{"id":939429,"date":"2026-10-24T16:18:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T16:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/939429\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T16:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T16:18:29","slug":"james-hunts-10-greatest-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/939429\/","title":{"rendered":"James Hunt\u2019s 10 greatest races"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Hunt enjoyed a fine Formula 1 career that spanned 92 grand prix starts across seven seasons with the Briton competing for Hesketh, McLaren<\/a> and Wolf.<\/p>\n

The late legend most notably won the 1976 world title, triumphing over rival Niki Lauda, amid a career that took 10 race wins, 14 pole positions and 23 podiums.<\/p>\n

So, 50 years on from his crowning moment, what were his 10 greatest races?<\/p>\n

10. 1969 Lincolnshire International Trophy, Cadwell Park
\n \"Hunt <\/p>\n

Hunt and Peterson battle at Lincolnshire\u2019s \u02bbmini-Nurburgring\u2019<\/p>\n

Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car: Brabham BT21<\/p>\n

Started: 4th\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 4th\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt graduated from Formula Ford to F3 during 1969 courtesy of a two-year-old\u00a0Brabham BT21 entered by Motor Racing Enterprises. It may not have been the most up-to-date choice of car, but he arrived at Cadwell Park in September having won at Brands Hatch earlier that month, and as Ian Titchmarsh reported in Autosport: \u201cAll the right ingredients were there: established aces, up-and-coming hopefuls to challenge them, new cars, and above all a really challenging circuit on which to perform.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt briefly led his heat before finishing third behind the Chevrons of Reine Wisell and Howden Ganley, and they all lined up for the 25-lap final behind Tim Schenken, who had won the other heat in his Brabham BT28.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Schenken led away, and as the race settled down he was pursued by Wisell and Ganley. Behind them, however, all eyes were on the frantic battle between Hunt and Ronnie Peterson, who was driving a brand-new March. The two of them swapped places constantly, and both moved up a position when Wisell spun. \u00a0<\/p>\n

They streaked across the line together and were given the same overall race time, but Peterson was judged to have been slightly ahead. Hunt had nonetheless shown he could mix it with top-line drivers, and came away with a new lap record for his efforts. \u00a0<\/p>\n

9. 1978 French GP, Paul Ricard
\n \"Gruelling <\/p>\n

Gruelling effort at Paul Ricard was rewarded with a podium finish<\/p>\n

Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car: McLaren M26\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 4th\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 3rd\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt\u2019s final season with\u00a0McLaren was a struggle. Experienced observers such as Jackie Stewart were saying that he\u2019d lost much of his old spirit, but still there were flashes of brilliance \u2013 one of which came at the French Grand Prix. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The Lotus 79 had established itself as the class of the field in the hands of Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson, and at Paul Ricard their only opposition came from an inspired Hunt. After qualifying fourth, he found himself boxed in by Niki Lauda and Andretti at the first corner. \u201cI was the victim of a pincer movement,\u201d he said afterwards, \u201cbut I decided to be gentlemanly, hit the brakes, and half the field went past me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He ended up in sixth and was stuck behind Patrick Tambay until his team-mate pitted. Lauda retired, so when Hunt overtook the Brabham of John Watson, he found himself in third place with only the Lotus pair ahead of him. \u00a0<\/p>\n

By half-distance, he was right with them and doggedly stayed there until the very last lap. That was when the heat and his race-long effort caught up with him, and he spun after being sick into his helmet. He recovered to claim a well-deserved third place and the final world championship points of his career.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a01972 British F2, round five,\u00a0Oulton Park
\n \"Hunt\u2019s <\/p>\n

Hunt\u2019s drive to third place was pivotal in the future of Hesketh Racing<\/p>\n

Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car: March 712M\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 2nd\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 3rd\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt had been dropped by March earlier in 1972, and had continued in F3 courtesy of\u00a0Hesketh Racing \u2013 but that reached a dead-end when he and team-mate Bubbles Horsley crashed their Dastles at Brands Hatch. With help from Chris Marshall, Hunt\u2019s solution was to threaten March with legal action until Max Mosley agreed to lend him a year-old 712M F2 car. Lord Hesketh paid for an engine and Hunt was back in action.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At Oulton Park in September, he engaged in a race-long battle with the works March pair of\u00a0Lauda and Ronnie Peterson. Each of them had their problems \u2013 Peterson was having trouble with third gear, Hunt\u2019s rear wing started to sag, and Lauda\u2019s engine was slightly off-song \u2013 but they circulated together until Hunt took the lead with four laps to go. Peterson came straight back at him, though, and on the next lap Hunt lost a late-braking contest into Esso Bend and spun. Lauda nipped through and Hunt had to settle for third.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Writing in Autosport, Ian Phillips said: \u201cHunt got a hero\u2019s reception after the race of his career, which must go a long way in getting him into a proper F2 car for next year.\u201d It was a prescient comment. Lord Hesketh\u2019s interest in going racing had started to wane, but after Oulton Park he committed to running Hunt full-time in F2, with Horsley as team manager. \u201cWithout that result,\u201d said Horsley, \u201cnobody would have ever heard of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

7.\u00a01973 United States GP,\u00a0Watkins Glen
\n \"Debut <\/p>\n

Debut at the Glen sparked \u201ca love affair\u201d with the challenging US track<\/p>\n

Photo by: David Phipps \/ Sutton Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car: March 731\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 4th \u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 2nd\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt always went well at Watkins Glen, starting with his first visit there in 1973.\u00a0Hesketh Racing had made its world championship F1 debut at Monaco earlier that year and \u2013 to the surprise of many \u2013 immediately proved competitive. Hunt had finished fourth at Silverstone and third at Zandvoort, and came to the US brimming with confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite race starts never being his strongest suit, he got away well from fourth on the grid, going around the outside of Emerson Fittipaldi at the first corner, then overtaking Carlos Reutemann a couple of laps later and moving into second place behind Ronnie Peterson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The two of them pulled clear of the field, but Hunt\u2019s March started to oversteer as its fuel load lightened and he could never quite get his nose in front. He nonetheless set fastest lap of the race in the closing stages and was only 0.668 seconds behind Peterson as they took the chequered flag.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the start of a love affair with the circuit which was the most difficult and challenging track after the Nurburgring,\u201d Hunt told Autosport in 1992. \u201cTo be battling for the lead for the second time in only my seventh GP was a memorable way to end my first season.\u201d<\/p>\n

6.\u00a01976 German GP, Nurburgring
\n \"Hunt <\/p>\n

Hunt had almost half a minute in hand over Scheckter at the flag<\/p>\n

Photo by: Sutton Images<\/p>\n

Car:\u00a0McLaren M23\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 1st\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 1st\u00a0<\/p>\n

The final German GP to be held on the 14-mile\u00a0Nordschleife was a turning point in the 1976 world championship. Hunt was on pole position from Niki Lauda, and shortly before the start there was a scramble to change from slick tyres to wets as rain swept across the circuit. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Only Hunt\u2019s team-mate Jochen Mass stuck with dry tyres, and as the race got under way it proved to be an inspired decision. The rain stopped, everyone else dived into the pits for slicks, and Mass looked to be set fair. But then, on lap two, Lauda speared off the road on the far side of the circuit. Other drivers pulled him from the burning Ferrari<\/a> and the race was red-flagged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Organisers restarted proceedings with cars in their original grid order, and Hunt immediately got his head down and covered a standing-start lap in 7m31.3s to give himself an advantage of almost 10s over second-placed Carlos Pace.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went off at the start,\u201d said Hunt in his book Against All Odds, \u201cI had put in a blinding first lap and the others were mucking each other about, spinning and falling off all over the place, which helped me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was untroubled from there \u2013 even when Jody Scheckter moved into second and set fastest lap in his chase of the McLaren \u2013 and was almost 30s clear by the time he took the chequered flag.<\/p>\n

5. 1976 United States GP,\u00a0Watkins Glen
\n \"Victory <\/p>\n

Victory at Watkins Glen was essential to maintaining championship hopes<\/p>\n

Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car: McLaren M23\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 1st\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 1st\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI rate my 1976 win at Watkins Glen highly,\u201d Hunt told Autosport in 1992. \u201cI had to be very patient because it was a very difficult circuit to pass on with two equally matched cars. To win was crucial to keep my championship hopes alive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was right about that. Ahead of the previous round in Canada, it was announced that Hunt had been disqualified from July\u2019s British GP \u2013 a decision that put him 17 points behind Niki Lauda with only three races remaining. He had zero margin for error, but victory in Canada reduced the gap to eight points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At Watkins Glen, he was beaten away from the grid by Jody Scheckter and initially struggled to get into a rhythm. \u201cI was making mistakes around the track,\u201d he said afterwards, \u201cand I had to spend five laps learning it all over again, concentrating purely on the driving and nothing else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both he and the McLaren got better as the race progressed, and he passed Scheckter on the 37th lap of 59 to take the lead. He then had to do it again after being baulked by a backmarker and missing a gear as he recovered, which allowed Scheckter to get past. Second time around, Hunt made it stick, won by 8s, and the gap to Lauda was down to three points with one race to go\u2026<\/p>\n

4. 1976 British GP,\u00a0Brands Hatch
\n \"Hunt <\/p>\n

Hunt relished \u201cfantastic\u201d fight with Lauda, though he would end up losing the win<\/p>\n

Photo by: David Phipps \/ Sutton Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car: McLaren M23\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 2nd\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: Disqualified (1st on road)\u00a0<\/p>\n

If there was a single race that summed up the 1976 season, this was it: James Hunt vs\u00a0Niki Lauda on the track; controversy, rules disputes and appeals off it. \u201cIt was probably my most emotional race,\u201d Hunt told Autosport, \u201cbecause of the drama when the crowd started throwing cans on the track in protest\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

It all started when Clay Regazzoni spun at the first corner after tagging Ferrari team-mate Lauda. Hunt, close behind in third, clipped Regazzoni and the McLaren was pitched into the air. It landed on its wheels and staggered on, albeit clearly damaged \u2013 but with Jacques Laffite also involved and debris everywhere, the race was stopped and Hunt took a short cut into the back of the pits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now the rulebook came into play. It was announced that Hunt \u2013 plus Regazzoni and Laffite \u2013 would not be allowed to take the restart because he hadn\u2019t completed that first lap. The crowd voiced its disapproval and as chants of \u201cWe want Hunt!\u201d rang out, officials hastily reconsidered and all three were let back in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The restart boiled down to a straight fight between Lauda and a relentless Hunt, and on lap 45 of 76 the McLaren got past at Druids and took a superb victory. \u201cAbout 10 or 15 laps before I actually passed Niki, I knew I\u2019d got him,\u201d said Hunt. \u201cI knew I was getting on top and our lap times were coming down, down, down. It was quite fantastic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ferrari immediately lodged a protest, saying that Hunt shouldn\u2019t have been allowed to restart. Two months later, the FIA Court of Appeal agreed. Hunt was disqualified, Lauda declared the winner, and their title fight took yet another twist. \u00a0<\/p>\n

3. 1974 Daily Express International Trophy,\u00a0Silverstone
\n \"Hunt <\/p>\n

Hunt fought back to win following a poor start at Silverstone<\/p>\n

Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car:\u00a0Hesketh 308\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 1st\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 1st\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt\u2019s first F1 win came not at grand prix level, but in the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt and the Hesketh 308 were in a class of their own that weekend \u2013 his pole position time was 1.7s faster than Ronnie Peterson\u2019s second-placed Lotus \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t all plain sailing. He completed lap one buried in the midfield after the clutch all but destroyed itself at the start, then the gearknob broke and he had to shift gear using what was left of the lever. \u00a0<\/p>\n

By the 28th lap of 40, though, he\u2019d caught Peterson and passed him with a brave, committed move down the inside of Woodcote. Peterson retired shortly afterwards and Hunt was left to take victory. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t see Woodcote from the pits,\u201d said Lord Hesketh, \u201cbut I remember seeing this sea of white, which was everyone waving their programmes as he was taking Ronnie on the inside, having gone the whole way through the field. It was a terrific race.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was also crucial to Hunt\u2019s self-belief. \u201c\u2018He was learning to win,\u201d said Bubbles Horsley. \u201cAfter Silverstone, he was fine. If he hadn\u2019t won there in 1974, I\u2019m not sure he would have won the Dutch Grand Prix in 1975, because by then he knew he could win. He always had the raw speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. 1976 Japanese GP,\u00a0Fuji
\n \"Hunt <\/p>\n

Hunt demoted polesitter Andretti at the start in appalling conditions<\/p>\n

Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car: McLaren M23\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 2nd\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 3rd\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 1976 title decider looked like being an anti-climax as heavy mist hung over Fuji on race day and the rain poured down. Hunt had qualified second behind polesitter Mario Andretti, with title rival Niki Lauda just behind him in third, but he had reservations about racing at all. \u201cAfter over an hour and a half\u2019s delay,\u201d wrote Pete Lyons in Autosport, \u201cthe race was finally flagged off in weather conditions that struck everyone \u2013 even those few drivers who were willing to race \u2013 as appalling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lauda, for one, was unwilling to risk his life in such dead-reckoning conditions and pulled into the pits at the end of the second lap. Hunt, meanwhile, had made a superb start and led away, but the weather started to clear as early as lap 20 and then it became a question of nursing wet tyres on the slowly drying surface. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt was running second in the closing stages when his left-front tyre finally cried enough and he was forced into the pits. When he emerged, he\u2019d dropped to fifth and with only five laps left it looked like a lost cause, but he dispatched Clay Regazzoni and Alan Jones to finish third and score the four points he needed to snatch the title. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In all the chaos of that late stop, he thought it had slipped away and was furious when he returned to the pitlane. It took a few seconds for everyone to convince him that he was the new world champion.<\/p>\n

1. 1975 Dutch GP,\u00a0Zandvoort
\n \"Hunt <\/p>\n

Hunt and Lauda make a simultaneous move on Jochen Mass\u2019s McLaren<\/p>\n

Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Car: Hesketh 308B\u00a0<\/p>\n

Started: 3rd\u00a0<\/p>\n

Result: 1st\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was, recalled Hunt, \u201cthe completion of my training as an F1 driver\u201d. On a wet-dry day, and with Niki Lauda shadowing his every move in the closing stages, he finally took his first GP win \u2013 and the only one for Hesketh Racing. \u201cThis alone made it very special,\u201d said Hunt, who regarded it as the race of his life, \u201cbecause Hesketh gave me, and taught me, everything in F1 and it was where my soul was.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunt qualified third behind the Ferraris of Lauda and Clay Regazzoni, but a rain shower at Sunday lunchtime threw an element of doubt into proceedings. Ferrari gave Lauda a compromise wet-dry set-up, while Hesketh rolled the dice and gave Hunt dry settings. \u00a0<\/p>\n

It was the right call. The rain stopped and Hunt was the first to pit for slicks. By the time Lauda did the same, the Hesketh had taken the lead \u2013 and then it took Lauda until lap 44 of 75 to get past the Shadow of Jean-Pierre Jarier and move up into second place. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Ferrari was soon right on the Hesketh\u2019s tail but Hunt \u2013 who\u2019d previously buckled in such situations \u2013 rose to the challenge as they negotiated the backmarkers. \u201cI sometimes had to be pretty brave to get by other cars,\u201d he told Autosport\u2019s Pete Lyons, \u201cbecause I had to line them up and do it before we got to a bad place. If I\u2019d ever have got stuck in the corner onto the straight, for instance, Niki would have been by like a shot.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

With one final push, Hunt put some clear air between them and took the chequered flag with a little over 1s in hand. The lessons learned that day, he later reflected, \u201cenabled me to win the 1976 championship, at my first and only chance in a competitive car, under maximum pressure\u201d.<\/p>\n

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the November 2026 issue and subscribe today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sole <\/p>\n

Sole victory for Hesketh taught Hunt crucial title-winning lessons<\/p>\n

Photo by: David Phipps \/ Sutton Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

We want to hear from you!<\/p>\n

Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.<\/p>\n

Take our survey<\/a><\/p>\n

– The Autosport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James Hunt enjoyed a fine Formula 1 career that spanned 92 grand prix starts across seven seasons with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":939430,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,109455,505911,85],"class_list":["post-939429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-james-hunt","tag-james-huntu2019s-10-greatest-races","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=939429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/939429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/939430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=939429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=939429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=939429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}