1972 Formula One season

The 1972 Formula One season was the 26th season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 23rd World Championship of Drivers, the 15th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship season commenced on 23 January and ended on 8 October after twelve races.

The British Racing Motors (BRM) team took its last victory when Jean-Pierre Beltoise won the rain-affected 1972 Monaco Grand Prix in a BRM P160.

Drivers and constructors

The following teams and drivers contested the 1972 World Championship.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Driver	Rounds
Motor Racing Developments	Brabham-Ford	BT33 BT34 BT37	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Graham Hill	All
					Carlos Reutemann	1–2, 5–12
					Wilson Fittipaldi	3–12
Marlboro BRM España Marlboro BRM Austria Marlboro BRM	BRM	P160B P153 P180 P160C	BRM P142 3.0 V12	F	Howden Ganley	1–6, 8–12
					Reine Wisell	1, 3–4, 6, 8, 10
					Peter Gethin	1–7, 9–12
					Alex Soler-Roig	1, 3
					Helmut Marko	1–2, 4–6
					Jean-Pierre Beltoise	2–12
					Vern Schuppan	5
					Jackie Oliver	7
					Bill Brack	11
					Brian Redman	12
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC	Ferrari	312B2	F12	F	Jacky Ickx	All
					Clay Regazzoni	1–5, 8–12
					Mario Andretti	1–3, 10, 12
					Nanni Galli	6
					Arturo Merzario	7–8
John Player Team Lotus World Wide Racing	Lotus-Ford	72D	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Emerson Fittipaldi	All
					David Walker	1–9, 12
					Reine Wisell	11–12
STP March Racing Team	March-Ford	721 721X 721G	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Ronnie Peterson	All
					Niki Lauda	All
Équipe Matra Sports	Matra	MS120D	Matra MS72 3.0 V12	G	Chris Amon	All
Yardley Team McLaren	McLaren-Ford	M19C	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Denny Hulme	All
					Peter Revson	1–3, 5, 7, 9–12
					Brian Redman	4, 6, 8
					Jody Scheckter	12
Brooke Bond Oxo - Rob Walker Team Surtees Ceramica Pagnossin Team Surtees Flame Out Team Surtees Team Surtees	Surtees-Ford	TS9B TS14	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Tim Schenken	All
					Andrea de Adamich	All
					Mike Hailwood	2–10, 12
					John Surtees	10, 12
Elf Team Tyrrell	Elf Tyrrell-Ford	003 002 004 005 006	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Jackie Stewart	1–4, 6–12
					François Cevert	All
					Patrick Depailler	6, 12
Team Williams Motul	March-Ford Politoys-Ford	FX3	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Henri Pescarolo	All
					Carlos Pace	2–12
Team Eifelland Caravans	Eifelland-Ford	21	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	G	Rolf Stommelen	2–9
Lucky Strike Racing	Lotus-Ford	72D	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Dave Charlton	2, 6–8
Team Gunston	Surtees-Ford	TS9	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	John Love	2
	Brabham-Ford	BT33			William Ferguson	2
Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie Racing	March-Ford	721G	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Mike Beuttler	3–12
Martini Racing	Tecno	PA123/3	F12	F	Nanni Galli	5, 7, 9–10
					Derek Bell	6, 8, 10–12
Darnval Connew Racing Team	Connew-Ford	PC1	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	François Migault	7, 9
Gene Mason Racing	March-Ford	711	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Skip Barber	11–12
Champcarr Inc.	Surtees-Ford	TS9B	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	F	Sam Posey	12

Team and driver changes

• BRM hired Reine Wisell from Lotus and Jean-Pierre Beltoise from Matra. The team had lost Jo Siffert when he died during the 1971 World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch. Still, they were a popular outfit and managed to field no less than five cars in the opening race of the championship.
• After a collaboration with McLaren in 1970, Alfa Romeo had worked with March in 1971. Both campaigns were unsuccessful and the Italian firm pulled out of the sport. (They would return with Brabham in 1976.) March promoted their Formula Two driver Niki Lauda to the F1 team, while the Austrian kept racing in F2 as well.
• At Lotus, Emerson Fittipaldi was joined by David Walker, while McLaren signed 1971 Can-Am champion Peter Revson. They had previously worked together for the 1971 Indianapolis 500.
• Matra reduced their operations to just one car, after Beltoise moved to BRM.
• The Surtees team signed Tim Schenken from Brabham and Andrea de Adamich from March. Mike Hailwood was promoted to a full-time drive while still driving in Formula Two. He would actually win the F2 title this year. Owner John Surtees would shift focus to his management role and retired from racing at the end of the season.
• Brabham, in the hands of new managing director Bernie Ecclestone, promoted their F2 driver Carlos Reutemann to race besides veteran Graham Hill. Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior paid his way to a third Brabham seat.
• Starting his third year as a team owner in F1,
  Politoys FX3, but the car's steering failed on the first run, during the British Grand Prix
  , and the chassis was heavily damaged.

• Günther Hennerici, owner of the caravan manufacturing company Eifelland, married Formula Two driver Hannelore Werner. Together, they set up a racing team that competed in the 1971 German Formula Three Championship, before expanding to F1 in 1972. From the second race of the season on, they entered a redesigned March 721 under the Eifelland name and signed Rolf Stommelen from Surtees. Before the season was over, however, they withdrew from the championship and refocussed their efforts on Formula Three.
• Tecno was a successful Italian karting and racing team. With sponsorship from Martini, they built their own F1 chassis and entered the 1972 championship from the Belgian Grand Prix on. They signed Nanni Galli, coming from the March team.
• The
  Francois Migault at the wheel. They converted their self-made chassis to meet Formula 5000 regulations for 1973, but at the end of that year
  , the car was crashed beyond repair and the team folded.

Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	23 January
2	South African Grand Prix	Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand	4 March
3	Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito Permanente Del Jarama, Madrid	1 May
4	Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	14 May
5	Belgian Grand Prix	Nivelles-Baulers, Nivelles	4 June
6	French Grand Prix	Charade Circuit, Clermont-Ferrand	2 July
7	British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, Kent	15 July
8	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	30 July
9	Austrian Grand Prix	Spielberg	13 August
10	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	10 September
11	Canadian Grand Prix	Mosport Park, Bowmanville	24 September[a]
12	United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, New York	8 October

Calendar changes

• The
  Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez
  would be used again.
• The Belgian Grand Prix returned as well, after the 1971 race was cancelled because of the failure to bring Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps up to mandatory safety standards. The 1972 race was held at the Nivelles-Baulers circuit.
• The
  Charade Circuit and the British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch
  .

• F1 intended to organise a second Grand Prix in the United States, dubbed the United States Grand Prix West, at the Ontario Motor Speedway near Los Angeles. It would be the third race on the calendar on 9 April. The FIA demanded the circuit's owners to hold a test event first, but they did not comply and the event was cancelled.
• The
  Zandvoort Circuit in time for the race, due to lack of funds.^[3]
• The Mexican Grand Prix was scheduled on 22 October, to be the last race of the championship, but it was cancelled after local interest dissipated after the death of Pedro Rodríguez in a sportscar crash in 1971.^[4]

Regulation changes

Technical regulations

• The minimum weight was raised from 530 kg (1,170 lb) to 550 kg (1,210 lb).^[5]
• Like it was from
  displacement of 1,500 cc (92 cu in). (For the two years in between, it was reduced to 500 cc (31 cu in).) The maximum displacement for naturally aspirated engines remained at 3,000 cc (180 cu in).^[5]

Safety was becoming a serious talking point in F1. Since 1969, circuits had started installing some safety features. 1972 was the first season in which all the visited tracks were up to the mandatory safety standards. The official Circuit Safety Criteria were published, including, for example, specifications on debris fences.^[5][6]

On the cars, some safety measures were made mandatory as well:^[5][6]

• the fuel tanks had to be lined with "safety foam",
• no magnesium sheet could be less than 3 millimetres (0.12 in) thick,
• the driver had to have a headrest,
• minimum dimensions were set for the cockpit,
• the driver had to be secured by a 6-point harness,
• a single switch was designed to cut off the electronical components on the car and to set off the fire extinguisher,
• a 15W red light needed to be installed at the rear of the car.

Sporting regulations

The first Drivers' Code of Conduct was published.^[5][6]

Championship report

Rounds 1 to 4

When Formula One returned to Argentina for the first time since 1960, it was local driver Carlos Reutemann who made his debut and immediately scored pole position for Brabham. Reigning champion Jackie Stewart started second in his Tyrrell and Peter Revson lined up in third for his first race with McLaren. At the start, Stewart took the lead off of Reutemann, but the Argentine driver kept on his tail. Behind them, Emerson Fittipaldi overtook Denny Hulme for third place, while Revson had fallen back. Reutemann started struggling on his super-soft Goodyear tyres and, by lap 11, he was down to fourth place. Half-way through the race, he made a pit stop and rejoined a lap down. Stewart dominated the pace and went on to win the race, almost half a minute ahead of Hulme and a full minute ahead of the Ferraris of Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni. Fittipaldi had retired with suspension damage.^[7]

Stewart secured pole position for the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, ahead of Regazzoni and Fittipaldi. Hulme got off the line remarkably well: from his fifth position on the grid, he moved up to shortly take the lead, before Stewart regelated him back to second. Regazzoni fell back into the midfield. Veteran Mike Hailwood, driving for Surtees, started fourth but passed Fittipaldi and, later, the overheating McLaren of Hulme, before actually challenging Stewart for the lead. However, on lap 28, his rear suspension collapsed and he had to retire. Stewart then looked set to win, until he suffered a gearbox failure on lap 45 and Fittipaldi inherited the lead. The Brazilian, however, ran into handling problems and saw Hulme go past. Finally, the New Zealander took the chequered flag, ahead of Fittipaldi and Peter Revson.

In

In the drivers' championship, Emerson Fittipaldi (Lotus) led with 19 points, ahead of Jacky Ickx (Ferrari and Denny Hulme (McLaren). Reigning champion Jackie Stewart (Tyrrell) was in fourth. In the manufacturers' championship, Lotus, McLaren and Ferrari all shared the top spot with 19 points.

Rounds 5 to 7

Jackie Stewart was a notable absence in the Belgian Grand Prix. His gruelling schedule of racing in F1, Can-Am and touring cars, as well as promotional events for sponsors Elf and Ford, and a side job as sports commentator on United States television on top of that, resulted in a case of

The F1 circus moved down to France, where the French Grand Prix was held at the Circuit de Charade, a twisty and undulating 5.1 km (3.2 mi) stretch of public roads. While Stewart was back in his car, but his teammate Cevert was comfortably fastest in practice. He drove a new-spec Tyrrell chassis, until he crashed into the guard rail, injured his hand, and was left with the old-spec spare car. He would not be the last driver to spin or crash out, trying to get to grips with the challenging circuit. Matra had also brought an upgraded chassis and gave Chris Amon everything he needed to snatch pole position. Hulme and Stewart started behind him. As the race got underway, not much changed in terms of position, but Helmut Marko was hit in the eye by a stone flicked up by Jacky Ickx's Ferrari. He stopped by the side of the track and was rushed off to hospital. This would mean the end of his racing career. The rough dirt on the track resulted in more trouble: Amon got a flat left-front tyre and a 50-second pit stop left him in ninth position. But he put up a valiant fight and came home in third, behind winner Jackie Stewart and second-placed Emerson Fittipaldi.^[11]

Coming to Brands Hatch for the British Grand Prix, Denny Hulme, third in the championship, was recovering from a high-speed crash in the Can-Am race of the week before. He did drive but qualified down in eleventh. Stewart and Amon, heroes of the last race, both crashed in practice and qualified in their spare cars, fourth and seventeenth, respectively. Jacky Ickx got pole position ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi and Peter Revson. At the start, Jean-Pierre Beltoise jumped up to third but quickly started to hold up the pack, which meant that the front two created a big lead over the first few laps. But with Beltoise's retirement on lap 22 and the leaders having trouble getting past a backmarker, Jackie Stewart gradually closed up and, on lap 25, managed to overtake Fittipaldi. After the Brazilian got back past, the leading pack stayed in their respective order until Ickx's Ferrari started leaking oil and he had to retire on lap 49. Fittipaldi took the win ahead of Stewart and Revson, only the top three finishing on the lead lap. Ronnie Peterson was fourth until his engine and gearbox gave up, he crashed off the road and hit two cars that had retired at the same spot earlier in the race. Chris Amon finished in a surprising fourth position ahead of Denny Hulme.^[12]

In the drivers' championship, Emerson Fittipaldi (Lotus) led with 43 points, ahead of Jackie Stewart (Tyrrell) with 27 and Denny Hulme (McLaren) with 21. The manufacturers' championship saw Lotus in the lead with 43 points, ahead of Tyrrell with 33 and McLaren with 27.

Rounds 8 to 10

The

The Austrian Grand Prix was held in really hot and sunny conditions. Fittipaldi scored pole position ahead of Regazzoni and Stewart. At the start of the race, they went three-wide into the first corner and it was Stewart who took the lead. Fittipaldi fell back to third but overtook Regazzoni when the Ferrari's engine sputtered. The Brazilian gradually closed up to the leader. On lap 23, the lead changed hands and Denny Hulme was challenging for second. Stewart's Tyrrell looked to have trouble with its rear suspension and the Scot would eventually finish seventh, over a minute down. Fittipaldi and Hulme fought a close battle, the Lotus crossing the line just over a second ahead of the McLaren. Hulme's teammate Peter Revson finished third.^[14]

The

With an unsurmountable lead of 30 points over his nearest rival, Emerson Fittipaldi clinched the 1972 Drivers' Championship. At the age of 25, he was the youngest-ever World Champion, a record that would stand until 2005. Denny Hulme (McLaren) had overtaken Jackie Stewart (Tyrrell) in the championship, standing on 31 points compared to 27. Lotus secured the Manufacturers' Championship since McLaren and Tyrrell were now too far back.

Rounds 11 and 12

The

Emerson Fittipaldi finished on top of the standings with 61 points, ahead of Jackie Stewart with 45 and Denny Hulme with 39. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Lotus were first with 61 points. Tyrrell were now second (51), having just overtaken McLaren (47).

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning constructor	Tyre	Report
1	Argentine Grand Prix	Carlos Reutemann	Jackie Stewart	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell-Ford	G	Report
2	South African Grand Prix	Jackie Stewart	Mike Hailwood	Denny Hulme	McLaren-Ford	G	Report
3	Spanish Grand Prix	Jacky Ickx	Jacky Ickx	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
4	Monaco Grand Prix	Emerson Fittipaldi	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	F	Report
5	Belgian Grand Prix	Emerson Fittipaldi	Chris Amon	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
6	French Grand Prix	Chris Amon	Chris Amon	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell-Ford	G	Report
7	British Grand Prix	Jacky Ickx	Jackie Stewart	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
8	German Grand Prix	Jacky Ickx	Jacky Ickx	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	F	Report
9	Austrian Grand Prix	Emerson Fittipaldi	Denny Hulme	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
10	Italian Grand Prix	Jacky Ickx	Jacky Ickx	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	F	Report
11	Canadian Grand Prix	Peter Revson	Jackie Stewart	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell-Ford	G	Report
12	United States Grand Prix	Jackie Stewart	Jackie Stewart	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell-Ford	G	Report

World Drivers' Championship standings

Points for the 1972 World Championship of Drivers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers in each race. For classification, only the best five results from the first half of the season and the best five results from the second half of the season could be retained.

Pos Driver ARG RSA ESP MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA Points 1 Emerson Fittipaldi Ret 2 1 3 1 2 1 Ret 1 1 11 Ret 61 2 Jackie Stewart 1 Ret Ret 4 1 2 11 7 Ret 1 1 45 3 Denny Hulme 2 1 Ret 15 3 7 5 Ret 2 3 3 3 39 4 Jacky Ickx 3 8 2 2 Ret 11 Ret 1 Ret Ret 12 5 27 5 Peter Revson Ret 3 5 7 3 3 4 2 18 23 6 François Cevert Ret 9 Ret NC 2 4 Ret 10 9 Ret Ret 2 15 7 Clay Regazzoni 4 12 3 Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret 5 8 15 8 Mike Hailwood Ret Ret Ret 4 6 Ret Ret 4 2 17 13 9 Ronnie Peterson 6 5 Ret 11 9 5 7 3 12 9 DSQ 4 12 10 Chris Amon DNS 15 Ret 6 6 3 4 15 5 Ret 6 15 12 11 Jean-Pierre Beltoise Ret Ret 1 Ret 15 11 9 8 8 Ret Ret 9 12 Mario Andretti Ret 4 Ret 7 6 4 13 Howden Ganley 9 NC Ret Ret 8 DNS 4 6 11 10 Ret 4 14 Brian Redman 5 9 5 Ret 4 15 Graham Hill Ret 6 10 12 Ret 10 Ret 6 Ret 5 8 11 4 16 Carlos Reutemann 7 Ret 13 12 8 Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 3 17 Andrea de Adamich Ret NC 4 7 Ret 14 Ret 13 14 Ret Ret Ret 3 18 Carlos Pace 17 6 17 5 Ret Ret NC NC Ret 9 Ret 3 19 Tim Schenken 5 Ret 8 Ret Ret 17 Ret 14 11 Ret 7 Ret 2 20 Arturo Merzario 6 12 1 21 Peter Gethin Ret NC Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret 13 6 Ret Ret 1 — Wilson Fittipaldi 7 9 Ret 8 12 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Niki Lauda 11 7 Ret 16 12 Ret 9 Ret 10 13 DSQ NC 0 — Patrick Depailler NC 7 0 — Helmut Marko 10 14 8 10 Ret 0 — Mike Beuttler DNQ 13 Ret 19 13 8 Ret 10 NC 13 0 — Henri Pescarolo 8 11 11 Ret NC DNS Ret Ret DNS DNQ 13 14 0 — David Walker DSQ 10 9 14 14 18 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Jody Scheckter 9 0 — Rolf Stommelen 13 Ret 10 11 16 10 Ret 15 0 — Reine Wisell Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret 10 0 — Sam Posey 12 0 — Nanni Galli Ret 13 Ret NC Ret 0 — Skip Barber NC 16 0 — John Love 16 0 — Dave Charlton Ret DNQ Ret Ret 0 — Derek Bell DNS Ret DNQ DNS Ret 0 — Alex Soler-Roig Ret Ret 0 — Jackie Oliver Ret 0 — François Migault DNS Ret 0 — John Surtees Ret DNS 0 — Bill Brack Ret 0 — William Ferguson DNS 0 — Vern Schuppan DNS 0 Pos Driver ARG RSA ESP MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (cell empty) Text formatting Meaning Bold Pole position Italics Fastest lap

International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings

Points for the 1972 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers in each race. Only the best placed car from each manufacturer was eligible to score points. For classification, only the best five results from the first half of the season and the best five results from the second half of the season could be retained.

Pos.	Manufacturer	ARG	RSA	ESP	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	Pts.[18]
1	Lotus-Ford	Ret	2	1	3	1	2	1	Ret	1	1	11	10	61
2	Tyrrell-Ford	1	9	Ret	4	2	1	2	10	7	Ret	1	1	51
3	McLaren-Ford	2	1	5	5	3	7	3	(5)	2	3	2	3	47 (49)
4	Ferrari	3	4	2	2	Ret	11	6	1	Ret	7	5	5	33
5	Surtees-Ford	5	16	4	7	4	6	Ret	13	4	2	7	12	18
6	March-Ford	6	5	6	11	5	5	7	3	10	9	9	4	15
7	BRM	9	14	Ret	1	8	15	11	4	6	6	10	Ret	14
8	Matra	DNS	15	Ret	6	6	3	4	15	5	Ret	6	15	12
9	Brabham-Ford	7	6	7	9	13	8	8	6	Ret	5	4	11	7
—	Eifelland-Ford		13	Ret	10	11	16	10	Ret	15				0
—	Tecno					Ret	DNS	Ret	Ret	NC	Ret	DNS	Ret	0
—	Politoys-Ford							Ret						0
—	Connew-Ford							DNS		Ret				0
Pos.	Manufacturer	ARG	RSA	ESP	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	Pts.

• Bold results counted to championship totals.

Non-championship races

Other Formula One races were also held in 1972, which did not count towards the World Championship.

Race name	Circuit	Date	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
VII Race of Champions	Brands Hatch	19 March	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Cosworth	Report
I Brazilian Grand Prix	Interlagos	30 March	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham-Cosworth	Report
XXIV BRDC International Trophy	Silverstone	23 April	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Cosworth	Report
International Gold Cup	Oulton Park	29 May	Denny Hulme	McLaren-Cosworth	Report
Italian Republic Grand Prix	Vallelunga	18 June	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Cosworth	Report
II World Championship Victory Race	Brands Hatch	22 October	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	Report

Notes