<< Prev Page 3 of 3 Lauda was back, but he was not able to match his pre-accident pace. Hunt made the most of it, winning four of the six races after the accident. Going into the final race, he was three points adrift of championship leader Lauda. What happened next was without a doubt the most controversial championship deciding race in Formula 1 history. It had rained all day before the start of the Japanese Grand Prix and the driver's and team-owner's were unanimous in their decision not to race. The organisers, however, didn't want to let the 150,000 strong crowd down and decided to start the race regardless of the competitor's complaints.
Luckily for the drivers, the rain seemed to die down slightly right before the start, but the many deep puddles of water on the track remained. Hunt was on pole and reached the first corner in the lead, which gave him the advantage of a clean track without the spray of other cars. Lauda, on the other hand, decided to call it a day, he probably still had the accident on his mind and didn't want to tempt faith again. With Lauda out of the way, all Hunt needed was a fourth place finish. After a spin and a series of pit stops and with five laps to go, Hunt was in fifth position. Three laps before the end of the season Hunt secured a third spot and the championship.
Now entering its fifth season of Formula 1 racing, the M23 was clearly showing its age. Halfway through the season it was replaced by the slimmer M26. McLaren had finally followed the competition in concentrating on Formula 1 completely, but ironically the following years were the worst in the company's history. With 16 victories, two driver's and one constructor championship under its belt, the M23 remains as one of the most successful Formula 1 racers of the 1970s. Unique is also McLaren's second 'double' in 1976, with the team scoring their third Indy 500. << Prev Page 3 of 3
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Lauda was back, but he was not able to match his pre-accident pace. Hunt made the most of it, winning four of the six races after the accident. Going into the final race, he was three points adrift of championship leader Lauda. What happened next was without a doubt the most controversial championship deciding race in Formula 1 history. It had rained all day before the start of the Japanese Grand Prix and the driver's and team-owner's were unanimous in their decision not to race. The organisers, however, didn't want to let the 150,000 strong crowd down and decided to start the race regardless of the competitor's complaints.