1975 Formula One season explained

The 1975 Formula One season was the 29th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1975 World Championship of F1 Drivers[1] and the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers[2] which were contested concurrently from 12 January to 5 October over fourteen races. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races and a nine race South African Formula One Championship.

After a strong finish to the season, many observers felt the Brabham team were favourites going into the new year. An emotional first win for Carlos Pace in his native São Paulo looked to confirm this, but tyre wear frequently hampered the cars and the initial promise was not maintained.[3] In his second year with Ferrari, Niki Lauda was given the keys to the Ferrari 312T, a car that was technically far superior to any of the competition. He won his first drivers' title with five wins and a huge margin over second place in the championship. Ferrari took home the championship trophy for manufacturers. Lauda often referred to 1975 as "the unbelievable year".

American Mark Donohue died in August, two days after crashing in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix.[4] [5] [6] And after the season, in late November, an Embassy Hill airplane crashed in England and all six aboard were killed, including team owner Graham Hill and driver Tony Brise.[7] [8] [9]

Drivers and constructors

The following drivers and constructors and contested the 1975 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers.

EntrantConstructorChassisEngineTyreNoDriverRounds
Marlboro Team TexacoMcLaren-FordM23Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V81 Emerson FittipaldiAll
2 Jochen MassAll
Elf Team TyrrellTyrrell-Ford007Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V83 Jody ScheckterAll
4 Patrick DepaillerAll
15 Jean-Pierre Jabouille9
Michel Leclère14
John Player Team LotusLotus-Ford72EFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V85 Ronnie PetersonAll
6 Jacky Ickx1–9
Jim Crawford10, 13
John Watson11
Brian Henton12, 14
1510
Martini RacingBrabham-FordBT44BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V87 Carlos ReutemannAll
8 Carlos PaceAll
Beta Team March
Lavazza March
March-Ford741
751
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V89 Vittorio BrambillaAll
10 Lella Lombardi3–9
Hans-Joachim Stuck10–14
29 Lella Lombardi10–13
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFACFerrari312B3-74
312T
Ferrari 001/11 3.0 F12
Ferrari 015 3.0 F12
11 Clay RegazzoniAll
12 Niki LaudaAll
Stanley-BRMBRMP201BRM P200 3.0 V1214 Mike Wilds1–2
Bob Evans3–9, 12–13
UOP Shadow Racing Shadow-FordDN3B
DN5
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V816 Tom PryceAll
17 Jean-Pierre Jarier1–11, 14
Shadow-MatraDN7Matra MS73 3.0 V1212–13
Matchbox Team Surtees
National Organs Team Surtees
Surtees-FordTS16Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V818 John Watson1–10, 12
19 Dave Morgan10
HB Bewaking Team EnsignEnsign-FordN174
N175
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V819 Gijs van Lennep11
318–9
Roelof Wunderink4–5, 10, 13–14
Chris Amon12
3213
33 Roelof Wunderink12
Frank Williams Racing Cars
Williams Ambrozium H7 Racing
Williams-FordFW
FW04
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V820 Arturo Merzario1–6
Damien Magee7
Ian Scheckter8
François Migault9
Ian Ashley11
Jo Vonlanthen12
Renzo Zorzi13
Lella Lombardi14
21 Ian Scheckter7
Jacques Laffite1–3, 5–6, 8–14
Tony Brise4
Embassy Racing with Graham HillLola-FordT370
T371
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V822 Graham Hill1–3
23 Rolf Stommelen1–3
Hill-FordGH1224, 12–13
François Migault6
Vern Schuppan7
Alan Jones8–11
23 François Migault4
Graham Hill5
Tony Brise6–14
Hesketh Racing
Warsteiner Brewery
Polar Caravans
Hesketh-Ford308
308B
308C
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V824 James HuntAll
25 Torsten Palm5
Harald Ertl11
Brett Lunger12–14
32 Torsten Palm7
Harald Ertl12
3413
Custom Made Harry Stiller RacingHesketh-Ford308BFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V825 Alan Jones4
265–7
Vel's Parnelli Jones RacingParnelli-FordVPJ4Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
27 Mario Andretti1–5, 7, 9–14
First National City Bank TeamMarch-Ford751Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V828 Mark Donohue10–12
Penske-FordPC11–9
John Watson14
Oreste BertaBerta-FordF1Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V829 Nestor García-Veiga1–2
Copersucar FittipaldiFittipaldi-FordFD01
FD02
FD03
Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V830 Wilson Fittipaldi1–12, 14
Arturo Merzario13
Lucky Strike RacingMcLaren-FordM23Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V831 Dave Charlton3
Lexington RacingTyrrell-Ford007Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V832 Ian Scheckter3
Pinch Plant (Ltd)Lyncar-Ford006Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V832 John Nicholson10
Team GunstonLotus-Ford72EFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V833 Eddie Keizan3
34 Guy Tunmer3
Citizen Maki F1
Citizen Maki Engineering
Citizen Maki F1-Team
Maki-FordF101CFord Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
35 Dave Walker6-7
Hiroshi Fushida8, 10
Tony Trimmer11–13

Team and driver changes

Mid-season changes

Calendar

RoundGrand PrixCircuitDate
1 Argentine Grand PrixAutódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires12 January
2 Brazilian Grand PrixAutodromo de Interlagos, São Paulo26 January
3 South African Grand PrixKyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand1 March
4 Spanish Grand PrixMontjuïc circuit, Barcelona27 April
5 Monaco Grand PrixCircuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo11 May
6 Belgian Grand PrixCircuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder25 May
7 Swedish Grand PrixScandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp8 June
8 Dutch Grand PrixCircuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort22 June
9 French Grand PrixPaul Ricard Circuit, Le Castellet6 July
10 British Grand PrixSilverstone Circuit, Silverstone19 July
11 German Grand PrixNürburgring, Nürburg3 August
12 Austrian Grand PrixÖsterreichring, Spielberg17 August
13 Italian Grand PrixAutodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza7 September
14 United States Grand PrixWatkins Glen Grand Prix Course, New York5 October

Calendar changes

Regulation changes

Season report

Race 1: Argentina

The drivers went to Argentina to start the season, and it was Jean-Pierre Jarier in the Shadow who took pole position with the Brabhams of Carlos Pace and Carlos Reutemann second and third on the grid. However, poleman Jarier could not even start the race because his transmission failed on the parade lap. Home hero Reutemann took the lead from teammate Pace, with Niki Lauda's Ferrari third.

Pace passed teammate Reutemann to take the lead but then spun off and dropped to seventh. James Hunt in his Hesketh soon overtook Lauda and then Reutemann, much to the chagrin of the crowd. By then, reigning world champion Emerson Fittipaldi in his McLaren was past Lauda and up to third, and soon took Reutemann for second as well. Fittipaldi closed in on Hunt and took the lead with 18 laps left. Pace recovered to fourth after his spin, but it was to no avail as his engine blew up. Fittipaldi started his title defence with a win, Hunt was a superb second, and Reutemann third in front of his home crowd.

Race 2: Brazil

The second round was in Brazil, and Jarier took pole position again with Fittipaldi alongside and Reutemann third. Reutemann, just like in Argentina, took the lead at the start from Jarier and Pace was up to third, whereas home driver Fittipaldi dropped to seventh. Jarier retook the lead from Reutemann on lap 5 and then pulled away. Reutemann struggled with handling issues and dropped well down the order then, with Pace up to second, Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari third and Fittipaldi recovering to fourth. Jarier's engine stopped with seven laps left and Pace took the lead. Regazzoni was up to second but dropped behind Fittipaldi and Jochen Mass in the second McLaren as he too suffered handling issues. Pace took a home victory, with countryman Fittipaldi second and Mass third.

Race 3: South Africa

A month after the Brazilian race, the field went to South Africa and Pace followed up his win with pole, with Reutemann alongside as Brabham locked out the front row, and home hero Jody Scheckter was third in the Tyrrell. Pace led at the start, with Scheckter second, and Ronnie Peterson in his Lotus jumped up from eighth to take third. However, the Swede did not have the pace of the front runners and dropped back down the order. Scheckter took the lead from Pace on the third lap, to the delight to the fans. Pace kept second until he struggled with tyres and was passed by Reutemann and the second Tyrrell of Patrick Depailler. Scheckter took an emotional home victory, with Reutemann and Depailler completing the podium.

Race 4: Spain

Nearly two months after the third round, the European season began in Spain at the very fast Montjuic street circuit in Barcelona. The Grand Prix Drivers Association was not happy with the state of the barriers, which were not bolted properly, and the drivers threatened not to take part. Mechanics from the teams went around the entire circuit to attempt to repair/fasten down the barriers. After work was done on the circuit, the drivers agreed that the circuit was still not safe enough. Reigning world champion and championship leader Emerson Fittipaldi had no intention to race because of the condition of the barriers, and went home on Sunday morning. The organisers of the event then locked the cars and motorhomes inside the circuit confines for breach of contract and threatened to keep them there. This being incompatible with the schedule for the next race at Monaco, the teams decided to cater for the organisers wishes and raced anyway.

The rest of the drivers were there for qualifying, and Ferrari took the front row, with Lauda on pole from Regazzoni, and Hunt third in the Hesketh. There was chaos at the start when Mario Andretti in his Parnelli tapped the car of polesitter Lauda, sending it into the sister car of Regazzoni and knocking both Ferraris out of contention. Hunt gratefully took the lead, and Andretti, whose car was undamaged was second. Hunt led until he crashed after spinning on oil on the track, leaving Andretti leading from John Watson in the Surtees and Rolf Stommelen's Hill. Watson then had to pit with a vibration and the leader Andretti retired after a suspension failure sent him into the guardrail. This promoted Pace to second and Peterson to third, but the Swede retired after colliding with backmarker François Migault while lapping him.

On lap 26, Stommelen's rear wing broke, and the car bounced into the barriers and flew back onto the road, hitting the barrier on the other side but the momentum of the car was enough for it to fly over the barrier where spectators were watching. The car hit some of them, and five spectators were killed, and Stommelen and other spectators were injured. Pace also crashed while trying to avoid the Hill as it bounced back off the road. The race went on for the moment, with Jochen Mass passing Jacky Ickx's Lotus to lead. The organizers stopped the race on lap 30 due to the debris on the track caused by Stommelen's crash. Mass was declared the winner, with Ickx second and Reutemann third. Only half points were awarded as the race was stopped before it had run 75% of its full course.

Race 5: Monaco

After the chaotic and tragic Spanish GP, the race on the streets of Monaco was next. Lauda took pole ahead of the Shadow of Tom Pryce, with Pryce's teammate Jarier third. Rain before the race meant that it was started on a damp track. Lauda took off into the lead and Jarier climbed up to second but crashed on the first lap. Peterson was up to second, and Pryce was third. Pryce spun off after 20 laps, giving third to Scheckter. The field soon pitted for dry weather tyres and this shuffled up the order, with Scheckter dropping back after pitting too late. Fittipaldi was up to second behind Lauda, and Pace jumped up to third. That is how it stayed, with Lauda winning, Fittipaldi second and Pace third.

It was the last weekend for Graham Hill in Formula One.

Race 6: Belgium

The next race took place in Belgium, and Lauda was on pole with Pace with him on the front row, and Vittorio Brambilla in the March a surprising third. It was Pace who got the better of Lauda at the start, to lead into the first corner. Pace was leading from Lauda and Brambilla at the end of the first lap, but Brambilla was on the move, and shocked everyone by overtaking both the front-row starters to lead. But this spurred Lauda into action, and after almost immediately passing Pace, he took the lead from Brambilla on the sixth lap. Scheckter was also on the move and was up to second, after passing Brambilla on lap 9. Brambilla held third until he was forced to pit with tyre troubles. Lauda won, becoming the first driver to take two wins this season, with Scheckter second and Reutemann third.

Race 7: Sweden

In Sweden, it was Brambilla who took his first career pole, with Depailler second and Jarier third on the grid. The order was unchanged at the start, with Brambilla leading but Reutemann was up to third after three laps. Brambilla continued to lead, whereas second-placed Depailler dropped out of contention with brake problems. Reutemann was up to second, and now took the lead from Brambilla. Brambilla had to pit for new tyres almost immediately. Jarier ran second now, but his engine blew up and this gave the position to Pace until he spun off and retired. Lauda was now second, and towards the end of the race Reutemann began to suffer from oversteer, allowing Lauda to take the lead with 10 laps left. Lauda went on to win, with Reutemann and Regazzoni completing the podium.

Race 8: Netherlands

The first race in the second half of the season took place in the Netherlands, and pole went to Lauda as usual, with teammate Regazzoni alongside, and Hunt's Hesketh third. The race started on a damp track and Lauda took the lead, with Scheckter up to second ahead of Regazzoni. The order was unchanged until the drivers had to pit for dry tyres. Hunt and Jarier pitted early, and their gamble paid off as they were first and second, with Lauda, Scheckter and Regazzoni third, fourth and fifth respectively. Lauda passed Jarier for second midway through the race, and started closing on Hunt. Jarier almost immediately retired with a tyre failure, and Scheckter who inherited third had his engine blow up with just 12 laps left. Hunt held off Lauda to take his first career win, with Regazzoni completing the podium.

Race 9: France

France was host to the 9th round of the season, and it was Lauda on pole ahead of Scheckter and Hunt. The top three maintained their starting positions into the first corner. In the early laps, Regazzoni was on a charge, and got up to second on the sixth lap but his engine blew up and he had to retire. Scheckter soon faded away, giving Hunt second. That was how it ended, with Lauda winning to take a large championship lead, Hunt finishing second and Mass third.

Race 10: Great Britain

The tenth round was held at the Silverstone airfield circuit in Great Britain, and Tom Pryce took a home pole position, with Pace second and championship leader Lauda third. Pace beat Pryce into the first corner, with Regazzoni third ahead of Lauda. After 10 laps, Regazzoni passed Pryce for second, and soon both of them passed Pace. It soon began to rain, and Regazzoni was pulling away until he spun off, hit a barrier and damaged his rear wing. He rejoined two laps down. Pryce now led, but he crashed out as well, two laps later. Scheckter had meanwhile passed both Lauda and Pace, and he was now leading.

Scheckter pitted for wet tyres from the lead, and most drivers followed suit. Hunt (after passing Pace) was the leader from Pace and Emerson Fittipaldi as they had not pitted for dries. Scheckter and Jarier both caught and passed the trio, but the track was drying out, and both had to pit for dries soon after. Hunt began to lose power in his engine, and was passed by Fittipaldi, and then Pace, and even a recovering Scheckter. On lap 56 out of 70, the rain fell again, in a massive shower with the whole field on dries. Nearly all the drivers spun off and crashed, and race was stopped. Only 6 drivers were left (notably Fittipaldi). The race was stopped, and the results were declared on the lap before the storm struck. Fittipaldi was the winner, and Pace and Scheckter, despite crashing out, were given second and third.

The result meant that Fittipaldi closed within 14 points of Lauda with five races left.

Race 11: West Germany

The drivers had to go to West Germany, in the legendary Nordschleife track, for round 11- and this proved to be the most crucial round in the championship (the German Grand Prix often was). Lauda was on pole, lapping the 14.2 mi (22.8 km) circuit in under 7 minutes- becoming the first driver to accomplish this feat. Pace was on the front row, and the two Tyrrell drivers Scheckter and Depailler third and fourth respectively. At the start, Lauda led from Pace, with Depailler getting third from his teammate Scheckter, who made a dreadful start and dropped to 20th. Depailler was past Pace early on, but by midway through the race, both drivers were out of contention, Pace retiring with a puncture, and Depailler having to pit after a suspension failure. Lauda continued to lead with Regazzoni up to second, until the latter's engine failed. Lauda then suffered a puncture and a damaged spoiler and had to pit, leaving Reutemann to lead from Hunt and Pryce. Hunt was next to retire, with a wheel hub failure on the straight behind the pits, and Pryce took second, but only briefly as he had to back off towards the end with fuel-feed troubles. At the front, Reutemann took his first win of the season, with Jacques Laffite's Williams second, and Lauda recovering to third.

Race 12: Austria

The Austrian GP on 17 August had a very large attendance, as Lauda had a chance of getting close to the championship at his home race. Lauda did not disappoint them, as he took pole position, with Hunt second and Fittipaldi third. His chief rival, Reutemann, was only 11th. On a morning practice lap, Mark Donohue's March slid off the track after a tyre failure and hit two marshals.[20] Donohue died two days later, and one of the marshals also died.[4] [5] [6]

It began to rain just before the race started, but it did not deter Lauda, who led from Hunt and Depailler. Depailler soon dropped back, and it was Vittorio Brambilla who was up to third. Lauda also began to struggle as the rain became heavier, and Hunt took the lead and Brambilla second on lap 15. Brambilla went to take the lead from Hunt four laps later when they were lapping a backmarker, whereas Pryce passed Lauda for third. Conditions became so bad that the organizers showed the chequered flag early, with Brambilla the winner (he spun off on the slowing down lap and crashed, and drove around to the pits waving to the fans with a badly damaged car), Hunt second and Pryce completing the podium. Only half points were given, as the race was stopped early, just like in Spain.

Race 13: Italy

The penultimate round was in Italy, and after the cancellation of the Canadian GP, Lauda needed only half a point to be the 1975 world champion. The Ferrari fans were very happy as their team locked out the front row, with Lauda on pole from Regazzoni, and Fittipaldi third. Regazzoni took the lead at the start, with Lauda and Mass following. Soon Reutemann was up to third, but he needed to win to keep any faint hopes alive. However, he was passed by Fittipaldi, and towards the end, Lauda backed off and let Fittipaldi through. It was Regazzoni who won the race, with Fittipaldi second, and Lauda's third was enough to seal the championship.

Race 14: United States

The final round took place in the US, and it was no surprise that at the spectacular Watkins Glen track in upstate New York (which had a new chicane at the Esses introduced), new World Champion Lauda took pole again, with Fittipaldi alongside and Reutemann third. Lauda led into the first corner from Fittipaldi, and it was Jarier in third. Lauda and Fittipaldi drove away from the rest of the field, whereas Jarier retired with a wheel failure one-third into the race. This left Hunt in third, but Mass had other ideas and took the place midway through the race. Lauda went on to win, his fifth of the season, as he signed off in style, with Fittipaldi close behind in second, and Mass also on the podium.

Results and standings

Grands Prix

RoundGrand PrixPole positionFastest lapWinning driverWinning constructor
1 Argentine Grand Prixnowrap Jean-Pierre Jarier James Hunt Emerson Fittipaldinowrap McLaren-FordReport
2 Brazilian Grand Prixnowrap Jean-Pierre Jariernowrap Jean-Pierre Jariernowrap Carlos Pacenowrap Brabham-FordReport
3nowrap South African Grand Prix Carlos Pace Carlos Pace Jody Scheckter Tyrrell-FordReport
4 Spanish Grand Prix Niki Lauda Mario Andretti Jochen Mass McLaren-FordReport
5 Monaco Grand Prix Niki Lauda Patrick Depailler Niki Lauda FerrariReport
6 Belgian Grand Prix Niki Lauda Clay Regazzoni Niki Lauda FerrariReport
7 Swedish Grand Prix Vittorio Brambilla Niki Lauda Niki Lauda FerrariReport
8 Dutch Grand Prix Niki Lauda Niki Lauda James Hunt Hesketh-FordReport
9 French Grand Prix Niki Lauda Jochen Mass Niki Lauda FerrariReport
10 British Grand Prix Tom Pryce Clay Regazzoni Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren-FordReport
11 German Grand Prix Niki Lauda Clay Regazzoninowrap Carlos Reutemann Brabham-FordReport
12 Austrian Grand Prix Niki Lauda Vittorio Brambillanowrap Vittorio Brambilla March-FordReport
13 Italian Grand Prix Niki Lauda Clay Regazzoni Clay Regazzoni FerrariReport
14nowrap United States Grand Prix Niki Laudanowrap Emerson Fittipaldi Niki Lauda FerrariReport

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. For both the Championship and the Cup, the best six results from rounds 1-7 and the best six results from rounds 8-14 were counted.

Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:

World Drivers' Championship standings

PosDriverARG
BRA
RSA
ESP
MON
BEL
SWE
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
USA
Pts
1 Niki Lauda655Ret111218363164.5
2 Emerson Fittipaldi12NCDNS278Ret41Ret92245
3 Carlos Reutemann3823932414Ret1144Ret37
4 James Hunt26RetRetRetRetRet124Ret25433
5 Clay Regazzoni4416NCRet533Ret13Ret71Ret25
6 Carlos PaceRet14Ret38Ret5Ret2RetRetRetRet24
7 Jody Scheckter11Ret1Ret7271693Ret88620
8 Jochen Mass143616RetRetRet37Ret4Ret320
9 Patrick Depailler5Ret3Ret54129699117Ret 12
10 Tom Pryce12Ret9RetRet6Ret6RetRet436NC8
11 Vittorio Brambilla9RetRet5RetRetRetRetRet6Ret1Ret76.5
12 Jacques LaffiteRet11NCDNQRetRet11Ret2RetRetDNS6
13 Ronnie PetersonRet1510Ret4Ret91510RetRet5Ret56
14 Mario AndrettiRet717RetRet451210RetRetRet5
15 Mark Donohue7Ret8RetRet1158Ret5RetDNS4
16 Jacky Ickx891228Ret15RetRet3
17 Alan JonesRetRetRet1113161052
18 Jean-Pierre JarierDNSRetRet4RetRetRetRet814RetRetRetRet1.5
19 Tony Brise7Ret67715Ret15RetRet1
20 Gijs van Lennep101561
21 Lella LombardiRet6DNQRetRet1418Ret717RetDNS 0.5
Rolf Stommelen13147Ret16Ret0
John WatsonDSQ10Ret8Ret1016Ret1311Ret1090
Harald Ertl8Ret90
Hans-Joachim StuckRetRetRetRet80
Bob Evans15RetDNQ913Ret17RetRet0
Wilson FittipaldiRet13DNQRetDNQ121711Ret19RetDNS100
Graham Hill1012DNQDNQ0
Brett Lunger1310Ret0
Torsten PalmDNQ100
Arturo MerzarioNCRetRetRetDNQRet110
Guy Tunmer110
Chris Amon12120
Ian ScheckterRetRet120
Jean-Pierre Jabouille120
Jim CrawfordRet130
Eddie Keizan130
Dave Charlton140
Damien Magee140
Renzo Zorzi140
Brian Henton16DNSNC0
John Nicholson170
Dave Morgan180
Roelof WunderinkRetDNQDNQNCDNQRet0
François MigaultNCRetDNS0
Mike WildsRetRet0
Vern SchuppanRet0
Ian AshleyDNS0
Jo VonlanthenRet0
Michel LeclèreRet0
Hiroshi FushidaDNSDNQ0
Tony TrimmerDNQDNQDNQ0
Nestor García-VeigaWDWD
Dave WalkerWDWD
PosDriverARG
BRA
RSA
ESP
MON
BEL
SWE
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
USA
Pts

International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings

PosConstructorARG
BRA
RSA
ESP
MON
BEL
SWE
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
USA
Pts[22]
1 Ferrari445NC111218361172.5
2 Brabham-Ford312(3)33241421144Ret54 (56)
3 McLaren-Ford1261278Ret31Ret42253
4 Hesketh-Ford26RetRetRetRet10124825433
5 Tyrrell-Ford5Ret1Ret527963987625
6 Shadow-Ford12Ret94Ret6Ret6814436NC9.5
7 Lotus-Ford891024Ret9151016Ret51359
8 March-Ford9RetRet5RetRetRet1418571Ret77.5
9 Williams-FordNC11NC7DNQRet141211Ret2Ret14DNS6
10 Parnelli-FordRet717RetRet451210RetRetRet5
11 Hill-FordNCDNQRet67710515RetRet3
12 Penske-Ford7Ret8RetRet1158Ret92
13 Ensign-FordDNQWDWD1015DNQ61212Ret1
Lola-Ford10127DNQ0
Surtees-FordDSQ10Ret8Ret1016Ret1311100
BRMRetRet15RetDNQ913Ret17WDWDRetRet0
Fittipaldi-FordRet13DNQRetDNQ121711Ret19RetDNS11100
Lyncar-Ford170
Shadow-MatraRetRet0
Maki-FordWDWDDNSDNQDNQDNQDNQ0
Berta-FordWDWD
PosConstructorARG
BRA
RSA
ESP
MON
BEL
SWE
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
USA
Pts

Non-championship races

Other Formula One races were also held in 1975, which did not count towards the World Championship.

Race nameCircuitDateWinning driverConstructorReport
X Race of ChampionsBrands Hatch16 March Tom Pryce Shadow-CosworthReport
XXVII BRDC International TrophySilverstone13 April Niki Lauda FerrariReport
XV Swiss Grand PrixDijon-Prenois24 August Clay Regazzoni FerrariReport

South African Formula One Championship

Race nameCircuitDateWinning driverConstructorReport
Cape South Easter TrophyKillarney8 February Dave Charlton McLaren-CosworthReport
Goldfields 100Goldfields22 March Ian Scheckter Tyrrell-CosworthReport
Natal Mercury 100Roy Hesketh29 March Ian Scheckter Tyrrell-CosworthReport
Brandkop Winter TrophyBrandkop3 May Ian Scheckter Tyrrell-CosworthReport
South African Republic TrophyKyalami31 May Ian Scheckter Tyrrell-CosworthReport
False Bay 100Killarney5 July Guy Tunmer Lotus-CosworthReport
Rand Winter TrophyKyalami26 July Ian Scheckter Tyrrell-CosworthReport
Natal Spring TrophyRoy Hesketh1 September Dave Charlton McLaren-CosworthReport
Rand Spring TrophyKyalami4 October Ian Scheckter Tyrrell-CosworthReport

Notes and References

  1. 1976 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 90
  2. 1976 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, page 91
  3. Gill, Barrie (1976) "The World Championship 1975" John Player Motorsport yearbook 1976 p. 103 Queen Anne Press Ltd.
  4. News: Donohue dies after operation . Beaver County Times . (Pennsylvania, U.S.) . UPI . 20 August 1975 . D-4.
  5. News: Donohue dies of injuries . Milwaukee Sentinel . (Wisconsin, U.S.). Associated Press . 20 August 1975 . 1, part 2.
  6. News: Donohue dies after surgery . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon, U.S.). Associated Press . 20 August 1975 . 1C.
  7. News: Plane crash kills driver Graham Hill . Pittsburgh Press . (Pennsylvania, U.S.) . UPI . 30 November 1975 . D-1 .
  8. News: Racing mourns death of Graham Hill . Milwaukee Sentinel . (Wisconsin, U.S.) . UPI . 1 December 1975 . 5, part 2.
  9. News: After cheating death 20 years, Hill killed in air crash . Daytona Beach Morning Journal . (Florida, U.S.) . Associated Press . 1 December 1975 . 1C .
  10. Web site: Lola's Formula One heritage. Motor Sport magazine. December 1996. 1 September 2015.
  11. Web site: Hill GH1 Cosworth. 8 December 2015.
  12. Web site: Ewald. Klaus. Hill Ford GH2. research-racing.de. 2006. 4 September 2015. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090150/http://www.research-racing.de/gh2-a.htm. dead.
  13. News: Donohue dies after operation . Beaver County Times . (Pennsylvania, U.S.) . UPI . 20 August 1975 . D-4.
  14. News: Donohue dies of injuries . Milwaukee Sentinel . (Wisconsin, U.S.). Associated Press . 20 August 1975 . 1, part 2.
  15. News: Donohue dies after surgery . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon, U.S.). Associated Press . 20 August 1975 . 1C.
  16. Web site: Cancelled Grands Prix of Canada - 1975 and 1987. 22 August 2022. canadianracer.com.
  17. Web site: History of safety devices in Formula 1: The halo, barriers & more. Autosport.com. Anna Duxbury. 4 July 2022. 7 February 2024.
  18. Web site: F1 rules and stats 1970-1979. F1Technical.net. Steven de Grootte. 1 January 2009. 7 February 2024.
  19. Web site: Safety Improvements in F1 since 1963. AtlasF1. 7 February 2024.
  20. News: Donahue seriously injured . Daytona Beach Morning Journal . (Florida, U.S.) . Associated Press . 18 August 1975 . 4B.
  21. Web site: 18 January 2019 . World Championship points systems . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190924032459/http://8w.forix.com/6thgear/points.html . 24 September 2019 . 21 December 2020 . 8W . Forix.
  22. Only the best six results from the first seven races and the best six results from the last seven races counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.