When Lauda and Ferrari reached the bitter end

©WRI

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©WRI

On this day in 1977, Jody Scheckter won the Canadian Grand Prix but it was another event that marked the weekend in Mosport back then.

For many, the association between Ferrari and Niki Lauda was the perfect partnership between a team and a driver, a match made in heaven.

But lingering conflicts and bitter disputes, which had started the year before following Lauda's decision to retire from the 1976 Japanese GP and hand the title to James Hunt, had taken their toll on the Austrian's relationship with the Scuderia and with Enzo Ferrari.

By the Canadian Grand Prix, Lauda had had enough. On the eve of the penultimate round of the 1977 World Championship, the great Austrian simply walked out on his team, and never came back.

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.