<< Prev Page 2 of 2 At its launch the BT45 sported two very striking air-intakes for the engines that were mounted on the edges of the left and right side-pods. These were quickly abandoned and the white Martini livery was also replaced by a similar, red paint-scheme. Both 1975 drivers, the Brazilian Carlos Pace and Argentinian Carlos Reutemann, were retained. Their talent and experience could do little to hide the new Brabham's imperfections. The flat 12 proved to be over-weight and under-powered. The drivers also complained that the handling was not up to scratch. The best result of the year was a third for Pace in the French Grand Prix. Brabham slipped from 2nd to 9th in the constructor's tables.
Over the winter Murray went back to the drawing boards and devised a B-specification of the BT45 with revised rear suspension, different engine mounts and a lighter gearbox. Reutemann could not bare another season with the Brabham Alfa and left for Ferrari at the end of 1976. Pace decided to give it another go but he was tragically killed in aircraft accident early in 1977. The Alfa-engined Brabham again had its finest moment during the French Grand Prix, where John Watson placed his BT45B second behind Mario Andretti's Lotus. The boost in performance showed at the end of the season, although fifth in the constructor's championship was still low for Brabham's standards.
Despite two difficult seasons, Ecclestone remained loyal to the Italian manufacturer. Murray worked his magic and created the revolutionary BT46, which used heat-exchangers mounted on the flanks to cool the engine. It did not work quite as well as hoped for and a redesign was called for. To bridge the gap, Brabham fielded the BT45C, with a revised radiator, in the opening races. New signing and reigning World Champion Niki Lauda finished second and third in the season's opening races. The Brabham - Alfa Romeo partnership finally bore fruit when Lauda took a win with the controversial BT46 fan-car later in the year. He won again with a more conventional version of the BT46 and Brabham was up to third in the championship. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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At its launch the BT45 sported two very striking air-intakes for the engines that were mounted on the edges of the left and right side-pods. These were quickly abandoned and the white Martini livery was also replaced by a similar, red paint-scheme. Both 1975 drivers, the Brazilian Carlos Pace and Argentinian Carlos Reutemann, were retained. Their talent and experience could do little to hide the new Brabham's imperfections. The flat 12 proved to be over-weight and under-powered. The drivers also complained that the handling was not up to scratch. The best result of the year was a third for Pace in the French Grand Prix. Brabham slipped from 2nd to 9th in the constructor's tables.