JS5) was left behind very early on. Reutemann backs up his team-mate admirably with a 1'39"18 best and then comes Watson in Brabham-Alfa BT45/5B on 1'39"21, which leaves a lot of happy cheering faces in the spectator grandstands, as one can imagine. McLaren team leader James Hunt, for whom things simply don’t seem to have clicked in recent races, starts off practice with the built-in handicap of having sprained a ligament in his right foot while playing in a football match in Switzerland earlier in the week. For a couple of days there were fears that he would not be fit enough to race at Monza, but by Friday morning his foot is feeling much better and he is able to practise M26/2 as usual. He manages a 1'39"87, which turnes out to be sixth fastest overall on the day; but that is recorded in the team’s spare chassis in the second session after M26/2 loses its oil pressure and forces its driver to leave it out on the circuit towards the end of the first session. As Hunt pointed out, he wasn’t at his most nimble with this foot trouble, so he was unable to sprint back to the pits quickly enough to use M26/1 for more than a handful of laps at the end of the morning. Team Lotus have been playing things cautiously to start with, using standard 470 b.h.p. DFVs in both their 78s for Andretti and Nilsson to start practice, although there were the usual plans to install one of the powerful development units in one of the cars (Andretti’s in this case) for the race. Andretti manages a 1'39"45 on Friday but Nilsson gets himself rather confused experimenting with tyres, roll bars and chassis settings in general, and can’t get into the groove at all. His best is 1'41"22, which really isn’t terribly impressive in the overall order of things, but you could see from the young Swede’s face that he wasn’t enjoying matters and realise that he wasn’t operating at peak form. Hunt’s team-mate Mass manages 1'40"77, a fraction slower than Giacomelli has achieved in the older M23. Jabouille’s Michelin-shod Renault RS01 proves that the French company is certainly making progress with its Formula 1 project by ending up eighth with an impressive 1'40"06 lap before a valve failure in the V6 engine stops their practice and also means that they will be forced to miss the second session. 

Further down the grid there is a combination of optimism and depression as some driver/car combinations have proved less effective than they had hoped and others have received a surprising bonus. One of the competitors in the latter category is local hero Clay Regazzoni, winner of two Italian Grands Prix for Ferrari (1970 and 1975), who finds himself revelling in the power of a freshly rebuilt Nicholson McLaren DFV installed in his Ensign MN07. Monza is to be Regazzoni’s 100th Grand Prix race and he is anxious to do well, so he feel cautiously optimistic with a 1'40"70 best in a car that hasn’t been unduly noted for its straight line performance throughout the season. Slightly faster than Regazzoni have been both Vittorio Brambilla, uncharacteristically under control in his Surtees TS 19/06, and Jacques Laffite in his Ligier-Matra JS7/03, while both the Tyrrells have managed times in the mid-1'40"0 bracket although neither Depailler nor Peterson can interpret these performances with any air of optimism. One gets the impression, both from the overall demeanour of the drivers and from the team, that the six-wheeler project is virtually over and everybody is simply marking time until the 1978 season arrives with a new car and at least one new driver. In the Shadow team Jones has a hectic time on Friday, recording 1'40"63, before spinning off into the sand at one of the chicanes and sustaining suspension damage on his race car as the marshals pull it out at the end of the session. He uses the spare DN8 briefly before returning to his regular machine in the afternoon only to clip a chicane kerb and bends a suspension rocker arm. Patrese, the young Italian anxious to do well on home soil, records a 1'41"87 best before ignition failure leaves him stranded somewhere out on the circuit for much of the second session. After the success of the team in Austria, first Zandvoort and now Monza haven't seemed to be going the same way. Down at the tail of the field there are all the regular hopefuls camped out on the grass at the far end of the pit lane, the poor relations of Formula One who are so far down the pecking order that they don’t get a proper pit or garage provided. The Monza pits were built in the days when there were far fewer entries for World Championships Grands Prix, and their instigators could hardly have envised the number of cars we are seeing this year. What with spare chassis for the major teams, the pits are crowded from end to end, so the independents simply have to hope for the best and pray it doesn’t rain. 

One individual who metaphorically stuck two fingers in the air to this arrangement was that extrovert Italian, Arturo Merzario, who reckoned it was a damned poor show that he couldn’t have a pit for his home Grand Prix. Eventually, after a series of rows and discussions with both the Formula One Constructors Association and the organisers, Merzario stalked away in a paddy and withdrew his private March 761B, kaving behind him a very politely worded notice in the press room apologising to his fans and his sponsors but explaining the problem as he saw it. Henton reappears for a second outing in the now white-liveried Ensign MN04, operated by HB Alarm Systems, but a slipping clutch means that he hasn’t been in a position to do any competitive times on the first day, while Ian Ashley replaced Rebaque in the second FICA-entered Hesketh 308E alongside Keegan. Swiss privateer Loris Kessel appears with an elderly, rebodied Williams FW/03 in an abortive attempt to get into the Italian race. Kessel, it will be recalled, drove a handful of races last season at the wheel of an ex-works Brabham-Cosworth BT44B, but achieved little in the way of hard results. The B.R.M. P207S has appeared yet again (devoid of sponsorship) for Teddy Pilette to practise, but it was too much to expect that the young Belgian would qualify the underpowered car from Bourne on a fast circuit like Monza. March Engineering’s regular pair of entries for Ribeiro and Ian Scheckter have turned up as usual, the South African driver getting into the swing of things slightly better with his newer 771/2 than previously, and the Bicester ranks have been swollen as usual by Frank Williams’ private 761 for Neve. Lunger and Villota have had their usual McLaren M23s, looking rather sheepish as one might expect when Giacornelli’s practice times have been published. The announcement comes with a loud voice from the speakers of the Monza Autodrome: Niki Lauda with Ferrari has the best time: 1'38"97, at an average of 210.973 km/h. From the stands facing the pits a roar rises. Applause, waving handkerchiefs and flags of Ferrari. The preliminary workouts, carried out in peace and without too much hurry, serve. This is demonstrated by Ferrari, who came to Monza the week before in Monza and who on Friday, in the first official tests of the Italian Grand Prix, gets the track record and the best time with Niki Lauda and the second result with Carlos Reutemann. The two cars of Maranello took to the track already perfectly balanced and have covered the 5800 meters of the fast circuit in Milan with a time that exceeds the official limit established in the past season by the March of Ronnie Peterson. 

The Swede had turned, during the race he won, in 1'41"03, while the pole position was obtained by Laffite in 1'41"35. During the morning Niki Lauda, with the apparent tranquility of the strong, in his last pass in the first session of testing, got a time of 1'38"97, at the remarkable average of 210.973 km/h. Until then the fastest was Reutemann, with a time of 1'39"18, and it must be said that Lauda got his exceptional performance following the example of the Argentine. The Austrian driver, who had fitted a rather bulky wing to have better grip, realized that he was losing speed in the longer straights. Towards the end of the tests, therefore, he had the car terminal replaced with another identical to that of the Reutemann car and immediately made a leap forward, recording the best time. Behind the two Ferrari drivers, who enthused the large audience, John Watson, with the Martini Brabham Alfa Romeo (1'39"21), stood out. Mario Andretti with Lotus (1'39"62) and Jody Scheckter with Wolf (1'39"70). Many drivers, however, were more concerned than with the result, to develop the cars, and there were not a few who had problems. Among the big Jacques Laffite, because of the explosion of a tire he ran off the road and ruined his Ligier, then resorting to the forklift with the shortest wheelbase; James Hunt reported tightness problems at McLaren: Stuck broke the differential and stole the Brabham that had been entrusted by Alfa Romeo to Giorgio Francia, preventing him from training continuously. Almost all the drivers have remained a lot of time in the pits for the tuning, reserving a greater commitment to driving for the second round of tests. But only three managed to improve the results of the morning: Andretti, who earned, a few cents, Hunt, who managed to fall below 1'40"0, and Stuck, who took a nice step forward. Jabouille, who had obtained a promising time of 1'40"06 in the first tests, no longer took to the track, as his Renault Turbo on the 21st lap stopped due to engine failure. In a rather quiet situation, after waiting half an hour to see what the rivals were doing. Lauda and Reutemann were still on track very calmly and did some tests, checking, among other things, the gas draft system, with very little fuel in the tanks. At the conclusion of the tests Lauda declared himself satisfied:

"I hope that the weather conditions, now beautiful, remain good because and leaves falling from the trees worsen the visibility and enter the air vents of the car. Tomorrow, however, in the last rehearsal, will be the moment of truth. It is useless to let go of easy enthusiasms, because others could also arrive where we arrived". 

Of the same opinion Reutemann, who merely makes a positive mark by raising his right thumb. At the end of the training, all drivers gather for a brief consultation on the circuit situation. Despite the high number of drivers on track (34), it was noted that during the tests there were on average 16 to 18 cars on the circuit at the same time, with peaks of 24 presences. Ferrari claims, however, that they are always too many. The Italian team has a confident but not overly optimistic atmosphere. The engineer Roberto Nosetto says, among other things, at the end of the day, that the engines used are always the same so there should be no problems on reliability. 

"However, it takes nothing to lose a race. We go first and second, but we have to deal with opponents and luck. Lauda had problems this morning with a front tyre that lost pressure and Reutemann had the same problem twice on the rear tyres. It was probably a fun set of tyres. Let’s hope the trouble doesn’t happen again in the race". 

hose who came hoping to witness a moral lynching of the Austrian pilot can leave disappointed. For the crowd Lauda and Ferrari today are still the winning combination, divorce is an annoying cloud that melts in the heat of enthusiasm. It’s time to forget the controversy and criticism, as is right. Lauda smiles and smiles the men of the Maranello team. The atmosphere is serene, everyone performs their work with commitment and competence. There is no tension, except that logic of these hours of testing in which every driver and every team fights to emerge. But it is logical: we are among professionals, among people who. Beyond personal likes and dislikes, knows to operate not only for itself but also and above all for Ferrari and wants to reach an important and useful destination for everyone like the Formula 1 World Championship. Journalists talk to Lauda in the big van of Ferrari. He is busy planning his travels from Monza to the hotel where he lives. He says: 

"Too much confusion in Monza, I preferred to settle with Marlene at the Villa d'Este in Como. My friend Wolf lent me the helicopter to come and go".

Speaking of Walter Wolf, the wealthy Austrian oil tanker who emigrated a few years ago to Canada, there’s a rumor that Niki can join his team. Is it true? 

"It’s true, I’ve had contact with him too. We’ll see, we’ll see...". 

Talk about the audience.

"Those applauses pleased me. They mean that people are objective, that they appreciate me even if I leave Ferrari". 

As always, Niki doesn’t want the forecast for Sunday. It’s too early. He just says, -It’s life, though not like last year. But here, compared to the other Grand Prizes, there is more pressure. I really hope that Carlos will give me a hand, drive for me. I will need it to close the title speech right away-. Lauda adds that the work was done normally, that with the team nothing has changed. Grumbles Mauro Forghieri, who by some has been referred to as an enemy of Niki:

"And I would like to see it. No kidding. We are on the same boat until the end of October, so we work together as professionals. It is not about personal matters".

Then he adds with a bit of controversy: 

"Sure, if this morning he wanted to make a good time he had to adjust the car as we suggested". 

Roberto Nosetto says very right things. 

"For us from a technical point of view it is as if nothing had happened. The opinion on the Lauda driver does not change. For the rest everyone can think as he wants. One fact, however, is sure: Ferrari can not do without only one person, Enzo Ferrari. He’ll determine who happens to Niki. He is a bold and courageous man, he will be able to find a driver with a sense of speed, that is, capable of immediately obtaining remarkable performances".

The problem of divorce, therefore, is not a real problem for anyone. Lauda and Ferrari leave as good friends. Comments Cristiano Rattazzi, racing enthusiast, grandson of Giovanni Agnelli:

"Also because it is appropriate to remain in good relations with Lauda. What if in a year or two Ferrari needs him again and decides to take him back?"

A question that perhaps hides a desire not only personal. However, everything seems easy for Niki Lauda and Ferrari. The Austrian driver, with the best time scored in official practice of the Italian Grand Prix, seems to have automatically nominated for the victory and for the conquest of his second world title. 

Only if Niki were to have the misfortune to leave or at least not to take too many points, and if Jody Scheckter won the Monza test, the fight would still be open. But Lauda, who seems to have the confidence of those who know he is the strongest, does not seem willing to leave the road to his rivals. Few drivers will be able to oppose his march. Four, however, are the names of the opponents who might worry him, regarding the conquest of pole position in the last official practice on Saturday afternoon. These are Mario Andretti, James Hunt, Jacques Laffite and Scheckter himself. Andretti did not have the time to develop his Lotus, but it is well known that the Italian-American still has some resentment for what happened in Holland, when he eliminated himself in the accident with Hunt. 

"If I can balance my car well, I’d like to get my revenge. I’ll run in front of a friendly audience, because fans can’t and shouldn’t forget my Italian name. And then there are so many other reasons. In these last races of the championship we play next season, the engagements and sponsors, cars and situations. Who will win in Monza, apart from Lauda who has now divorced, could be considered by Ferrari, and I think many people are betting on this goal. Personally, I have not concluded anything, I have not yet signed contracts. I would therefore like to make a great race, a race that convinces everyone about my chances of aiming for the title next year". 

James Hunt does not speak much, but it is clear that the English, outgoing World Champion, is at this time driven by the great will to achieve a prestigious result that can at least rehabilitate him of a season not too bright. The speech, although for other reasons, also applies to Laffite and Watson, the Frenchman knows he has a weapon in the Ligier-Matra with winning chances. The engine of the car of the blond Jacques contends to Ferrari the dominance in terms of reliability and power and Laffite could repeat the success achieved in Sweden. Power also carries on John Watson’s Martini-Brabham-Alfa Romeo. The Englishman, who holds the unluckiest driver of the year, would like for once not to disappoint technicians, mechanics and managers of his team, and in particular men. Alfa Romeo, like the engineer Chiti, who are just waiting for a victory to see consecrated many sacrifices and many years of work spent to make Brabham go strong. Lauda’s opponents should not forget his teammate, Carlos Reutemann, who got the second half. The Argentine, after being confirmed by Ferrari, seems another man, more smiling, less upset, able to fully exploit his undoubted value as a driver. For Reutemann a victory in Monza would mean the first great satisfaction since he climbed into Ferrari and the demonstration that there is not only Lauda capable of bringing the car of Maranello to first place. A success would also put him in a position to prove that the confidence given to him is worth, whatever Enzo Ferrari’s decision regarding the appointment of another driver. All that remains is to wait for further developments. And it is not said that Enzo Ferrari, Sunday, glued to the video, does not take his decision based on the result of the race. Of course, if Niki Lauda wins, despite the happiness for the world title practically achieved, the embarrassment will be very great.

Meanwhile, the old Autodromo di Monza has been lit with genuine enthusiasm that shows in the best way how for the fans the combination formed by the Austrian driver and Ferrari represents something unrepeatable. There were those who swore that Niki would be challenged, maybe booed for betraying the Maranello team. But the audience, which looks after the facts and not the gossip, does not forget the efforts made over four years by this uncomfortable champion nor the dramatic events of 1976. The fans, of course, are anchored to the present, little interest him criticism and controversy. Lauda leaves? Too bad, they will talk about it next year, but for now Niki is always at the wheel of a Ferrari, he has yet to conquer the world title, he must beat a group of rivals who take to the track fierce. And that’s what counts. Lauda, who in 1976 had completed the first timid laps in Monza after the burning of the Nurburgring, offered yet another test of his class flying with the Ferrari 312 T2 in 1'38"97 at an average of 210.973 km/h.  An exceptional performance, the result of the perfect symbiosis between the driver and the car and the profitable testing work carried out in recent weeks. But if the performance of the Argentine is a confirmation of the seriousness and capabilities of the team, that of Lauda is the acute of the champion, the champion who knows how to exploit 99% of the possibilities of the car and himself. A champion who in the short space of a year has risen, returning man and pilot through a series of very hard tests, thanks to a will and a capacity for amazing sacrifice. 

A feat that earned him the respect of the people if not the affection. Because the Austrian is an adventure that transcends sporting values to become an example of the capabilities and possibilities of man. A stimulus, after all, for those who suffer, for those affected by misfortune, for those who are forced to undertake a hard climb. It is also wrong who thought to find in Monza who knows what tension between Lauda and Ferrari. It whispered: 

"You’ll see, now they will favor Reutemann". 

Or: 

"Ferrari will punish Lauda for betrayal, will make him lose the title". 

In fact, behind the scenes Enzo Ferrari had let his collaborators and Nosetto know that he would have liked the victory of Reutemann, and in this regard the Argentine driver is given an engine with a few more horses than the one given to the Austrian driver. Lauda, however, is serene, and jokingly asks Forghieri and Nosetto: 

"So where do you suggest I go? Brabham or Wolf?"

Despite the fact that the new Brabham BT46 is not tested on Friday, Carlo Chiti explains that the few laps that Gordon Murray’s new single-seater has performed in Balocco have highlighted cooling problems, John Watson is the closest driver to Lauda and Reutemann.

"I could have done even better if in the last hour of the test the track had not worsened because of the wind, which brought on the path many leaves. In tomorrow’s session, if the weather is favorable, I have a good chance of success in the fight to start In the front row. Today, Ferrari has been able to take advantage of the indications obtained from the tests carried out in recent weeks, and the excellent times scored immediately in the morning are the confirmation". 

This despite the Goodyear technicians discover that in Monza their tyres are less efficient at high temperatures. Despite some problems, Mario Andretti defended himself well, recording the fourth half of the day. 

"In the morning session, my Lotus had some flaws in the setup. In the afternoon there was an annoying wind, which decreased the performance of the engine, but, despite this, I retouched my performance. This is a good sign for tomorrow". 

Although slightly limped in his right leg, due to his recent injury, James Hunt is once again among the protagonists. 

"The foot didn’t bother me much; the car, on the other hand, had problems with grip, so much so that when I tried to force I ran into a spin at the Ascari variant". 

Renault did well too, but after half an hour only the French car had to stop the tests due to the engine failure. Jean Sage, one of the leaders of the French team, said:

"It was a real shame, because everything was going so well. A valve broke, which pierced a piston. This engine had already covered over 600 km and a failure was predictable". 

The revelation of the day is Bruno Giacomelli. At the debut with the McLaren M23, the Brescian amazes everyone, scoring a time such as to insert him in front of colleagues much more experienced.

"I am satisfied, but there is still work to improve the machine". 

Disturbed by many little troubles, Vittorio Brambilla admits: 

"It was a particularly laborious day, because I had a lot of trouble. In the first session I lost time for an imperfect carburetion; then, in the last hour, I felt vibrations at the left rear wheel. I stopped to replace a spring, but in the operation a bolt was spread and I could only make five turns". 

Riccardo Patrese says instead:

"The strong wind made me lose about a thousand laps and made the estate of my Shadow precarious, and this did not allow me to improve my time of the morning. Then, the gas pressure dropped to zero, and I had to stop". 

Lamberto Leoni. also a newcomer, takes the satisfaction of entering the middle of the ranking: 

"Too bad that in the last few minutes I had to abandon because the oil pressure had dropped to zero. I’ll see to do better tomorrow". 

A few laps, only four, for Giorgio Francia: the Milanese driver could not assert himself because he had to give up his car to Stuck. He’ll make up for it in rehearsal on Saturday. Saturday morning’s untimed session is brought to an early stop after a short while when Tambay’s Ensign MN08 is involved in a huge accident coming round the first Lesmo curve. At a point where the French driver is just changing from third to fourth gear, the Ensign suddenly whips sideways, hits the guard rail and flips over onto its rollover bar, skating down the circuit for some distance in a shower of sparks. Most cars trickle into the pits, fearing the worst, and some stop at the scene of the accident to lend assistance. Fortunately the Ensign is a stoutly built car (what else would you expect from a place like Walsall?) and Tambay crawls out, unhurt, from the wreckage almost before the marshals reach the hint. Looking remarkably nonplussed about the whole affair, Tambay returns to the pits on foot and the Ensign team begin fitting him out in Regazzoni’s spare MN06 for the afternoon session. Later in the morning Lauda goofs while trying out a set of special Goodyears, spinning his Ferrari into the barrier coming out of Parabolica and returning to the pits on foot to report minor rear end damage. The rear suspension of 030 has been thus grafted onto the back of 031 for the final hour of practice, Reutemann switching to 312/029 for business on Saturday. The final hour proves to be a tremendously exciting battle with the two Ferraris trying desperately to protect their front row grid positions from the combined assaults of Andretti’s Lotus, Scheckter’s Wolf and Hunt’s McLaren. Down tumbled the times into the low 1'39"0 bracket, then past Lauda’s Friday best and into the low 1'38"0 bracket. Within ten minutes of the end of the session it seems certain that Reutemann will take pole position with 1'38"15. But Hunt slips in a tremendous 1'38"08 to take pole position in the dying moments of practice, which prompts a great deal of smiling in the McLaren pit after their shameful treatment at the hands of the Italian organisers at last year’s Grand Prix. Jody Scheckter improves to 1'38"29 after yet another bout of fuel pressure trouble which has been traced to a faulty pressure relief valve, while Andretti secures the other place on row two with a strong 1'38"37. Lauda is just about to try for a flyer right at the end when his Ferrari starts to misfire as it ran low on fuel, so he peels off into the pits and has to settle for a 1'38"54, which puts him on the third row.

Alongside the Austrian’s Ferrari sets Patrese’s Shadow, after a fine performance from the Italian novice has resulted in him recording a 1'38"683 lap, one-hundredth of a second quicker than Regazzoni. Then come Laffile, Mass and Brambilla, while the mid-field bunch is led by Stuck and the two indifferent Tyrrell P34s. Neither of the Brabham-Alfa runners could get their cars to work on the rubber provided for them in the Monza heat, both Stuck and Watson suffering badly from tyre overheating problems that left them much further down the grid than one would have expected. Giacomelli has done a very respectable job, splitting Watson and Jones, while Ian Scheckter is ahead of Nilsson and Jabouille, the Renault only getting out on the circuit late in the day after breaking another engine on Saturday morning. Nilsson just couldn’t get his Lotus adjusted to his liking while Tambay has been feeling a little grey now that the full magnitude of his morning accident has struck him and is down at the back of the grid ahead of Lunger, Keegan and Neve, the last three qualifiers. On Sunday morning the usual vast crowd pours into Monza from an early hour, banners in the public enclosures and grandstands obviously proclaiming allegiance to the Ferrari team with at least one begging Lauda not to leave Maranello to join the Brabham-Alfa set-up. Brambilla has written off TS19/06 in the morning warm up at the first chicane, but as Leoni hasn’t qualified he has taken over TS19/07 for the race, while one spectator was killed and several injured when an advertising hoarding they were spectating from collapsed under the strain of too many people. It’s a fight on the edge. Hundredths, or perhaps better thousandths of a second, minimal fractions of time and space divide the Formula 1 cars and their human content. The McLaren with an extraordinary James Hunt goes faster than all and is in pole position for the Italian Grand Prix. Now, he must beware of the initial overtaking attempts of Mario Andretti, who perhaps has not forgotten what happened to Zandvoort. Hunt and Andretti have already started to fight in the last official tests, but the intended victim this time was only the track record. If on Friday Niki Lauda had almost made to shout the miracle for his 1'38"97, it must be said that in the last tests ten drivers have fallen below this time, including the Austrian himself. The times have sprung from the fight that all those who aim for victory have lit to look for a place in the sun in the starting grid and in the game of trails, overtaking, confusion on the track. And so, at the end of the rehearsals, Niki Lauda admits:

"It was quieter in the pits, where there were at least three hundred people around each car, than on the track, where you could not make a lap without finding obstacles scattered along the path". 

So it happened that Hunt went faster than everyone else and only Reutemann with the #12 Ferrari maintained the position he had conquered on Friday, a second place that will allow him to start in the front row next to the World Champion. Lauda had to give way to Jody Scheckter and Andretti, who will start in the third row, next to Riccardo Patrese, Italian hero of the day, along with the debut Giacomelli who celebrates his twenty-fifth birthday with a promising fifteenth time. Niki could not materially do better because of an accident that, in the free practice of the morning, forced him to adjust the car. The Austrian ended up against the guardrails at the exit from the parabolic curve damaging the nose and the left rear suspension. 

"It was all my fault, I went like crazy and Nilsson was right in front of me. I thought: now it comes off, now it comes off and instead the Swede has gone over the limit undaunted. He managed to save himself with a frightening skid, I ended up out". 

Lauda then drove back to the pits and got on the forklift. In the hour and a half of suspension between free practice and official practice, the mechanics took the suspension of the forklift and mounted it on the race car. As a result, when the training session began, at 1:00 p.m., Niki had to do the fine-tuning work again, and he didn’t have enough time for a new exploit. This fact would then explain his fifth time, although the performance of other drivers remain unchanged in their value. Lauda, however, was not the only one with problems. Andretti, for example, ran out of fuel a few minutes before the end of practice and was unable to get back on track for time The biggest thrill, however, certainly proved the young Frenchman Patrick Tambay, that in the morning, at the second corner of Lesmo lived moments of authentic terror. Because of the seizing of a wheel, his Ensign crashed and went twice in the head tail, overturning with the tires to air.