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The March 701 is 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 ...
racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including ...
model, designed by Robin Herd with Peter Wright, and built by
March Engineering March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better success in other categories ...
. The 701 was March's first Formula One design – following their one-off March 693P
Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...
prototype of 1969 – and was designed and built in only three months. The March 701 made its race debut a month after its public unveiling, at the
1970 South African Grand Prix The 1970 South African Grand Prix, formally titled the Fourth AA Grand Prix of South Africa (Afrikaans: ''Vierde AA Suid-Afrikaanse Grand Prix''), was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on 7 March 1970. It was race 1 of 13 in bot ...
. In total, eleven 701s were constructed, with March supplying many privateer entrants as well as their own works team. The 701's career started well, March drivers taking three wins and three
pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
s from the car's first four race entries, but lack of development through the
1970 Formula One season The 1970 Formula One season was the 24th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 21st World Championship of Drivers, the 13th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and three non-c ...
resulted in increasingly poor results as the year wore on. The 701 was superseded by the March 711 in 1971, and made its last World Championship race appearance at the
1971 Italian Grand Prix The 1971 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 5 September 1971. It was race 9 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. This race featured the c ...
.


Design

March Engineering was set up in September 1969 by amateur racing drivers
Max Mosley Max Rufus Mosley (13 April 1940 – 23 May 2021) was a British businessman, lawyer and racing driver. He served as president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the Sport governing body, governing body for Formula One. A ...
, Alan Rees and Graham Coaker, with engineer and former
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 ...
and
Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for auto racing, automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream Automotiv ...
racing car designer Robin Herd. After producing their first prototype, the 693P, in Coaker's garage Max Mosley announced that March would enter a car for the first Grand Prix of the
1970 Formula One season The 1970 Formula One season was the 24th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 21st World Championship of Drivers, the 13th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and three non-c ...
. Designer Robin Herd started work on the car in November 1969, and by the 701's official press launch on 6 February 1970 two cars had been finished and were ready to run. In order to complete the car in the short time available Herd had been forced to take a "British Standard" conservative approach and held over more advanced features for the 701's 1971 successor, the March 711. L. J. K. Setright, writing in
Car Magazine ''Car'' is a British automobile, automotive enthusiast magazine published monthly by Bauer Media Group, Bauer Consumer Media. International editions are published or licensed by Bauer Automotive in South Korea (since March 2016), Brazil, China ...
, described the 701 as "a Chinese copy of a McLaren Lotus" and suggested that "to make a better 1967 car in 1970 is just being wise after the event." Interviewed in 2010, Herd stated that at the time he was "disillusioned by the 701, because it was nothing like the car I wanted to build." The stress and workload involved with getting the car finished to Mosley's ambitious deadline meant that Herd lost over a stone and half in weight. Following the conventions laid down with March's first design, the car's name encoded both its year of design (70''x'' for 1970) and the intended class of competition (''xx''1 for Formula One). Mosley calculated that each car cost £2500–3000 to build, and had initially planned to sell them to customers for £6000 apiece. However,
Walter Hayes Walter Leopold Arthur Hayes (12 April 1924 – 26 December 2000) was an English journalist, and later public relations executive for Ford Motor Company, Ford. Hayes was key in developing Ford's Formula One program, by signing Jackie Stewart a ...
of
Ford of Europe Ford of Europe GmbH is a subsidiary company of Ford Motor Company founded in 1967 in Cork (city), Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with headquarters in Cologne, Germany. History Ford of Europe was founded in 1967 by the merger of Ford of Bri ...
, who were funding
Ken Tyrrell Robert Kenneth Tyrrell (3 May 1924 – 25 August 2001) was a British Formula Two racing driver and the founder of the Tyrrell Formula One constructor.Setright, L. J. K. "Tyrrell: A Shrewd Talent-spotter", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automo ...
's purchase of two cars for his privateer team, persuaded him that he should in fact be charged £9000. In total, eleven March 701 chassis were constructed – three works cars and eight for sale to customers – and as of March 2012 at least ten of these were known to survive.


Chassis and bodywork

The 701 was built around a "boxy and workmanlike" bathtub
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
chassis – constructed from L72
alclad Alclad is a corrosion-resistant aluminium sheet formed from high-purity aluminium surface layers metallurgically bonded (rolled onto) to high-strength aluminium alloy core material. It has a melting point of about . Alclad is a trademark of Alcoa ...
aluminium sheet with cast magnesium bulkheads – that carried the engine as a stressed member. Most of the 701 chassis produced were manufactured in 18  swg sheet, although a special lightweight car, chassis 701/6, was built for the works team during the 1970 season using lighter 20 swg aluminium, although they never raced that car. One of the Tyrrell cars, 701/4, was also rebuilt with a 20 swg monocoque early in the course of the season. Ahead of the car's forward bulkhead the brake cylinders, fire extinguisher system, battery and radiator were carried on a tray-like extension to the cockpit floor pan, constructed in lighter 20 gauge aluminium sheet. Herd did consider using side-mounted radiators, but these were too complex to design and build in the time available. The car's
fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...
nose bodywork enclosing the radiator was relatively square, with a near-rectangular opening for the radiator intake. On either side of the radiator opening Herd placed small wings to generate
downforce Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more gri ...
, moulded with the radiator cowl as a single unit. These wings were fixed in position, braced with a steel tube that spanned their full width, and carried adjustable trim tabs along their trailing edges. At the rear of the car a large, single-plane, adjustable wing was mounted atop the gearbox, between the rear wheels. One of the 701's visually distinctive features was the
aerofoil An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is a streamlined body that is capable of generating significantly more lift than drag. Wings, sails and propeller blades are examples of airfoils. Foils of similar function designed ...
shape given to the detachable side-mounted external fuel tanks, positioned between the wheels. Before the start of the 1970 season Herd had reckoned on the car requiring a fuel capacity of "well over" 40 gallons for each race. Each of these side-mounted tanks contained six gallons of fuel that, combined with the main tank behind the driver's seat and two tanks on either side of the driver within the monocoque, gave the 701 a total fuel capacity of 60 gallons. The tanks' profile was created by Peter Wright, who at that time worked for March's bodywork contractor Specialised Mouldings. Although the aerofoil shape was claimed at the time to produce "downthrust" and aid stability, Herd has since stated that in the turbulent air between the wheels they would only have been marginally effective.


Engine and transmission

Again following conventional practice, to propel the car Herd employed the tried and tested combination of a
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
-
Cosworth DFV The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had f ...
engine mated to a
Hewland Hewland is a British engineering company, founded in 1957 by Mike Hewland, which specialises in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland currently employ 130 people at their Maidenhead facility and have diversified into a variety of markets being particul ...
DG300 five-speed gearbox. The DFV was a 90°
V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...
, and in its original form developed around . Following the pattern established in Formula One by
Keith Duckworth David Keith Duckworth (10 August 1933 – 18 December 2005) was an English mechanical engineer. He is most famous for designing the Cosworth DFV (Double Four Valve) engine, an engine that revolutionised the sport of Formula One. Early life ...
for
Colin Chapman Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (19 May 1928 – 16 December 1982) was an English design engineer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of the sports car company Lotus Cars. Chapman founded Lotus in 1952 and initia ...
's
Lotus 49 The Lotus 49 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1967 F1 season. It was one of the first F1 cars to use a stressed member engine combined with a monocoque to reduce weight, after BRM, with other te ...
of 1967, the engine was mounted behind the driver and formed a stressed component of the car's structure. The rear suspension and engine ancillaries were all directly mounted to the engine and gearbox themselves, rather than a chassis subframe. The only exceptions were the suspension radius arms, which transmitted fore and aft loads directly into the monocoque.


Suspension and ancillary components

The 701's rear suspension was a relatively conservative twin link and
radius arm In classical geometry, a radius (: radii or radiuses) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The radius of a regular polygon is the line segment or ...
system, with
coilover A coilover is an automobile suspension (vehicle), suspension device. The name coilover is an abbreviation of "coil over shock absorber". Description Coilovers are found on many vehicles, from Radio-controlled car, RC cars to normal passenger ...
spring and damper units mounted outboard of the car's bodywork, in the airflow.
Double wishbone suspension A double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design for automobiles using two (occasionally parallel) wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckl ...
was employed for the front wheels, which Herd described as "slightly unconventional for a current formula 1 car", again with the spring and damper units mounted outboard. Herd attributed his choice of the double wishbone system to a desire to overcome the suspension geometry compromises necessary to accommodate the increasingly wide front tyres of contemporary Formula One, while outboard shock absorbers – despite aerodynamic disadvantages – provided advantages in simplicity, cooling and stress management. Braking duties were performed by Girling
disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the #Calipers, calipers to squeeze pairs of #Brake pads, pads against a disc (sometimes called a
rake Rake may refer to: Common meanings * Rake (tool), a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (poker), the commission taken by the house when hosting a poker game ...
rotor) to create friction. There are two basic types of brake pad friction mechanisms: abrasive f ...
s at each wheel. These were initially positioned within the car's wheel rims, but for the second race of the 1970 season, in Spain, March switched the works 701s' rear brakes to an inboard design, that Herd estimated reduced the car's
unsprung mass The unsprung mass (colloquially unsprung weight) of a vehicle is the mass of the suspension, wheels or tracks (as applicable), and other components directly connected to them. This contrasts with the sprung mass (or weight) supported by the ...
by approximately 25%. All other 701s were converted to the same specification over the subsequent few weeks. The wheels themselves were to March's own design and employed the single centre stud fixing method that Herd had pioneered on the abortive Cosworth four-wheel drive car of the previous year. Some reports state that Herd had intended them to be in diameter all round, but that March were forced to specify rims at the rear in early races due to a lack of suitably developed 13 in rear tyres at the start of the 1970 season. However, Herd has also stated that he was forced to make the switch to 13 in because Firestone reduced the size of their tyres. Once the cars' brakes had been modified to the inboard design 13 in rims could also be employed at the rear. Another visual hallmark of the 701 was its combined oil tank and de-aerator. This large, cylindrical tank was mounted vertically to the right hand side of the Hewland transaxle, filling the space between the right rear wheel, the gearbox and the wing. Autocar sporting editor
Innes Ireland Robert McGregor Innes Ireland (12 June 1930 – 22 October 1993) was a British racing driver and journalist, who competed in Formula One from to . Ireland won the 1961 United States Grand Prix with Lotus. Born in Mytholmroyd and raised in S ...
described it as "enormous" and looking "like an old fashioned coffee percolator". The oil radiator itself was mounted atop the gearbox, to avoid the surge and starvation problems associated with the lengthy pipes needed to mount the radiator in the nose, alongside the water radiator.


The Tyrrell cars

Although the chassis monocoques for 701/2 and 701/4 had been manufactured by March, the final buildup of the cars was by Tyrrell mechanics. As a result, the blue Tyrrell cars incorporated a significant number of differences and tweaks in their configuration to the cars run by the works March team and those supplied to other customers. The first major difference was the specification of Dunlop tyres, rather than the Firestone rubber with which the works cars were equipped and the 701 had been designed around. In an attempt to develop the car and improve its handling the Tyrrell team made adjustments to the position of the suspension mounting points and added a damper to the steering system. More subtle variations related to the positioning of exhaust pipe brackets, wing struts, the oil radiator, and the pipe runs for lubrication and coolant fluids. Following the first race in South Africa the Tyrrell team also made adjustments to the design of the front wings. They removed the fixed, fibreglass items integrated into the nose cone that had been supplied by March and replaced them with adjustable aluminium aerofoils. These could pivot about a horizontal axis to alter the whole plane's angle of attack. An additional benefit was that they were removable, to reduce drag, and Stewart's car made use of this for the Italian Grand Prix at the high-speed Monza circuit. During the 1970 season Ken Tyrrell became increasingly critical of the 701's shortcomings, in particular targeting the fact that the car was over the mandated minimum weight limit. However, Herd had deliberately prioritized reliability and safety in the car's design, in large part due to influence applied by Tyrrell and Stewart.


Performance characteristics

Jackie Stewart has described the car as "the most difficult F1 car I drove." Herd's design compromises meant that he had balanced the weight of the heavy front-mounted radiator by placing the oil tank and filter as far rearward as possible. Having two significant masses at the outermost positions relative to the 701's centre of gravity imparted a high polar
moment of inertia The moment of inertia, otherwise known as the mass moment of inertia, angular/rotational mass, second moment of mass, or most accurately, rotational inertia, of a rigid body is defined relatively to a rotational axis. It is the ratio between ...
on the car. This made the 701 "unpleasant to drive" and severely affected its performance in slow corners. Owing to the high polar moment, the car was reluctant to start turning into a corner – resulting in significant initial
understeer Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of the vehicle to changes in steering angle associated with changes in lateral acceleration. This sensitivity is defined for a level road for a given steady state ...
– but once the car was rotating through the corner it was then slow to straighten – resulting in significant
oversteer Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of the vehicle to changes in steering angle associated with changes in lateral acceleration. This sensitivity is defined for a level road for a given steady state ...
at the corner exit. Stewart ascribed the speed that he and Chris Amon were able to extract from their 701s early in the season to their driving styles, both being notably smooth in comparison with their competition.


Race history


1970 season

March introduced the 701 to press and public at a large event hosted at Silverstone circuit on Friday 6 February 1970.
Chris Amon Christopher Arthur Amon (; 20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers to never win a Formula One Grands Prix, ...
demonstrated his works chassis, 701/1, while Jackie Stewart drove the first of the Tyrrell customer cars, chassis 701/2. Speculation regarding March's source of funding had been rife since the announcement of the March Formula One car, and also in attendance was newly unveiled team sponsor
Andy Granatelli Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events. Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his broth ...
, of the
STP Corporation STP is an American brand of automotive aftermarket products, especially lubricants such as motor oil and motor oil additives. The name began as an abbreviation of ''Scientifically Treated Petroleum''. The brand has been owned by Energizer Holdin ...
. In addition to the two lead drivers, Granatelli's nominated driver,
Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an American former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to , and American open-wheel racing, IndyCar from 1964 USAC Championship Car season, 1964 to 1994 IndyCar se ...
, also appeared, although he did not try the new car. Amon's new works team mate,
Jo Siffert Joseph Siffert (; 7 July 1936 – 24 October 1971) was a Swiss racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Siffert won two Formula One Grands Prix across 10 seasons. Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and friends, Siffert ...
, did though, as did March Formula Two driver
Ronnie Peterson Bengt Ronnie Peterson (; 14 February 1944 – 11 September 1978) was a Swedish racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "Superswede", Peterson twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in an ...
.


Race debut

Although designed and built in only 12 weeks, no fewer than five March 701 cars were present at the first race of the 1970 World Championship season: the
1970 South African Grand Prix The 1970 South African Grand Prix, formally titled the Fourth AA Grand Prix of South Africa (Afrikaans: ''Vierde AA Suid-Afrikaanse Grand Prix''), was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami Circuit on 7 March 1970. It was race 1 of 13 in bot ...
in early March. The two March Engineering-entered works cars were chassis 701/1 (in red) and 701/5 (in a brighter, 'dayglow' STP red) for Chris Amon and Jo Siffert, respectively. Amon had joined March as the works' lead driver from
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "the Pranc ...
, while Siffert's drive had been bought for him by
Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
for £30,000, in order to keep him from signing as Amon's replacement with the Italian team. A third 701 present also wore the darker of the two red STP liveries. This car, chassis 701/3 but presented as the "STP Oil Treatment Special", was owned and entered by Andy Granatelli to be driven by Mario Andretti. Both Tyrrell cars – chassis 701/2 and 701/4, in Tyrrell's
Elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
-sponsored blue livery – were also present, driven by reigning World Champion Jackie Stewart and Tyrrell's number two driver,
Johnny Servoz-Gavin Georges-Francis "Johnny" Servoz-Gavin (18 January 1942 – 29 May 2006) was a French motor racing driver in both sportscars and single seaters. He participated in 13 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1967 and 1970, qualifying in ...
. Stewart and Amon qualified their cars in first and second place on the grid, respectively. Andretti had damaged the rear of his car during a private test session the day before the first official session and the process of repairing it and sourcing a spare engine meant that he missed the first two timed practices. He started from 11th. Just ahead of him on the grid was Siffert in ninth position, while Servoz-Gavin was two rows behind the American, starting from 17th position. In the early portion of the race Stewart's car led for many laps, but this was largely owing to his opposition being impeded and put out of position due to a first corner spin by Jochen Rindt. Once
Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in , and , ...
's
Brabham Motor Racing Developments Ltd., commonly known as Brabham ( ), was a British race car, racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. It was founded in 1960 by the Australian driver Jack Brabham and the British-Australian designer Ron Ta ...
and
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 ...
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 ...
had cleared the confusion they began to whittle down Stewart's lead. Brabham passed Stewart on the 20th lap of the race, as did Hulme on lap 38, and the reigning World Champion eventually finished in third place. Amon and Andretti both suffered from severe overheating following failures of their cars' cooling system header tanks, and they retired after two and 11 laps, respectively. Siffert was running in the top ten in the early portion of the race, but while dicing with
Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard Edmon Martin Henri "Jacky" Ickx (; born 1 January 1945) is a Belgian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Ickx twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in and , and won eig ...
and
Jean-Pierre Beltoise Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise (; 26 April 1937 – 5 January 2015) was a French racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One from to . Beltoise won the 1972 Monaco Gran ...
for fifth position he spun and crushed his car's right exhaust pipe. The time he lost in the pits having the damage repaired pushed him well down the field and he eventually finished five laps down on the leaders, in tenth place. Servoz-Gavin's engine failed on lap 57, also following the loss of his coolant fluid, and he retired.


Early season successes

Following the 701's promising if troubled debut, March Engineering and Tyrrell entered their lead drivers for the non-championship 1970 Race of Champions at
Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hosts ...
, two weeks later. Again Stewart took pole position in 701/2, with Amon seventh in 701/1, but on this occasion the Scot was able to convert pole position to victory; the first for a March car, in only the constructor's second Formula One race. Amon suffered a camshaft failure and retired on lap 10 of the 50 lap race. A month later four of the five cars entered in South Africa also appeared for the second World Championship round, the
1970 Spanish Grand Prix The 1970 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Jarama circuit on 19 April 1970. It was race 2 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Prior to the ...
at
Jarama Jarama () is a river in central Spain. It flows north to south and passes east of Madrid where the El Atazar Dam is built on a tributary, the Lozoya River. It flows into the river Tagus in Aranjuez. The Manzanares is a tributary of the Jaram ...
, although Siffert failed to qualify for the race. On this occasion Stewart was beaten to pole position by
Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in , and , ...
, but starting on the front row from third place he was able to take victory once again, March's first World Championship victory, and lapped the entire field. Andretti joined him on the podium, having driven Granatelli's car to third place after starting back down the field in 16th position. A third March 701 also finished in the top five when Servoz-Gavin drove Tyrrell's new second car, chassis 701/7, to fifth place having started in 14th. Amon again retired with engine troubles. Amon's luck changed when the Formula One circus returned to England for the next non-championship race only a week later, for which the works and Tyrrell again only entered their number one pilots. On this occasion it was Amon who took pole position for the first heat of the
1970 BRDC International Trophy The 22nd BRDC International Trophy was a motor race held at Silverstone on 26 April 1970 for Formula One and Formula 5000 cars. The race was run over 2 heats of 26 laps each, the final results being an aggregate of the two. Chris Amon, driving a F ...
event at
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
, and he kept the lead to the finish 26 laps later, having also posted the fastest lap of the race. Stewart qualified and finished in second position. In the second heat roles were reversed and it was Stewart who won and set fastest lap, with Amon following him across the finish line in second place. However, the overall event result was calculated on an aggregate time from the two heats and Amon took the International Trophy from Stewart by ten seconds. At the
1970 Monaco Grand Prix The 1970 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on 10 May 1970. It was race 3 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Jochen Rindt s ...
, in May, the works and Tyrrell cars were joined by a new yellow and maroon March 701, chassis 701/8, that March had sold to Colin Crabbe's Antique Automobiles privateer team, on condition that Crabbe ran Swede
Ronnie Peterson Bengt Ronnie Peterson (; 14 February 1944 – 11 September 1978) was a Swedish racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "Superswede", Peterson twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in an ...
in the car. Stewart qualified 701/2 in first place and Amon chassis 701/1 in second, with Siffert and Peterson 11th and 12th, respectively. Servoz-Gavin failed to qualify for the 16 car race and, fearing that his eyesight was failing, he retired from Formula One. In the race Amon held on to his position until his rear suspension failed on lap 60 of 80, while Stewart had retired three laps earlier than Amon with a broken engine. Both Peterson and Siffert were classified at the race conclusion, although they only took the final two positions in seventh and eighth, and Siffert had already ground to a halt having run out of fuel on lap 76.


Gradual decline

With three wins, four pole positions, and a fastest lap from March's first five race entries as a Formula One constructor the new firm had rapidly developed a significant degree of respect amongst its competitors and the Formula One hierarchy. However, the results flattered to deceive as the car handled poorly and started the season at least overweight. Apart from the money Porsche had paid for Siffert's position in the team, the only other funding that March received in 1970 was a total of £25,000 from STP and £27,000 from tyre sponsor Firestone. This limited funding – and technical resources stretched thin due to
Formula Two Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...
,
Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...
and
Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974, and again from 1977 to 1987. The Can-Am rules were deliberately simple and placed few limits on the entries. This led to a wide variet ...
commitments – meant that March was not able to develop the 701 significantly through the season. Following the introduction of advanced competitors, such as the
Lotus 72 The Lotus 72 is a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season. The 72 was a pioneering design featuring inboard brakes, side-mounted radiators in sidepods (as opposed to the nose-moun ...
, the March 701 started to fall behind its rivals. March had managed to gather enough resources to construct the lightweight 701/6 as a spare chassis for the works team, although they never raced it, and following the Monaco race they completely rebuilt Amon's regular mount 701/1 around a fresh monocoque, but using lighter side tanks, wheels and radiator, which all combined to shed around from the car's mass. Using this lightened 701/1 car Amon qualified third for the
1970 Belgian Grand Prix The 1970 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 7 June 1970. It was race 4 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. March driver Chri ...
, where Stewart yet again took pole position in Tyrrell's 701/2. Amon's team mate Siffert qualified in tenth position and Peterson, again driving the Antique Automobiles car, went one place better and qualified in ninth. In the race Stewart retired on lap 14 after his engine failed, and Peterson eventually crossed the line eight laps down on the winners and not classified. For the second race in a row Siffert was forced to stop as a consequence of fuel issues, but again he had completed sufficient laps to be a classified finisher, this time in seventh place. Amon, though, spent the majority of the race in second place and chasing hard behind Pedro Rodríguez's BRM. He was eventually beaten to the victory by the Mexican by only 1.1 seconds. Some controversy surrounded this win, however, and both Amon and Robin Herd have since alleged that Rodríguez's car was equipped with an illegally large engine for that race. This was later refuted by BRM historian Doug Nye, who could find no evidence either that a switch had been made, nor that at that point BRM had sufficient resources to be able to construct such an engine. From Belgium the World Championship season moved on to the neighbouring Netherlands two weeks later, for the
1970 Dutch Grand Prix The 1970 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort on June 21, 1970. It was race 5 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. This rac ...
at
Zandvoort Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...
. Again Stewart qualified on the front row of the grid, taking second place to
Jochen Rindt Karl Jochen Rindt (; 18 April 1942 – 5 September 1970) was a racing driver, who competed under the Austrian flag in Formula One from to . Rindt won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Lotus, and remains the only driver to ...
's Lotus 72 in Servoz-Gavin's South Africa chassis, 701/4. His new team mate, Frenchman
François Cevert Albert François Cevert (; 25 February 1944 – 6 October 1973) was a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Cevert won the 1971 United States Grand Prix with Tyrrell Racing, Tyrrell. Cevert competed in Formula One for Tec ...
, qualified chassis 701/7 in 15th place on his Formula One debut. Amon took fourth and Siffert 17th places for the start in the works cars, while Peterson's yellow 701/8 went one better than Siffert, and he qualified in 16th place. In contrast to the Belgian race, this time it was Stewart's turn to chase hard and finish second, crossing the line 30 seconds behind race winner Rindt. Peterson was two laps down in ninth position, while Siffert and Cevert both failed to finish due to engine failures. Amon's clutch failed on the very first lap. Amon's season took a turn to the better at the
1970 French Grand Prix The 1970 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Charade, Clermont-Ferrand on 5 July 1970. It was race 6 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturer ...
. He qualified alongside Stewart on the second row of the grid – the works and Tyrrell drivers in third and fourth places, respectively – and by the chequered flag had risen to second place, beaten by Rindt's Lotus 72 by less than eight seconds. Stewart crossed the line over three minutes later in ninth place after. Cevert was a further lap behind, in 11th place, and Siffert and Peterson both failed to finish. After crossing the English Channel for the
1970 British Grand Prix The 1970 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 18 July 1970. It was race 7 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 80-lap race was ...
a fortnight later, Amon and Stewart could not repeat their qualifying performances from the French race, and the team leaders lined up for the start in 17th and eighth places. One place behind Stewart, starting from ninth, was Mario Andretti, returning to Formula One competition during a break in his North American schedule, again driving Granatelli's bright red chassis 701/3. In the race Amon rose through the field to finish fifth, with Cevert a lap down in seventh, and Peterson eight laps in arrears in ninth. Siffert's suspension failed on lap 19, Andretti's did likewise two laps later, and Stewart's clutch collapsed on lap 52. The next race, the
1970 German Grand Prix The 1970 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Hockenheimring on 2 August 1970. It was race 8 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 50-lap race w ...
at
Hockenheim Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...
, saw the entry into the fray of another new March 701 chassis.
Touring car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The ...
driver
Hubert Hahne Hubert Hahne (; 28 March 1935 – 24 April 2019) was a racing driver from Germany. He was the older brother of Armin Hahne, as well as the uncle of Jörg van Ommen. Career He participated in five Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, two ...
, with financial backing from
Axel Springer Axel Cäsar Springer (2 May 1912 – 22 September 1985) was a German publisher and founder of what is now Axel Springer SE, the largest media publishing firm in Europe. By the early 1960s his print titles dominated the West German daily press m ...
, had bought chassis 701/9 and entered it for the race, painted in a German silver livery. Unfortunately for Hahne, he could not manage to get to within better than seven seconds of the pole position time and he failed to qualify for the race. Those who did qualify were Peterson in 18th, Cevert in 14th, Andretti in ninth, Stewart in seventh, Amon just ahead in sixth and, beating his team leader for the first time that year, Siffert in fourth. Yet again Siffert was classified despite being stationary when the flag fell, his ignition failure left him in eighth. One place ahead, and running one lap behind the winner was Cevert in seventh. His was the highest placed March, however, as the other three qualifiers had all dropped out with engine or transmission problems. As seventh was not a points-scoring position at the time, this was the first time that March had failed to score World Constructors' Championship points, eight races into their debut season. They again failed to score points at the next race, the
1970 Austrian Grand Prix The 1970 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Österreichring on 16 August 1970. It was race 9 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. This was t ...
, as the highest placed finisher was Amon, in eighth. Life was made more complicated for March on their way home from the Austrian race, however. Following his failure to set a competitive time at Hockenheim, Hahne had immediately started legal proceedings against the firm, claiming that he had been sold a defective car. As the works team passed through Germany their cars and equipment were impounded by German police. Max Mosley managed to negotiate a release by offering to run an observed test of the car, back-to-back with the Antique Automobiles chassis. During the test at Silverstone Ronnie Peterson first set a respectable time in the yellow car, before he switched to Hahne's silver 701/9 and posted a time two seconds faster. Hahne subsequently dropped his action and retired from competition driving.


Tail end of the season

Between the Austrian race and the next World Championship round in Italy the Formula One teams returned once again to England for a non-championship race, this time the
Oulton Park International Gold Cup The International Gold Cup is a prize awarded annually to the winner of a auto racing, motor race held at the Oulton Park circuit, Cheshire, England. In the 1950s and 1960s it formed one of a number of highly regarded non-Championship Formula One r ...
. Unhappy with their Marches the Tyrrell team had been constructing their own chassis, the Tyrrell 001, in secret, and this was unveiled for Stewart at the Cheshire race. Cevert was not entered. With the absence of the works team owing to Hahne's legal action, for the first time in 1970 there was no March on the entry list for a European Formula One race. Stewart and Cevert returned to their March 701s for the
1970 Italian Grand Prix The 1970 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza on 6 September 1970. It was race 10 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufactur ...
, but it would prove to be the last time for the World Champion. Stewart nevertheless qualified in fourth, on the second row of the grid, and finished the race in second place. Cevert finished sixth, having started 11th, one place ahead of Amon in seventh. Peterson and Siffert both fell to engine failure. At the first of the season ending trio of North American races, the
1970 Canadian Grand Prix The 1970 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Mont-Tremblant on September 20, 1970. It was race 11 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Th ...
at
Mont-Tremblant Mont-Tremblant () is a List of cities in Canada, city in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, approximately northwest of Montreal and northeast of Ottawa, Ontario. The current municipality with city status was formed in 2000. Mont-Tremb ...
, Cevert started in fourth place, his team leader having put the new Tyrrell 001 on pole position for its World Championship debut, with Amon two places further back, in sixth. Siffert, in the other works car, was a distant 14th and Peterson, further back still, was in 16th. At the end of the race Amon crossed the line in third place, the first of the Ford-powered finishers but half a lap down on the winning Ferrari pair. This was to be the March 701's last podium placed finish in the World Championship. Lesser points-scoring finishes for Amon followed in the
1970 United States Grand Prix The 1970 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 4, 1970 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 12 of 13 in both the 1970 World Championship of Drivers and the 1970 Inter ...
and 1970 Mexican Grand Prix races, with his well-used chassis 701/1 finishing in fifth and then fourth place, but none of the remaining 701s scored points. In the final tally, between the works and Tyrrell March 701 cars they had scored a total of 48 World Championship points. This took March to third place in the World Constructors' Championship in the constructor's debut season. In the Drivers' Championship Stewart finished fifth, with all of his 25 points having been scored with a March. Amon finished in eighth on 23 points. Andretti was 16th, with his four points all having been taken from his third-place finish in Spain. Despite having only driven in two races Servoz-Gavin finished ahead of Cevert, his two points for fifth in Spain just pipping Cevert's one point in Italy, with the pair finishing the year in 22nd and 23rd places in the Championship. As neither Siffert nor Peterson had scored Championship points, neither were classified. At the season's close the works cars were sold off; 701/1 went to
Tom Wheatcroft Frederick Bernard "Tom" Wheatcroft (8 May 1922 – 31 October 2009) was an English businessman and car collector. He made his fortune through building and construction, and was known for resurrecting the Donington Park motor racing circuit and f ...
, Siffert was allowed to purchase his chassis, 701/5, and the team's lightweight spare was sold to Frank Williams.


South African races

In June 1970
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
n John Love bought a new March 701, chassis 701/10, to run for himself as part of his Team Gunston privateer outfit in the
South African Formula One Championship The South African Formula One Championship, was a national Formula One motor racing championship held in South Africa between 1960 and 1975, including races in Rhodesia and Portuguese Mozambique. The front-running cars in the series were recen ...
. In its debut race, the Bulawayo 100 at Kumalo on 5 July, Love and 701/10 won, after series leader
Dave Charlton David William Charlton (27 October 1936 – 24 February 2013) was a racing driver from South Africa. Charlton was born in Brotton, Yorkshire. He participated in 13 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 1 January 1965. He scor ...
's
Lotus 49 The Lotus 49 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1967 F1 season. It was one of the first F1 cars to use a stressed member engine combined with a monocoque to reduce weight, after BRM, with other te ...
C retired on lap 23. Love took one additional second-placed finish, in the Rhodesian Grand Prix in September, but more often than not the car's poor handling and lack of reliability let him down and he failed to score any further points during the remainder of the 1970 South African season. Love's 1971 South African season followed much the same pattern as the latter half of 1970. With the Team Gunston March 701 he took second place in the Highvelt 100 at
Kyalami Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (from ''Khaya lami'', ''My home'' in Zulu language, Zulu) is a motor racing circuit located in Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa, just north of Johannesburg. The circuit has been used for Grand Prix motor racing, Grand ...
in March and victory in the Goldfields Autumn Trophy in May. However, reliability once again proved to be the March's Achilles heel, failures were numerous, and he attempted to replace the March with an ex-
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 ...
Surtees TS9 bought from
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 ...
directly. However, this car was delivered in extremely poor condition and, although faster than the March, was no more reliable. When the TS9 was almost destroyed in a large crash at the 25th Anniversary Trophy race in early August, Love was forced back to using 701/10. He took two further wins in the False Bay 100 in August and the Rhodesian Grand Prix in September, and finished second at the Welkom 100 in October, but finished third in the championship standings, on 45 points to Charlton's 72. Charlton then equipped himself with a Lotus 72 for the 1972 South African season and Love realised that his two-year-old 701 was not going to prove a match for the more advanced car. After another failure from the March at the first race of the season, and almost writing off the rebuilt Surtees in the second, Love replaced them both with a
Brabham BT33 The list below summarizes Brabham racing cars built by Motor Racing Developments in the United Kingdom. Note that many of the earlier models are badged as Repco Brabhams. References

{{reflist British racecar constructors, Brabham Brabham ...
.


1971 season


Tasman Series

In late 1970 the Granatelli STP car, chassis 701/3, was converted to
Tasman Series The Tasman Series (formally the Tasman Championship for Drivers)Tasman Championship for Drivers, CAMS Manual of Motor Sport with National Competition Rules 1974, pages 80 to 83 was a motor racing competition held annually from 1964 to 1975 ove ...
specifications, principally by switching the Formula One specification Cosworth DFV engine for its near identical DFW derivative. This car was then shipped down to New Zealand for Chris Amon to drive in the 1971 Tasman Series. Although the 1971 series had been intended to be the first year run to
Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an Open-wheel car, open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel ...
rules, rather than the older 2.5 litre formula, sufficient upset had been expressed by owners of previously eligible older cars that the organisers decided to admit both classes. In helping the STP team to prepare the car Amon had gambled that the Tasman cars – with their Formula One-derived, true racing engines – would prove faster than the Formula 5000 cars with their production-derived
pushrod A valvetrain is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) into the combu ...
engines. He was wrong, and drivers of the newer cars found themselves able to comfortably beat the more exotic machinery. The smaller DFW engine lacked torque in comparison to the full DFV motors, and Amon had to work hard for his third place at the season opening race at Levin, and fifth in the
Wigram Wigram is a suburb in the southwest of Christchurch, New Zealand. The suburb lies close to the industrial estates of Sockburn and the satellite retail and residential zone of Hornby, and has undergone significant growth in recent years due t ...
race. Between the two, Amon and the STP team had decided to replace their uncompetitive March 701 with a Lotus 70 Formula 5000 machine and Amon drove this in the
New Zealand Grand Prix The New Zealand Grand Prix, sometimes known as the New Zealand International Grand Prix, is an annual motor racing event held in New Zealand. First held in 1950 New Zealand Grand Prix, 1950, it is best known for hosting rounds of the Tasman Seri ...
at
Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. The town is located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Puke ...
. For the Grand Prix, with Amon driving the Lotus, local driver David Oxton took over 701/3. Unfortunately for him, one of the car's half shafts broke and he failed to finish. Oxton again drove 701/3 in the final New Zealand round of the series, at Teretonga, where he finished in seventh place. Following the series' move to its Australian rounds the car was returned to Formula One specifications, sold to
Skip Barber John "Skip" Barber III (born November 16, 1936) is an American retired racecar driver who is most famous for previously owning and founding the Skip Barber Racing Schools. Driving career Barber started racing in 1958 while studying at Harvard ...
, and shipped to the USA.


Formula One

Only three races of the 1971 World Championship season saw 701 entries; the works and STP March teams had moved on to the March 711, Ronnie Peterson was driving for the factory squad, and Tyrrell had constructed a second in-house car for Cevert. Frank Williams entered
Henri Pescarolo Henri Jacques William Pescarolo (; born 25 September 1942) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing, Pescarolo is a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and w ...
for the
1971 South African Grand Prix The 1971 South African Grand Prix, formally the Fifth AA Grand Prix of South Africa (Afrikaans: ''Vyfde AA Suid-Afrikaanse Grand Prix''), was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami, Kyalami Circuit on 6 March 1971. It was race 1 of 11 in both ...
, where he was joined by local John Love in his Team Gunston car. Pescarolo finished two laps down, out of the points, but the gearbox on Love's car failed on lap 30. Williams upgraded Pescarolo to a 711 shortly after, but kept the 701 for second-string pay drivers. It was one of these,
Max Jean Max Jean (born 27 July 1943) is a French former racing driver who won the Formule France championship in 1968. In addition to numerous Formula Two and Formula Three entries, Jean participated in one Formula One Grand Prix, driving a March for Fr ...
, that Williams entered for the
1971 French Grand Prix The 1971 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit Paul Ricard on 4 July 1971. It was race 5 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 55-lap ...
. On leaving March Siffert had taken his 1970 car, chassis 701/5, with him, and he entered François Mazet for the French race. Both 701 drivers reached the end of the event, but Mazet was five laps behind the winner, in 16th position, while Jean was unclassified and crossed the finish line nine laps in arrears. The last appearance of a March 701 in a Championship race was when
Jean-Pierre Jarier Jean-Pierre Jacques Jarier (; born 10 July 1946) is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Jarier contested 143 Formula One Grands Prix for March, Shadow, ATS, Ligier, Lotus, Tyrrell, and Osella. He achieve ...
took the wheel of Hahne's former lackluster mount for the
1971 Italian Grand Prix The 1971 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 5 September 1971. It was race 9 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. This race featured the c ...
. He finished eight laps behind the leaders, unclassified and last. There were a greater number of 701 entries for non-Championship races in 1971.
Tom Wheatcroft Frederick Bernard "Tom" Wheatcroft (8 May 1922 – 31 October 2009) was an English businessman and car collector. He made his fortune through building and construction, and was known for resurrecting the Donington Park motor racing circuit and f ...
had bought Chris Amon's regular 1970 car, chassis 701/1, direct from the factory, and entered Derek Bell for January's Argentine Grand Prix. He was joined by two other 701s: Jo Siffert in his own car and Pescarolo in the Williams entry. Siffert and Pescarolo finished second and third, respectively, in the event's first heat, with Bell a lap down in seventh. However, in the second heat both Siffert and Bell suffered mechanical failures, but Pescarolo again finished second. This gave Pescarolo second place on aggregate, beaten by Amon's Matra that had won the second heat by over 22 seconds. No other 701 entries in 1971 resulted in a podium finish.


Historic racing

All of the March 701 cars built in 1970 survived their contemporary front-line racing career intact (to a greater or lesser degree) and eventually became valuable collector's pieces. For some years the first car, Chris Amon's works chassis 701/1, was on display in the Donington Grand Prix Collection, mounted on a wall. Following Tyrrell's decision to become a constructor in their own right, their 701 cars were handed to Ford, who had provided finance for their initial purchase. One of the two original Team Tyrrell cars, 701/4, was restored to its original condition and is on display in the
British Motor Museum The British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England holds the world's largest collection of historic British cars, with over 300 cars on display from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. History The cr ...
. Many others have been bought by private collectors and have subsequently appeared in historic racing competitions around the world.


Crash

On 2 September 2017, Frenchman David Ferrer crashed his 701 on the circuit of Zandvoort during the Historic Grand Prix. The crash happened in the Arie-Luyendijk corner. Later that week he died because of his severe wounds.


Race results


World Championship results

( key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Points within parentheses are total points scored, while those without are those that counted toward Championship results. All points were scored by March 711 entries.


Non-Championship results

( key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)


References


Footnotes


Other sources

Race results and statistics drawn from: * *


External links


Video of two laps of Monaco on-board March 701/2
{{F1 cars 1971 March Formula One cars Tasman Series cars