Drama amid the deluge: 50 years since James Hunt won F1 world title in Japan

Flamboyant Briton won his first and only world championship in dramatic fashion in Japan in the last race of the 1976 season

Niki Lauda once described James Hunt as “one of my few real friends in racing”, the great rivals sharing a genuine bond even as they fought fiercely for the Formula One world championship in 1976.

Its destination was decided at the Japanese Grand Prix – where the sport heads for the third race of this season on Sunday – with this year marking the 50th anniversary of an extraordinary contest when Hunt won his only F1 title in an engrossing finale.