1977 United States Grand Prix West
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 16 in the 1977 Formula One season | |||
 |
|||
| Date | April 3, 1977 | ||
| Official name | 2nd United States Grand Prix West | ||
| Location | Long Beach, California | ||
| Course | Temporary street course | ||
| Course length | 3.251 km (2.02 mi) | ||
| Distance | 80 laps, 260.08 km (161.60 mi) | ||
| Weather | Sunny with temperatures reaching up to 68 °F (20 °C); winds gusting up to 10.9 miles per hour (17.5 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:21.630 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Niki Lauda
|
Ferrari | |
| Time | 1:21.65 on lap 62 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Lotus-Ford | ||
| Second | Ferrari | ||
| Third | Wolf-Ford | ||
The 1977 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on April 3, 1977, in Long Beach, California.
In the middle of a tragic Formula One season, Mario Andretti became the first American to win a Grand Prix on home soil. After the deaths of Tom Pryce in the South African race and Carlos Pace in a plane crash, the United States Grand Prix West was a glorious triumph for Andretti. It was the start of his two-year march to the World Championship, and the first win for the car that would usher in the ground-effects era, Colin Chapman's Lotus 78.
The first practice session saw Jody Scheckter, who loved the tight oceanside circuit, fastest in the Wolf in 1:22.79, just ahead of Andretti in his brand new Lotus 78. In the second session, Andretti went faster with a 1:22.06, but it was Niki Lauda's Ferrari that grabbed the pole in final qualifying on Saturday in 1:21.63.
On Sunday, it was over 100 degrees as the field formed on the grid. At the green light, Scheckter shot from the second row past both Lauda and Andretti, and led into the first turn, followed by Lauda. Carlos Reutemann had also moved up from the second row and pulled next to Andretti on the inside approach to Turn One. His braking was far too late, however, and he slid straight on through the turn. Andretti avoided a T-bone by braking in time to duck behind him into the corner.
James Hunt was allegedly pushed from behind, though no one knows for sure, and when he hit John Watson's right rear wheel with his left front, he was launched six feet in the air, showing Watson the entire underside of his McLaren. On landing, he slid past Reutemann and down the escape road. Hunt was able to make it back to the pits, and though his suspension was bent, he carried on, and ended up missing a point for sixth by just two seconds.
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