F1 anthem mix-up became enduring myth in the Alan Jones legend
ABC News Australia · Kyle Pollard ·
Alan Jones's first F1 grand prix victory in 1977 was so out of the blue that he said the band played Happy Birthday to him instead of the national anthem, but is the story true?
The engines screamed in anticipation as the grid for the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix waited for the signal to burst into action.
On pole was the indomitable hometown hero Niki Lauda, almost exactly a year on from the horrific crash in Germany that would leave his face permanently scarred.
A spot behind him was the glamorous and charismatic Brit James Hunt, a man that Lauda described as the only person he ever envied.
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