| 1977 Japanese Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 17 in the1977 Formula One season | |||
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 23 October 1977 | ||
| Official name | XII Japanese Grand Prix | ||
| Location | Fuji Speedway Oyama, Shizuoka, Japan | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.359 km (2.709 miles) | ||
| Distance | 73 laps, 318.207[1] km (197.725 miles) | ||
| Weather | Dry | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Lotus-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:12.23 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Jody Scheckter | Wolf-Ford | |
| Time | 1:14.30 on lap 71 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | McLaren-Ford | ||
| Second | Ferrari | ||
| Third | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
Lap leaders | |||
The1977 Japanese Grand Prix was aFormula One motor race held on 23 October 1977 atFuji. It was the 17th and final race of the1977 Formula One World Championship. At the time, this was the lastJapanese Grand Prix due to traveling and financial issues (in those days, in order to get to Japan from Europe required going throughAnchorage,Alaska in the United States or through Hong Kong, as both the Soviet Union and Red China banned Western aircraft from flying in their airspace) and safety concerns with theMount Fuji circuit, it was also the lastJapanese Grand Prix to be held atFuji Speedway until2007. The race would return in1987, held at the better spectated and saferSuzuka Circuit.[1]
Mario Andretti andJames Hunt continued their late-season battle, with the American pipping Hunt to the pole, withJohn Watson heading the second row. Hunt took the lead at the start, andJody Scheckter andJochen Mass jumped up to second and third, whereas Andretti had a terrible start and was at the tail of the top ten. On the second lap, Andretti was involved in a collision while trying to gain places, putting him out with Binder and Takahara. With Andretti out, Hunt had no challengers left and he built a large gap, with teammate Mass second and Watson passing Scheckter for third. However, both Mass and Watson had to retire within one lap of each other with engine and gearbox failures, and with Scheckter dropping back,Carlos Reutemann was second until he was passed byJacques Laffite. Hunt went on and capped off the season with a comfortable win, whereas Laffite ran of fuel on the last lap, handing over second to Reutemann and allowingPatrick Depailler to complete the podium.
A marshal and photographer were killed by debris following a collision involvingGilles Villeneuve's Ferrari andRonnie Peterson'sTyrrell P34 on lap six. They had both been standing in a prohibited area of the track when the accident occurred.[2] The marshal was trying to clear spectators away from the area.[3]
After the race concluded, both Hunt and Reutemann left the circuit immediately to catch a flight home, leaving Depailler and his engineer on the podium.[4][5] Rules changed shortly thereafter making the podium celebration mandatory.
March's driverIan Scheckter was denied entry into and expelled from Japan due to only having a tourist visa passport (unlike his brotherJody Scheckter, who had a working visa) and Japanese objections to the South Africanapartheid regime.[6]
| Pos. | Driver | Constructor | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mario Andretti | Lotus–Ford | 1:12.23 |
| 2 |  James Hunt | McLaren–Ford | +0.16 |
| 3 | John Watson | Brabham–Alfa Romeo | +0.26 |
| 4 |  Hans-Joachim Stuck | Brabham–Alfa Romeo | +0.78 |
| 5 |  Jacques Laffite | Ligier–Matra | +0.85 |
| 6 | Jody Scheckter | Wolf–Ford | +0.92 |
| 7 |  Carlos Reutemann | Ferrari | +1.09 |
| 8 | Jochen Mass | McLaren–Ford | +1.14 |
| 9 |  Vittorio Brambilla | Surtees–Ford | +1.14 |
| 10 |  Clay Regazzoni | Ensign–Ford | +1.29 |
| 11 |  Kazuyoshi Hoshino | Kojima–Ford | +1.32 |
| 12 |  Alan Jones | Shadow–Ford | +1.33 |
| 13 | Riccardo Patrese | Shadow–Ford | +1.35 |
| 14 |  Gunnar Nilsson | Lotus–Ford | +1.43 |
| 15 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell–Ford | +1.93 |
| 16 | Patrick Tambay | Ensign–Ford | +1.99 |
| 17 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Ligier–Matra | +2.02 |
| 18 | Ronnie Peterson | Tyrrell–Ford | +2.03 |
| 19 | Noritake Takahara | Kojima–Ford | +2.13 |
| 20 |  Gilles Villeneuve | Ferrari | +2.28 |
| 21 |  Hans Binder | Surtees–Ford | +2.50 |
| 22 | Kunimitsu Takahashi | Tyrrell–Ford | +2.65 |
| 23 |  Alex Ribeiro | March–Ford | +2.78 |
| Source:[7] | |||
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| Previous race: 1977 Canadian Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1977 season | Next race: 1978 Argentine Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1976 Japanese Grand Prix | Japanese Grand Prix | Next race: 1987 Japanese Grand Prix |
