1972 French Grand Prix
| 1972 French Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 2 July 1972 | ||
| Location |
Circuit de Charade Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France | ||
| Course | Temporary street circuit | ||
| Course length | 8.055 km (5.005 miles) | ||
| Distance | 38 laps, 306.09 km (190.19 miles) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Matra | ||
| Time | 2:53.4 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Chris Amon | Matra | |
| Time | 2:53.9 on lap 32 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
| Second | Lotus-Ford | ||
| Third |
| Matra | |
|
Lap leaders | |||
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The 1972 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Charade in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France on 2 July 1972. It was race 6 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.
The Circuit de Charade's natural setting around the base of an extinct volcano created safety concerns due to the dark, volcanic rocks which fell from the mountain onto both sides of the track.[1][2] Drivers who skirted the track edge would often send rocks flying into the middle of the road and into the way of pursuing competitors.[1][2] The hazard was highlighted when driver Helmut Marko suffered a career-ending injury during the race, when a stone thrown from Ronnie Peterson's March penetrated his helmet visor and blinded him in the left eye.[1][2][a] The rocks also meant that tyre punctures were a perennial hazard on the circuit, as was shown when ten competitors suffered punctures during the race.[1][2] The French Grand Prix was moved to the new Circuit Paul Ricard for 1973.
Chris Amon achieved the fifth and final pole position of his career and was leading the race in his Matra until a puncture forced him to pit, leaving Jackie Stewart to win in his Tyrrell-Ford. Emerson Fittipaldi finished second, just ahead of a charging Amon, who shattered the circuit's lap record.
Qualifying
[edit]Qualifying classification
[edit]Race
[edit]Classification
[edit]| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |  Jackie Stewart
|
Tyrrell-Ford | 38 | 1:52:22.5 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 |  Emerson Fittipaldi
|
Lotus-Ford | 38 | + 27.7 | 8 | 6 |
| 3 | 9 | Chris Amon
|
Matra | 38 | + 31.9 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | 7 |  François Cevert
|
Tyrrell-Ford | 38 | + 49.3 | 7 | 3 |
| 5 | 12 |  Ronnie Peterson
|
March-Ford | 38 | + 56.8 | 9 | 2 |
| 6 | 26 | Mike Hailwood
|
Surtees-Ford | 38 | + 1:36.1 | 10 | 1 |
| 7 | 2 | Denny Hulme
|
McLaren-Ford | 38 | + 1:48.1 | 2 | |
| 8 | 19 | Wilson Fittipaldi
|
Brabham-Ford | 38 | + 2:25.1 | 14 | |
| 9 | 11 | Brian Redman
|
McLaren-Ford | 38 | + 2:55.5 | 13 | |
| 10 | 18 | Graham Hill
|
Brabham-Ford | 38 | + 2:59.5 | 20 | |
| 11 | 3 |  Jacky Ickx
|
Ferrari | 37 | + 1 Lap | 4 | |
| 12 | 20 |  Carlos Reutemann
|
Brabham-Ford | 37 | + 1 Lap | 17 | |
| 13 | 30 |  Nanni Galli
|
Ferrari | 37 | + 1 Lap | 19 | |
| 14 | 28 | Andrea de Adamich
|
Surtees-Ford | 37 | + 1 Lap | 12 | |
| 15 | 5 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise
|
BRM | 37 | + 1 Lap | 24 | |
| 16 | 10 |  Rolf Stommelen
|
Eifelland-Ford | 37 | + 1 Lap | 15 | |
| 17 | 27 |  Tim Schenken
|
Surtees-Ford | 36 | + 2 Laps | 5 | |
| 18 | 6 | Dave Walker
|
Lotus-Ford | 34 | Halfshaft | 22 | |
| 19 | 15 | Mike Beuttler
|
March-Ford | 33 | Out of Fuel | 23 | |
| NC | 8 | Patrick Depailler
|
Tyrrell-Ford | 33 | + 5 Laps | 16 | |
| Ret | 24 | Reine Wisell
|
BRM | 25 | Gearbox | 18 | |
| Ret | 17 | Carlos Pace
|
March-Ford | 18 | Engine | 11 | |
| Ret | 25 |  Helmut Marko
|
BRM | 8 | Driver Injured | 6 | |
| Ret | 14 | Niki Lauda
|
March-Ford | 4 | Halfshaft | 21 | |
| DNS | 16 | Henri Pescarolo
|
March-Ford | Accident | |||
| DNS | 21 | Derek Bell
|
Tecno | Transmission | |||
| DNS | 22 | Peter Gethin
|
BRM | Accident | |||
| DNS | 23 | Howden Ganley
|
BRM | Car raced by Beltoise[3] | |||
| DNQ | 29 |  Dave Charlton
|
Lotus-Ford | ||||
Source:[4]
| |||||||
Championship standings after the race
[edit]
|
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Notes
[edit]- This was the Formula One World Championship debut for French driver and future Grand Prix winner Patrick Depailler.
- This was the 5th pole position and 10th fastest lap set by a New Zealand driver.
Additional notes
[edit]- ^ Some older sources state that the stone was thrown up by Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus, but more recent sources indicate that it was thrown up by Ronnie Peterson's March.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Charade". racingcircuits.info. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d "The Volcanic Rush of Clermont Ferrand". speedhunters.com. August 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ "French GP, 1972". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ "1972 French Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ a b "France 1972 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 15 March 2019.