Champions and mixed fortunes

Mixed fortunes for four champions, in what it seems a pensive mood, sitting together on the armco during the 1977 Formula One season.

Ronnie Peterson (far left) had joined Patrick Depailler (sitting far right) at Team Tyrrell, but the six-wheeled P34/2 was heavy and not fast enough, and even these two hard-charging drivers could not challenge for victories.

Mario Andretti, lead driver at Lotus, was putting all his efforts and experience in Colin Chapman’s revolutionary ground-effect Lotus 78 and won 4 Grand Prix on his way to third in a championship won by Niki Lauda (Ferrari).

James Hunt (standing far right), was the reigning World Champion. As always, he was battling hard in his McLaren M26 (picture below) and won 3 Grand Prix. He finished 5th in the final standings. The Brit is seen here at the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji that he won.

PS: One of our readers, Patrick Huegens, rightly noticed that the main picture was in fact taken in 1978.