Formula 1 historical archive

James Hunt won the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix

James Hunt won the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix for McLaren, ahead of Carlos Reutemann and Patrick Depailler at Fuji Speedway.

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

Race recap

Winner
James Hunt
Team
McLaren
Top listed
James Hunt, Carlos Reutemann, and Patrick Depailler
Race date
October 23, 1977
Pole
Mario Andretti
Fastest lap
Jody Scheckter
Classified drivers
23
Circuit
Fuji Speedway

The decisive result

James Hunt finished first for McLaren. Carlos Reutemann is listed 2 for Ferrari, with Patrick Depailler 3 for Tyrrell.

Grid to finish

Kunimitsu Takahashi from P22 to P9 (+13), Patrick Depailler from P15 to P3 (+12), and Alex Ribeiro from P23 to P12 (+11) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. Mario Andretti started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 4 +2 laps, 4 Engine, 4 Finished, 3 Collision, and 2 +1 lap. Jody Scheckter holds the fastest-lap entry at 1:14.300 on lap 72. 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 HuntMcLaren1:31:51.6809
2Carlos ReutemannFerrari1:32:54.1306
3Patrick DepaillerTyrrell1:32:58.0704
4Alan JonesShadow1:32:58.2903
5Jacques LaffiteLigierOut of fuel2
6Riccardo PatreseShadow+1 lap1
7Hans-Joachim StuckBrabham+1 lap0
8Vittorio BrambillaSurtees+2 laps0
9Kunimitsu TakahashiTyrrell+2 laps0
10Jody ScheckterWolf+2 laps0
11Kazuyoshi HoshinoKojima+2 laps0
12Alex RibeiroMarch+4 laps0
DNFGunnar NilssonTeam LotusGearbox0
DNFClay RegazzoniEnsignEngine0
DNFJohn WatsonBrabhamGearbox0
DNFJochen MassMcLarenEngine0
DNFPatrick TambayEnsignEngine0
DNFRonnie PetersonTyrrellAccident0
DNFGilles VilleneuveFerrariAccident0
DNFJean-Pierre JarierLigierEngine0