Seducer, yes but…

The Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix was held on 25th May 1975. It was the 33rd Belgian Grand Prix and the second to be held at the Circuit Zolder. The race was won by Niki Lauda driving a Ferrari 312T, his second victory of the year after winning Monaco two weeks earlier.

Local star, JPS Team Lotus driver Jacky Ickx (picture above), always a seducer, tries to forget his disappointing performances in the company of a pretty grid-girl – he qualified a distant 16th – minutes before the start. His team mate Peterson is 14th.

In 1975, Team Lotus, led by Colin Chapman, still enters the Lotus 72E, a concept introduced in… 1970. The team lacks solid funding and the car is not competitive anymore. Ronnie Peterson (picture below) never gives up, outperforms his team mate, and is the one who manages some decent performances at its wheel. Ickx leaves the team mid-season, and is never going to be truly competitive in F1 any more.

In the race, both Lotus’s are forced to retire due to brake issues, without having the chance to shine. Lauda’s win puts him into the lead of the championship for the first time in 1975. The Austrian, fast and consistent in his Ferrari, is on his way to his first World Drivers’ title.