1975 Spanish Grand Prix

Championship standings

Fittipaldi leads the championship heading into the European season opener.

Previous race

At Kyalami, Scheckter took an emotional home victory after passing Pace on the third lap. Reutemann and Depailler completed the podium. Lauda’s Ferrari 312T — making its race debut — retired, while Fittipaldi’s challenge faded with a cracked plug lead.

Entrants

This is the Formula One world championship debut for both British driver Tony Brise and Dutch driver Roelof Wunderink. Hill enters a new car — the Hill GH1, its first chassis built in-house — replacing the Lola used in the opening rounds.

Practice

The drivers’ association members are furious from the moment they arrive: the barriers at Montjuïc are not bolted together properly. Most of the field refuses to take part in practice. Track staff work overnight to fix the barriers, and several teams send mechanics out to help. After the work is done, the drivers still are not fully satisfied, but race organisers threaten legal action and there are reports that the Guardia Civil may seize the cars. The drivers call off the strike.

Defending world champion Fittipaldi has no intention of racing given the state of the circuit. He participates in the minimum three qualifying laps at a slow pace, then returns to the pits — and on Sunday morning announces he will not start, leaving for home. Ken Tyrrell goes out personally onto the circuit with a wrench on race morning to check the barriers.