What might have been: Penske, Watson, and F1's great lost opportunity
Fifty years on, Matt Bishop revisits the summer of 1976 when Roger Penske and John Watson briefly threatened to upend Formula 1's established order - before Penske walked away
Fans are to get unrivalled access to McLaren in 2017

McLaren’s 2017 Formula 1 season will be shown warts-and-all on Amazon Prime as part of an ‘Amazon Prime Original Unscripted Series’.
Produced by Manish Pandey, a BAFTA winner for his excellent film Senna, the series will take viewers behind the scenes at Woking with exclusive and unprecedented access to the team. Given the troubled start, it could be required viewing.
“McLaren dominated F1 in the modern era but they are also a family who have recently gone through difficult times, both on track and off,” Pandey says. “And like all families, we will watch them pull together to regain their rightful place at the head of F1.”
Zak Brown, executive director of McLaren, adds: “We understand and appreciate that F1 fans are always keen for greater levels of access, insight and information, and the series will give them the most intimate and honest access to a modern F1 team that’s ever been seen.”
Release date for the as-yet-unamed series is unknown, but filming appears well underway. The focus is on building and testing the cars, an insider-view on the commercial side, how the drivers and team members have prepared for the season.
That the series is officially signed off further hints to the more open future fans might expect under Liberty’s F1 reign.
McLaren will hit the big screen later this year, watch the McLaren trailer.
Fifty years on, Matt Bishop revisits the summer of 1976 when Roger Penske and John Watson briefly threatened to upend Formula 1's established order - before Penske walked away
Charles Leclerc's 2026 British Grand Prix win was deserved, but a broken wheel shield, a broken message from race control, and a defective ruleset left fans robbed of the race many of them actually turned up for at Silverstone
Lewis Hamilton can't catch a break when it comes to late-race safety cars, but his Ferrari team-mate re-found his form in spectacular fashion to win the 2026 British Grand Prix. Mark Hughes on Charles Leclerc's overnight transformation
In the space of seven days, Otmar Szafnauer quit one F1 team, was fired from another before his first day, and was hired by a third