1974 Canadian Grand Prix : 1974 Canadian Grand Prix: A Maple Leaf of Hope
By Jeremy McMullenIn his first season with McLaren, Emerson Fittipaldi enjoyed a strong start to the 1974 season. However, as the last half of the season carried on, strong results would be muted by early retirements. Just past the halfway mark of the season Fittipaldi had been leading the championship by a single point. Leaving the Italian Grand Prix, he was in third. Emerson's title hopes needed a lift. It would come in 'Kanata'.
The Italian Grand Prix would be an important race for Emerson Fittipaldi. He had come into the race in 4th place in the championship, nine points behind Clay Regazzoni. Earlier in the season, Emerson looked to be en route to his second World Championship. This would be impressive given his departure from Team Lotus, widely regarded as one of the best teams in the paddock. However, the strong start would quickly get erased as he would suffer three retirements in four races. His one point lead after the Dutch Grand Prix would turn into a growing deficit.
The McLaren team had been steadily improving since 1972 when it finished 3rd in the Constructors' Championship battle. The team would improve upon their results the following season, but would still come away 3rd in the championship. In both of those cases Team Lotus had finished better. Therefore, the move by Fittipaldi would be seen, by many, as a move that lacked judgment. However, the criticism would quickly depart when Emerson managed to take a convincing victory before his home crowd. The Brazilian Grand Prix was just his second race with McLaren and was proof, given Denny's Hulme's victory in the first round of the season, that McLaren was improving dramatically.
Unfortunately for Emerson, the retirements just past the halfway mark would hurt terribly. Confidence would be rather low. There would be practically no momentum. Hulme's fantastic start to the season would quickly turn mediocre. However, at the Austrian Grand Prix, at the same time that Emerson retired with an engine problem, Hulme would come through to finish in 2nd place. So even though Fittipaldi's struggles continued, the result earned by Hulme would give the Brazilian and the team confidence it was getting the ship righted.
Emerson would have further reason to be confident heading into the next race of the season. The season had made its way into September. That meant the Italian Grand Prix was next. Back in 1972, Emerson would come through to take victory and would lockup the title for the first time that same day. So he had come to Monza before and had gone away greatly rewarded.
In 1974, the same would happen. Trailing in the championship by 9 points, Fittipaldi would start the race from the third row. However, he would make his way toward the front of the field, and would benefit from the retirements of Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni. Fittipaldi would leave Lotus because of his impression that Colin Chapman had put more confidence and faith into Ronnie Peterson. On that day in September, in 1974, Emerson would find himself losing out to Peterson by just eight-tenths of a second. He had lost out to his former teammate, but he would come out the biggest winner on the day as he would pull within three points of Regazzoni in the championship. Peterson was more than 10 points behind Emerson.
The Italian Grand Prix had been an important race to Fittipaldi's title hopes but he was by no means in a commanding position with just two races remaining on the season. The Formula One season would head to North America for the final two rounds. This would be the time in which Emerson would have to dig deep to salvage his championship hopes.
The first of these two remaining rounds would come on the north side of Lake Ontario near the community of Bowmanville. The Canadian Grand Prix would be held on the 22nd of September at Mosport Park. It would mark the sixth time in which the circuit had played host to Formula One and the Canadian Grand Prix.
Mosport Park would be just the second purpose-built road course in Canada following the Second World War. Initially, plans were progressing for Canadian motorsports to follow the lead of countries like England, which would take their disused airbases from the war and turn them into racing circuits. However, those plans would be abandoned like the old airfields. Then, in the late 1950s, the circuit would be designed and construction would begin.
The layout of Mosport would include a number of high speed bends flowing back and forth making for a challenging, yet fun, circuit for the drivers. However, there would be one aspect of the circuit that would draw some criticism. The circuit's designers intended a hairpin following the sweeping left-hander at turn four. However, Stirling Moss would voice his opinion that the circuit would be better-off with two consecutive right-hand corners. Moss' opinion would be noted and the final design would include this double-right that would be named Moss Corner in Stirling's honor. It would also serve as a source of some confusion as many would believe the circuit to be actually pronounced 'Mossport'.
Taking to the circuit for practice, Fittipaldi needed to put himself in the best position possible to help his title chances. Powering his way around the 2.45 mile circuit, Emerson would do just that as he would turn a lap of 1:13.188, which would be quick enough to earn the Brazilian the pole for the race. Starting beside Fittipaldi on the front row would be Niki Lauda in the Ferrari. The other Ferrari driver and championship contender, Clay Regazzoni, would start the 80 lap race from the third row of the grid.
In spite of the overcast conditions, a large crowd would descend upon Mosport. The championship was still very much in doubt and everyone wanted to get a glimpse of who would take advantage of the situation. Then, of course, there was the party atmosphere that accompanied every single Formula One race. This would certainly help to draw a crowd as well.
The cars would take their positions on the starting grid. Starting from pole, Emerson would need to make a great start to maximize his opportunity. Eagerly anticipating the drop of the flag, the entire field of drivers would try their best to concentrate and time the start.
Knowing full-well he needed a perfect race to get himself back into the hunt, Lauda would be lightning-quick at the start of the race taking the lead right from the very beginning. Fittipaldi would slot in behind in 2nd place as the rest of the field jockeyed for position.
At the end of the first lap of the race, Lauda would be in the lead with Fittipaldi sitting comfortably in 2nd place. Regazzoni and Scheckter would be embroiled in a tight battle that would eventually see the Ferrari driver lose out to Scheckter after a couple of laps. At the ten lap mark the order would be Lauda, Fittipaldi, Scheckter and Regazzoni. It would stay this way all throughout the first half of the race. Fittipaldi was in a good position, but it was not good enough if his championship hopes were to be revived.
However, 30 laps from the end of the race, the drama and the intrigue would be just starting. It would all start with Scheckter as his brakes would suffer problems leading him to suffer a heavy shunt. Interestingly, the brakes had been bothering Jody even before the start of the race. Jody would emerge from the car okay, but he was out of the race and his championship would end up taking a hit of its own.
Lauda continued to lead the way and looked to be in a strong position to take the victory. He would continue to click off the laps drawing closer and closer to the checkered flag. But looks can be deceiving and neither he nor those in the crowd would realize just how close he truly was to his race coming to an end.
Throughout any championship run there are always one or two moments that end up making the difference. In each and every instance there are defining moments that either lead the way to a championship or take it away.
Heading into the final 10 laps of the race, it seemed as though Lauda was in control and that Emerson would have to settle with 2nd place. The result would be good, but not quite what he had hoped starting the race from the pole. However, one of those defining moments was about to take place.
Lauda was holding onto the lead and had been doing so since the start of the race. He looked in control, not flustered in any way. But then there are some things beyond one's control. Over the course of 67 laps, Lauda had been nearly inch-perfect. However, on the 68th lap he would just run over some debris. The debris would end up causing Lauda to lose control off the circuit. He would end up crashing the Ferrari taking himself right out of the lead. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, Emerson found himself in the lead of the race. His championship hopes were truly renewed.
Fittipaldi's career would be marked with numerous moments in which providence would throw victory into the Brazilian's hands right at the last minute, and this would be no exception as he had just 10 laps in which to negotiate in order to take his third victory of the season. More importantly, he had just 10 laps remaining until he was back on equal terms with the rest of the championship contenders.
Never one to be easily flustered in the last minutes with the lead in his hands, Fittipaldi would keep his thoughts focused on the task at hand and continued to be perfect around Mosport. Enjoying a comfortable margin, Emerson would take care and would aptly guide his McLaren home to victory crossing the line a little more than 13 seconds ahead of Regazzoni in 2nd place. Ronnie Peterson would complete the podium in 3rd place finishing a little more than a second and a half behind Regazzoni.
Fittipaldi had pursued and pressured Lauda all race long. Never putting a wheel wrong, Emerson would put himself in a position to capitalize on any mistake. Never hurried but relying upon his mistake-free driving to reward him, he would serve as a contrast to Lauda who would continue to push each and every lap, even when in the lead. Preferring not to put himself in any desperate situation, Emerson would sit and wait and wait. Then, in the final moments, his patience would be rewarded, as it had been a number of times before over the course of his young career.
Lauda was in a desperate situation and knew it. However, the relentless pressure from Emerson would not allow Niki to settle in, and, just when he had everything in hand, he would lose his focus and would pay for it.
Emerson, on the other hand, would be richly rewarded for his race. The season had turned around, and at just the right time. The result meant 9, very important, points. And, even though Regazzoni would leave the race with 6 points, Fittipaldi would find himself right back in the championship fight as he was now tied with Regazzoni atop the standings heading into the final race of the season.
Fittipaldi and McLaren came to Canada desperate for the Maple Leaf to be their good luck symbol. It would be just that. In many respects, as Fittipaldi would go on to secure his second World Championship in the final round at Watkins Glen, Canada would serve as that confidence, that source of hope, Emerson and McLaren needed. Very much as a result of what happened at Mosport in Canada in late September, Emerson and McLaren would go on secure both the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championship titles. 'Oh Canada!'