1973 Formula 1.5 Season

The 1973 Formula 1.5 season was the 24th season of the Formula 1.5 World Championship. Carlos Reutemann won the World Drivers' Championship for the first and only time with 51 points. Brabham-Ford won the World Constructors' Championship with 82 points.

Heading into 1973, FIAT execs initiated a personnel change in Ferrari’s technical department, after several seasons where the Scuderia had fallen short of F1 glory to garagista team’s, Tyrrell and Lotus. While undergoing this period of change, Ferrari figured they’d stand a better chance at success in F1.5, and so dropped to the midfield for only the second time in the sport's history, the first being back in 1969. At the start of the season, using their old 1972 F1 machine, everything was coming up red for both Ickx and Merzario, that was until Brabham went on a tear winning four races on the trot in Belgium, Monaco, Sweden, and France. Ferrari had introduced a new chassis back at the Spanish GP designed by its new staff. It ultimately proved a disaster though as the Scuderia wouldn’t win another race all season, resulting in lead driver Ickx, choosing to leave Maranello. Sure enough, behind the scenes heads rolled and during the European summer, Mauro Forghieri was recalled as Technical Director but the 312B3 couldn’t be fixed. Ferrari gave up on the project and instead plotted their return to F1 for 1974.

The rest of the Formula 1.5 landscape looked fairly different for 1973, Ferrari aside. March lost their young star Ronnie Peterson to Colin Chapman; Matra dropped out of all Formulae to focus instead on endurance racing; Tecno of all teams took on F1.5’s benchmark driver, Chris Amon; Graham Hill started up his own outfit, leaving Brabham with two unproven young guns; CanAM constructor, Shadow Racing, joined F1.5 as a team and chassis supplier, providing cars to the aforementioned Embassy squad of Graham Hill; BRM and Surtees had some new talent in their camps, however both would fail to build momentum on their respective 1972 campaigns; and mid-season, March privateers, Hesketh Racing, appeared and immediately stamped themselves as frontrunners, and the leading March squad going forward.

## Entries

### Excluded teams

* John Player Team Lotus, Elf Team Tyrrell, and Yardley Team McLaren

## Results & standings

### World Drivers' Championship standings

Points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the first six finishers at each race. Only the best seven results from the first eight races and the best six results from the last seven races were retained.

Legend: **Bold** = Pole Position; *Italics* = Fastest Lap; (Brackets) = Result/score did not count towards championship total

### International Cup for F1.5 Manufacturers standings

Points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the first six finishers at each round, however only the best placed car from each manufacturer was eligible to score points. Only the best seven results from the first eight races and the best six results from the last seven races were retained.

Legend: (Brackets) = Result/score did not count towards championship total

### Leader Progression

1. ↑ Ahead of Andrea de Adamich on countback
2. ↑ Ahead of de Adamich and Ickx on countback