1973 United States Grand Prix | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race details | |||
Date | October 7, 1973 | ||
Official name | XVI United States Grand Prix | ||
Location | Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course Watkins Glen, New York | ||
Course | Permanent road course | ||
Course length | 5.435 km (3.377 miles) | ||
Distance | 59 laps, 320.67 km (199.24 miles) | ||
Weather | Cloudy with temperatures approaching 20 °C (68 °F); Wind speeds up to 14.82 km/h (9.21 mph) [1] | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Lotus-Ford | ||
Time | 1:39.657 | ||
Fastest lap | |||
Driver | James Hunt | March-Ford | |
Time | 1:41.652 on lap 58 | ||
Podium | |||
First | Lotus-Ford | ||
Second | March-Ford | ||
Third | Brabham-Ford | ||
Lap leaders |
The 1973 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 7, 1973 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 15 of 15 in both the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. [2]
The 59-lap race was won from pole position by Ronnie Peterson, driving a Lotus-Ford. Peterson held off James Hunt in the Hesketh-entered March-Ford to take his fourth victory of the season, with Carlos Reutemann third in a Brabham-Ford.
The race was overshadowed by the death of François Cevert during qualifying, the day before, in what was to have been the 100th and final Grand Prix for Tyrrell team-mate and triple World Champion Jackie Stewart. The Tyrrell team withdrew from the event as a consequence, handing the Manufacturers' Cup to Lotus.
Ronnie Peterson ended his first year with Lotus by taking his fourth win of the season, as a thrilling two-man battle ended with Peterson beating James Hunt to the flag by the smallest winning margin in USGP history at that time. The Englishman finished less than a second behind in his Hesketh Racing entered March, but the normal celebrations were tempered by the death of François Cevert during qualifying and the premature end of the career of three-time World Champion Jackie Stewart.
Stewart had already clinched his third World Driver's Championship when the teams came to Watkins Glen, and he intended the final Grand Prix of 1973 to be his swan song. "I had decided in April that I would retire at the end of the season, win or lose," Stewart recalled. "Watkins Glen was going to be my last race in a Formula One car. François Cevert was going to be number one in the team for 1974, although he never knew it. Ken Tyrrell and I had kept it a secret that I was going to retire after that race. In fact, not even my wife, Helen, who was with me that weekend, knew."
With just a few minutes left in the Saturday morning qualifying session, however, the track suddenly fell quiet. Cevert had crashed violently in the uphill Esses heading onto the back of the circuit, between Turns Three and Four. Fighting the car as he went up the hill, Cevert ran too high on the kerbs and slid into the right-hand guardrail. The car then lashed sideways across the track and struck the Armco on the left side of the track at 150 mph at an almost 90-degree angle. The nose of the car submarined into the ground, causing the car to flip upwards on over the barrier, which ripped off the front of the car, which landed in the middle of the track while the rear of the car came to rest upside down on top of the Armco.
Jody Scheckter's McLaren was close behind, and he stopped and rushed over to help Cevert out of the car, but when the front of the car had been ripped off, Cevert had been exposed to making direct physical contact with the barrier and had died instantly. Ken Tyrrell had lost a great driver and Jackie Stewart an outstanding teammate at the circuit where Cevert had taken his only Grand Prix win. "It was a horrendous accident which took the life of a wonderfully charming, personable, handsome young man, who was a tremendous friend to both Helen and me," Stewart said.
When qualifying resumed, Peterson's time from the morning session stood up for his ninth pole of the year. The Tyrrells of Stewart and Chris Amon had earned the fifth and twelfth spots on the grid, but the team decided to withdraw in tribute to Cevert, and Stewart's driving career was over after 99 races and what was then a record 27 Grand Prix wins.
On Sunday, a huge crowd turned out on a cool, overcast day for the race. On the grid, in seventh spot, home favorite Peter Revson felt his car creeping forward as the flag was raised. Rather than hold it with the brakes, he took it out of gear just as the flag dropped. He waved his arms in the air and waited for the field to roar past, then set off in last place.
The front runners got away well, and at the end of the first lap, Peterson led Carlos Reutemann, Hunt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mike Hailwood and Scheckter. On lap 4, Hunt passed Reutemann for second, and began his chase of Peterson's Lotus. To the surprise of everyone as the race progressed, Hunt was able to stay around one second behind Peterson. Occasionally the gap would widen slightly, but again and again, the extreme straightline speed of the Hesketh March would close it again.
Reutemann kept pace as well, two to three seconds behind Hunt, until he lost nine seconds attempting to lap Graham Hill. From then on, he ran a lonely race to a third-place finish.
Revson, meanwhile, was rocketing through the field from his last place start, and at the midway point, he had gone from twenty-third to seventh. He took sixth from Emerson on lap 40 when the Brazilian pitted to replace his front tyres that were flat-spotted when he had to avoid a spinning Scheckter.
For the last 15 laps, Hunt continued to follow Peterson, between .7 and 1.4 seconds behind. He pulled alongside at one point, but could not finish the pass. "I looked over at Ronnie, and he looked fiercer than me," he explained after the race.
Hunt had decided to bide his time until the final 10 laps, then make a bid to pass Peterson, but his car developed oversteer with a lightening fuel load. This kept him from taking the final corner before the back straight flat out, and effectively took away his speed advantage. He maintained the challenge to the flag, however, setting the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap. Peterson's winning margin of 0.688 seconds was the smallest in United States Grand Prix history until 2002.
Reutemann had to weave to the line, virtually out of fuel, but held on to third; Denny Hulme ran a steady race to fourth; Revson made it up to fifth with his splendid drive from last place; and Emerson Fittipaldi took sixth after having to stop for tyres. Having already secured the Manufacturers' Cup following Tyrrell's withdrawal, Lotus finished ten points ahead, despite Stewart taking the Drivers' Championship for Tyrrell.
Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Time | Gap | Grid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford | 1:39.657 | — | 1 |
2 | 10 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham-Ford | 1:40.013 | +0.356 | 2 |
3 | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus-Ford | 1:40.393 | +0.736 | 3 |
4 | 6 | François Cevert | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:40.444 | +0.787 | DNS |
5 | 27 | James Hunt | March-Ford | 1:40.520 | +0.863 | 4 |
6 | 5 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:40.635 | +0.978 | 5 |
7 | 23 | Mike Hailwood | Surtees-Ford | 1:40.844 | +1.187 | 6 |
8 | 8 | Peter Revson | McLaren-Ford | 1:40.895 | +1.238 | 7 |
9 | 7 | Denny Hulme | McLaren-Ford | 1:40.907 | +1.250 | 8 |
10 | 24 | Carlos Pace | Surtees-Ford | 1:41.125 | +1.468 | 9 |
11 | 0 | Jody Scheckter | McLaren-Ford | 1:41.321 | +1.664 | 10 |
12 | 4 | Arturo Merzario | Ferrari | 1:41.455 | +1.798 | 11 |
13 | 29 | Chris Amon | Tyrrell-Ford | 1:41.679 | +2.022 | 12 |
14 | 31 | Brian Redman | Shadow-Ford | 1:42.247 | +2.590 | 13 |
15 | 20 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | BRM | 1:42.417 | +2.760 | 14 |
16 | 19 | Clay Regazzoni | BRM | 1:42.468 | +2.811 | 15 |
17 | 30 | Jochen Mass | Surtees-Ford | 1:42.517 | +2.860 | 16 |
18 | 18 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | March-Ford | 1:42.752 | +3.095 | 17 |
19 | 12 | Graham Hill | Shadow-Ford | 1:42.848 | +3.191 | 18 |
20 | 25 | Howden Ganley | Iso-Marlboro-Ford | 1:43.166 | +3.509 | 19 |
21 | 16 | George Follmer | Shadow-Ford | 1:43.387 | +3.730 | 20 |
22 | 21 | Niki Lauda | BRM | 1:43.543 | +3.886 | 21 |
23 | 17 | Jackie Oliver | Shadow-Ford | 1:43.650 | +3.993 | 22 |
24 | 26 | Jacky Ickx | Iso-Marlboro-Ford | 1:43.885 | +4.228 | 23 |
25 | 9 | John Watson | Brabham-Ford | 1:43.887 | +4.230 | 24 |
26 | 11 | Wilson Fittipaldi | Brabham-Ford | 1:44.478 | +4.821 | 25 |
27 | 15 | Mike Beuttler | March-Ford | 1:45.032 | +5.375 | 26 |
28 | 28 | Rikky von Opel | Ensign-Ford | 1:45.441 | +5.784 | 27 |
Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus-Ford | 59 | 1:41:15.779 | 1 | 9 |
2 | 27 | James Hunt | March-Ford | 59 | + 0.668 | 4 | 6 |
3 | 10 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham-Ford | 59 | + 22.930 | 2 | 4 |
4 | 7 | Denny Hulme | McLaren-Ford | 59 | + 50.226 | 8 | 3 |
5 | 8 | Peter Revson | McLaren-Ford | 59 | + 1:20.367 | 7 | 2 |
6 | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus-Ford | 59 | + 1:47.945 | 3 | 1 |
7 | 26 | Jacky Ickx | Iso-Marlboro-Ford | 58 | + 1 Lap | 23 | |
8 | 19 | Clay Regazzoni | BRM | 58 | + 1 Lap | 15 | |
9 | 20 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | BRM | 58 | + 1 Lap | 14 | |
10 | 15 | Mike Beuttler | March-Ford | 58 | + 1 Lap | 26 | |
11 | 18 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | March-Ford | 57 | Accident | 17 | |
12 | 25 | Howden Ganley | Iso-Marlboro-Ford | 57 | + 2 Laps | 19 | |
13 | 12 | Graham Hill | Shadow-Ford | 57 | + 2 Laps | 18 | |
14 | 16 | George Follmer | Shadow-Ford | 57 | + 2 Laps | 20 | |
15 | 17 | Jackie Oliver | Shadow-Ford | 55 | + 4 Laps | 22 | |
16 | 4 | Arturo Merzario | Ferrari | 55 | + 4 Laps | 11 | |
NC | 11 | Wilson Fittipaldi | Brabham-Ford | 52 | + 7 Laps | 25 | |
Ret | 0 | Jody Scheckter | McLaren-Ford | 39 | Suspension | 10 | |
Ret | 30 | Jochen Mass | Surtees-Ford | 35 | Engine | 16 | |
Ret | 21 | Niki Lauda | BRM | 35 | Fuel Pump | 21 | |
Ret | 23 | Mike Hailwood | Surtees-Ford | 34 | Suspension | 6 | |
Ret | 24 | Carlos Pace | Surtees-Ford | 32 | Suspension | 9 | |
Ret | 9 | John Watson | Brabham-Ford | 7 | Engine | 24 | |
DSQ | 31 | Brian Redman | Shadow-Ford | 5 | Received Outside Assistance | 13 | |
Ret | 28 | Rikky von Opel | Ensign-Ford | 0 | Throttle | 27 | |
WD | 5 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell-Ford | 0 | Withdrew (Fatal Accident in team) | 5 | |
WD | 29 | Chris Amon | Tyrrell-Ford | 0 | Withdrew (Fatal Accident in team) | 12 | |
DNS | 6 | François Cevert | Tyrrell-Ford | Fatal Accident in Qualifying | |||
Source: [3] |
|
|
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 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 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 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.
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 1973 British 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.
The 1973 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 9 September 1973. It was race 13 of 15 in both the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.
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 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.
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.
The 1975 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 5, 1975, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 14 of 14 in both the 1975 World Championship of Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was the 25th United States Grand Prix since the first American Grand Prize was held in 1908 and the 18th since the first United States Grand Prix at Riverside in 1958.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Patrick André Eugène Joseph Depailler was a racing driver from France. He participated in 95 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 2 July 1972. He also participated in several non-championship Formula One races.
The 1977 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 2, 1977, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was the fifteenth race of the 1977 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1977 International Cup for F1 Constructors. The event was also referred to as the United States Grand Prix East in order to distinguish it from the United States Grand Prix West held on April 3, 1977, in Long Beach, California. It was covered on American radio by Motor Racing Network.
The 1976 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 10, 1976, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. This event was also referred to as the United States Grand Prix East in order to distinguish it from the United States Grand Prix West held on March 28, 1976, in Long Beach, California.