The 1972 Italian Grand Prix was a
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
motor race held at
Monza
Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
on 10 September 1972. It was race 10 of 12 in both the
1972 World Championship of Drivers and the
1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers
The 1972 Formula One season was the 26th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 23rd List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions, World Championship of Drivers, the 15th List o ...
.
Before the race, the Monza circuit was modified with the addition of two chicanes, one before the Curva Grande and one at the site of the old Curva Vialone, in order to reduce speeds in the interests of safety.
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, American Championship Car Racing, Ind ...
was forced to run only one car because Emerson Fittipaldi's
Lotus 72D was seriously damaged in an accident while being transported to Monza. Fittipaldi raced another 72D, but with specifications very close to the
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
model.
The 55-lap race was won by Brazilian driver
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with Team ...
, driving a
Lotus-
Ford, after he started from sixth position. With the win, Fittipaldi sealed the Drivers' Championship, becoming the youngest ever champion at 25 years and 273 days until superseded by
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...
at 24 years and 59 days in
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
; Lotus also secured the Manufacturers' Cup. Englishman
Mike Hailwood
Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One between and . Nicknamed "the Bike", Hailwood was ...
finished second in a
Surtees
Surtees may refer to:
People
*Surti Muslims
*Surtees (surname), an English surname
Places
*Surtees Bridge, a road bridge across the River Tees in Stockton-on-Tees
Others
*Surtees Racing Organisation, a British racing team and constructor
*Surtee ...
-Ford, with New Zealander
Denny Hulme
Denis Clive Hulme (18 June 1936 – 4 October 1992) was a New Zealand racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Bear", Hulme won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Brabham, and won eight Grands Pri ...
third in a
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
-Ford.
The race marked the last win for American tyre manufacturer
Firestone in Formula One. It was also the last race in which 1964 World Champion
John Surtees
John Norman Surtees (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One from to . Surtees was a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycl ...
competed.
Classification
Qualifying
*
Entries with a red background failed to qualify.
Race
Notes
* This race marked the first podium finish for British constructor
Surtees
Surtees may refer to:
People
*Surti Muslims
*Surtees (surname), an English surname
Places
*Surtees Bridge, a road bridge across the River Tees in Stockton-on-Tees
Others
*Surtees Racing Organisation, a British racing team and constructor
*Surtee ...
. It was also the 25th podium finish for
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
.
Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
;Constructors' Championship standings
*
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
{{F1GP 70-79
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix () is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, motor racing Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921 ...
Italian Grand Prix
1972 in Italian motorsport
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix () is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, motor racing Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921 ...