1972 French Grand Prix

The French Grand Prix was the sixth race of the 1972 season, and returned to the Charade Circuit, near Clermont-Ferrand. In a race dominated by stones thrown onto the track by the cars, Jackie Stewart drove a careful race and inherited the win, ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi. Pole sitter and front runner Chris Amon lost almost a lap from a flat tire caused by the stones, but recovered at a furious pace to finish third, setting fastest lap along the way. Early in the race, Helmut Marko was hit in the eye by a stone kicked up by Emerson Fittipaldi, and lost most of his sight in that eye, ending his driving career.
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==Background==
The Charade circuit had an unusual element of danger attached. It was built around an extinct volcano, and a large number of small (but very hard and sharp) igneous rocks were used for the foundation of the roads. As the cars got wider, it became increasingly common for a driver to put a wheel into the rocks, flinging a number of them onto the track and at following cars. The large number of flat tires, lack of run off room, and Marko's injury, all combined to ensure that this was the final Formula One race at the circuit.
There was another very large entry of 29 cars, and since only 24 would be allowed to start, some folks would be going home unhappy. Because of the cancellation of the Dutch GP, there had been a four week gap since Belgium, and a number of teams had modified their cars.
The Formula One world was also saddened by the death of Jo Bonnier, who had been killed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, three weeks earlier.
*: Carlos Reutemann's car was fitted with a revised rear suspension, in anticipation of a new model of Hewland gearbox (which had not yet arrived). All three cars had their rear wings moved further back.
*: the car of Jean-Pierre Beltoise had been fitted with P180 front and rear suspension, giving the car a 5cm wider track. The car was designated a P160C, even though it was one of the P160B chassis. The team felt this move would allow them to evaluate the suspension independently, helping to sort the P180s.
*: Mario Andretti was at the USAC Pocono 500, and Clay Regazzoni had suffered a broken wrist in a soccer match. So the team obtained Nanni Galli on loan from . Since Belgium, the cars had had their rear suspensions modified, and the rear wings moved further back. Jacky Ickx decided that the spare car was better suited for the circuit, and drove it in the race.
*: The cars all had the rear wings mounted atop the oil tank, with the oil radiators on either side of the tank, further improving the airflow.
**Dave Charlton showed up once again with his 72D having all of the latest bells and whistles. This would be one of three European races contested by Charlton.
*: In the four weeks since Nivelles, the team retired the 721X cars, and built their own 721Gs, similar to Mike Beuttler's car. But the team claimed that they had made 43 improvements to the original design. And the experimenting continued: Ronnie Peterson's car had an aluminum rear wing, whereas Niki Lauda's car had one made of fiberglass.
*: Now that Le Mans was over with, the factory could pay some attention to the F1 team. They arrived with a brand new MS120D chassis, looking much smoother and efficient than the previous cars. Chris Amon was obviously pleased with it, and spent much of the weekend showing the field that the old spark was still there.
*: Peter Revson was at the USAC race, so once again the team welcomed Brian Redman in his stead. The cars had their rear wings moved further back, on very sturdy supports. The oil tanks were now mounted between the rear bulkhead and the engine, and the oil coolers were mounted lower next to the gearbox. There were some tweaks to the suspension, too.
*: With Nanni Galli at Ferrari this weekend, Derek Bell was given a shot. This was the second chassis built, and with it Galli had finished third (out of seven starters!) at the non-championship race at Vallelunga.
*: Jackie Stewart returned to the team, looking rested and fitter than he had for a while. For the second time in less than two years, the team startled the paddock by arriving with an unsuspected brand new design. Chassis 005 was a major upgrade on the 001 series. The full width nose was lower, except for the section just in front of the tires, but still enclosed the water radiator. The chassis was rectangular, as apposed to the bulbous oval of the 001 series. On either side of the driver were inlet ducts, like the Lotus 72, but these were for the oil radiators. The bodywork continued on a gentle upward slope until the very rear of the car, and the rear wing had a fairing that continued back from the engine airbox. The whole effect was very neat and aerodynamic, with the bodywork covering almost all of the car. Since Stewart was still on the mend, he stuck with his normal 003 car, and 005 was entrusted to François Cevert in his homeland. In addition, the team entered promising Formula 2 driver Patrick Depailler in 004, and Cevert's old 002 chassis was kept as the spare. Unfortunately, Cevert would have to resort to the spare, when he crashed the new car in the first session, after breaking the lap record.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No.	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Model 	Tyre
1 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	72D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
2 	Denny Hulme 	Yardley Team McLaren 	 	M19C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
3 	Jacky Ickx 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	312B2 	 	001/1 F12 3.0 	
4 	Jackie Stewart 	Elf Team Tyrrell 	 	003 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
5 	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
6 	Dave Walker 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	72D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
7 	François Cevert 	Elf Team Tyrrell 	 	002 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
8 	Patrick Depailler 	Elf Team Tyrrell 	 	004 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
9 	Chris Amon 	Equipe Matra Sports 	 	MS120D 	 	MS72 V12 3.0 	
10 	Rolf Stommelen 	Team Eifelland Caravans 	 	21 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
11 	Brian Redman 	Yardley Team McLaren 	 	M19A 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
12 	Ronnie Peterson 	STP March Racing Team 	 	721G 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
14 	Niki Lauda 	STP March Racing Team 	 	721G 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
15 	Mike Beuttler 	Clarke-Mordaunt-Guthrie Racing 	 	721G 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
16 	Henri Pescarolo 	Team Williams Motul 	 	721 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
17 	Carlos Pace 	Team Williams Motul 	 	711 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
18 	Graham Hill 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT37 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
19 	Wilson Fittipaldi 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT34 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
20 	Carlos Reutemann 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 	 	BT37 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
21 	Derek Bell 	Martini Racing 	 	PA123 	 	Series-P F12 3.0	
22 	Peter Gethin 	Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
23 	Howden Ganley 	Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
24 	Reine Wisell 	Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
25 	Helmut Marko 	Austria Marlboro BRM 	 	P160B 	 	P142 V12 3.0 	
26 	Mike Hailwood 	Brooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees 	 	TS9B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
27 	Tim Schenken 	Flame Out Team Surtees 	 	TS9B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
28 	Andrea de Adamich 	Ceramica Pagnossin Team Surtees	 	TS9B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
29 	Dave Charlton 	Scribante Lucky Strike Racing 	 	72D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
30 	Nanni Galli 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	312B2 	 	001/1 F12 3.0 	
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Friday Qualifying===
===Saturday Qualifying===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos.	No.	Driver 	Constructor	Time 	Time 	Time 	Gap
Pos.	No.	Driver 	Constructor	P1 	P2 	P3 	Gap
1 	9 	Chris Amon 	 	2:56.7 	2:54.7 	2:53.4 	—
2 	2 	Denny Hulme 	 	2:55.6T	2:59.7 	2:54.2 	+0.8s
3 	4 	Jackie Stewart 	 	2:55.8 	2:55.0 	2:55.3 	+1.6s
4 	3 	Jacky Ickx 	 	2:56.8 	2:57.7T	2:55.1T	+1.7s
5 	27 	Tim Schenken 	 	3:04.6 	2:59.6 	2:57.2 	+3.8s
6 	25 	Helmut Marko 	 	3:02.0 	2:58.8 	2:57.3 	+3.9s
7 	7T 	François Cevert 	 	3:32.6 	2:58.1 	3:16.8 	+4.7s
8 	1 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	 	3:02.1 	2:58.1 	2:58.1T	+4.7s
9 	12 	Ronnie Peterson 	 	3:04.8 	3:03.5 	2:58.2 	+4.8s
10 	26 	Mike Hailwood 	 	3:01.7 	2:58.6 	2:58.3 	+4.9s
11 	17 	Carlos Pace 	 	3:01.0 	2:59.0 	2:58.6 	+5.2s
12* 	16 	Henri Pescarolo 	 	3:01.7 	2:59.0 	2:59.9 	+5.6s
13 	28 	Andrea de Adamich 	 	3:02.1 	2:59.1 	3:01.0 	+5.7s
14 	11 	Brian Redman 	 	3:04.3 	3:00.8 	2:59.4 	+6.0s
15 	19 	Wilson Fittipaldi 	 	3:02.4 	2:59.5 	3:22.3 	+6.1s
16 	10 	Rolf Stommelen 	 	2:59.8 	2:59.6 	3:00.4 	+6.2s
17 	8 	Patrick Depailler 	 	3:01.6 	2:59.6 	3:02.2 	+6.2s
18 	20 	Carlos Reutemann 	 	3:00.7 	3:03.8 	3:11.7 	+7.3s
19 	24 	Reine Wisell 	 	3:08.3 	3:02.9 	3:00.7 	+7.3s
20 	30 	Nanni Galli 	 	3:02.0 	3:03.8 	3:00.7 	+7.3s
21* 	23 	Howden Ganley 	 	3:07.9 	3:02.2 	3:02.0 	+8.6s
22* 	22 	Peter Gethin 	 	3:13.1 	3:02.8 	4:47.3 	+9.4s
23 	18 	Graham Hill 	 	3:03.0 	3:03.8 	3:04.2 	+9.6s
24 	14 	Niki Lauda 	 	3:06.6 	3:03.1 	— 	+9.7s
25 	6 	Dave Walker 	 	3:06.2 	3:04.7 	— 	+11.3s
26 	15 	Mike Beuttler 	 	3:15.3 	3:08.1 	3:05.9 	+12.5s
27* 	21 	Derek Bell 	 	3:06.9 	3:07.5 	3:07.3 	+13.5s
DNQ 	29 	Dave Charlton 	 	3:38.2 	3:20.2 	3:11.6 	+18.2s
EX† 	5 	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	 	3:00.4 	2:59.2 	3:00.8 	—
*Bold indicates the driver's best/qualifying time.
*T Indicates a driver using their test/spare car to set their best time in this session.
** Pescarolo, Ganley, Gethin, and Bell had failed to take the start on the grid.
*† Beltoise's time were excluded from the results as he had started at the back of the grid.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Results===
Pos.	No.	Driver 	Constructor	Laps 	Time/Retired	Grid 	Pts
1 	4 	Jackie Stewart 	 	38 	1:52:21.5 	3 	9
2 	1 	Emerson Fittipaldi 	 	38 	+27.7 	8 	6
3 	9 	Chris Amon 	 	38 	+32.1 	1 	4
4 	7 	François Cevert 	 	38 	+49.3 	7 	3
5 	12 	Ronnie Peterson 	 	38 	+56.8 	9 	2
6 	26 	Mike Hailwood 	 	38 	+1:36.1 	10 	1
7 	2 	Denny Hulme 	 	38 	+1:48.1 	2 	 
8 	19 	Wilson Fittipaldi 	 	38 	+2:25.1 	14 	 
9 	11 	Brian Redman 	 	38 	+2:55.5 	13 	 
10 	18 	Graham Hill 	 	38 	+2:59.5 	20 	 
11 	3 	Jacky Ickx 	 	37 	+1 Lap 	4 	 
12 	20 	Carlos Reutemann 	 	37 	+1 Lap 	17 	 
13 	30 	Nanni Galli 	 	37 	+1 Lap 	19 	 
14 	28 	Andrea de Adamich 	 	37 	+1 Lap 	12 	 
15 	5 	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	 	37 	+1 Lap 	24 	 
16 	10 	Rolf Stommelen 	 	37 	+1 Lap 	15 	 
17 	27 	Tim Schenken 	 	36 	+2 Laps 	5 	 
Ret 	6 	Dave Walker 	 	34 	Transmission	22 	 
Ret 	15 	Mike Beuttler 	 	33 	Out of fuel 	23 	 
NC 	8 	Patrick Depailler 	 	33 	+5 Laps 	16 	 
Ret 	24 	Reine Wisell 	 	26 	Gearbox 	18 	 
Ret 	17 	Carlos Pace 	 	19 	Engine 	11 	 
Ret 	25 	Helmut Marko 	 	8 	Eye injury 	6 	 
Ret 	14 	Niki Lauda 	 	4 	Driveshaft 	21 	 
DNS 	16 	Henri Pescarolo 	 	 	Accident 	 	 
DNS 	25 	Howden Ganley 	 	 	Accident 	 	 
DNS 	22 	Peter Gethin 	 	 	Accident 	 	 
==Milestones==
*First race for Patrick Depailler
*Final race for Helmut Marko
*20th victory for Jackie Stewart
==Standings after race==
==References==
*
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:French Grand Prix
Category:1972 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in France