James Hunt, 1975

James Hunt finished sixth at the season-opening 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix and retired with an engine failure in South Africa. In Spain, Hunt led the first six laps before colliding with a barrier, with the same cause of retirement in Monaco. But he showed speed and the Hesketh 308B, designed by Harvey Postlethwaite was competitive.

Hunt’s first win came in the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort (picture below). In treacherous conditions he held off Niki Lauda in his Ferrari 312T. He finished fourth in the championship, won by Lauda, but Lord Hesketh had run out of funds and could not find a sponsor for his team. The great adventure is over.

With little time left before the start of the 1976 season, Hunt was desperately looking for a drive until Fittipaldi decided to leave McLaren and join his brother’s Copersucar outfit. In a deal brokered by Marlboro’s John Hogan, Hunt was swiftly signed by McLaren for the next season, on a $200.000 a year contract. Other times, different numbers.

Picture below: James Hunt, on slicks in a drying track, on his way to his first Grand Prix victory, at Zandvoort in 1975.