The forgotten F1 folly that hampered Lauda in a British GP shambles

Not for the first time, I found myself wishing Niki Lauda was on hand for a quick quote, just to put the latest Formula 1 nonsense in perspective. The thought occurred while watching the shambles in Baku as Esteban Ocon steamed into the pitlane on the reasonable assumption that it remained part of the field of play rather than resembling Paddy’s Market. After using typically salty language to address the FIA’s uninformed decision to begin erecting parc fermé barriers and open the pitlane to all and sundry, Lauda would surely have mentioned Ocon’s good fortune in at least being able to continue.

Niki would have recalled the 1974 British GP. Trying to emerge from a last-lap tyre change, he found the end of the Brands Hatch pitlane blocked by a mass of hangers-on – with an official car parked in their midst. It was crucial for many reasons, not least being that Lauda and Ferrari had been leading their respective title races going into this 10th round of the championship. They came out of it a chastened and angry second on both counts. The fact that Lauda would not have won anyway because of a puncture played little part in Ferrari team manager Luca Montezemolo’s impassioned and indignant tirade directed at bungling British officialdom.

That was the main difference between then and now. The race had been organised by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), headquartered in London’s Pall Mall. Appointed by the RAC, the race stewards included a British peer (The Most Honourable The Marquess Camden), plus a highly decorated RAF Squadron Leader and the head of an international oil company. Only the presence of driver and Porsche team manager, Huschke von Hanstein, represented anyone with the slightest hint of a motor racing mindset 
within this collection of ‘frightfully good chaps’.

The significance of this deficiency would show itself in the incompetent finish to – according
 to the official programme (price 30p) – ‘Britain’s Greatest Motor Race’. Until that moment, everything had been, as the stewards might 
have said, tickety-boo. Or ‘tutto bene’ as 
Ferrari probably felt for the first three quarters 
of the 75-lap race.

Lauda had been establishing himself at Ferrari, scoring his first two F1 wins in Spain and Holland. Pole at Brands Hatch, followed by an immediate and unchallenged lead, suggested a third was about to follow. Then, with 20 laps to go, Lauda felt the handling begin to deteriorate for no obvious reason. It was the eagle-eyed Jackie Stewart who spotted the cause.

It was less than year since the three-time world champion had retired. Stewart recalled many hours spent tyre testing with the mirrors of his Tyrrell focused on the rear Goodyears. Commentating for BBC TV, Stewart recognised a slight dip in the profile of Lauda’s right-rear and suggested the Ferrari would be forced to change the punctured tyre. This was long before the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it machine gun orchestration commonplace today.

Having eventually worked out the cause of the Ferrari’s loose handling, Lauda knew it would take about 15 seconds to change the wheel. With most corners being right-handers, the car felt manageable and prompted his decision to continue. Besides, while Jody Scheckter’s Tyrrell would quickly close down Lauda’s eight-second lead, the next two runners were literally miles behind and separated by up to half a minute.
The rest of the diminishing field – there would be 11 retirements – had been lapped (and we complain about dull races today).

Esteban Ocon steamed into the pitlane in Baku on the reasonable assumption that it remained part of the field of play

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

With four laps to go, Emerson Fittipaldi moved his Lotus into second place. Lauda’s hopes of a podium ended on the last lap when the rear Goodyear finally gave way, shredding rubber in all directions. Lauda limped into the pits, where the mechanics seized on the 312B3-74 and changed the wheel in 14 seconds (described by one contemporary report as “double-quick time”). Meanwhile, Scheckter crossed the line to win his second race for Tyrrell.

Knowing the timing line was beyond the pit road, Lauda aimed for the exit knowing he would be credited with the two points for fifth place if he completed the lap (points being awarded 9-6-4-3-2-1). Such technicalities had long since been lost on the official in charge of the pitlane.

An outraged editorial by Ian Phillips in the following edition of Autosport summed up the absurd scene as Lauda was confronted by a mob, not to mention a Ford Cortina positioned in readiness for the lap of honour. Even worse, a marshal with a red flag took it upon himself to stand in front of the Ferrari, indicating Lauda should go no further – as if he had the choice.

While having little option but to accept that Lauda had been blocked unnecessarily, the RAC officials felt they did not have the power to alter the results of an international race

“The situation was ludicrous,” thundered Phillips. “The RAC system of allocating pit passes was generally beyond comprehension. Bona fide journalists were refused proper passes, while notorious hangers-on got them and abused them. Consequently, the pit road was permanently filled with people who had absolutely no right to be there. The officials, who had a hospitality caravan virtually on the start line (in which they seemed 
to spend the majority of the meeting), just did
 not have a clue what was going on.”

Certainly, the stewards did not know what to do next when confronted by an outraged Montezemolo, demanding Lauda be elevated from ninth. An official protest was rejected nine days later. While having little option but to accept that Lauda had been blocked unnecessarily, the RAC officials felt they did not have the power to alter the results of an international race. Ferrari lodged an appeal with the FIA, and the governing body’s tribunal agreed to promote Lauda to fifth.

As it happened, the extra two points would make no difference to his eventual fourth place in the championship, Lauda having frittered his chances with uncharacteristic driving errors. Still smouldering, Ferrari claimed Lauda’s subsequent inconsistent performances had been caused by the mental stress brought on by the Brands Hatch bedlam. Were he with us today, Lauda would probably agree such an excuse was just as absurd as Baku officials having no idea that Ocon was about to make a wholly predictable pitstop.

Amid the pitlane shambles afflicting Lauda, Scheckter crossed the line to win his second race for Tyrrell

Photo by: Motorsport Images