1976 Formula 1 Spanish GP - Tyrrell P34 six-wheeler first appearance F1 - Niki Lauda - Madrid Jarama

1976 Formula 1 Spanish GP - Jarama - Tyrrell P34 six-wheeler first appearance F1 Niki Lauda

The Tyrrell P34 (Project 34), commonly known as the "six-wheeler", was a Formula One (F1) race car designed by Derek Gardner, Tyrrell's chief designer. The car used four specially manufactured 10-inch-diameter (254 mm) wheels and tyres at the front, with two ordinary-sized wheels at the back. Along with the Brabham BT46B "fancar" developed in 1978, the six-wheeled Tyrrell was one of the most radical entries ever to succeed in F1 competition, and has been called the most recognizable design in the history of world motorsports.

The P34 was introduced in September 1974, and began racing in the 1976 season. It proved successful, and led other teams to begin design of six-wheeled platforms of their own. Changes to the design made for the 1977 season made it uncompetitive and the concept was abandoned for Tyrrell's 1978 season. The other six-wheeled designs ended development, and F1 rules later stipulated that cars must have four wheels in total. The existing frames have since seen some success in various "classics" race events, but today are museum pieces.

The stretched versions first ran in the Spanish GP in 1976, and proved to be very competitive. Both Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler were able to produce solid results with the car, but while Depailler praised the car continually, Scheckter was unimpressed. The P34's golden moment came in the Swedish Grand Prix. Scheckter and Depailler finished first and second, and to date Scheckter is the only driver ever to win a race in a six-wheeled car. He left the team at the end of the season, insisting that the six-wheeler was "a piece of junk!"

F1 1976 Spanish GP:
As the European season began, new cars were launched as organisers were due to start enforcing new regulations for 1976 having allowed an easing in period over the first three races. There was a big talking point as the Tyrrell team entered a new P34 six-wheeler for Patrick Depailler. Depailler was on the pace and qualified third, behind Hunt and Lauda. Lauda, driving with broken ribs after an accident driving a tractor once again beat Hunt off the line at the start and led for the first third of the race. Depailler, after a slow start, was running fourth behind Mass when he spun off and crashed with brake problems. Just before mid-race, the McLarens of Hunt and Mass found another gear and drove past Lauda, but towards the end of the race, Mass had to retire with an engine failure. Hunt took his first win of the season, with Lauda second and Gunnar Nilsson's Lotus third.

After the race, scrutineers examined the bulk of the field and Hunt was disqualified because his McLaren was found to be too wide and Lauda was declared the winner. One of the new rules for 1976 defined how wide a Formula One car could be based on the widest car of the 1975 season along with the new smaller tyre sizes. McLaren appealed on the basis of measuring the car when the tyres were still warm after the race and when they were cold stating Goodyear tyres expand during the race.

Two months after the race, McLaren's appeal was successful and Hunt was reinstated as the winner of the Spanish Grand Prix.