Niki Lauda won at Hockenheim one year after his near-fatal Nürburgring accident, and Hans Heyer became the only driver to not qualify, not finish, and be disqualified in the same race.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Niki Lauda (Ferrari)
- Number of laps
- 47 laps
- Race position in season
- 11th race of 1977 F1 season
- Pole position
- Jody Scheckter (Wolf-Ford)
- Hans Heyer retirement lap
- 9 lap
- Previous Hockenheim German GP
- 1970
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Niki Lauda's severe accident at the Nürburgring in 1976, the German Grand Prix was relocated to Hockenheimring for safety reasons. It was only the second time the circuit had hosted the race, the first having been in 1970.
The 47-lap race on 31 July 1977 saw Niki Lauda win for Ferrari, with Jody Scheckter second and Hans-Joachim Stuck third. Notably, Penske driver Hans Heyer started the race despite failing to qualify, only to retire on lap 9 with mechanical failure, prompting officials to discover and disqualify him.
Lauda's victory at the circuit linked to the dangers that almost killed him the previous year underscored his remarkable recovery. Hans Heyer's disqualification made him uniquely the only driver in Formula One history to fail to qualify, fail to finish, and be disqualified all in a single race.
Result
at Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, West Germany