| 1972 Belgian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Race details | |||
| Date | June 4, 1972 | ||
| Location | Nivelles-Baulers,Nivelles,Belgium | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 3.72 km (2.314 miles) | ||
| Distance | 85 laps, 316.2 km (196.69 miles) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Lotus-Ford | ||
| Time | 1:11.43 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Chris Amon | Matra | |
| Time | 1:12.12 on lap 66 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Lotus-Ford | ||
| Second | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
| Third | McLaren-Ford | ||
Lap leaders | |||
The1972 Belgian Grand Prix was aFormula One motor race held atNivelles on 4 June 1972. It was race 5 of 12 in both the1972 World Championship of Drivers and the1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 85-lap race was won byLotus driverEmerson Fittipaldi after he started frompole position.François Cevert finished second for theTyrrell team andMcLaren driverDenny Hulme came in third.
Reigning World ChampionJackie Stewart was a notable absence – his gruelling schedule of racing in Formula 1, Can-Am and European touring cars, plus promotional events for Tyrrell sponsors Elf and Ford, as well as a sideline of sports commentating on television in the US led to what was originally diagnosed as an ulcer, but was later confirmed as gastritis. Under doctor's orders, he took about three weeks off from everything, canceled his involvement with the Can-Am series and US TV for the remainder of 1972, and was restricting his schedule of everything else.
Qualifying for the 1972 Belgian Grand Prix at the new Nivelles circuit was dominated by Emerson Fittipaldi in the Lotus 72, who set the fastest time and looked clearly superior to the rest of the field, with Clay Regazzoni’s Ferrari and Denny Hulme’s McLaren closest behind and Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Jackie Ickx also competitive.[1]
In the race Regazzoni led initially, but Fittipaldi passed him on lap nine and then drove away in complete control to a comfortable victory, confirming his advantage shown in practice. François Cevert finished a strong second for Tyrrell and Hulme took third for McLaren, while the rest of the field was spread out by mechanical problems and attrition, making Fittipaldi’s performance the outstanding feature of both qualifying and the race.[2]
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| Previous race: 1972 Monaco Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1972 season | Next race: 1972 French Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 1970 Belgian Grand Prix | Belgian Grand Prix | Next race: 1973 Belgian Grand Prix |
