After the 72 was used at the first two races of the 1974 World Championship, the 76 made its debut at the South African Grand Prix. Ickx qualified 10th and Peterson 16th, before a disastrous race saw the two collide early on, Peterson retiring immediately and Ickx eventually succumbing to brake failure. The Spanish Grand Prix was more promising, Peterson qualifying second and Ickx fifth, and the Swede leading until his engine overheated, while Ickx also ran strongly before suffering another brake failure. Then, at the Belgian Grand Prix, Peterson qualified fifth before retiring with a fuel leak, while in his home race Ickx could only qualify 16th before his engine overheated. Afterwards, both drivers insisted on going back to the 72, with which Peterson won in Monaco and France.