BRABHAM BT44 Ford-Cosworth DFV

   The BT44 was a single-seater from the Brabham team, founded in 1962 by former World Champion Jack Brabham, designed by South African engineer Gordon Murray for the 1974 season. It was an evolution of his previous creation, the BT42 from 1973. Like its predecessor, the car was built around the classic combination of a Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine (2993cc) and a Hewland FGA 400 gearbox, with an aluminum monocoque chassis. It featured a multilink rear suspension and a double-wishbone pull-rod front suspension.

BRABHAM BT44, Carlos Reutemann
Montjuïc, Spanish GP 1975

   For the 1975 season, Murray made slight modifications to the BT44, resulting in a car with a more refined aerodynamics and clean lines. The upper air intake was larger and better integrated into the bodywork. The front retained the distinctive snowplow wing with side air intakes, a characteristic feature of Brabham cars for several years. A unique feature of this car was its wedge-shaped design, which reduced drag, with side pods sloping downward in line with the engine block at their rear end.

BRABHAM BT44, Carlos Pace
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1975 

   On the BT44, the visionary South African engineer introduced an early example of rubber side skirts to generate additional downforce, supplementing that produced by the car's bodywork and wings. The BT44 had a wheelbase of 2413 mm, weighed 606 kg, and was fitted with Goodyear tires. In the 1975 season, it achieved seven podium finishes in the first seven races, including a victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix with local driver Carlos Pace. The team's second driver, young Argentine Carlos Reutemann, won the German Grand Prix and, thanks to consistent finishes, ended the championship in third place with 37 points.

BRABHAM BT44, Carlos Pace
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1975

   During the 1975 season, the BT44 secured two victories, three second places, four third places, and two pole positions, allowing the team to finish as runners-up in the Constructors' Championship with 54 points. In the following season, two BT44s were entered in the World Championship by RAM Racing, a small British team founded by Mike Ralph and John MacDonald, which provided cars to paying drivers, though without achieving significant results.