Credit: Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Credit links at the end of the content)
While lately we are more focused on forgotten F1 drivers and teams, sometimes even legends deserve to be mentioned. What we do is bring a list of interesting stories, forgotten drivers, teams, and so on, and then share them separately. But this article is about the 5 F1 races in the 1970s won on the very last lap, looking back at some incredible finishes from that era.
A driver could lead for almost an entire Grand Prix and still lose verything before reaching the chequered flag, in some cases, the winner wasn’t even leading when the final lap began.
The 1970s produced several races in which the outcome changed dramatically during the final lap, from Jochen Rindt’s victory at Monaco GP to Peter Gethin’s famous photo finish at Monza, these races remain some of the most memorable examples of how unpredictable F1 could be.
Editor’s Note: Before we start with the article, we want to make it clear that the 1975 Spanish GP, which was also decided in the final moments, is excluded from the main list but explained at the end because the race stopped on lap 29.
We also want to apologise that we cannot share images from the exact races featured in this article. For now, we use free images from Wikimedia Commons that we are allowed to use, including photos of the drivers who raced in these events, while telling their stories. We don’t own many of the original race images, but we hope that in the future we will have more opportunities to access and share them.
1970 Monaco Grand Prix – Jochen Rindt vs. Jack Brabham
What makes the story of the 1970 Monaco GP even more interesting is that it was decided at the very last corner.
Jack Brabham had spent much of the race in control of the situation. The three-time World Champion had taken command and appeared to have done enough to secure victory, behind him, Jochen Rindt was closing rapidly in his Lotus.
Rindt had started only eight but producted remarkable recovery drive, by closing stages, Brabham was the only driver standing between the Austrian and an unlikely victory. As the leaders began the final lap, Brabham still had the advantage. At that point, victory appeared to be his to lose.
Brabham was approaching the final corner at the Gasworks hairpin while dealing with the lapped cars. Attempting to protect his position from Rindt, the Australian took a defensive line and braked too late. His Brabham locked up and slid straight into the straw bales.
Editor’s Note: The Gasworks hairpin was the final corner before the start/finish line at the time, as the Monaco circuit layout was different from the one we know today.
Rindt took the advantage, the Lotus swept past the stranded Brabham and the race was over. Rindt had transformed what looked like a certain second place into victory within the space of a few seconds, the victory was particularly remarkable because Rindt was driving the older Lotus 49C rather than the team’s newer Lotus 72. The race became one of the defining moments of his 1970 championship campaign and one of Monaco’s most famous last-corner finishes.
1970 British Grand Prix – Jochen Rindt vs. Jack Brabham again
A few months later, Jochen Rindt did it again. It was almost like déjà vu for Jack Brabham, who once again lost a seemingly secure victory on the last lap of the race.
The 1970 British GP at Brands Hatch developed into another fierce battle involving Rindt and Brabham, the Austrian had initially led, but Brabham moved ahead after Rindt missed a gear on lap 69, once in front, Brabham appeared to have the race under control.
Jack Brabham had built an advantage and began the final lap looking almost certain to take victory. Rindt was chasing, but there seemed little reason to believe the Lotus could regain the lead. Then, approaching Clearways, Brabham’s engine began to cough. He had run out of fuel. As the leader slowed dramatically, Rindt came through in the Lotus 72 and took the chequered flag. He won in the last lap of the race.
For Rindt, it was his third consecutive Grand Prix victory and another important step toward the World Championship he would eventually win posthumously.
At Monaco, Brabham lost in the final corner because of a mistake at the final corner. At Brands Hatch, Brabham ran out of fuel and Rindt took the victory away from him in the last lap.
1971 Italian Grand Prix – Peter Gethin
Photo: Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, Nationaal Archief, CC0. Source: Nationaal Archief / Wikimedia Commons.
If Monaco was decided by a mistake and Britain by fuel, the 1971 Italian GP was decided by pure speed and slipstream.
The race at Monza was one of the great slipstream battles of the pre-chicane era, with the circuit still featuring its incredible fast layout, cars could follow closely and repeatedly overtake one another on the long straights.
The lead changed hands constantly, eight different drivers led during the race, while the final stages developed into a five-car battle involving, Ronnie Peterson, Francois Cevert, Mike Hailwood, Howden Ganley and Peter Gethin.
Ronnie Peterson started the final lap at the front, that didn’t mean he was going to win, as the cars approached the Parabolica for the final time, Cevert moved ahead of Peterson, Gethin, who had been third, then made his decisive move, he placed his BRM into the battle and emerged from the final corner in front, the remaining task was to sruvive the run to the finish.
Peterson’s March came charging through the slipstream, but Gethin held on. The BRM crossed the line just 0.01 seconds ahead of Peterson. Cevert finished only 0.09 seconds behind the winner, while Mike Hailwood was another 0.09 seconds farther back. The first five cars were separated by just 0.61 seconds.
It remains one of the closest finishes in the history of F1. For Gethin, the victory was even more significant because it became his only Formula 1 win. He had not been leading when the final lap began, yet by the time the cars reached the finish line, he had become the winner of one of the closest races the sport had ever seen.
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1977 French Grand Prix – Mario Andretti vs. John Watson
The 1977 French GP at Dijon-Prenois produced another dramatic final-lap reversal. Andretti started from pole but suffered a poor getaway and dropped to fourth. Hunt took the lead at the start, but John Watson overtook him after five laps and took control of the race.
Watson’s Brabham-Alfa Romeo looked increasingly difficult to catch, but Andretti refused to give up. Driving the ground-effect Lotus 78, he gradually worked his way back toward the leader.
Andretti pushed harder, and by the closing stages he was directly behind Watson, the two drivers began the final lap with Watson still in front.
Andretti was close enough to put pressure on Watson, but overtaking at the end of such a race would require something to change, and it did.
Watson’s Alfa Romeo engine began suffering from fuel starvation, the engine lost power, allowing Andretti to sweep past and take the lead. The American crossed the line to win, while Watson finished 1.55 seconds behind.
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1978 South African Grand Prix – Ronnie Peterson
The 1978 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami produced perhaps the most spectacular last-lap battle on this list. Ronnie Peterson had started the race from 11th and spent the afternoon fighting his way through the field.
By the closing stages, Patrick Depailler was leading in his Tyrrell, but Ronnie Peterson was closing rapidly, the gap had once been around 10 seconds, by the time the final lap arrived, Peterson was right behind the Frenchman.
What followed was an extraordinary battle, Peterson attacked Depailler at high speed, with the two cars running extremely close together, Depailler fought hard to keep the Lotus behind, but Peterson continued looking for an opportunity, the final lap was an intense battle between them. Peterson used a different line before making his decisive move through the final section of the circuit, he managed to get ahead of Depailler and held the advantage to the finish.
Peterson won after 78 laps, with Depailler only 0.466 seconds behind, Watson completed the podium. It was a remarkable recovery after starting outside the top ten for Peterson.
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About the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix
The 1975 Spanish GP is sometimes remembered alongside these dramatic late-race victories because Jochen Mass became the winner after a chaotic sequence of events. However, it doesn’t belong in a list specifically about races won on the final lap.
The race at Montjuic Park was stopped after 29 laps after incident on track. Pass had taken the lead after passing Jacky Ickx, but the race was then brought to an early end. F1’s official results list Mass as the winner after 29 laps, with Ickx second. Because of the shortened distance, Mass received half of the normal nine points, or 4.5 points.
The Final Lap Was Never Just Another Lap
Every lap in F1 is important, no matter if it is the final lap of the race. We have seen many things happen exactly on the last lap, whether there was pressure at the front or drivers were fighting for other positions. Many legends have said it before, including Fangio: “To finish first, first you have to finish.”
In F1, the chequered flag doesn’t simply confirm the winner, sometimes, it decides the winner!
FEATURED IMAGE CREDITS: Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons – Edited from the Original – Author works not from us.
