| 1977 Austrian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 12 of 17 in the1977 Formula One season | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 14 August 1977 | ||
| Official name | XV Gröbl MöbelGroßer Preis von Österreich | ||
| Location | Österreichring Spielberg, Styria,Austria | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 5.942 km (3.692 miles) | ||
| Distance | 54 laps, 320.868 km (199.378 miles) | ||
| Weather | Wet, then drying | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:39.32 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  John Watson | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | |
| Time | 1:40.96 on lap 52 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Shadow-Ford | ||
| Second | Ferrari | ||
| Third | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | ||
Lap leaders | |||
The1977 Austrian Grand Prix was aFormula One motor race held at theÖsterreichring on 14 August 1977. It was the twelfth race of the 1977 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1977 International Cup for F1 Constructors.[1]
Since theprevious year's race, the Hella-Licht corner had been converted to a fast chicane, thus increasing the length of the circuit to 5.942 kilometres (3.692 mi). The race was held over 54 laps of the circuit for a race distance of 320.8 kilometres (199.3 mi).
The race was won by Australian driver and future World Champion,Alan Jones, driving aShadow-Ford. It was Jones's first Formula One victory, and the only victory for the Shadow team in its eight-year F1 history. Local heroNiki Lauda finished second in hisFerrari, having started frompole position, with West Germany'sHans-Joachim Stuck third in aBrabham-Alfa Romeo.
| Pos. | Driver | Constructor | Time | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Niki Lauda | Ferrari | 1:39,32 | 1 |
| 2 | James Hunt | McLaren-Ford | 1:39,45 | 2 |
| 3 |  Mario Andretti | Lotus-Ford | 1:39,74 | 3 |
| 4 |  Hans-Joachim Stuck | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:39,97 | 4 |
| 5 |  Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | 1:40,12 | 5 |
| 6 |  Jacques Laffite | Ligier-Matra | 1:40,22 | 6 |
| 7 | Patrick Tambay | Ensign-Ford | 1:40,29 | 7 |
| 8 |  Jody Scheckter | Wolf-Ford | 1:40,40 | 8 |
| 9 | Jochen Mass | McLaren-Ford | 1:40,44 | 9 |
| 10 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:40,62 | 10 |
| 11 |  Clay Regazzoni | Ensign-Ford | 1:40,74 | 11 |
| 12 | John Watson | Brabham-Alfa Romeo | 1:40,92 | 12 |
| 13 |  Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees-Ford | 1:40,93 | 13 |
| 14 |  Alan Jones | Shadow-Ford | 1:41,00 | 14 |
| 15 |  Ronnie Peterson | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:41,13 | 15 |
| 16 | Gunnar Nilsson | Lotus-Ford | 1:41,24 | 16 |
| 17 | Brett Lunger | McLaren-Ford | 1:41,40 | 17 |
| 18 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Penske-Ford | 1:41,70 | 18 |
| 19 | Hans Binder | Penske-Ford | 1:41,71 | 19 |
| 20 | Rupert Keegan | Hesketh-Ford | 1:41,92 | 20 |
| 21 | Arturo Merzario | Shadow-Ford | 1:41,92 | 21 |
| 22 |  Patrick Nève | March-Ford | 1:41,96 | 22 |
| 23 |  Emerson Fittipaldi | Fittipaldi-Ford | 1:42,15 | 23 |
| 24 | Ian Scheckter | March-Ford | 1:42,22 | 24 |
| 25 | Vern Schuppan | Surtees-Ford | 1:42,31 | 25 |
| 26 |  Emilio de Villota | McLaren-Ford | 1:42,38 | 26 |
| Cut-off | ||||
| 27 | Brian Henton | March-Ford | 1:42,43 | — |
| 28 | Ian Ashley | Hesketh-Ford | 1:42,52 | — |
| 29 |  Héctor Rebaque | Hesketh-Ford | 1:42,75 | — |
| 30 | Alex Ribeiro | March-Ford | no time | — |
Rain had fallen immediately prior to the race start leaving the track wet but would not rain during the race. Tyre choice was split between wets and slicks.Mario Andretti led early until the engine failed in hisLotus 78. The track was drying by this time.Gunnar Nilsson and Jones had starred in the early laps on the wet track. Nilsson moving from 16th to second and Jones progressed from his 14th grid position to fourth.James Hunt became the race leader. Nilsson pitted to replace his ruined wet tyres on hisLotus 78 while Jones moved pastHans-Joachim Stuck's Brabham andJody Scheckter'sWolf WR3 into second position. Jones would not have progressed further but for an engine failure in Hunt'sMcLaren M26 late in the race. Nilsson recovered from his pitstop to third until an engine failure claimed its second Lotus of the day. Lauda's poor handling Ferrari came on as the track dried and he moved into second while Stuck survived to claim the final podium position. Scheckter spun off leavingCarlos Reutemann in the second Ferrari 312T2 to finish fourth ahead ofRonnie Peterson in theTyrrell P34 and the second McLaren ofJochen Mass claimed the final championship point in sixth. Despite the changeable condition, 16 cars finished the race with 17 classified. The seventeenth wasEmilio de Villota, who crashed his privately enteredMcLaren M23 in the closing stages while on his 51st lap.
It had been seven years since the last victory by an Australian (Jack Brabham in the1970 South African Grand Prix). Jones' win had no effect on the championship points race. Lauda's second place, coupled with retirements to Scheckter, Andretti and Hunt significantly strengthened Lauda's grip on the championship, expanding his lead to 16 points.
According to a misconception claimed by Alan Jones[2] the "Happy Birthday to You" was played for him as a winning driverduring the podium ceremony instead of the national anthem of Australia.[3] However, "Advance Australia Fair" was actually played,[4] different from what Jones remembered. Yet "God Save the Queen" was the national anthem of Australia in 1977, being replaced by "Advance Australia Fair" in 1984, and "God Save the Queen" was really not played on the podium.
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| Previous race: 1977 German Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1977 season | Next race: 1977 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1976 Austrian Grand Prix | Austrian Grand Prix | Next race: 1978 Austrian Grand Prix |
