Over the last 75 years, Formula 1 has produced some of the most enthralling rivalries, from Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen in 2021 to Jim Clark vs Graham Hill all the way back in the 1960s. One such intense rivalry spurred out of nowhere in 1975 between Niki Lauda and his arch-nemesis James Hunt.
Over the following three years. the duo single-handedly kept the entire racing community, including the fans and the media, on the edge of their seats.
The silent entries of Niki Lauda and James Hunt
The likes of Emerson Fittipaldi and Sir Jackie Stewart were busy dominating the Formula 1 grid when Lauda silently bought his way into the championship in 1971. The Austrian had to acquire a 30,000 pound bank loan amid his family’s disapproval and eventually landed a seat in the March Formula 2 team. Coincidentally, the very same year, he was promoted to Formula 1 ahead of his home race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Hunt made his Formula 1 debut in 1972 with Hesketh, a team that hardly looked serious in the eyes of its fellow rival outfits. However, little did the world know that Hunt, with his unapologetic personality and Lauda, with his no-nonsense approach would soon become the face of Formula 1.
Hunt hints at looming rivalry in 1975
Lauda won the attention of Enzo Ferrari in 1973 following the Austrian’s brilliant racing on the streets of Monaco. With Clay Regazzoni also vouching for Lauda, the Ferrari legend wasted no time in signing the highly appreciated Marlboro-BRM driver for 1974.
Eventually, Lauda impressed Ferrari with a series of brilliant on-track performances while also assisting the team in its crucial phase of restructuring throughout the year. What followed was a game-changing 1975 season, where Lauda secured his first Formula 1 world championship title against defending champion Fittipaldi.
Almost half a century ago, a first win in F1 for James Hunt 🤩
Chased all the way to the flag by fierce rival and good friend Niki Lauda, it was the first of 10 wins for the future world champion 🏆#F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/5jLBvaWMyn
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 20, 2024
Meanwhile, Hunt continued proving to the world that he was nothing short of a raging bull being tamed by an underwhelming car. After being awarded the Campbell Trophy (marking his F1 debut as the greatest performance by a British driver in 1973), Hunt’s target slowly shifted to silverware, as the Briton held Lauda to win his first championship race at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix.
What’s more, McLaren offered one of their seats to Hunt after Fittipaldi’s sudden exit from the British outfit. This meant Hunt was finally in a title-contending team.
1996 – The most dramatic F1 season ever?
Lauda was unstoppable through the first half of the 1996 season, winning four out of six races. It almost seemed like the Austrian was chasing after the fastest-ever world championship victory. Interestingly enough, that was only one of the many records Lauda was on the verge of breaking.
However, then happened the deadly crash at Nurburgring which left Lauda fighting for his life in the hospital. Meanwhile, Hunt pounced on the opportunity to amass two back-to-back race wins at the British Grand Prix and the Spanish Grand Prix. In a shocking turn of events, Lauda returned to the Italian Grand Prix despite the fresh wounds, leaving the entire grid, including Hunt speechless.
18 July, 1976 = one of the most controversial F1 races in memory
A rollercoaster British GP for James Hunt:
💥 Crashes on the first corner
🚫 Blocked from the restart
🚦 Reinstated
🏆 Beats title rival Niki Lauda to the win
😑 Disqualified two months later#OnThisDay #F1 pic.twitter.com/MOt31EUvkt
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2018
However, Lauda was still far from perfect, and his results reflected it. Hence, Hunt continued to win the next two races in the United States and Canada, leaving him just 3 points behind his rival, heading into the season finale at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Unfortunately, brutal weather combined with a haunting past forced Lauda to withdraw from the race. Lauda did sense a glimmer of hope when Hunt endured a late pitstop. However, Hunt’s near-impossible comeback meant that he defeated Lauda by 1 point to win his first and only world championship title.
James Hunt yields to resurging Niki Lauda in 1977
Hunt continued to show promises, but a series of reliability issues from McLaren held the Briton from challenging Lauda for a second consecutive year. Eventually, Hunt retired from Formula 1 after a brief stint in 1979 while Lauda made an astonishing return to F1 in 1982 and won his third and final world championship title against Alain Prost in 1984, before bidding his final goodbye to the sport.
