F1 journalist Michael Schmidt vividly recalls his first Grand Prix experience. At just 17 years old, he attended the 1976 Italian GP at Monza with his father. The race was a monumental event, marking Niki Lauda’s remarkable return to racing after his near-fatal accident at the Nurburgring earlier that year.
Schmidt and his father watched Friday’s Free Practice sessions from the main grandstand. Although FP1 was a washout, cars took to the track for the second session in the afternoon with most of the crowd eagerly waiting for the Ferraris to emerge, just to get a glimpse of Lauda.
On the Pelas Pistas podcast, Schmidt recalled how journalists and photographers had gathered in front of the Maranello-based team’s garage, leaving the rest of the pit lane empty. That weekend, Ferrari was fielding three drivers — Lauda, Clay Regazzoni, and Carlos Reutemann.
12 Sep 1976: Niki Lauda finishes P4 in #Monza just 6 weeks after his horrific Nurburgring crash #OnThisDay #F1 pic.twitter.com/2r55pI6fL0
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2015
Reutemann stepped in as a replacement for Lauda following his crash, which left the Austrian fighting for his life in the hospital. However, Lauda made a quick recovery and returned to racing after just a two-race absence — something Ferrari hadn’t anticipated. As a result, they couldn’t simply bench Reutemann. Fortunately, this wasn’t an issue, as regulations at the time allowed teams to field more than two drivers.
The Argentine driver was the first to emerge from the pits, followed by Regazzoni, and finally Lauda. Schmidt had expected the crowd to erupt upon seeing the 1975 World Champion, but to his surprise, that didn’t happen.
“No, everybody stood up very silently and was giving standing ovations, was very quiet. Everybody felt it was a historic moment, a guy who was six weeks before, he was almost dead, going out,” he recalled.
While the Tifosi are known for their passion, they have shown the sensibility to recognize sentimental moments, such as witnessing a world champion defy the odds and return to the track after narrowly escaping death.
How Lauda’s Nurburgring crash affected his title defense
The rainy afternoon of August 1, 1976, would have been very different had officials decided against racing at the German GP. It could have saved Lauda from suffering that horrific crash while trying to keep up with title rival James Hunt at the Nurburgring, which set his car ablaze, leaving him with severe burns that scarred him for life.
It was a scary moment for the F1 community, but the show went on and Hunt went on to win in Germany by a 27-second margin, which reduced Lauda’s lead over the Briton to just 14 points.
While Lauda recovered, Hunt, who was driving for McLaren, hit a purple patch in form, and by the time the Austrian returned, the gap at the top of the championship standings was just two points. Lauda achieved a P4 finish in Monza the weekend Schmidt was in attendance, but Hunt kept the pressure on till the very end.
#OnThisDay 40 years ago, on a very wet, James Hunt clinched the 1976 world title after one of the most dramatic seasons in #F1 history pic.twitter.com/J6g2qFNKi4
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2016
Hunt won the following two races in Montreal and Watkins Glen, keeping him just three points away from P1 heading into the season finale in Suzuka. The stage was set for an incredible finish to the championship battle. However, looking at the treacherous conditions in Japan, Lauda chose to opt out of the race to avoid a repeat of what had happened to him just a few months earlier.
This left Hunt with a simple equation: finish on the podium, and he would become World Champion. And that’s exactly what he did.
The dramatic depiction of this epic championship battle and Lauda’s devastating crash captured widespread attention through the 2013 Hollywood film Rush. It’s the perfect movie for anyone wanting to relive the enthralling 1976 season and the rivalry between Hunt and Lauda.
