The 1977 Formula One season included the 28th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on January 9, 1977, and ended on October 23 after seventeen races.
Niki Lauda won his second championship, despite Mario Andretti winning more races. Jody Scheckter's Wolf won first time out, Shadow took their only victory, and Gunnar Nilsson achieved the only win of a career ended by cancer. Renault entered grand prix racing with a turbocharged car which was initially not very successful. The German ATS team took over the Penske cars and the South African Grand Prix was the last race a BRM ever qualified to start.
The season was also marred by one of the most horrific accidents in Formula One history. During the South African GP on March 5, TV cameras captured how Tom Pryce was unable to avoid 19-year-old race marshall Frederik Jansen Van Vuuren. The latter was killed by the terrifying collision, his body was hurled into the air, and his fire extinguisher killed and nearly decapitated Pryce, whose car proceeded to the end of the straight where it collided with Jacques Laffite's Ligier.
Read more about 1977 Formula One Season: Drivers and Constructors, Season Review, 1977 Drivers Championship Final Standings, 1977 Constructors Championship Final Standings, Non-Championship Race Results
Famous quotes containing the words formula and/or season:
“My formula for greatness in human beings is amor fati: that one wants to change nothing, neither forwards, nor backwards, nor in all eternity. Not merely to endure necessity, still less to hide it—all idealism is mendacity in the face of necessity—but rather to love it.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
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—Ilka Chase (1905–1978)