Formula One 1976 Review - Hunt for the Title is the review of the 1976 Formula 1 season.
This was the year when Britain's James Hunt, in the McLaren, amazingly clinched the Formula One Drivers Championship during the final Grand Prix of the season in Japan.
The reigning Champion, Niki Lauda in the Ferrari, started the 1976 season as the favourite for the Championship. His nearest rival, Emerson Fittipaldi, made the patriotic switch from McLaren to the Brazilian funded Copersucar team. This left a hole at McLaren... it was filled by the ambitious British hopeful with the playboy image, James Hunt, to set the scene for a dramatic season of racing.
Tyrrell stole the limelight early on in the season, not for their results, but through the unveiling of their revolutionary six-wheeled P34 - it certainly was a unique sight to F1 fans. Hunt quickly adapted to life at McLaren and, unfazed by Lauda's early dominance, continued to pick up valuable points and podium finishes.
The 1976 season however will probably be best remembered for Lauda's horrific accident at the Nurburgring that nearly ended his life and saw him rushed to hospital with major burns. His resilience and dedication to racing saw him make a remarkable recovery, returning six weeks later to ensure a thrilling climax to a season that ended with only one point separating 1st and 2nd place in the championship. Again it was the last eventful race in the rain in Japan that decided the title.
Brunswick Films were pioneers in the embryonic days of Formula One production, when sponsors controlled the demand for footage, and before the era of global TV coverage began. They have skilfully combined film from their famous archive - including some previously unseen material - to create a review that captures the essence of a very special era in Grand Prix racing.
The 1976 Formula 1 season is perfectly summarised in this 52 minute film, using archive footage from Brunswick Films. The review is a wonderful piece of Grand Prix nostalgia in which the dashing James Hunt, driving for McLaren, thrillingly clinched the 1976 Formula One Drivers Championship on the final Grand Prix of the season.