1971 French Grand Prix

1971 French Grand Prix
1971 French Grand Prix
Race details
Date	4 July 1971
Location	Circuit Paul Ricard ; Le Castellet, Var, France
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	5.809 km (3.610 miles)
Distance	55 laps, 319.495 km (198.525 miles)
Pole position
Driver	Jackie Stewart ;
Time	1:50.71
Fastest lap
Driver	Jackie Stewart
Time	1:54.09 on lap 2
Podium
First	Jackie Stewart ;
Second	François Cevert ;
Third	Emerson Fittipaldi ;
	Lap leaders ;

Last updated August 20, 2024

The 1971 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit Paul Ricard on 4 July 1971. It was race 5 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 55-lap race was won by Tyrrell driver Jackie Stewart after he started from pole position. His teammate François Cevert finished second and Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi came in third.

Race report

This was the first French Grand Prix to be held at the new Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille. The Tyrrell team had new front bodywork for Jackie Stewart's car, and the Briton gained pole position with this revised car – also helped by extensive tyre testing in the weeks before – from Clay Regazzoni, Jacky Ickx and Graham Hill. Stewart led away from Regazzoni, Pedro Rodríguez and Jean-Pierre Beltoise, whilst Ickx was jostled through the first chicane and dropped back. Stewart streaked ahead, setting fastest lap on lap 2 and pulling out a 10-second lead by lap 7. His only real challenger, Regazzoni, hit a patch of oil and sailed into the guardrail, breaking a wheel on lap 20. On lap 28 Rodríguez dropped out with a faulty coil, leaving the Tyrrells in 1–2 formation, with François Cevert proving his worth on his home ground. Hill dropped out of fifth place with a broken oil pipe, having previously hit the guardrail whilst avoiding Regazzoni.

This left Jo Siffert in third place, holding off Emerson Fittipaldi, who was in pain and heavily bandaged after a road accident. Despite this, the Brazilian took 3rd on lap 39. Siffert retook this briefly, but Fittipaldi held on for the final podium place from the Swiss. Chris Amon took 5th in an unconvincing performance by home team Matra, duelling with Tim Schenken until Schenken ran out of oil 6 laps from the end.

It was a 1–2 success for the Tyrrells on a tricky circuit, the Cosworth DFV engine providing extra power down the very long Mistral straight.

This was to be Pedro Rodríguez's last Formula One race. He was killed a week later while driving a privately entered Ferrari 512 at an Interserie sports car race at the Norisring in Germany.

Classification

Qualifying

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Time	Gap
1	11	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell-Ford	1:50.71	—
2	5	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	1:51.53	+0.82
3	4	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	1:51.88	+1.17
4	7	Graham Hill	Brabham-Ford	1:52.32	+1.61
5	15	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	1:52.46	+1.75
6	14	Jo Siffert	BRM	1:52.50	+1.79
7	12	François Cevert	Tyrrell-Ford	1:52.69	+1.98
8	21	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	1:52.92	+2.21
9	20	Chris Amon	Matra	1:52.94	+2.23
10	24	Rolf Stommelen	Surtees-Ford	1:53.10	+2.39
11	9	Denny Hulme	McLaren-Ford	1:53.24	+2.53
12	17	Ronnie Peterson	March-Alfa Romeo	1:53.36	+2.65
13	22	John Surtees	Surtees-Ford	1:53.57	+2.86
14	8	Tim Schenken	Brabham-Ford	1:53.58	+2.87
15	2	Reine Wisell	Lotus-Ford	1:53.75	+3.04
16	16	Howden Ganley	BRM	1:53.77	+3.06
17	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	1:54.22	+3.51
18	27	Henri Pescarolo	March-Ford	1:54.27	+3.56
19	10	Peter Gethin	McLaren-Ford	1:54.90	+4.19
20	33	Nanni Galli	March-Ford	1:55.52	+4.81
21	19	Andrea de Adamich	March-Alfa Romeo	1:56.17	+5.46
22	18	Alex Soler-Roig	March-Ford	1:57.07	+6.36
23	28	Max Jean	March-Ford	1:59.79	+9.08
24	34	François Mazet	March-Ford	2:00.51	+9.80
Source:^[1]

Race

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	11	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell-Ford	55	1:46:42.3	1	9
2	12	François Cevert	Tyrrell-Ford	55	+ 28.12	7	6
3	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	55	+ 34.07	17	4
4	14	Jo Siffert	BRM	55	+ 37.17	6	3
5	20	Chris Amon	Matra	55	+ 41.08	9	2
6	2	Reine Wisell	Lotus-Ford	55	+ 1:16.02	15	1
7	21	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	55	+ 1:16.93	8
8	22	John Surtees	Surtees-Ford	55	+ 1:24.91	13
9	10	Peter Gethin	McLaren-Ford	54	+ 1 Lap	19
10	16	Howden Ganley	BRM	54	+ 1 Lap	16
11	24	Rolf Stommelen	Surtees-Ford	53	+ 2 Laps	10
12	8	Tim Schenken	Brabham-Ford	50	Oil Pressure	14
13	34	François Mazet	March-Ford	50	+ 5 Laps	23
NC	28	Max Jean	March-Ford	46	+ 9 Laps	22
Ret	27	Henri Pescarolo	March-Ford	45	Gearbox	18
Ret	7	Graham Hill	Brabham-Ford	34	Oil Pipe	4
Ret	19	Andrea de Adamich	March-Alfa Romeo	31	Engine	20
Ret	15	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	27	Ignition	5
Ret	5	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	20	Accident	2
Ret	17	Ronnie Peterson	March-Alfa Romeo	19	Engine	12
Ret	9	Denny Hulme	McLaren-Ford	16	Ignition	11
Ret	4	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	4	Engine	3
Ret	18	Alex Soler-Roig	March-Ford	4	Fuel Pump	21
DNS	33	Nanni Galli	March-Ford		Engine
Source:^[2]

Notes

This was the Formula One World Championship debut for French drivers Max Jean and François Mazet.
This race saw the 25th Grand Slam set by a British driver.
This race marked the 5th podium finish for British constructor Tyrrell.

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Jackie Stewart	33
	2	Jacky Ickx	19
	3	Mario Andretti	9
	4	Pedro Rodríguez	9
	5	Ronnie Peterson	9
Source:^[3]

Constructors' Championship standings

	Pos	Constructor	Points
1	1	Tyrrell-Ford	33
1	2	Ferrari	28
	3	BRM	12
	4	March-Ford	9
2	5	Lotus-Ford	9
Source:^[3]

Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Related Research Articles

Albert François Cevert was a French racing driver who took part in the Formula One World Championship. He competed in 48 World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one win, 13 podium finishes and 89 career points.

The 1970 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 4, 1970 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 12 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

The 1971 South African Grand Prix, formally the Fifth AA Grand Prix of South Africa, was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on 6 March 1971. It was race 1 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was won by Mario Andretti who was driving for the Ferrari team in what was his first Formula One victory, but would not win another Formula One race until 1976.

The 1971 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 17 July 1971. It was race 6 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 68-lap race was won by Tyrrell driver Jackie Stewart after he started from second position. Ronnie Peterson finished second for the March team and Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi came in third.

The 1971 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 1 August 1971. It was race 7 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

The 1971 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 15 August 1971. It was race 8 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 54-lap race was won by BRM driver Jo Siffert after he started from pole position. Emerson Fittipaldi finished second for the Lotus team and Brabham driver Tim Schenken came in third. This was the debut race of the future world champion Niki Lauda.

The 1971 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 5 September 1971. It was race 9 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

The 1971 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 3, 1971, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 11 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 59-lap race was won by Tyrrell driver François Cevert after he started from fifth position. Jo Siffert finished second for the BRM team and March driver Ronnie Peterson came in third.

The 1972 South African Grand Prix, formally the Sixth AA Grand Prix of South Africa, was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 4 March 1972. It was race 2 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 79-lap race was won by McLaren driver Denny Hulme after he started from fifth position. Emerson Fittipaldi finished second for the Lotus team and McLaren driver Peter Revson came in third.

The 1972 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 8, 1972, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 12 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 59-lap race was won by Tyrrell driver Jackie Stewart after he started from pole position. His teammate François Cevert finished second and McLaren driver Denny Hulme came in third. This was the debut race of the future world champion Jody Scheckter.

The 1973 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Paul Ricard Circuit on 1 July 1973. It was race 8 of 15 in both the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was the first victory for two-time World Championship runner-up Ronnie Peterson.

The 1974 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Buenos Aires on 13 January 1974. It was race 1 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 53-lap race was won by McLaren driver Denny Hulme after he started from tenth position. Niki Lauda finished second for the Ferrari team and his teammate Clay Regazzoni came in third.

The 1974 Formula One season was the 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series which commenced on 13 January and ended on 6 October. The season also included three non-championship races.

The 1973 Formula One season was the 27th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series that commenced on 28 January and ended on 7 October. The season also included two non-championship races which were open to both Formula One and Formula 5000 cars.

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 1971 Formula One season was the 25th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 22nd World Championship of Drivers, the 14th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and a number of non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over eleven races between 6 March and 3 October.

The 1970 Formula One season was the 24th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 21st World Championship of Drivers, the 13th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and three non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over thirteen races between 7 March and 25 October.

Peter Kenneth Gethin was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 31 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 21 June 1970. He won the 1971 Italian Grand Prix, this race stood as the fastest-ever Formula One race for 32 years, until the 2003 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, this was Gethin's only podium finish. Gethin also participated in numerous non-Championship Formula One races, winning the 1971 World Championship Victory Race and the 1973 Race of Champions.

The Jochen Rindt Memorial or the VI Rhein-Pokalrennen was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 13 June 1971 at the Hockenheimring, Germany. The race was run over 35 laps of the circuit, and was dominated by Belgian driver Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari 312B.

The Tyrrell 002 is a Formula One racing car which was designed for the 1971 and 1972 Formula One seasons by Tyrrell's Chief Designer, Derek Gardner. It was essentially the same design as the Tyrrell 001, but incorporated some detail changes, and 002 were built with longer monocoques, as François Cevert was taller than Jackie Stewart.

References

↑ Pritchard, Anthony (1972). The Motor Racing Year No3. ISBN 0393085023.
↑ "1971 French Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
1 2 "France 1971 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 15 March 2019.

Previous race: 1971 Dutch Grand Prix	FIA Formula One World Championship 1971 season	Next race: 1971 British Grand Prix
Previous race: 1970 French Grand Prix	French Grand Prix	Next race: 1972 French Grand Prix

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Pritchard, Anthony (1972). The Motor Racing Year No3. ISBN 0393085023.

[2] "1971 French Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2015.

[champ-3] 1 2 "France 1971 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 15 March 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e « previous Formula One Grands Prix (1970–1979) next »
1970	RSA ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX
1971	RSA ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA
1972	ARG RSA ESP MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA
1973	ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR NED GER AUT ITA CAN USA
1974	ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA
1975	ARG BRA RSA ESP MON BEL SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA USA
1976	BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA JPN
1977	ARG BRA RSA USW ESP MON BEL SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN JPN
1978	ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN
1979	ARG BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA