The1972 Formula One season was the 26th season of theFIA'sFormula One motor racing. It featured the 23rdWorld Championship of Drivers, the 15thInternational Cup for F1 Manufacturers, and numerous non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship commenced on 23 January and ended on 8 October after twelve races.
Emerson Fittipaldi, driving forLotus, became the youngest World Champion to date at 25 years.[1] This record would stand untilFernando Alonso's title in2005. Reigning championJackie Stewart came second in the championship. The Lotus team had finished fifth in the standings of1971, but kept developing their innovativeLotus 72 "wedge" design to take a surprise championship victory.[2] The car sported a striking black and gold livery for their sponsorImperial Tobacco had introduced a new brand ofJohn Player Special cigarettes.
TheBritish Racing Motors (BRM) team took its last victory whenJean-Pierre Beltoise won the rain-affected1972 Monaco Grand Prix in aBRM P160.
Six-times 350cc/500cc champions and1964 World ChampionshipJohn Surtees retired after the end of season.
The following teams and drivers contested the 1972 World Championship.
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Safety was becoming a serious talking point in F1. Since1969, 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 officialCircuit 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 firstDrivers' Code of Conduct was published.[5][6]
When Formula One returned toArgentina for the first time since1960, it was local driverCarlos Reutemann who made his debut and immediately scoredpole position forBrabham. Reigning championJackie Stewart started second in hisTyrrell andPeter Revson lined up in third for his first race withMcLaren. At the start, Stewart took the lead off of Reutemann, but the Argentine driver kept on his tail. Behind them,Emerson Fittipaldi overtookDenny Hulme for third place, while Revson had fallen back. Reutemann started struggling on his super-softGoodyear tyres and, by lap 11, he was down to fourth place. Half-way through the race, he made apit 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 theFerraris ofJacky Ickx andClay Regazzoni. Fittipaldi had retired withsuspension damage.[7]
Stewart secured pole position for theSouth African Grand Prix atKyalami, 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 relegated him back to second. Regazzoni fell back into the midfield. VeteranMike Hailwood, driving forSurtees, 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. TheBrazilian, however, ran into handling problems and saw Hulme go past. Finally, theNew Zealander took the chequered flag, ahead of Fittipaldi and Peter Revson.
InSpain, Emerson Fittipaldi was joined on the grid by his brotherWilson, marking the first time two brothers raced simultaneously. Wilson had replaced Carlos Reutemann after theSwiss driver injured hisankle in aFormula 2 race a week earlier. On theJarama circuit, theBelgian Jacky Ickx took a dominant pole position, seven tenths ahead of Denny Hulme and Emerson Fittipaldi. Stewart started in fourth. On race day, Hulme had another mighty get-away and took the lead, before, like in South Africa, Stewart passed him. Hulme and Ickx were then both passed by Fittipaldi in a miscommunication with a backmarker. By lap 30, it had started raining slightly and Stewart fell back: Fittipaldi and Ickx both passed him. TheBrazilian held on to take the victory, while Stewart spun off the track and retired. Since Ickx had set a new lap record and actually lapped his teammate in third place, Fittipaldi's win showed that theLotus 72 was now truly ahead in the development race.[8]
This showed again duringqualifying for theMonaco Grand Prix, where Fittipaldi took pole position ahead of the Ferraris of Ickx and Regazzoni.Jean-Pierre Beltoise andPeter Gethin started a surprising fourth and fifth forBRM. Before the race, it had started raining and the cars took off in a cloud of spray. Fittipaldi got away slowly, so Ickx jumped ahead, but Beltoise surprised everyone, pulling off a dive to the inside of the first corner and coming out on top. TheMarlboro-sponsored BRM was now the only one with a clear view ahead. Just after half-distance, Gethin crashed in the new chicane before Tabac corner and Stewart spun off as well. TheScot, however, regained his podium position when Regazzoni crashed off on a patch of oil. Beltoise held on to what would be his only victory and BRM's last. Ickx finished second ahead of Fittipaldi, who overtook Stewart in the end.[9]
In the drivers' championship,Emerson Fittipaldi (Lotus) led with 19 points, ahead ofJacky Ickx (Ferrari andDenny Hulme (McLaren). Reigning championJackie Stewart (Tyrrell) was in fourth. In the manufacturers' championship, Lotus, McLaren and Ferrari all shared the top spot with 19 points.
Jackie Stewart was a notable absence in theBelgian Grand Prix. His gruelling schedule of racing in F1,Can-Am andtouring cars, as well as promotional events for sponsorsElf andFord, and a side job as sports commentator onUnited States television on top of that, resulted in a case ofgastritis. Underdoctor's orders, he rested for three weeks and severely restricted his activities after that. Championship leaderEmerson Fittipaldiqualified onpole position in theLotus, ahead ofClay Regazzoni in theFerrari andDenny Hulme in theMcLaren. Regazzoni's teammateJacky Ickx, second in the championship, lined up in fourth, withFrancois Cevert, the primaryTyrrell driver for this race, in fifth. At the start, Regazzoni took the lead, but saw Fittipaldi come back past on lap 9. Both Ferraris retired: Ickx with a problem to hisaccelerator linkage and Regazzoni when he hit backmarkerNanni Galli in theTecno. The order at the finish of a relatively unexciting race was Fittipaldi, Cevert, Hulme.[10]
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The F1 circus moved down toFrance, where theFrench Grand Prix was held at theCircuit de Charade, a twisty and undulating 5.1 mi (8.2 km) 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 gaveChris 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, butHelmut 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 toBrands Hatch for theBritish Grand Prix, Denny Hulme, third in the championship, was recovering from a high-speed crash in theCan-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 andPeter 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 ofJackie Stewart (Tyrrell) with 27 andDenny Hulme (McLaren) with 21. The manufacturers' championship saw Lotus in the lead with 43 points, ahead of Tyrrell with 33 and McLaren with 27.
TheGerman Grand Prix was held at the most demanding circuit on the calendar: the infamousNürburgring Nordschleife. In practice,Francois Cevert got air at Pflanzgarten corner and was one of four drivers to crash off the track. All escaped unhurt, but left their respective teams with a lot of repair work. The unofficial lap record was beaten by a full ten seconds on Friday andFerrari'sJacky Ickx went another three seconds faster on Saturday to claim pole position, ahead of championship leadersJackie Stewart andEmerson Fittipaldi.Ronnie Peterson started in fourth in hisMarch but was second after the start.Clay Regazzoni (Ferrari) got up to third, while Stewart fell back behind Fittipaldi. After two laps of the 22.8 km (14.2 mi) circuit, Ickx was out of sight of his nearest challengers and kept setting new lap records. Fittipaldi got up to second, but Stewart was stuck in fifth place. When Peterson locked up, Regazzoni and Stewart got by, and they even gained another place when Fittipaldi'sgearbox blew up and caused an engine fire. On lap 10,Henri Pescarolo suffered an enormous crash at Adenau corner but was unhurt. Ickx's engine was losing a bit of power due to a splitexhaust manifold, but he won the race with almost a minute to spare. By leading every lap, he actually achieved agrand chelem. On the second-to-last lap, Stewart saw a chance to finally get past Regazzoni, but their wheels touched and theScot crashed off. So the Ferraris finished 1-2 ahead of Peterson in the March.[13]
TheAustrian 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. TheBrazilian gradually closed up to the leader. On lap 23, the lead changed hands andDenny Hulme was challenging for second. Stewart's Tyrrell looked to have trouble with its rearsuspension and the Scot would eventually finish seventh, over a minute down. Fittipaldi and Hulme fought a close battle, theLotus crossing the line just over a second ahead of theMcLaren. Hulme's teammatePeter Revson finished third.[14]
TheEuropean leg of the season concluded with theItalian Grand Prix atMonza. The circuit had been slowed down by two chicanes, so for once this year, earlier lap records would not be challenged.Jacky Ickx delighted the crowd with a pole position for Ferrari, just 0.04 seconds ahead ofChris Amon in theMatra. Stewart started third, Fittipaldi in sixth. However, seconds after the start, Stewart lost all drive from hisengine and had to retire. Ickx and Amon had a trouble-free getaway, while dust on the track left the rest of the field blind into the first corner. No accidents happened butNiki Lauda retired, as the dust had clogged up hisMarch'sthrottle system. Amon fell back to fifth place, promoting Regazzoni to second, and even to first when theSwiss driver passed his teammate for the lead.Francois Cevert retirement on lap 14 left Tyrrell's championships hopes seriously diminished. Regazzoni hitCarlos Pace when theBrazilian was recovering from a spin and both cars were out of the race. A lot of drivers retired, including Amon with overheatingbrakes and, on lap 46, leader Jacky Ickx with a failure of all the electrics. Fittipaldi took the win ahead ofHailwood in theSurtees and Hulme in the McLaren.[15]
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 until2005.Denny Hulme (McLaren) had overtakenJackie Stewart (Tyrrell) in the championship, standing on 31 points compared to 27.Lotus secured the Manufacturers' Championship sinceMcLaren andTyrrell were now too far back.
TheMcLaren drivers were already familiar with theMosport International Raceway, host of theCanadian Grand Prix, thanks to their experience inCan-Am. They managed to secure a 1–2 on the grid,Peter Revson ahead ofDenny Hulme, with a surprisingRonnie Peterson in third. And it was theSwede that actually reached the first corner first, while Hulme fell back when dirt clogged up histhrottle. Coming to complete the first lap, Peterson almost crashed out, and after another mistake a few laps later, he lost the lead toJackie Stewart. ChampionEmerson Fittipaldi was challenging Revson for third. Peterson collided withGraham Hill when trying to lap him. He stopped with a bent steering column and was pushed into the pits. When he rejoined, he found Hill and made clear that theBrit knew how he felt. Peterson was laterdisqualified for the push up the pits. Fittipaldi fell back with damage to the nose of his car, so on the podium stood Stewart, Revson and Hulme.[16]
Coming to the final race of the championship, theUnited States Grand Prix, Stewart was determined to show that the loss of the title did not mean a loss of form, and it would be one of the most convincing wins of his career, achieving a hat-trick of pole position,fastest lap and victory. Revson and Hulme started second and third for McLaren. At the start, Revson was caught up in a collision withRegazzoni andReutemann, so Hulme was up to second and Fittipaldi up to third. Future championJody Scheckter was running fourth in his debut race and actually went past the freshly crownedBrazilian, but when a suddenshower arrived, he spun off at the first corner. Stewart was now leading 40 seconds ahead of his teammateFrancois Cevert, and then the McLaren of Hulme.[17]
Emerson Fittipaldi finished on top of the standings with 61 points, ahead ofJackie Stewart with 45 andDenny Hulme with 39. In the Manufacturers' Championship,Lotus were first with 61 points.Tyrrell were now second (51), having just overtakenMcLaren (47).
Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. For both the Championship and the Cup, the best five results from rounds 1–6 and the best five results from rounds 7–12 were counted.
Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Source:[18] | ||||||
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| Pos. | Manufacturer | ARG | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | Pts.[19] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIIRace of Champions | Brands Hatch | 19 March |  Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus-Cosworth | Report |
| IBrazilian Grand Prix | Interlagos | 30 March | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham-Cosworth | Report |
| XXIVBRDC International Trophy | Silverstone | 23 April | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus-Cosworth | Report |
| XIXInternational Gold Cup | Oulton Park | 29 May |  Denny Hulme | McLaren-Cosworth | Report |
| IItalian Republic Grand Prix | Vallelunga | 18 June | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus-Cosworth | Report |
| IIWorld Championship Victory Race | Brands Hatch | 22 October | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | BRM | Report |
