Formula 1 historical archive

James Hunt won the 1976 French Grand Prix

James Hunt won the 1976 French Grand Prix for McLaren, ahead of Patrick Depailler and John Watson at Circuit Paul Ricard.

Browse the full classification, related season, driver, team, circuit, and championship history.

Race recap

Winner
James Hunt
Team
McLaren
Top listed
James Hunt, Patrick Depailler, and John Watson
Race date
July 4, 1976
Pole
James Hunt
Fastest lap
Niki Lauda
Classified drivers
30
Circuit
Circuit Paul Ricard

The decisive result

James Hunt finished first for McLaren. Patrick Depailler is listed 2 for Tyrrell, with John Watson 3 for Penske.

Grid to finish

Arturo Merzario from P20 to P9 (+11), Hans-Joachim Stuck from P17 to P7 (+10), and Jacky Ickx from P19 to P10 (+9) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. James Hunt started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 9 +1 lap, 9 Finished, 3 DNQ, 2 Engine, and 2 Oil pressure. Niki Lauda holds the fastest-lap entry at 1:51.000 on lap 4. It records the result without speculating about incidents or strategy.

This summary sticks to the classification and does not speculate about incidents, strategy, weather, or causes. Source: F1DB (CC BY 4.0) · updated Jul 26, 2026.

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Race classification
PosDriverConstructorTime / statusPoints
1James HuntMcLaren1:40:58.6009
2Patrick DepaillerTyrrell1:41:11.3006
3John WatsonPenske1:41:22.1504
4Carlos PaceBrabham1:41:23.4203
5Mario AndrettiTeam Lotus1:41:42.5202
6Jody ScheckterTyrrell1:41:53.6701
7Hans-Joachim StuckMarch1:42:20.1500
8Tom PryceShadow1:42:29.2700
9Arturo MerzarioMarch1:42:52.1700
10Jacky IckxWolf-Williams+1 lap0
11Carlos ReutemannBrabham+1 lap0
12Jean-Pierre JarierShadow+1 lap0
13Michel LeclèreWolf-Williams+1 lap0
14Jacques LaffiteLigier+1 lap0
15Jochen MassMcLaren+1 lap0
16Brett LungerSurtees+1 lap0
17Guy EdwardsHesketh+1 lap0
18Patrick NèveEnsign+1 lap0
19Ronnie PetersonMarchFuel system0
DNFAlan JonesSurteesSuspension0