This is the DVD review of the 1977 Grand Prix Season - Lauda's Comeback - which saw Niki Lauda crowned as the 1977 F1 Drivers Champion.
1977 saw Niki Lauda start the season, scarred but fit. And determined to put his horrific accident in ’76 behind him.
The first race of the season, in Argentina, provided a maiden victory for the Wolf team, which was followed by an extremely successful debut season, ending with Jody Scheckter taking second place in the championship.
The season didn’t start so well for Lauda, and it wasn’t until the third round that he secured his first victory. However, his celebrations at Kyalami were muted, as the safety regulations in Formula One were once again brought into question. Young Welsh driver Tom Pryce was killed instantly in a collision with a marshal, crossing the track to assist with a retired car. The marshal also died.
Despite Lauda’s poor start and total of only three wins for the season, he picked up points at all but three GPs, and was rewarded for his consistency with his second championship victory. The title was secured with two races left to run, and with relationships between driver and team frail, Lauda chose not to complete the season. Instead Ferrari gave the drive to a young and ambitious Gilles Villeneuve.
Brunswick Films were one of the few producers filming Formula One in the days before global TV coverage, multi-camera angles and official season review DVDs and videos. The previously unseen footage from their famous archive has been utilised to create a review packed with on-the-limit driving (including an in-car lap of Brands Hatch), great close-ups of the major personalities and intriguing paddock-side discussions that give the sense of a story unfolding as the season progresses – the story of ‘car wars’ and the battle between set-up, streamlining and engine power. It's very much a film of its time.
