captured his first Grand Prix win in only the fourth start of his Formula One career. The dominating performance of
went by the boards when his engine failed, and the Brazilian inherited the lead with eight laps to go when Mexican
had to stop for a splash of fuel. Fittipaldi came home thirty-six seconds ahead of Rodríguez, while his Lotus teammate
was fastest in the initial practice session on Friday with a time of 1:03.07, all eyes were on the Tyrrell 001 of Jackie Stewart, which had nearly won in its first outing in the previous race in Canada. The final session on Saturday was marred by a downpour that left only fifteen minutes of dry track time, and it was not enough for Stewart to knock Ickx off the pole. Fittipaldi, who spent the first half of the season in European
On Sunday, with a crowd exceeding 100,000 for the second straight year, black clouds and a brief sprinkle 20 minutes prior to the race caused a lot of excitement among the crews on the grid, as many teams changed to rain tires and back again. By the start, however, all but
had reverted to slicks. Stewart took the lead off the grid, ahead of Rodríguez, as Fittipaldi erred on the side of caution and dropped to eighth behind Ickx, Regazzoni,
By lap 17, the Ferraris of Ickx and Regazzoni had moved by Rodríguez, but by that time, Stewart's lead was nearly twenty seconds.
, in a privately-entered Lotus 72, came into the pits on lap 30 with fuel sloshing around in the cockpit, as a fitting had come loose under the seat. The team took 10 minutes to fix the leak, threw some water on Hill, whose overalls were soaked in fuel, and sent him back out. Several laps later, Hill returned to request they find him some dry overalls, as the gasoline was burning his skin. When he stopped again to change clothes, the team said they had not been able to locate any new ones. Hill, however, saw John Surtees, who had retired on the seventh lap, sitting on the wall, and promptly stripped him of his overalls and undergarments. The two former World Champions were naked in the pits as Hill was doused with water before donning Surtees' clean clothes and returning to the track, only to retire on lap 72 with a broken clutch.
At half-distance, Stewart was in a class by himself, nearly half a lap ahead of Ickx, with Rodríguez in third and Fittipaldi about to be lapped in fourth. Ickx suddenly pitted on lap 57 to repair a broken fuel line, and he rejoined in twelfth place. A heroic drive back up the charts, including the race's fastest lap just three laps from the finish, would earn him a well-deserved fourth place. That meant that Ickx could not reach Rindt's total of 45 points and, as he was the only one who could beat Rindt, the Austrian driver would be the first posthumous Formula One World Champion.
crew were nervously pacing up and down in the pits, hoping the thirsty engine could go the distance without stopping. At the end of his 100th lap, however, Rodríguez coasted into the pit lane with a dry tank. BRM quickly poured in a few gallons of fuel, as Fittipaldi crossed the line, leading the richest race of the year. Rodríguez rejoined ahead of the second Lotus of Wisell, but he had lost 38 seconds to Fittipaldi and could do nothing about the Brazilian's lead.
His victory was the seventh American win for Lotus, and it clinched the Driver's Championship for the team's fallen leader, Jochen Rindt, and the Constructor's Championship for Lotus and Colin Chapman.
| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/retired | Grid | Points |
| 1 |
24 |
Emerson FittipaldiEmerson Fittipaldi |São Paulo]], Brazil) is a Brazilian automobile racing driver who throughout a long and successful career won the Indianapolis 500 twice and championships in both Formula One and CART.-Early and personal life:...
|
Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
108 |
1:57:32.79 |
3 |
9 |
| 2 |
19 |
Pedro RodríguezPedro Rodríguez was a Mexican Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Mexico City and was the older brother of Ricardo Rodríguez.-Career:...
|
BRM British Racing Motors was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill became World Champion...
|
108 |
+ 36.39 |
4 |
6 |
| 3 |
23 |
Reine WisellReine Wisell is a former racing driver from Sweden. He participated in 23 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on October 4, 1970. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 13 championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races...
|
Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
108 |
+ 45.17 |
9 |
4 |
| 4 |
3 |
Jacky IckxJacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
|
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
|
107 |
+ 1 Lap |
1 |
3 |
| 5 |
12 |
Chris AmonChristopher Arthur Amon MBE is a former motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One - racing in the 1960s and 1970s - and is widely regarded to be one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix...
|
MarchMarch Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
107 |
+ 1 Lap |
5 |
2 |
| 6 |
18 |
Derek Bell Derek Reginald Bell MBE is a former racing driver from England who was extremely successful in sportscar racing, winning five times at Le Mans. He also raced in Formula One for the Ferrari, McLaren, Surtees and Tecno teams...
|
Surtees The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2, and Formula 5000.-History:... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
107 |
+ 1 Lap |
13 |
1 |
| 7 |
8 |
Denny HulmeDenis Clive "Denny" Hulme, OBE was a New Zealand racing driver, the 1967 Formula One World Champion for the Brabham team....
|
McLaren-Ford Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
106 |
+ 2 Laps |
11 |
|
| 8 |
7 |
Henri PescaroloHenri Pescarolo is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 22 September 1968. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 12 championship points...
|
Matra Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
|
105 |
+ 3 Laps |
12 |
|
| 9 |
11 |
Jo SiffertJoseph Siffert was a Swiss racing driver.Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and close friends, Siffert was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, the son of a dairy owner...
|
MarchMarch Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
105 |
+ 3 Laps |
23 |
|
| 10 |
15 |
Jack BrabhamSir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
|
Brabham-Ford Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
105 |
+ 3 Laps |
16 |
|
| 11 |
29 |
Ronnie PetersonBengt Ronnie Peterson was a Swedish racing driver. He was a two-time runner-up in the FIA Formula One World Drivers' Championship.Peterson began his motor racing career in kart racing, traditionally the discipline where the majority of race drivers begin their careers in open-wheel racing...
|
MarchMarch Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
104 |
+ 4 Laps |
15 |
|
| 12 |
16 |
Rolf StommelenRolf Johann Stommelen was a racing driver from Siegen, Germany. He participated in 63 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points...
|
Brabham-Ford Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
104 |
+ 4 Laps |
19 |
|
| 13 |
4 |
Clay RegazzoniGianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni was a Swiss racing car driver. He competed in Formula One races from 1970 to 1980, winning five Grands Prix. His first win was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his debut season, driving for Ferrari. He remained with the Italian team until...
|
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
|
101 |
+ 7 Laps |
6 |
|
| 14 |
9 |
Peter GethinPeter Kenneth Gethin is a former racing driver.He participated in 31 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 21 June 1970. He won the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the fastest average speed in Formula One history , but this was his only podium finish...
|
McLaren-Ford Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
100 |
+ 8 Laps |
21 |
|
| Ret |
1 |
Jackie StewartSir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
|
TyrrellThe Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
82 |
Oil Leak |
2 |
|
| Ret |
14 |
Graham HillNorman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
|
Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
72 |
Clutch |
10 |
|
| Ret |
2 |
François CevertAlbert François Cevert Goldenberg was a French racing driver who took part in the Formula One World Championship.-Family background:...
|
MarchMarch Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
62 |
Wheel |
17 |
|
| Ret |
30 |
Tim SchenkenTimothy "Tim" Theodore Schenken is a former racing driver from Sydney, Australia. He participated in 36 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 August 1970. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 7 championship points...
|
De TomasoDe Tomaso Automobili SpA is an Italian car-manufacturing company. It was founded by the Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso in Modena in 1959. It originally produced various prototypes and racing cars, including a Formula One car for Frank Williams' team in 1970. The company developed a reputation... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
61 |
Suspension |
20 |
|
| Ret |
27 |
Jo Bonnier |
McLaren-Ford Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
50 |
Water Pipe |
24 |
|
| Ret |
6 |
Jean-Pierre BeltoiseJean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. François Cevert was his brother-in-law ....
|
Matra Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
|
27 |
Handling |
18 |
|
| Ret |
31 |
Gus HutchisonGus Hutchison is a former racecar driver from the United States.He was also SCCA Formula A Champion in 1967, driving a Lotus 41....
|
Brabham-Ford Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
21 |
Fuel Leak |
22 |
|
| Ret |
20 |
Jackie Oliver Keith Jack Oliver, better known as Jackie Oliver, is a British former Formula One driver and team-owner from England...
|
BRM British Racing Motors was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill became World Champion...
|
14 |
Engine |
7 |
|
| Ret |
21 |
George EatonGeorge Ross Eaton was the youngest son of Signy and John David Eaton. He gained fame as a Canadian race driver who drove sports cars, Can Am, Formula One and Formula A cars. He served as president of the family company for ten years...
|
BRM British Racing Motors was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill became World Champion...
|
10 |
Engine |
14 |
|
| Ret |
17 |
John SurteesJohn Surtees, OBE is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver from England. He was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956 and 1958–60, Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels...
|
Surtees The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2, and Formula 5000.-History:... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
6 |
Engine |
8 |
|
| DNQ |
32 |
Peter Westbury Peter Westbury is a British former racing driver from England. He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, scoring no championship points. In 1969 he raced a Formula 2 Brabham-Cosworth, driving in his first Grand Prix in the 1969 German Grand Prix. He finished ninth on the...
|
BRM British Racing Motors was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill became World Champion...
|
|
|
|
|
| DNQ |
28 |
Pete LovelyGerard Carlton "Pete" Lovely , was a racecar driver and businessman from the United States. He was born in Livingston, Montana.-Racing career:...
|
Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing... -FordCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
|
|
|
|
|
| DNQ |
10 |
Andrea de AdamichAndrea Lodovico de Adamich is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 34 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 1 January 1968. He scored a total of 6 championship points...
|
McLaren-Alfa Romeo |
|
|
|
|