1975 South African Grand Prix

Championship standings

Fittipaldi leads the championship after finishing first and second in the opening two rounds. Carlos Pace’s Brazilian victory puts Brabham very much in contention.

Previous race

At Interlagos, Pace took a home victory — the only win of his career — ahead of fellow Brazilian Fittipaldi and Jochen Mass. Jarier led convincingly before his engine failed with seven laps remaining, handing the lead to Pace.

Between-race developments

Ferrari used the month between Brazil and South Africa to produce the new 312T, featuring a revolutionary transverse gearbox that significantly lowers the car’s centre of gravity.

Practice

Practice at Kyalami is repeatedly disrupted by accidents. Graham Hill’s car spins on oil dropped from Ronnie Peterson’s machine and crashes, destroying the car — Hill opts to sit out the race. Once the debris is cleared and holes in the catch fencing mended, a second accident follows: Lauda spins on engine oil and hits the wall at 120 mph. Further accidents involving Jody Scheckter and Guy Tunmer prompt the drivers to refuse to continue practice until the circuit’s fencing defects are remedied and the track surface improved — a protest backed by mechanics from several teams.