The Parnelli team skipped the Brazilian Grand Prix but entered the 1976 South African Grand Prix with the VPJ4B and Andretti finished sixth. Before the United States Grand Prix West Andretti only learned of the Parnelli team leaving Formula One from journalist Chris Economaki, as he sat in the car on the grid but the American retired from the race with a water leak. This led to some bad feeling between Andretti and Jones, Andretti returned to Lotus for the remainder of the 1976 season.