The Brabham BT45 was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

car designed by South African engineer Gordon Murray for the

1976 Formula One season The 1976 Formula One season was the 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1976 World Championship of Drivers and the 1976 International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers . The two titles were contested over a sixteen race ...

. In upgraded BT45B and BT45C form, it also competed in the and seasons.

Technology

The car was the first Brabham to use

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type 115-12 flat 12-cylinder engine with and of torque. It was equipped with a Hewland six-speed transmission. It used the front air intakes of the previous Brabham, but by regulation no longer has the air-brooms behind the cockpit and has side panels with larger air intakes to feed the engine and more radiant surfaces. The frame was an aluminum monocoque, while the braking system was constituted by ventilated disc brakes produced by Girling. The front suspension consisted of double wishbones with pull-rods, coil springs and stabilizer bars, while the rear used coil springs and stabilizer bars. For the season, pending the development of

BT46 The Brabham BT46 is a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Murray for the Brabham team, owned by Bernie Ecclestone, for the 1978 Formula One season. The car featured several radical design elements, one of which was the use of flat panel he ...

, a C version of the BT45 was created. This model was equipped with a revised radiator.

Races

The BT45 had its first start at the 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix in the hands of Carlos Pace and Carlos Reutemann. They suffered reliability problems, especially the engine. During the first season, the best results were three fourth places. was better: Pace finished second in the first race and led for thirteen laps in

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with the BT45B, unluckily he died a few days later in a plane crash. His teammate, John Watson, drove to the pole at the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigio ...

but was passed on the first lap by Jody Scheckter's

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, after that he spent more than half of the race in second position, before retiring with gearbox problems. He then took second place in

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, and Stuck gained two podiums, in

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and

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. Its results allowed the German to finish 11th overall in the Championship. The BT45C competed in two Grands Prix in , before the arrival of the BT46. With this latest release, Niki Lauda achieved two podiums. Jackie Stewart tested an early BT45C (chassis number 8) in 1978 and returned an overall favourable impression of the car as well as the team, with the smooth, torquey Alfa Romeo flat-twelve and the Brabham gearbox coming in for particular praise. The chassis was not yet fully sorted and Stewart disliked the cable-operated clutch; but the Brabham was still the fastest car he ran in a series of tests at

Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) (results in bold indicate pole position, results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) This total includes points scored using the Brabham BT46.

References

{{F1 cars 1978 Brabham Formula One cars 1976 Formula One season cars 1977 Formula One season cars 1978 Formula One season cars Cars powered by boxer engines