1972 Spanish Grand Prix

The 1972 Spanish Grand Prix was held on May 1, and was the third race of the 1972 Formula One Season. Emerson Fittipaldi in a led most of the way for a solid victory over the s of Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni.
__TOC__
==Background==
Normally the teams looked forward to returning to Europe, but the race at Jarama had always been marred by poor organization and official incompetence. In particular, the memories from 1970 of local police forcibly removing drivers from the starting grid, and the inability of the course marshals to put out the flaming cars of Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver for most of the race, was of concern.
The organizers assigned the car numbers roughly corresponding to the final 1971 standings, which meant that most teams had wildly dissimilar numbers.
*: While driving in the Thruxton Formula 2 race, Carlos Reutemann crashed and suffered a broken ankle that was to keep him out of racing for about two months. Wilson Fittipaldi, older brother of Emerson, had already contracted to run the team's old BT33 on a rental basis, and made his debut here. Graham Hill debuted the new BT37, which was the first design effort of Ralph Bellamy and Gordon Murray. The BT37 was a very basic and simple design, with a front radiator and boxy monocoque. It was intended to keep the team competitive, while allowing for experimentation and modifications for the 1973 design, already under development. And while it wasn't pretty, it did the job well enough.
*: The team had two examples of their brand new P180s on hand for Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Peter Gethin. The cars were very angular, and looked similar to Lotus 72s (but with the water radiators moved to the extreme rear, instead of the sides) and leaving only a sharp wedge point at the nose. The rear of the car was completely covered by bodywork, channeling the air to the radiators and the rear wing. The intent was for a better handling car through a lower polar moment of inertia, but the car needed development. A distinguishing feature was a hole in the front cowling, where the steering wheel and drivers gloves could be seen sticking up. After driving the car in practice, Beltoise opted to use the spare P160B, but as the team only had one spare car, Gethin was stuck with the new model. Reine Wisell rejoined the team for this race, as there was no rental driver for the fifth car. Alex Soler-Roig retired from Formula 1 after this race, focusing on touring car racing until his retirement became complete at the end of 1972.
*: Clay Regazzoni was at the wheel of a brand new chassis. The team tried both the full-width noses used at Kyalami, and the conventional ones, and opted for the latter, which provided more grip in the corners. All of the cars had had the oil coolers moved to either side of the gearbox, and new rear wings moved slightly further back.
*: The cars had the rear wings moved back about 12cm, putting them in cleaner air for greater efficiency. The team arrived in better spirits and with more confidence since before the 1970 Italian Grand Prix, after victories in both the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, and the Daily Express International Trophy at Silverstone. The only fly in the ointment was the performance of Dave Walker, who was never less than two seconds behind Emerson Fittipaldi's pace, and whose only finish in the top six so far was a fifth at the Brazilian Grand Prix, an event with only 12 starters.
*: Both drivers now had examples of the new 721X model, with Ronnie Peterson driving the newest car, and Niki Lauda using the one seen two weeks earlier at Silverstone. The cars were notable for having a more rectangular monocoque, Tyrrell-style full width noses, large engine air boxes, inboard rear suspension and an in-house custom Alfa Romeo-Porsche hybrid gearbox that was mounted ahead of the rear axle. This was another attempt at a lower polar moment of inertia, but both drivers were unhappy with the handling, and found gear shifting to be much harder than with the previous Hewland units. And the mechanics were finding the car difficult to adjust or repair.
**Frank Williams turned down an option on the 721X model, feeling that it relied too much on unproven technology. Ron Tauranac was working with the team again, and the cars appeared with Tauranac-designed air boxes that prevented most dirt and grit from entering the engines.
**Rolf Stommelen's Eifelland car arrived, finished in a sharp blue/white color scheme. The absence of high speed corners at Jarama meant that the car's questionable aerodynamics were less of a disadvantage here.
**Mike Beuttler's sponsors wanted to buy a 1972 car from March, but also refused a 721X. Supposedly in the space of nine days, the factory took a 722 Formula 2 chassis and front suspension, added fuel tanks and a strengthened rear bulkhead and pickup points, grafted a engine on the back with the suspension from the original 721, and added the radiators from a 721X. They even managed to retain the wheelbase and track of the Formula 2 car. The car was called a 721G, and was delivered to Jarama less than a week after completion. The car had teething troubles, and failed to qualify in Spain, but later turned out to be light, nimble, reliable and fast. It eventually was deemed such an improvement that it formed the basis for all March Formula 1 cars for the next several years. What is also notable is that including the 721G, the Eifelland car and Carlos Pace's 711, the March factory was assisting with five separate models this weekend.
*: Chris Amon's main car showed up about 35 kg lighter, and with some slight revisions to the bodywork, the car was both smarter looking and quicker on the track than in recent memory.
*: No changes to the regular cars, but the team had the new (but unsorted) M19C as a spare.
*: John Surtees was absent from the race, having accepted an invitation to compete in the Formula 2 Japanese Grand Prix, amid rumors that the Japanese were going to request a Formula 1 date in the future. Tim Schenken was driving the latest chassis.
*: Other teams were surprised to see nothing new from Tyrrell other than four-pot brake calipers on François Cevert's car.
==Entry list==
The full entry list for the is shown below:
No.	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Model 	Tyre
1 	Jackie Stewart 	Elf Team Tyrrell 	 	003 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
3 	François Cevert 	Elf Team Tyrrell 	 	002 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
2 	Ronnie Peterson 	STP March Racing Team 	 	721X 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
24 	Niki Lauda 	STP March Racing Team 	 	721X 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
4 	Jacky Ickx 	S.p.A. Ferrari SEFAC 	 	312B2 	 	001/1 F12 3.0	
6 	Clay Regazzoni 	S.p.A. Ferrari SEFAC 	 	312B2 	 	001/1 F12 3.0	
7 	Mario Andretti 	S.p.A. Ferrari SEFAC 	 	312B2 	 	001/1 F12 3.0	
5 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	72D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
21 	Dave Walker 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	72D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
8 	Peter Gethin 	Marlboro BRM 	 	P180 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
10 	Reine Wisell 	Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
19 	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
25 	Howden Ganley 	Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
28 	Alex Soler-Roig 	España Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
9 	Chris Amon 	Equipe Matra Sports 	 	MS120C 	 	MS72 V12 3.0 	
11 	Denny Hulme 	Yardley Team McLaren 	 	M19A 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
20 	Peter Revson 	Yardley Team McLaren 	 	M19A 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
12 	Tim Schenken 	Brooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees 	 	TS9B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
15 	Mike Hailwood 	Brooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees 	 	TS9B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
26 	Andrea de Adamich 	Ceramica Pagnossin Team Surtees 	 	TS9B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
14 	Henri Pescarolo 	Team Williams-Motul 	 	721 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
29 	Carlos Pace 	Team Williams-Motul 	 	711 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
16 	Rolf Stommelen 	Team Eifelland Caravan 	 	721 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
18 	Graham Hill 	Motor Racing Developments 	 	BT37 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
22 	Wilson Fittipaldi 	Motor Racing Developments 	 	BT34 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
23 	Mike Beuttler 	Clarke Mordaunt Guthrie Durlacher Racing	 	721G 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying ==
There were 26 entries for 25 possible spots on the grid, so one car would go home early.
===Qualifying Results===
Pos	No.	Driver 	Constructor	Lap 	Gap
1 	4 	Jacky Ickx 	 	1:18.43	—
2 	11 	Denny Hulme 	 	1:19.18	+0.75
3 	5 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	 	1:19.26	+0.83
4 	1 	Jackie Stewart 	 	1:19.33	+0.90
5 	7 	Mario Andretti 	 	1:19.39	+0.96
6 	9 	Chris Amon 	 	1:19.52	+1.09
7 	19 	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	 	1:19.57	+1.14
8 	6 	Clay Regazzoni 	 	1:19.71	+1.28
9 	2 	Ronnie Peterson 	 	1:19.86	+1.43
10 	23 	Reine Wisell 	 	1:19.89	+1.46
11 	20 	Peter Revson 	 	1:20.11	+1.68
12 	3 	François Cevert 	 	1:20.50	+2.07
13 	26 	Andrea de Adamich 	 	1:20.79	+2.36
14 	22 	Wilson Fittipaldi 	 	1:20.83	+2.40
15 	15 	Mike Hailwood 	 	1:20.97	+2.54
16 	29 	Carlos Pace 	 	1:21.00	+2.57
17 	16 	Rolf Stommelen 	 	1:21.04	+2.61
18 	12 	Tim Schenken 	 	1:21.06	+2.63
19 	14 	Henri Pescarolo 	 	1:21.24	+2.81
20 	25 	Howden Ganley 	 	1:21.43	+3.00
21 	8 	Peter Gethin 	 	1:22.43	+4.00
22 	28 	Alex Soler-Roig 	 	1:22.57	+4.14
23 	18 	Graham Hill 	 	1:22.59	+4.16
24 	21 	Dave Walker 	 	1:22.74	+4.31
25 	24 	Niki Lauda 	 	1:24.96	+6.53
DNQ	23 	Mike Beuttler 	 	1:25.48	+7.05
===Grid===
==Race==
===Results===
Pos.	No.	Driver 	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired 	Grid	Pts
1 	5 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	 	90 	2:03:41.23 	3 	9
2 	4 	Jacky Ickx 	 	90 	+18.92 	1 	6
3 	6 	Clay Regazzoni 	 	89 	+1 Lap 	8 	4
4 	26 	Andrea de Adamich 	 	89 	+1 Lap 	13 	3
5 	20 	Peter Revson 	 	89 	+1 Lap 	11 	2
6 	29 	Carlos Pace 	 	89 	+1 Lap 	16 	1
7 	22 	Wilson Fittipaldi 	 	88 	+2 Laps 	14 	 
8 	12 	Tim Schenken 	 	88 	+2 Laps 	18 	 
9 	21 	Dave Walker 	 	87 	Out of fuel 	24 	 
10 	18 	Graham Hill 	 	86 	+4 Laps 	23 	 
11 	14 	Henri Pescarolo 	 	86 	+4 Laps 	19 	 
Ret 	1 	Jackie Stewart 	 	70 	Accident damage	4 	 
Ret 	9 	Chris Amon 	 	67 	Gearbox 	6 	 
Ret 	3 	François Cevert 	 	66 	Ignition 	12 	 
Ret 	8 	Peter Gethin 	 	66 	Engine 	21 	 
Ret 	11 	Denny Hulme 	 	49 	Gearbox 	2 	 
Ret 	25 	Howden Ganley 	 	39 	Engine 	20 	 
Ret 	10 	Reine Wisell 	 	25 	Accident 	10 	 
Ret 	7 	Mario Andretti 	 	24 	Oil Pressure 	5 	 
Ret 	15 	Mike Hailwood 	 	21 	Electrics 	15 	 
Ret 	2 	Ronnie Peterson 	 	17 	Suspension 	9 	 
Ret 	16 	Rolf Stommelen 	 	16 	Accident 	17 	 
Ret 	19 	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	 	10 	Gearbox 	7 	 
Ret 	24 	Niki Lauda 	 	8 	Throttle 	25 	 
Ret 	28 	Alex Soler-Roig 	 	7 	Accident 	22 	 
==Afterword==
Following the race, one of the staff was boarding a flight to London with the team's prize money. He did not know that it was illegal to remove Spanish Pesatas from Spain, and should have converted the cash to Pounds. He was arrested, and another Lotus staffer had to fly back to Madrid to pay his fine. In Swiss Francs, of course. 
==Milestones==
*First race for Wilson Fittipaldi
*First points for Carlos Pace
*Debut race for Brabham BT37, BRM P180, March 721X and March 721G
*Final race for Alex Soler-Roig
==Standings after race==
1972 Drivers' World Championship	1972 Drivers' World Championship	1972 Drivers' World Championship	1972 Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts 	
1= 	Denny Hulme 	15 	
1= 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	15 	
3 	Jacky Ickx 	10 	
4 	Jackie Stewart 	9 	
5 	Clay Regazzoni 	7 	
6 	Peter Revson 	6 	
7= 	Mario Andretti 	3 	
7= 	Ronnie Peterson 	3 	
7= 	Andrea de Adamich 	3 	
10 	Tim Schenken 	2 	
11= 	Graham Hill 	1 	
11= 	Carlos Pace 	1 	
Only point scoring drivers are shown.
1972 Constructors' World Championship	1972 Constructors' World Championship	1972 Constructors' World Championship	1972 Constructors' World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts 	
1 	 	17 	
2 	 	15 	
3 	 	13 	
4 	 	9 	
5 	 	5 	
6 	 	4 	
7 	 	1 	
Only point scoring constructors are shown.
==References==
*
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Spanish Grand Prix
Category:1972 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in Spain