1972 Formula One season

The Argentine Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 1972, It was the first Formula One race in Argentina since 1960, the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez would be used again and was held on 23 January.

The Spanish Grand Prix was moved from Montjuïc to Jarama, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.

The Belgian Grand Prix returned to the calendar for 1972, the 1971 race was cancelled because of the failure to bring Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps up to mandatory safety standards. The 1972 race was held at the Nivelles-Baulers circuit.

The French Grand Prix was moved from Circuit Paul Ricard to the Charade Circuit.

The British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.

The Canadian Grand Prix was supposed to be held at Circuit Mont-Tremblant was due to host the race in rotation with Mosport Park but the Mont-Tremblant circuit had safety concerns regarding the bitter winters seriously affecting the track surface and a dispute with the local racing authorities there in 1972. Mosport would host the race in 1972 on its intended date.

The United States Grand Prix West was originally scheduled for 9 April at the Ontario Motor Speedway road course in southern California near Los Angeles but was cancelled due to the FIA's insistence on circuits holding a test event first.[lower-alpha 2]

The Dutch Grand Prix was originally scheduled for 18 June but was cancelled because of safety upgrades that were not completed at the Zandvoort Circuit in time for the race due to lack of funds.[lower-alpha 3][3]

The Mexican Grand Prix was originally scheduled for 22 October but was cancelled as interest waned following the death of Pedro Rodríguez in a sportscar crash in July 1971.[lower-alpha 4]

Formula One returned to Argentina in January for the first time since 1960. The short No.9 arena configuration of the Buenos Aires city autodrome was used, and Argentine Carlos Reutemann, in his first ever F1 race, took pole position in a Brabham-Ford/Cosworth. Defending World Champion Jackie Stewart of the UK won in a Tyrrell-Ford/Cosworth.

The South African Grand Prix took place at the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg in March. Denny Hulme won the race in a McLaren-Ford/Cosworth, which was McLaren's first F1 victory since 1969.

With the cancellation of the United States Grand Prix West at the Ontario Motor Speedway near Los Angeles, Formula One started its 4-month European tour in Spain at the Jarama circuit near Madrid. The Lotus 72, improved after suspension revisions to the chassis to make the car better suited to slick tyres, won in the hands of Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi.

The Monaco Grand Prix in 1972 was run in extremely wet conditions. The circuit had been changed to move the pits from the start-finish line to the harbour straight, though they were moved back to their original location the following year. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Beltoise won his only championship F1 race.

The Belgian Grand Prix took place at the Nivelles circuit just outside Brussels, replacing the Spa-Francorchamps circuit because of safety concerns. Fittipaldi won again in his John Player Lotus 72D.

There was a four-week break between Grands Prix as the Dutch Grand Prix was cancelled due to safety issues with the Zandvoort circuit. The French Grand Prix was run at the 5.1 mile Charade circuit, consisting of closed-off public roads located in hills surrounding an extinct volcano above Clermont-Ferrand. The circuit's twisty, undulating and sometimes fast nature provided a considerable challenge, and the circuit had been lined with more Armco and had a few more safety features. New Zealander Chris Amon took pole with his new Matra MS120D, ahead of his countryman Denny Hulme in a McLaren. Amon led until suffering a puncture, which dropped him to third place, behind Stewart and Fittipaldi – the former returning from illness after missing the previous race in Belgium. Austrian Helmut Marko was hit and blinded in his left eye by a rock thrown from Peterson's March; the injury ended his racing career.[lower-alpha 5] The Charade circuit was never used again for F1, with subsequently planned events being cancelled over safety concerns.

The British Grand Prix was at Brands Hatch in 1972, and Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari took pole ahead of Fittipaldi and Stewart. Fittipaldi won the race, 4.1 seconds ahead of Stewart.

The German Grand Prix was held at the 14.2 mile (22.8 km) Nürburgring Nordschleife – the longest, most demanding and most difficult circuit of the year for Formula One. The race distance was extended from 12 to 14 laps, and Jacky Ickx took pole with a record-breaking time of 7 minutes and 7 seconds, ahead of Stewart, Fittipaldi, Swede Ronnie Peterson in a March and Stewart's teammate Francois Cevert in a Tyrrell-Ford/Cosworth. Ickx went on to dominate the race – he set fastest lap and led from start to finish. Fittipaldi retired with a seized gearbox, and Stewart and Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari battled until they collided on the last lap at the Hatzenbach. Stewart went off and crashed, but Regazzoni was able to finish behind his teammate Ickx to make it a Ferrari 1–2.

The Austrian Grand Prix was held at the fastest circuit of the year – the Österreichring in the Styrian mountains. Stewart and Fittipaldi fought for the lead early on, but Stewart, with a new model Tyrrell-Ford/Cosworth 005, eventually fell back and finished 7th, while Fittipaldi won ahead of Denny Hulme and American Peter Revson.

The European season concluded four weeks after Austria at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The Monza autodrome had been slowed compared to previous years by chicanes fitted just after the pit straight and at what was the flat-out Vialone left hander. Fittipaldi's win in Austria and Stewart's failure to score points meant that Fittipaldi could become World Champion at the race, and after Stewart retired at the start with gearbox failure, he was able to take the win and his first Drivers' Championship. At the age of 25, he was the youngest-ever World Champion, a record not beaten until 2005.

The Formula One season traditionally concluded in North America, and the first of two North American rounds was in Canada, at the Mosport Park circuit near Toronto. The race was originally supposed to be held at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant in northern Quebec, but a dispute with the local authorities saw the race moved back to Mosport, which had received safety upgrades after a fatal accident during a Formula Ford race during the previous year's event. Jackie Stewart won the race from McLaren drivers Revson and Hulme.

Two weeks after Canada, the 12th and last race of the 1972 Formula One season was held at Watkins Glen International circuit in New York State. Stewart won again ahead of his teammate Cevert, in a race that had 31 cars and drivers start the race.

Points for the 1972 World Championship of Drivers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers in each race. For classification, only the best five results from the first half of the season and the best five results from the second half of the season could be retained.

Emerson Fittipaldi (pictured in 2008) won the Drivers' Championship, driving for Lotus

Pos Driver ARG RSA ESP MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA Points 1 Emerson Fittipaldi Ret 2 1 3 1 2 1 Ret 1 1 11 Ret 61 2 Jackie Stewart 1 Ret Ret 4 1 2 11 7 Ret 1 1 45 3 Denny Hulme 2 1 Ret 15 3 7 5 Ret 2 3 3 3 39 4 Jacky Ickx 3 8 2 2 Ret 11 Ret 1 Ret Ret 12 5 27 5 Peter Revson Ret 3 5 7 3 3 4 2 18 23 6 François Cevert Ret 9 Ret NC 2 4 Ret 10 9 Ret Ret 2 15 7 Clay Regazzoni 4 12 3 Ret Ret 2 Ret Ret 5 8 15 8 Mike Hailwood Ret Ret Ret 4 6 Ret Ret 4 2 17 13 9 Ronnie Peterson 6 5 Ret 11 9 5 7 3 12 9 DSQ 4 12 10 Chris Amon DNS 15 Ret 6 6 3 4 15 5 Ret 6 15 12 11 Jean-Pierre Beltoise Ret Ret 1 Ret 15 11 9 8 8 Ret Ret 9 12 Mario Andretti Ret 4 Ret 7 6 4 13 Howden Ganley 9 NC Ret Ret 8 DNS 4 6 11 10 Ret 4 14 Brian Redman 5 9 5 Ret 4 15 Graham Hill Ret 6 10 12 Ret 10 Ret 6 Ret 5 8 11 4 16 Carlos Reutemann 7 Ret 13 12 8 Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret 3 17 Andrea de Adamich Ret NC 4 7 Ret 14 Ret 13 14 Ret Ret Ret 3 18 Carlos Pace 17 6 17 5 Ret Ret NC NC Ret 9 Ret 3 19 Tim Schenken 5 Ret 8 Ret Ret 17 Ret 14 11 Ret 7 Ret 2 20 Arturo Merzario 6 12 1 21 Peter Gethin Ret NC Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret 13 6 Ret Ret 1 — Wilson Fittipaldi 7 9 Ret 8 12 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Niki Lauda 11 7 Ret 16 12 Ret 9 Ret 10 13 DSQ NC 0 — Patrick Depailler NC 7 0 — Helmut Marko 10 14 8 10 Ret 0 — Mike Beuttler DNQ 13 Ret 19 13 8 Ret 10 NC 13 0 — Henri Pescarolo 8 11 11 Ret NC DNS Ret Ret DNS DNQ 13 14 0 — David Walker DSQ 10 9 14 14 18 Ret Ret Ret Ret 0 — Jody Scheckter 9 0 — Rolf Stommelen 13 Ret 10 11 16 10 Ret 15 0 — Reine Wisell Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret 10 0 — Sam Posey 12 0 — Nanni Galli Ret 13 Ret NC Ret 0 — Skip Barber NC 16 0 — John Love 16 0 — Dave Charlton Ret DNQ Ret Ret 0 — Derek Bell DNS Ret DNQ DNS Ret 0 — Alex Soler-Roig Ret Ret 0 — Jackie Oliver Ret 0 — François Migault DNS Ret 0 — John Surtees Ret DNS 0 — Bill Brack Ret 0 — William Ferguson DNS 0 — Vern Schuppan DNS 0 Pos Driver ARG RSA ESP MON BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (cell empty) Text formatting Meaning Bold Pole position Italics Fastest lap

Lotus-Ford won the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers

Points for the 1972 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top six finishers in each race. Only the best placed car from each manufacturer was eligible to score points. For classification, only the best five results from the first half of the season and the best five results from the second half of the season could be retained.

Pos.	Manufacturer	ARG	RSA	ESP	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	Pts.[4]
1	Lotus-Ford	Ret	2	1	3	1	2	1	Ret	1	1	11	10	61
2	Tyrrell-Ford	1	9	Ret	4	2	1	2	10	7	Ret	1	1	51
3	McLaren-Ford	2	1	5	5	3	7	3	(5)	2	3	2	3	47 (49)
4	Ferrari	3	4	2	2	Ret	11	6	1	Ret	7	5	5	33
5	Surtees-Ford	5	16	4	7	4	6	Ret	13	4	2	7	12	18
6	March-Ford	6	5	6	11	5	5	7	3	10	9	9	4	15
7	BRM	9	14	Ret	1	8	15	11	4	6	6	10	Ret	14
8	Matra	DNS	15	Ret	6	6	3	4	15	5	Ret	6	15	12
9	Brabham-Ford	7	6	7	9	13	8	8	6	Ret	5	4	11	7
—	Eifelland-Ford		13	Ret	10	11	16	10	Ret	15				0
—	Tecno					Ret	DNS	Ret	Ret	NC	Ret	DNS	Ret	0
—	Politoys-Ford							Ret						0
—	Connew-Ford							DNS		Ret				0
Pos.	Manufacturer	ARG	RSA	ESP	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	ITA	CAN	USA	Pts.

• Bold results counted to championship totals.