On this day in... 1977

Petro-chemical magnate Walter Wolf had been involved in Formula 1 during 1976, having bought a majority share in Frank Williams’ burgeoning squad, but when Frank left to go it alone – again – for 1977 Wolf was forced to build his own car.

And so the WR1, penned by highly rated former Hesketh designer Harvey Postlethwaite and powered by the ubiquitous Cosworth DFV, was born. Scheckter had joined the squad after winning four races for Tyrrell during the previous three seasons and the South African’s speed and experience would help the team to run before it ought really to have been able to walk.

In qualifying for the opening round of the 1977 season – the third GP at the full-length, 3.7-mile Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez – pole position went to McLaren’s reigning World Champion James Hunt. His M23 was joined on the front row by the Brabham of fellow Briton John Watson. Scheckter, meanwhile, gave little indication he’d be a major factor in the 53-lap race by qualifying a nonetheless respectable 11^th in the all-new Wolf. 

At the start, Watson used the flat-12 grunt of the Alfa Romeo in the back of his Brabham to lead, a position he’d hold for 10 laps until Hunt found a way past. The leading McLaren succumbed to suspension failure just after half distance, handing the initiative back to Watson. The Northern Irishman suffered a similar fate a handful of laps later, slowing enough to give team-mate Carlos Pace the lead, and would retire soon after.

The Brazilian looked to have his second win – to add to his home victory at Interlagos two years earlier – in the bag, but hadn’t reckoned on the debilitating heat or the pace of a charging Scheckter, who’d ominously moved up from his mid-grid starting position to be an unexpected factor.

He duly passed the weary Brabham driver for the lead with six laps remaining and reeled them off to record an historic victory for himself and Wolf. Pace lost second to Mario Andretti’s Lotus, but got it back for keeps not long after when the American slowed with a wheel-bearing failure. Third went to home hero Carlos Reutemann in only his second start for Ferrari – he’d raced a third 312T2 in Italy the previous year but had replaced Clay Regazzoni for ’77.

Scheckter’s and Wolf’s momentous result in Argentina was no flash-in-the-pan. The duo won again in Monaco and Canada, with six other podium finishes to add to a remarkable strike rate from their first season. The reward was second in the Drivers’ Championship for Scheckter and fourth (with only one car, remember) in the Constructors’ battle for Wolf.

They couldn’t repeat the feat in 1978, with four podiums but no wins. However, Scheckter had done enough in the handsome black-and-gold machine over the course of the two seasons to earn himself a Ferrari ride for 1979 – a move that would land him the Drivers’ World Championship in year one.  

Argentinian GP, 1977

1. Jody Scheckter (ZA) – Wolf WR1-Cosworth, 53 laps

2. Carlos Pace (BR) – Brabham BT45-Alfa Romeo, 53 laps

3. Carlos Reutemann (RA) – Ferrari 312T2, 53 laps

4. Emerson Fittipaldi (BR) – Fittipaldi FD04-Cosworth, 53 laps

5. Mario Andretti (USA) – Lotus 78-Cosworth, 51 laps

6. Clay Regazzoni (CH) – Ensign N177-Cosworth, 48 laps

Photographs courtesy of LAT