1973 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Emerson Fittipaldi delighted his home crowd by winning Brazil’s first World Championship Grand Prix at Interlagos. Lotus dominated qualifying, and Fittipaldi controlled the race from the start, ahead of Jackie Stewart and Denny Hulme.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus
Pole time	2:30.5
Fastest lap	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus
Fastest-lap time	2:35.000 on lap 14
First	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus
Second	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell
Third	Denny Hulme	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
8 February 1973	Familiarisation testing	Start time unconfirmed
9 February 1973	Friday first timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
9 February 1973	Friday second timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
10 February 1973	Saturday first timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
10 February 1973	Saturday final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
11 February 1973	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
11 February 1973	Race	13:00

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

Championship background

Emerson Fittipaldi arrived at round 2 leading the 1973 F1 World Championship on 9 points, with François Cevert on 6. Lotus – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 9 points.

Race entries

The regular field carried over from Argentina, with local driver Luiz Bueno added in a Surtees. Brabham brought revised front wheels, while Tyrrell sought a better balance for the bumpy circuit. Surtees had addressed the spring problems that hampered its opening race, giving Pace a better platform for his home appearance.

Thursday familiarisation

Thursday provided two hours of untimed running on the long Interlagos circuit. John Surtees briefly tried Hailwood’s car himself, contributing to the team’s preparation before the four official timed sessions.

Friday first timed practice

Peterson led Fittipaldi as Lotus immediately established an advantage. Revson missed Friday’s running with a stomach complaint, leaving McLaren short of feedback from one of its drivers. Tyrrell worked hard to adapt its cars to the circuit but could not approach the Lotus pace, despite its earlier testing at the venue.

Friday second timed practice

Peterson again headed the Lotus pair and set the 2:30.5 that would secure his first championship pole. Fittipaldi remained close, but the rest of the field was notably further back. Regazzoni produced a competitive time with his Argentina engine; replacing that tired unit would subsequently create fresh problems for BRM.

Saturday first timed practice

Lotus remained first and second, Peterson ahead once more. Regazzoni’s replacement engine would not run cleanly, preventing him from completing a flying lap on Saturday. Lauda also missed the day’s sessions through mechanical problems. Revson returned after his illness, while Pace demonstrated the progress made with the Surtees since Argentina.

Saturday final qualifying

Fittipaldi finally headed his team-mate in the last period, but the hotter conditions prevented him from beating Peterson’s Friday time. Ickx completed the three-car front row, followed by Regazzoni and Hulme. Stewart and Cevert qualified only eighth and ninth, leaving Tyrrell with considerable work to do in the race. BRM prepared another engine change for Regazzoni.

Qualifying Classification

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

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	2	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus	2:30.5
2	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	2:30.7
3	9	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	2:32.0
4	14	Clay Regazzoni	BRM	2:32.4
5	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren	2:32.7
6	6	Carlos Pace	Surtees	2:32.7
7	17	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	2:32.9
8	3	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	2:33.3
9	4	François Cevert	Tyrrell	2:33.4
10	15	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	2:33.5
11	18	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brabham	2:34.3
12	8	Peter Revson	McLaren	2:34.3
13	16	Niki Lauda	BRM	2:35.1
14	5	Mike Hailwood	Surtees	2:35.5
15	11	Jean-Pierre Jarier	March	2:37.6
16	19	Howden Ganley	Iso-Marlboro	2:37.6
17	10	Arturo Merzario	Ferrari	2:37.7
18	20	Nanni Galli	Iso-Marlboro	2:38.7
19	12	Mike Beuttler	March	2:39.9
20	23	Luiz Bueno	Surtees	2:42.5

Sunday warm-up

Wilson Fittipaldi’s engine failed during the morning warm-up, forcing Brabham into a hurried replacement before the start. Both Williams cars also required replacement fire extinguishers after they were accidentally triggered during pre-race checks, adding to the pressure in the intense heat.

What happened in the 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Fittipaldi made the best start and led Pace and Stewart, while Peterson initially ran fourth. Stewart soon passed Pace, and Peterson followed him through before a rear-wheel failure sent the Lotus out of the race. Fittipaldi was left to carry the team’s challenge alone, but steadily extended his advantage.

Mechanical trouble disrupted much of the field. Pace retired, Revson lost gears and Cevert made repeated stops. Hulme recovered from early throttle trouble to take third, then managed a failing clutch. Ickx lost time to a puncture, while Merzario drove strongly through the attrition.

Fittipaldi led all 40 laps and won by just over 13 seconds. Stewart secured second after Tyrrell’s difficult qualifying, and Hulme completed the podium. Merzario finished fourth ahead of Ickx and Regazzoni. Two wins from two rounds gave the reigning champion an ideal opening to his title defence.

After the race, Emerson Fittipaldi headed the drivers’ standings with 18 points, followed by Jackie Stewart on 10. Lotus – Ford led the constructors’ table on 18, with Tyrrell – Ford on 12.

1973 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 11 February 1973, with a scheduled start of 13:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	40	1:43:55.6	9
2	3	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	40	+ 13.5	6
3	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren	40	+ 1:46.4	4
4	10	Arturo Merzario	Ferrari	39	+ 1 Lap	3
5	9	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	39	+ 1 Lap	2
6	14	Clay Regazzoni	BRM	39	+ 1 Lap	1
7	19	Howden Ganley	Iso-Marlboro	39	+ 1 Lap	0
8	16	Niki Lauda	BRM	38	+ 2 Laps	0
9	20	Nanni Galli	Iso-Marlboro	38	+ 2 Laps	0
10	4	François Cevert	Tyrrell	38	+ 2 Laps	0
11	17	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	38	+ 2 Laps	0
12	23	Luiz Bueno	Surtees	36	+ 4 Laps	0
Ret	15	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	23	Electrical	0
Ret	12	Mike Beuttler	March	18	Overheating	0
Ret	6	Carlos Pace	Surtees	9	Suspension	0
Ret	5	Mike Hailwood	Surtees	6	Gearbox	0
Ret	11	Jean-Pierre Jarier	March	5	Gearbox	0
Ret	2	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus	5	Wheel	0
Ret	18	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brabham	5	Overheating	0
Ret	8	Peter Revson	McLaren	3	Gearbox	0

1973 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	14	2:35.000
1	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren	20	2:35.000

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

1973 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix.

1973 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Lotus	18
2	Jackie Stewart	British	Tyrrell	10
3	François Cevert	French	Tyrrell	6
4	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	McLaren	6
5	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Ferrari	5
6	Arturo Merzario	Italian	Ferrari	3
7	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	BRM	1
8	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Brabham	1
–	Howden Ganley	New Zealander	Iso-Marlboro	0
–	Niki Lauda	Austrian	BRM	0
–	Peter Revson	American	McLaren	0
–	Nanni Galli	Italian	Iso-Marlboro	0
–	Mike Beuttler	British	March	0
–	Carlos Reutemann	Argentine	Brabham	0
–	Luiz Bueno	Brazilian	Surtees	0
–	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	March	0
–	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	French	BRM	0
–	Ronnie Peterson	Swedish	Lotus	0
–	Carlos Pace	Brazilian	Surtees	0
–	Mike Hailwood	British	Surtees	0

1973 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Lotus – Ford	18
2	Tyrrell – Ford	12
3	McLaren – Ford	6
4	Ferrari	6
5	BRM	1
6	Brabham – Ford	1
—	Iso-Marlboro – Ford	0
—	March – Ford	0
—	Surtees – Ford	0

Drivers counted their best 7 results from rounds 1–8 and their best 6 from rounds 9–15. Only the highest-placed car for each constructor could score constructor points, with the same dropped-results limits applying.

1973 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	1973 Argentine Grand Prix	Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires	28 January
2	1973 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo de Interlagos, São Paulo	11 February
3	1973 South African Grand Prix	Kyalami, Midrand	3 March
4	1973 Spanish Grand Prix	Montjuïc, Barcelona	29 April
5	1973 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder	20 May
6	1973 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	3 June
7	1973 Swedish Grand Prix	Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp	17 June
8	1973 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	1 July
9	1973 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	14 July
10	1973 Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	29 July
11	1973 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	5 August
12	1973 Austrian Grand Prix	Österreichring, Spielberg	19 August
13	1973 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	9 September
14	1973 Canadian Grand Prix	Mosport Park, Bowmanville	23 September
15	1973 United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York	7 October