Summary
As the European season began, new cars were launched ass organisers were due to start enforcing new regulations for 1976 having allowed an easing in period over the first three races. There was a big talking point as the Tyrrell team entered a new P34 six-wheeler for Patrick Depailler. Depailler was on the pace and qualified third, behind Hunt and Lauda. Lauda, driving with broken ribs after an accident driving a tractor once again beat Hunt off the line at the start and led for the first third of the race. Depailler, after a slow start, was running fourth behind Mass when he spun off and crashed with brake problems. Just before mid-race, the McLarens of Hunt and Mass found another gear and drove past Lauda, but towards the end of the race, Mass had to retire with an engine failure. Hunt took his first win of the season, with Lauda second and Gunnar Nilsson's Lotus third.
After the race, scruitinners examined the bulk of the field and Hunt was disqualified because his McLaren was found to be too wide and Lauda was declared the winner. One of the new rules for 1976 defined how wide a Formula One car could be based on the widest car of the 1975 season along with the new smaller tyre sizes. McLaren appealed on the basis of measuring the car when the tyres were still warm after the race and when they were cold stating Goodyear tyres expand during the race.
Two months after the race, McLaren's appeal was successful and Hunt was reinstated as the winner of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Read more about this topic: 1976 Spanish Grand Prix
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