1976: Hunt vs. Lauda

Plot Summary

The official BBC documentary. An emotional documentary, which tells the true story of two great drivers and the managers that almost killed them. This film features unseen footage and exclusive interviews from friends, colleagues and family members of both drivers, as well as the journalists who worked on the Formula 1 circuit at the height of their rivalry in the mid-1970s. Formula 1 was at its sexiest, most glamorous moment in 1976, a time when it seemed Playboy racers ruled the world. But the reality was very different. The weak were preyed on by the strong. There was no margin for error: if you made a mistake, you died. Grand Prix was mortal combat and the drivers knew it. Hunt and Lauda were at the mercy of their ferociously ambitious team managers every time they raced. In the mind of Ferrari's Daniele Audetto, and McLaren's Alastair Caldwell, 1976 was to become a legendary battle between Ferrari and McLaren. Both teams craved victory - whatever the cost. Like gladiators, Hunt and Lauda would be tested to the limit in a season that took on almost Shakespearean proportions as they fought for the checkered flag and control of their lives - circuit after circuit. The victory duel for the 1976 Formula 1 Championship has become the stuff of legend. The spectacular battle for supremacy that raged between Austrian, Niki Lauda and "True Brit" James Hunt has never been equalled. After almost burning to death in his car at the Nurburgring track, Lauda came back from the dead and fought Hunt all the way to the last race of the season. The Japanese Grand Prix would prove the greatest moment for one man and the darkest for the other; an extraordinary end to a racing epic that had seen the closest competition ever for a Formula 1 Championship. This film is no simple tale of driver versus driver: both men had their demons, but the forces that threatened them most were bred from the insane circus that surrounded them. "A must have true story."