1970 Canadian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Jacky Ickx led another Ferrari one-two at Mont-Tremblant after Jackie Stewart’s impressive run in the new Tyrrell ended with mechanical trouble. Clay Regazzoni finished second and Chris Amon third, keeping Ferrari’s late-season momentum alive.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell
Pole time	1:31.5
Fastest lap	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari
Fastest-lap time	1:32.200 on lap 75
First	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari
Second	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari
Third	Chris Amon	March

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
17 September 1970	Thursday timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
18 September 1970	Friday timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
19 September 1970	Saturday final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
20 September 1970	Sunday test session	09:30–10:00
20 September 1970	Race	14:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Jochen Rindt arrived at round 11 leading the 1970 F1 World Championship on 45 points, with Jackie Stewart on 25. Lotus – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 50 points.

Race entries

Team Lotus withdrew while mourning Rindt, although Hill raced Rob Walker’s Lotus 72. Stewart had both the new Tyrrell and his familiar March available, with Cevert continuing in the other March. Limited engine supplies delayed Peterson and Schenken’s preparations, while Ferrari arrived with Ickx and Regazzoni following its Monza victory.

Thursday timed practice

Ickx set the pace as several rivals struggled simply to get running. Hill awaited replacement brake shafts, Schenken’s De Tomaso lacked an engine and the works March drivers were initially absent. Eaton crashed his BRM, while a suspension failure sent Brabham off in Stommelen’s car. Stewart mainly used the March as the Tyrrell received another engine, and Regazzoni worked through brake trouble.

Friday timed practice

Ickx and Regazzoni were the only drivers below 1:32, but Ferrari still had fuel-pump overheating to address on the second car. Stewart alternated between March and Tyrrell while the team corrected the new car’s throttle action and a loosening wheel nut. Both Matras suffered engine failures. Hill, Peterson and Stommelen were able to resume running, but repairs and late assembly still occupied other garages.

Saturday final qualifying

A damp morning gave way to dry conditions for the final session. Hill suffered a fuel fire, Amon’s rear suspension failed and Ickx needed a cracked brake disc replaced. Stewart first matched Regazzoni in the March, then switched to the Tyrrell after the March lost a wheel bearing. On his final lap he produced a 1:31.5, taking pole from Ickx and choosing to race the new car despite its limited mileage.

Qualifying Classification

Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	3	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	1:31.5
2	18	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	1:31.6
3	19	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	1:31.9
4	2	François Cevert	March	1:32.4
5	4	John Surtees	Surtees	1:32.6
6	20	Chris Amon	March	1:32.6
7	14	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	1:32.7
8	24	Henri Pescarolo	Matra	1:32.9
9	16	George Eaton	BRM	1:32.9
10	15	Jackie Oliver	BRM	1:33.1
11	6	Peter Gethin	McLaren	1:33.2
12	8	Andrea de Adamich	McLaren	1:33.2
13	23	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	1:33.4
14	21	Jo Siffert	March	1:33.5
15	5	Denny Hulme	McLaren	1:33.9
16	26	Ronnie Peterson	March	1:34.4
17	10	Tim Schenken	De Tomaso	1:34.6
18	12	Rolf Stommelen	Brabham	1:34.7
19	11	Jack Brabham	Brabham	1:35.4
20	9	Graham Hill	Lotus	1:35.8

Sunday test session

Hill’s clutch broke apart, damaging surrounding components, while Stommelen suffered a failure in the casting joining his gearbox to the engine. Both teams faced urgent repairs before the afternoon start. The optional half-hour session therefore exposed two substantial problems after an already demanding three days of preparation.

What happened in the 1970 Canadian Grand Prix?

Stewart made a superb start to the Tyrrell’s championship racing career, leading comfortably as Ickx headed the pursuit. The new car’s speed was clear, but its run ended with a front stub-axle failure. Ferrari inherited the lead and soon held the first two places.

Ickx controlled the remainder of the race, with Regazzoni following him home and Amon taking third. Rodriguez, Surtees and Gethin completed the points. Cevert had shown strong pace before mechanical trouble ended his challenge, while Schenken brought the De Tomaso home well behind the leaders and outside the classified finishers.

Ferrari’s second consecutive one-two kept Ickx’s championship hopes alive, although he still needed to win both remaining races to pass Rindt. Tyrrell left without the result its performance deserved, but Stewart’s pole and commanding early lead showed that the new constructor could immediately challenge the established teams.

After the race, Jochen Rindt headed the drivers’ standings with 45 points, followed by Jacky Ickx on 28. Lotus – Ford led the constructors’ table on 50, with Ferrari on 43.

1970 Canadian Grand Prix race results

The 1970 Canadian Grand Prix was held on 20 September 1970, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	18	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	90	2:21:18.4	9
2	19	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	90	+ 14.8	6
3	20	Chris Amon	March	90	+ 57.9	4
4	14	Pedro Rodríguez	BRM	89	+ 1 lap	3
5	4	John Surtees	Surtees	89	+ 1 lap	2
6	6	Peter Gethin	McLaren	88	+ 2 laps	1
7	24	Henri Pescarolo	Matra	87	+ 3 laps	0
8	23	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra	85	Clutch	0
9	2	François Cevert	March	85	+ 5 laps	0
10	16	George Eaton	BRM	85	+ 5 laps	0
NC	10	Tim Schenken	De Tomaso	79	+ 11 laps	0
NC	9	Graham Hill	Lotus	77	+ 13 laps	0
Ret	8	Andrea de Adamich	McLaren	69	Oil Pressure	0
NC	26	Ronnie Peterson	March	65	+ 25 laps	0
Ret	5	Denny Hulme	McLaren	58	Engine	0
Ret	11	Jack Brabham	Brabham	57	Oil Leak	0
NC	15	Jackie Oliver	BRM	52	+ 38 laps	0
Ret	3	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	31	Axle	0
Ret	12	Rolf Stommelen	Brabham	23	Handling	0
Ret	21	Jo Siffert	March	22	Engine	0

1970 Canadian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	19	Clay Regazzoni	Ferrari	75	1:32.200

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

1970 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1970 Canadian Grand Prix.

1970 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jochen Rindt	Austrian	Lotus	45
2	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Ferrari	28
3	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	Ferrari	27
4	Jackie Stewart	British	March / Tyrrell	25
5	Jack Brabham	Australian	Brabham	25
6	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	McLaren	23
7	Chris Amon	New Zealander	March	18
8	Pedro Rodríguez	Mexican	BRM	16
9	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	French	Matra	14
10	Rolf Stommelen	German	Brabham	10
11	Henri Pescarolo	French	Matra	8
12	Graham Hill	British	Lotus	7
13	Bruce McLaren	New Zealander	McLaren	6
14	Mario Andretti	American	March	4
15	Ignazio Giunti	Italian	Ferrari	3
16	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Lotus	3
17	John Surtees	British	McLaren / Surtees	3
18	John Miles	British	Lotus	2
19	Jackie Oliver	British	BRM	2
20	Johnny Servoz-Gavin	French	March	2
21	François Cevert	French	March	1
22	Peter Gethin	British	McLaren	1
23	Dan Gurney	American	McLaren	1
–	Jo Siffert	Swiss	March	0
–	Ronnie Peterson	Swedish	March	0
–	Andrea de Adamich	Italian	McLaren	0
–	John Love	Rhodesian	Lotus	0
–	George Eaton	Canadian	BRM	0
–	Peter de Klerk	South African	Brabham	0
–	Dave Charlton	South African	Lotus	0
–	Piers Courage	British	De Tomaso	0
–	Pete Lovely	American	Lotus	0
–	Tim Schenken	Australian	De Tomaso	0
–	Derek Bell	British	Brabham	0
–	Silvio Moser	Swiss	Bellasi	0

1970 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Lotus – Ford	50
2	Ferrari	43
3	March – Ford	43
4	Brabham – Ford	35
5	McLaren – Ford	31
6	Matra	21
7	BRM	16
8	Surtees – Ford	2
—	McLaren – Alfa Romeo	0
—	De Tomaso – Ford	0
—	Bellasi – Ford	0
—	Tyrrell – Ford	0

Drivers counted their best 6 results from rounds 1–7 and their best 5 from rounds 8–13. Only the highest-placed car for each constructor could score constructor points, with the same dropped-results limits applying.

1970 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1970 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	7 March
2	1970 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuito del Jarama, San Sebastián de los Reyes	19 April
3	1970 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	10 May
4	1970 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 June
5	1970 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	21 June
6	1970 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Charade, Clermont-Ferrand	5 July
7	1970 British Grand Prix	Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown	18 July
8	1970 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	2 August
9	1970 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	16 August
10	1970 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	6 September
11	1970 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Saint-Jovite	20 September
12	1970 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	4 October
13	1970 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	25 October