STORY OF THE DAY: The Champion Closes with a Victory

On 5 October 1975, newly crowned World Champion Niki Lauda won the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in Ferrari 312 T number 12. It was the final round of the Formula One season, Lauda’s fifth victory of the year and Ferrari’s first win in the World Championship event at Watkins Glen.

Lauda started from pole and led throughout, resisting pressure from Emerson Fittipaldi’s McLaren to win by fewer than five seconds. Behind them, Jochen Mass completed the podium. A contentious episode involved Clay Regazzoni delaying Fittipaldi while being lapped; the Ferrari driver was called in by officials and later withdrawn by the team.

The 312 T combined Ferrari’s flat-12 engine with Mauro Forghieri’s transverse gearbox, represented by the letter T in its designation. The compact transmission improved mass concentration, while the engine’s low profile supported a balanced chassis. The design restored Ferrari to both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship success.

Austrian-born Lauda had joined Ferrari in 1974 after impressing at BRM. His analytical feedback, physical discipline and commitment to testing accelerated the Scuderia’s recovery. Already assured of the 1975 title before arriving in America, he used Watkins Glen to demonstrate that his championship had been founded on speed as well as consistency.