1973 British Grand Prix

Last updated

1973 British Grand Prix
Silverstone Circuit 1952 to 1974.png
Race details
Date14 July 1973
Official name John Player Grand Prix [1]
Location Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire, Great Britain
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.711 km (2.944 miles)
Distance 67 laps, 315.597 km (197.248 miles)
Weather Dry
Pole position
Driver
 Lotus-Ford
Time 1:16.3
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Hunt March-Ford
Time 1:18.6 on lap 50
Podium
First
 McLaren-Ford
Second
 Lotus-Ford
Third
 McLaren-Ford
Lap leaders
  • 1973 British Grand Prix

The 1973 British Grand Prix (formally the John Player Grand Prix) was a Formula One (F1) motor race held at Silverstone on 14 July 1973. It was race 9 of 15 in both the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race is known for the first lap pile-up, which ultimately caused eleven cars to retire. The accident happened when Jody Scheckter, running fourth in his McLaren, spun across the track at Woodcote Corner at the end of the first lap, causing many other cars to collide and crash. The incident eliminated nine cars, including all three works Surtees cars, while Brabham driver Andrea de Adamich suffered a broken ankle that ended his F1 career. The race was stopped at the end of the second lap, before being restarted over the original 67-lap distance with 18 of the original 29 cars. David Purley and Graham McRae had retired in separate incidents.

Contents

On the first start, a swift start by Jackie Stewart brought him from fourth to first in less than half a lap. At Becketts Corner, Stewart out-braked race leader Ronnie Peterson and took the lead. As the massive pile-up at the end of the first lap caused the race to be restarted, Stewart had to start from fourth again. This time it was Niki Lauda who had an excellent start and moved up behind Peterson into second, with Stewart third. Stewart passed Lauda on lap 2, and charged after Peterson. On lap 6, Stewart again tried to pass Peterson for the lead but the Swedish driver shut the door; Stewart lost control of his Tyrrell and spun off into the thick grass. Although he was able to continue, Stewart ended up finishing 10th, one lap down.

Another notable drive came from James Hunt in his Hesketh Racing March, who ran fourth for most of the race and was part of a four-way battle for the lead between himself, Peterson, Denny Hulme, and Peter Revson. American driver Revson took his first Grand Prix victory by 2.8 seconds from Peterson. The pile-up was to be a factor in this being the last World Championship F1 race held on the original Silverstone layout; a chicane would be added at Woodcote shortly before the 1975 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Moto GP, which would come to Silverstone from the Isle of Man TT in 1977, would use the original layout until 1986.

Qualifying

Qualifying classification

Pos.DriverConstructorTimeNo
1Ronnie PetersonLotus-Ford1:16.31
2Denny HulmeMcLaren-Ford1:16.52
3Peter RevsonMcLaren-Ford1:16.53
4Jackie StewartTyrrell-Ford1:16.74
5Emerson FittipaldiLotus-Ford1:16.75
6Jody ScheckterMcLaren-Ford1:16.96
7François CevertTyrrell-Ford1:17.37
8Carlos ReutemannBrabham-Ford1:17.48
9Niki LaudaBRM1:17.49
10Clay RegazzoniBRM1:17.510
11James HuntMarch-Ford1:17.611
12Mike HailwoodSurtees-Ford1:18.012
13Wilson FittipaldiBrabham-Ford1:18.113
14Jochen MassSurtees-Ford1:18.314
15Carlos PaceSurtees-Ford1:18.315
16David PurleyMarch-Ford1:18.416
17Jean-Pierre BeltoiseBRM1:18.417
18Howden GanleyIso-Ford1:18.618
19Jacky IckxFerrari1:18.919
20Andrea de AdamichBrabham-Ford1:19.120
21Rikky von OpelEnsign-Ford1:19.221
22Roger WilliamsonMarch-Ford1:19.522
23John WatsonBrabham-Ford1:20.123
24Mike BeuttlerMarch-Ford1:20.124
25George FollmerShadow-Ford1:20.325
26Jackie OliverShadow-Ford1:20.326
27Graham HillShadow-Ford1:20.527
28Graham McRaeIso-Ford1:20.828
29Chris AmonTecno1:21.029

Race

First start and multi-car pileup

The race started at 2.00 pm local time. It featured the most cars to start a Grand Prix as it featured 28 cars in rows of three by two. [2]

Ronnie Peterson led away but a very quick start by Jackie Stewart brought him from fourth to second, as Stewart passed Peterson to take the lead at Beckets. Carlos Reutemann was in third with Denny Hulme and Jody Scheckter behind him. As the exited Woodcote corner to complete the first lap, Stewart led Peterson and Reutemann but carnage was happening behind them. Scheckter tried to pass Hulme on the outside Scheckter's car went wide and spun right across the track and it hit the retaining wall of the pits and bounced back into the middle of the track. Hulme escaped undamaged, as Francois Cevert, James Hunt, Peter Revson, and Clay Regazzoni also went by. The big one then happened as Scheckter's car ricocheted back from the pit wall, Revson struck Scheckter's rear wing, and then all hell broke loose as the rest of the field crashed into the wrecks or dodged about to miss the wreckage. Nine cars were involved in the resulting carnage, Andrea de Adamich had crashed headlong into the barriers on the outside of the track and he was trapped in the cockpit of his Brabham with a broken ankle. Apart from minor bruises and shakings, no one else was hurt but the Surtees cars of Mike Hailwood, Carlos Pace, and Jochen Mass were smashed up. The Shadow's were also involved: Jackie Oliver's car was wrecked, while George Follmer's car was ripped open. The Embassy Hill-entered Shadow of Graham Hill was struck in the rear and a wishbone broken; Hill drove it round back to the pits under its own power. The BRM of Jean-Pierre Beltoise and the works March of Roger Williamson were wrecked, as was the McLaren of Scheckter. [3] [4] [5] It would F1's biggest race start crash until the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix took out thirteen cars; no one was injured. [6]

The race organisation acted instantly and the race was red flagged indicating without argument or discussion that the race was stopped and would be started again later. Meanwhile, those ahead of the accident were still racing until they ended the lap, when they all came to a rapid stop at the scene of the crash. It took 30 minutes to release de Adamich from the wreckage of the Brabham, plus an hour to clear away the wrecked cars and the debris. The cars that escaped were wheeled back to the starting grid and Hill's Shadow was repaired in the pits, and Niki Lauda's BRM that had been in the pits all the time had a new drive-shaft fitted. Hunt's March needed a new airbox as his original one was damaged in the wreck and borrowed Mike Beuttler's airbox from his car. [3] [4] [5]

Second start

Drivers were allowed to use spare cars but none were used, Lauda's BRM and Hill's Shadow having been repaired during the red flag period. Non-starters included de Adamich who had been taken to hospital, Scheckter who was barred by McLaren as several team bosses including John Surtees wanted to throw him out for causing the crash, Graham McRae's Iso-Marlboro which had a throttle issue and could not restart, and David Purley's March which had spun off before the big one and did not restart. Other drivers who did not take the restart included Oliver, Follmer, Beltoise, Williamson, Purley, Pace, Hailwood, and Mass. It was 3.30 p.m. before the track was clear and there were nineteen starters ready for the restart over the original distance on 67 laps. At 3:35 pm, the depleted field moved up on to the starting grid. Everyone took up their original positions, leaving gaps for those who had been eliminated. This time it was Lauda who had an excellent start and moved up behind Peterson into second, with Stewart third. Stewart passed Lauda on lap 2 and charged after Peterson. On lap 6, Stewart again tried to pass Peterson for the lead but the Swedish driver shut the door; Stewart lost control of his Tyrrell and spun off into the thick grass. Although he was able to continue, Stewart ended up finishing 10th, one lap down. [3] [4] [5]

Classification

PosNoDriverConstructorLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
18 Flag of the United States.svg Peter Revson McLaren-Ford 671:29:18.539
22 Flag of Sweden.svg Ronnie Peterson Lotus-Ford 67+ 2.816
37 Flag of New Zealand.svg Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford 67+ 3.024
427 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Hunt March-Ford 67+ 3.4113
56 Flag of France.svg François Cevert Tyrrell-Ford 67+ 36.672
610 Flag of Argentina.svg Carlos Reutemann Brabham-Ford 67+ 44.781
719 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Clay Regazzoni BRM 67+ 1:11.710 
83 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Jacky Ickx Ferrari 67+ 1:17.419 
925 Flag of New Zealand.svg Howden Ganley Iso-Marlboro-Ford 66+1 lap18 
105 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford 66+1 lap4 
1115 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Beuttler March-Ford 65+2 Laps24 
1221 Flag of Austria.svg Niki Lauda BRM 63+4 laps9 
1328 Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Rikky von Opel Ensign-Ford 61+6 laps21 
Ret11 Flag of Brazil.svg Wilson Fittipaldi Brabham-Ford 44Oil leak13 
Ret1 Flag of Brazil.svg Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus-Ford 36Transmission5 
Ret29 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg John Watson Brabham-Ford 36Fuel system23 
Ret12 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Graham Hill Shadow-Ford 24Chassis27 
Ret22 Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Amon Tecno 6Fuel system29 
Ret30 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Jody Scheckter McLaren-Ford 0Collision6 
Ret23 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Hailwood Surtees-Ford 0Collision12 
Ret31 Flag of Germany.svg Jochen Mass Surtees-Ford 0Collision14 
Ret24 Flag of Brazil.svg Carlos Pace Surtees-Ford 0Collision15 
Ret20 Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Beltoise BRM 0Collision17 
Ret9 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea de Adamich Brabham-Ford 0Collision20 
Ret14 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Roger Williamson March-Ford 0Collision22 
Ret16 Flag of the United States.svg George Follmer Shadow-Ford 0Collision25 
Ret17 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jackie Oliver Shadow-Ford 0Collision26 
Ret26 Flag of New Zealand.svg Graham McRae Iso-Marlboro-Ford 0Throttle28 
DNS18 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg David Purley March-Ford 0Spun Off16 
Source: [7]

Championship standings after the race

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 United States Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Swedish Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1973 Grand Prix of Sweden was a Formula One motor race held at the Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp on 17 June 1973. It was race 7 of 15 in both the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 80-lap race was won by McLaren driver Denny Hulme after he started from sixth position. Ronnie Peterson finished second for the Lotus team and Tyrrell driver François Cevert came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Argentine Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 South African Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1974 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 30 March 1974. It was race 3 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. This was Carlos Reutemann's first win, the first for an Argentinian driver since Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1957 German Grand Prix, and Brabham's first since the 1970 South African Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Belgian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1974 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nivelles on 12 May 1974. It was race 5 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 85-lap race was won by Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi, driving a McLaren-Ford, with Austrian Niki Lauda a close second in a Ferrari and South African Jody Scheckter third in a Tyrrell-Ford. This race also marked the debut of Tom Pryce, making his first start for the newly formed Token team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 United States Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1974 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 6, 1974, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 15 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Belgian Grand Prix</span> Formula One race

The 1977 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on 5 June 1977. It was the seventh race of the 1977 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1977 International Cup for F1 Constructors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Austrian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1978 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 August 1978 at Österreichring. This was Ronnie Peterson's last win before his death at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 British Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1979 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on 14 July 1979. It was the ninth race of the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 Formula One season</span> 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1979 Formula One season was the 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-round series which commenced on 21 January 1979, and ended on 7 October. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Formula One season</span> 32nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1978 Formula One season was the 32nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors, contested concurrently over a sixteen race series which commenced on 15 January and ended on 8 October. The season also included the non-championship BRDC International Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Formula One season</span> 31st season of the FIAs Formula One motor racing

The 1977 Formula One season was the 31st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 28th World Championship of Drivers and the 20th International Cup for Formula 1 Constructors. The season commenced on 9 January 1977 and ended on 23 October after seventeen races, making it the longest Formula One season in the sport's history at the time. The season also included a single non-championship race for Formula One cars, the 1977 Race of Champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Formula One season</span> 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1976 Formula One season was the 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1976 World Championship of Drivers and the 1976 International Cup for Formula 1 Manufacturers. The two titles were contested over a sixteen race series which commenced on 25 January and ended on 24 October. Two non-championship races were also held during the 1976 season. In an extraordinarily political and dramatic season, the Drivers' Championship went to McLaren driver James Hunt by one point from Ferrari's defending champion Niki Lauda, although Ferrari took the Manufacturers' trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Formula One season</span> 29th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1975 Formula One season was the 29th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1975 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently from 12 January to 5 October over fourteen races. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races and a nine race South African Formula One Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Formula One season</span> 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Formula One season</span> 27th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Formula One season</span> 26th season of the FIAs Formula One motor racing

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 Formula One season</span> 25th season of the FIAs Formula One motor racing

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 and the 14th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over eleven races between 6 March and 3 October. The season also included a number of non-championship races open to Formula One cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Formula One season</span> 22nd season of the FIAs Formula One motor racing

The 1968 Formula One season was the 22nd season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 19th FIA World Championship, which commenced on 1 January, and ended on 3 November after twelve races, and numerous non-championship races. Graham Hill won the second of his World Championship titles, with Lotus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea de Adamich</span> Italian racing driver (born 1941)

Andrea Lodovico de Adamich is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 34 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, making his debut on 1 January 1968. He scored a total of six championship points. He also participated in numerous non-championship Formula One races.

References

  1. ↑ "1973 Formula 1 World Championship Programmes". The Programme Covers Project.
  2. ↑ "The John Player Grand Prix". Racing Sports Car. 1973. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Magazine, Motosport (August 1973). "1973 British GP Race Report". Motorsport Magazine. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Fearnley, Paul (27 June 2013). "1973 British GP – I attended". Motorsport Magazine. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Henry, Alan (27 June 2013). "1973 British GP – A look back". McLaren. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "1998 F1 World Championship | Motorsport Database". Motor Sport. 1998. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  7. ↑ "1973 British Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Britain 1973 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
Previous race:
1973 French Grand Prix 		FIA Formula One World Championship
1973 season 		Next race:
1973 Dutch Grand Prix
Previous race:
1972 British Grand Prix 		British Grand Prix Next race:
1974 British 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.