So, we enter an era of flux. It was a time when a season had lots of different winners, year on year.
GRAPH: Number of winners per year in F1
However, it is a time that will be fondly remembered by fans of Ferrari.
GRAPH: Kilometers lead by constructors 1974-79
Ferrari were prominent in this period. They took the fight to, and sometimes defeated, the Cosworth-opoly of the previous 6 years. Aside from them, most constructors went with the Ford Cosworth engine, which took a constructor to at least second place every year from 1967 to 1982.
GRAPH: Number of wins by drivers 1974-79
Although Niki Lauda did unsurprisingly win more races than anyone else in this period, there is a sense of a quite even sharing out of the victories. Andretti, Scheckter, Hunt and Reutemann are also quite prominent; there is also a higher-than-usual number of drivers winning around 2-9 Grands Prix.
However, for all of this flux, it is surprising how well Ferrari actually went in the Constructors' Championship:
GRAPH: WCC positions of 5 constructors 1974-79
They won 4 of 6 Constructors titles and only Lauda's fireball at the Nurburgring prevented them taking all the drivers' titles with them. The likes of Ligier, Williams and Wolf fill in the gaps in the graph, while upto six constructors could take wins in a season. McLaren's first success of the middle of the decade is followed by a slump that required Project Four to get them out of...
Lotus had won their last titles, Brabham's would soon follow. F1 was heading into the era of McLaren and Williams.
GRAPH: Number of winners per year in F1
However, it is a time that will be fondly remembered by fans of Ferrari.
GRAPH: Kilometers lead by constructors 1974-79
Ferrari were prominent in this period. They took the fight to, and sometimes defeated, the Cosworth-opoly of the previous 6 years. Aside from them, most constructors went with the Ford Cosworth engine, which took a constructor to at least second place every year from 1967 to 1982.
GRAPH: Number of wins by drivers 1974-79
Although Niki Lauda did unsurprisingly win more races than anyone else in this period, there is a sense of a quite even sharing out of the victories. Andretti, Scheckter, Hunt and Reutemann are also quite prominent; there is also a higher-than-usual number of drivers winning around 2-9 Grands Prix.
However, for all of this flux, it is surprising how well Ferrari actually went in the Constructors' Championship:
GRAPH: WCC positions of 5 constructors 1974-79
They won 4 of 6 Constructors titles and only Lauda's fireball at the Nurburgring prevented them taking all the drivers' titles with them. The likes of Ligier, Williams and Wolf fill in the gaps in the graph, while upto six constructors could take wins in a season. McLaren's first success of the middle of the decade is followed by a slump that required Project Four to get them out of...
Lotus had won their last titles, Brabham's would soon follow. F1 was heading into the era of McLaren and Williams.