Mario Andretti won the 1977 Italian Grand Prix with a commanding drive at Monza. Niki Lauda finished second to move closer to the drivers’ title and secure the constructors’ crown for Ferrari, while Alan Jones added another podium for Shadow after his Austrian victory.
Race Guide
Season: 1977 F1 World Championship
Race date: 11 September 1977
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Laps: 52 laps
Circuit length: 5.800 km
1976 winner: Ronnie Peterson
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | James Hunt | McLaren |
| Pole time | 1:38.08 | |
| Fastest lap | Mario Andretti | Lotus |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:39.100 on lap 31 | |
| First | Mario Andretti | Lotus |
| Second | Niki Lauda | Ferrari |
| Third | Alan Jones | Shadow |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1977 | Friday morning timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 9 September 1977 | Friday afternoon timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 10 September 1977 | Saturday untimed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 10 September 1977 | Saturday final qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 11 September 1977 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 11 September 1977 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.
Championship background
Niki Lauda arrived at round 14 leading the 1977 F1 World Championship on 63 points, with Jody Scheckter on 42. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 80 points.
Race entries
Bruno Giacomelli made his Formula One debut in a third McLaren, and Lamberto Leoni took over the second Surtees. Brabham briefly ran Giorgio Francia before Stuck needed his car. Merzario withdrew his private March after a dispute over pit accommodation, while Loris Kessel attempted to qualify an extensively modified older Williams chassis. Ferrari retained its usual pairing of Lauda and Reutemann.
Friday morning timed practice
Lauda and Reutemann put Ferrari first and second, delighting the home crowd. Hunt, driving with an injured foot, lost oil pressure and struggled to return quickly enough to make much use of the spare McLaren. Jabouille produced an encouraging Renault lap before a valve failure, while Stuck’s clutch failure ended Francia’s brief opportunity in Brabham’s third car.
Friday afternoon timed practice
Hunt continued in the spare McLaren as Renault’s engine repairs kept Jabouille out. Jones damaged his Shadow again after an earlier excursion, and Patrese lost much of the session to ignition trouble. Nilsson could not settle on a satisfactory combination of tyres and chassis settings. Regazzoni, by contrast, enjoyed the performance of a freshly rebuilt engine as he prepared for his 100th Grand Prix.
Saturday untimed practice
Tambay suffered a major accident at the first Lesmo corner when his Ensign struck the barrier and overturned. He escaped unhurt, but the damaged car forced him into Regazzoni’s spare for qualifying. Lauda later spun at Parabolica while trying different tyres, requiring Ferrari to transfer rear suspension components from its spare car before the afternoon session.
Saturday final qualifying
Reutemann appeared set for pole until Hunt produced a late 1min 38.08sec lap, beating the Ferrari by seven hundredths. Scheckter and Andretti occupied row two. Lauda ran short of fuel before a final attempt and qualified fifth, alongside Patrese after an excellent home performance.
The Brabham pair struggled with overheating tyres and qualified below expectations. Renault suffered another engine failure before returning late in the session, while Tambay qualified near the back after his morning accident. Giacomelli secured a place on debut, but Leoni, Francia and Kessel did not make the race.
Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.
Sunday warm-up
Brambilla crashed his Surtees at the first chicane and took over the car Leoni had failed to qualify. McLaren fitted Hunt with a harder left-front tyre after signs of excessive wear, changing the car’s balance for the race. The morning was also overshadowed by a spectator’s death when an overcrowded advertising structure collapsed.
What happened in the 1977 Italian Grand Prix?
Scheckter made a superb start, with Regazzoni also launching his Ensign into the leading group. Andretti quickly moved forward and passed the Wolf to take control. Hunt struggled to match his qualifying pace and spun while trying to negotiate traffic, losing his chance of victory.
Scheckter’s engine failed, leaving Ferrari’s drivers behind Andretti. Lauda moved ahead of Reutemann, whose race ended after he spun on oil from Giacomelli’s McLaren. That promoted Jones into third, while Andretti remained comfortably clear at the front.
Andretti secured his fourth victory of the season, with Lauda second and Jones third. Mass, Regazzoni and Peterson completed the points. Ferrari had done enough to clinch the constructors’ title, and Lauda’s advantage in the drivers’ championship grew still stronger with three races remaining.
After the race, Niki Lauda headed the drivers’ standings with 69 points, followed by Jody Scheckter on 42. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 86, with Lotus – Ford on 56.
1977 Italian Grand Prix race results
The 1977 Italian Grand Prix was held on 11 September 1977.
1977 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Mario Andretti | Lotus | 31 | 1:39.100 |
Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.
1977 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings after the 1977 Italian Grand Prix.
1977 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1977 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 86 |
| 2 | Lotus – Ford | 56 |
| 3 | Wolf – Ford | 42 |
| 4 | McLaren – Ford | 38 |
| 5 | Brabham – Alfa Romeo | 27 |
| 6 | Shadow – Ford | 17 |
| 7 | Tyrrell – Ford | 17 |
| 8 | Ligier – Matra | 16 |
| 9 | Fittipaldi – Ford | 11 |
| 10 | Ensign – Ford | 6 |
| 11 | Surtees – Ford | 5 |
| 12 | Penske – Ford | 1 |
| — | March – Ford | 0 |
| — | Hesketh – Ford | 0 |
| — | LEC – Ford | 0 |
| — | BRM | 0 |
| — | Renault | 0 |
| — | McGuire – Ford | 0 |
| — | Boro – Ford | 0 |
| — | Apollon – Ford | 0 |
Drivers counted their best 8 results from rounds 1–9 and their best 7 from rounds 10–17. Only the highest-placed car for each constructor could score constructor points, with the same dropped-results limits applying.
1977 Formula 1 Race Calendar
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