PARNELLI VPJ4B Ford-Cosworth DFV

   The very short history of the American team Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing came to an end in the 1976 season, after debuting in the penultimate round of the 1974 season. Despite a disappointing 1975 with poor results, the ambitions of the two partners, Parnelli Jones and Vel Miletich, remained intact. To face the 1976 season, they hired the promising young British engineer Adrian Newey to refine the project of the VPJ4, designed by Maurice Philippe, which was already two years old.

PARNELLI VPJ4B, Mario Andretti
Long Beach, USA West GP 1976 

   The chassis, suspension, engine, and gearbox remained unchanged, and young Newey only worked on weight distribution and, to some extent, the aerodynamics of the car. As a result, it retained the same designation and was entered from the second race of the 1976 championship, held in South Africa at the Kyalami circuit, under the name Parnelli VPJ4B. The debut of the new VPJ4B was relatively positive, with Mario Andretti, confirmed from the previous season, securing an encouraging sixth place. The American car featured a special livery to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial, displaying the inscription "1776-1976 Happy Birthday America."

PARNELLI VPJ4B, Mario Andretti
Kyalami, South African GP 1976

   However, just a few weeks into the world championship, Jones and Miletich realized that the energy and financial resources required to compete in both the Formula 1 World Championship and the American IndyCar Championship exceeded their capabilities. During the weekend of the third race of the season in Los Angeles, at the Long Beach circuit, they decided to withdraw from the top-tier series after the race on American soil. According to paddock rumors, Mario Andretti only learned of this decision shortly before the race when interviewed by his journalist friend Chris Economaki from ABC, not directly from the team. Naturally, the Italian-American driver reacted furiously. After retiring from the race, he had a heated confrontation with Parnelli and decided to leave the team to join Colin Chapman’s Lotus.

PARNELLI VPJ4B, Mario Andretti
Long Beach, USA West GP 1976

   Thus ended the very brief presence of Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing in Formula 1, after debuting at the 1974 Canadian Grand Prix, participating in 12 races in 1975, and competing in just 2 races in 1976. The team collected a total of 6 points, thanks to a fourth place in Sweden and a fifth in France in 1975, along with a sixth-place finish in South Africa the following season.