A PC4 at the 2001 Silverstone Historic Festival
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Category | Formula One | ||||||||
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Constructor | Team Penske | ||||||||
Designer(s) | Geoff Ferris | ||||||||
Predecessor | PC3 | ||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||
Chassis | Aluminium monocoque | ||||||||
Axle track | Front: 1,422 mm (56.0 in) Rear: 1,473 mm (58.0 in) |
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Wheelbase | 2,692 mm (106.0 in) | ||||||||
Engine | Cosworth DFV NA | ||||||||
Transmission | Hewland DG 400 5-speed manual | ||||||||
Weight | 620 kg (1,370 lb) | ||||||||
Fuel |
1976: Sunoco 1977: Valvoline |
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Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable drivers |
John Watson Jean-Pierre Jarier Hans Heyer Hans Binder Danny Ongais |
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Debut | 1976 Swedish Grand Prix | ||||||||
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Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
The Penske PC4 was a Formula One car used by Team Penske during the 1976 and was driven to victory in that year's Austrian Grand Prix by John Watson. It was used for most of the following season by ATS Racing and Interscope Racing also used the PC4 for two races that year.
The Penske PC4 was designed by Geoff Ferris. It featured a low monocoque tub with hip radiators. After a poor debut in Sweden, its aerodynamics were revised and the wheelbase extended. Three chassis were built by Team Penske during the course of the 1976 season.
Team Penske used the PC3 for the first six races of the season, but for the Swedish Grand Prix the PC4 was introduced. The team's sole driver, John Watson, qualified the new car 17th on the grid but crashed on the first lap of the race when its throttle became stuck. Following aerodynamic revisions and a lengthening of the wheel base, the PC4 proved to be quite competitive. Watson fared much better at the following race in France, when he took the car to third place, having started eighth. He followed this up with another third in Britain. He scored both his and Penske's maiden win in Austria, having qualified second. Another point was scored in the United States, where Watson finished sixth.
A total of 18 points were scored with the PC4, and with two points scored with the PC3, the Penske team placed fifth in the Constructor's Championship, with Watson 7th in the Driver's Championship. Penske withdrew from Formula One at the end of the season, the team opting to focus on Indycar racing.