It’s 1976. A rainy day in the beautiful Japanese capital. The Fuji International Speedway resonated with excitement and heavy rainfall at its inaugural F1 Grand Prix. Little did the audience under their umbrellas know they were witnessing history.

The 76 championship battle was almost as exciting as the one we’re witnessing now. Niki Lauda’s horrific accident in Germany and late-season charge by James Hunt. It all boiled down to the season’s final race.

However, there was a debate in the paddock about the weather conditions of the race. The rains were heavy. Then-Ferrari team manager Daniele Audetto sat down with the F1 podcast and looked back at the rainy day of October 24th, 1976.

“When we had the monsoon in Fuji, everybody understood that it was impossible to race. Just impossible. Because the track was not a track – it was a river.

“And the water was not water- it was a cascade-like the Niagara Falls,” Audetto describes the big monsoons the grid faced that evening.

Clarkson, the host, asked him if the 76 season finisher surprised him. Audetto explains, “No. You have to know the truth. And the truth is quite different.” 

The racing conditions at Fuji F1

Niki Lauda entered the GP leading the Championship by three points. His contender, McLaren‘s James Blunt, was resolved to win no matter what.

Niki had also returned to the tracks 40 days after a life-threatening fiery crash in Germany. Underneath his helmet was bandaging protecting a burned face. However, it was the last race of the season, and the racer in him pushed him on.

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The rains, however, made for an unwelcoming track. the conditions weren’t as safe as the teams would like. After an unsure race start, Lauda enters the pits and parks.

To his surprise and the rest of the world, the race went on despite the rains and Lauda lost out on his championship.

Audetto gave the podcast a bit of background to the story. He says that James, Niki, and Emerson Fittipaldi went to the race director, Bernie Ecclestone, to discuss the possibilities of racing on the wet track.

Ecclestone explained the legalities behind a start, as Audetto quotes him: “Look, we are going to lose everybody if we don’t start the race… if we don’t start the race, we lose the money… what I ask you is to start the race.

“I just want to start, legally, the race. And then you stop and I understand that you cannot race under such conditions.”

The story behind the winning McLaren

Audetto explained the three shook on it, and they expected the race to stop after a short start. While Niki stuck to the agreement, James went on. Audetto reveals a late revelation he had:

“What I didn’t know then…when James came to the pit and said ‘okay race start, but I have to stop’… Alastair Caldwell said ‘James if you do that we kick you…you lose everything, you will lose all the money…if you do that, you are a dead man’.”

Audetto explained James couldn’t update Niki on his race and his orders from his team boss. In a later interview, Alastair confirmed the event took place. “That is the real story,” Audetto concludes.

Audetto also blames himself, “My mistake was, professionally, I had to say, ‘Niki, go out and wait, let James stop.” But he couldn’t. “Under this rain, seeing Niki in the helicopter, almost dead…” he couldn’t force him to go out on the track again.

The movie-inspiring season concluded with James Hunt as the F1 Champion. However, the Austrian returned for the trophy the next season, and redemption was served.

An iconic race, an iconic friendship, and an even better rivalry. Will things get as close between the protagonists in our era of competition?

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