 In , Lauda was again strong in his Ferrari; at midseason, he led the championship with 56 points whilst Hunt had only 26 despite wins in Spain (a race from which he was initially disqualified) and France.At the German Grand Prix, though, Lauda crashed heavily, was nearly killed, and missed the next two races.Hunt capitalised by winning four more Grands Prix giving him a three-point deficit going into the finale in Japan.