But despite their rivalry never boiling over, the same could not be said for their McLaren and Ferrari teams – who were at loggerheads many times during the fraught campaign.

Perhaps the biggest controversy came on this day in 1976 at the Spanish Grand Prix when Hunt would be stripped of his race victory due to his McLaren M23 being deemed illegal after the race. Here we look at the background to this fascinating controversy.

Scrutineering

New rules had given the teams plenty to focus on ahead of the Spanish GP, but McLaren would fall foul of two design parameters that would put it in hot water during post-race scrutineering – the car’s overall width, and the position of the oil coolers and their associated pipework.

The McLaren M23 had been measured by the governing body during 1975, as it was well known to be the widest car on the grid. So its measurements would form the basis for the new width restrictions introduced in Spain.

Hunt was disqualified after the race for this, as his car had been found to exceed the new tolerance during scrutineering, the team having failed to measure the rear end of the M23 as it knew nothing had changed since its car was measured the previous year.

The problem with this thinking was that a change had occurred, just not to the car. Instead it was a new tyre introduced by Goodyear that would be its undoing, as the tyre manufacturer moved from a cross-ply to a radial construction. It meant that rather than having a flat sidewall, the tyres now featured a bulge.

McLaren M23 top view French GP

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

The difference was less than a centimetre on either side, with the car measuring 216.8mm, rather than the mandatory 215mm.

 

 

There was also a question mark over the position of the M23’s oil cooler and pipework, with the team having placed theirs at the rear of the sidepod and created a cutout to feed them cool air (right image).

Whilst the general idea was sound, it appeared it had misinterpreted the regulations in regard to how the coolers and pipework could be positioned within. The team swiftly made changes and reverted to a more conventional arrangement for the next three races.

James Hunt, McLaren M23 Ford

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch

This hurt performance, with Hunt unhappy with how the car drove over the next few races. As such, a reworked installation appeared for the French Grand Prix, which Hunt duly went on to win with, reinvigorating his campaign.

More good news would follow, as the FIA would convene for the appeal hearing in Paris to deliberate over his disqualification at the Spanish Grand Prix. The post-race decision to disqualify the Brit was overturned and his victory reinstated, pivoting the championship on its axis with the second half of the season still to run.

The other major change to the regulations at the Spanish GP would rid the sport of the tall airboxes that had become commonplace up and down the grid.

Hunt would go on to win the drivers’ championship that year by just a single point from Lauda, who suffered life threatening injuries in a crash at the Nurburgring but, against all odds, returned to action just three races later at Ferrari’s home race at Monza.

Thanks to Giorgio Piola’s illustrations we’re able to break down the McLaren M23, chronicling a great deal of the car's makeup.

McLaren M23 top and side view

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

1. Front wing support

2. Battery

3. Brake cylinders

4. Front anti-roll bar

5. Adjustable front wing

6. Front brake ducts

7. Nose support bracket

8. Front suspension assembly

9. Upper rocker arm attachment points 

10. Lower triangle connections (two possible arrangements)

11. Lower front suspension wishbone

12. Steering assembly

13. Lockheed brake calipers and ventilated discs

14. Steering arm attachment on upright

15. Upper suspension wishbone

16. Steering arm

17. Fire extinguisher control auxiliary battery

18. Instrument panel support

19. Front roll bar structure

20. Detachable steering wheel

21. Gear shifter

22. Central fuel tank that creates the seats back

23. 3kg and 5kg fire extinguishers

24. Side tank with deformable structure

25. Bib to help create ‘ground effect’

26. Cockpit fairing attachment

27. Central fuel tank

28. Main roll structure

29. Refueling cap

30. Oil tank

31. Medical air cylinder 

32. Radiator protection net

33. External fire extinguisher pull

34. Water radiator

35. Connection between passenger compartment and engine

36. Oil cooler in regulatory position

37. Ignition box

38. Rear brake duct

39. Air intake

40. Rear shock absorber

41. Starter motor (driven by compressed)

42. Upper rear suspension support

43. Lower rear suspension support

44. Gearbox spacer flange

45. Upright attachment point

46. Frame for attaching the upper suspension rod and shock absorber assembly

47. Adjustable top flange for camber variations

48. Lower upright attachment point

49. Rear anti-roll bar

50. Hewland FG400 6 speed gearbox

51. New wing support

52. Connecting point for compressed air to engage starter motor

53. Dashed line - the left shock absorber assembly

54. Triangular wishbone, which is lighter than the parallel arms previously used

55. Rear wing adjuster

56. Rear light

57. Rear wing support and oil recovery tank

58. Lockheed brake caliper

59. Pipework to recover oil from the tank

60. Gearbox oil cooler

61. Holes in the endplate to very the wings incidence

62. The wing profile

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