1973 Canadian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Peter Revson was declared the winner of a confused 1973 Canadian Grand Prix after changing weather and the championship’s first race deployment of a safety car disrupted the order. Emerson Fittipaldi finished second and Jackie Oliver third in the final classification.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus
Pole time	1:13.697
Fastest lap	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus
Fastest-lap time	1:15.496 on lap
First	Peter Revson	McLaren
Second	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus
Third	Jackie Oliver	Shadow

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
21 September 1973	Friday first timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
21 September 1973	Friday second timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
22 September 1973	Saturday fog-delayed preliminary running	Start time unconfirmed
22 September 1973	Saturday final qualifying	150 minutes; start unconfirmed
23 September 1973	Warm-up	Morning; start unconfirmed
23 September 1973	Race	14:30

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

Championship background

Jackie Stewart arrived at round 14 leading the 1973 F1 World Championship on 69 points, with Emerson Fittipaldi on 48. Tyrrell – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 80 points.

Race entries

Amon joined Tyrrell in a third car, Scheckter returned to McLaren carrying number 0, and Gethin replaced Regazzoni at BRM. Schenken joined Williams, while Jarier returned to the works March. Hesketh rebuilt Hunt’s car after Monza, and Ferrari sent only Merzario. The constructors’ championship remained at stake even though Stewart had secured the drivers’ title.

Friday first timed practice

Peterson was the only driver into the 1:14 bracket, with Reutemann and Scheckter next. Merzario crashed heavily at Turn 3, damaging the Ferrari’s bodywork and suspension and ruling him out of the afternoon session. Hulme suffered gearbox trouble, Oliver needed clutch work and Gethin encountered a misfire on his return to BRM.

Friday second timed practice

Peterson improved to 1:13.69, more than a second clear of Revson, with Scheckter and Reutemann close behind the McLaren. Lauda also showed well. These leading times would prove decisive because Saturday’s weather prevented a comparable opportunity. Amon settled into Tyrrell, while Hunt approached the rebuilt Hesketh March cautiously.

Saturday fog-delayed preliminary running

Fog and a wet track delayed proceedings by around two hours. Cars were initially released individually for four laps each rather than beginning normal unrestricted practice. Visibility and surface conditions then improved rapidly, allowing the organisers to move into an extended final period.

Saturday final qualifying

The track remained damp until late in the session, and Peterson again went fastest without approaching his Friday time. Fittipaldi improved to fifth and Cevert joined him on the third row. Hulme also advanced, but Stewart remained an unfamiliar ninth. Peterson retained pole ahead of Revson, Scheckter and Reutemann.

Qualifying Classification

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

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	2	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus	1:13.697
2	8	Peter Revson	McLaren	1:14.737
3	0	Jody Scheckter	McLaren	1:14.758
4	10	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	1:14.813
5	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	1:15.035
6	6	François Cevert	Tyrrell	1:15.118
7	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren	1:15.319
8	21	Niki Lauda	BRM	1:15.400
9	5	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	1:15.641
10	11	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brabham	1:16.112
11	29	Chris Amon	Tyrrell	1:16.228
12	23	Mike Hailwood	Surtees	1:16.290
13	16	George Follmer	Shadow	1:16.358
14	17	Jackie Oliver	Shadow	1:16.436
15	27	James Hunt	March	1:16.504
16	20	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	1:16.623
17	12	Graham Hill	Shadow	1:16.740
18	9	Rolf Stommelen	Brabham	1:16.846
19	24	Carlos Pace	Surtees	1:17.028
20	4	Arturo Merzario	Ferrari	1:17.350
21	15	Mike Beuttler	March	1:17.383
22	25	Howden Ganley	Williams	1:17.579
23	18	Jean-Pierre Jarier	March	1:17.721
24	26	Tim Schenken	Williams	1:18.402
25	19	Peter Gethin	BRM	1:18.498
26	28	Rikky von Opel	Ensign	1:18.682

Sunday warm-up

The sodden Sunday session produced several accidents. Peterson damaged the spare Lotus, while Hunt, Beltoise, Pace and von Opel also struck barriers. Their race cars were repaired in time, although the Ensign had to run without its damaged central tail section. A further downpour contributed to a half-hour delay to the scheduled start.

What happened in the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix?

Lauda excelled in the wet, passing the early leaders and building a substantial advantage. As the track dried, tyre stops transformed the order and overwhelmed the lap charts. Peterson crashed out, while Fittipaldi, Oliver and others moved through the changing conditions. A collision between Cevert and Scheckter then brought recovery vehicles onto the circuit.

The new safety-car procedure was used, but the Porsche collected Ganley rather than the leader. Drivers elsewhere on the circuit gained time before joining the queue, creating further uncertainty over positions. Fittipaldi charged late in the race, passing Oliver and Beltoise, while different teams believed different drivers were leading.

After reviewing the timing records, officials confirmed Revson as the winner ahead of Fittipaldi and Oliver. Beltoise, Stewart and Ganley completed the points. The published result remains the official outcome, although the safety-car handling and disputed lap charts made this one of the era’s most confusing Grands Prix. It was Revson’s second and final championship victory.

After the race, Jackie Stewart headed the drivers’ standings with 71 points, followed by Emerson Fittipaldi on 54. Lotus – Ford led the constructors’ table on 83, with Tyrrell – Ford on 82.

1973 Canadian Grand Prix race results

The 1973 Canadian Grand Prix was held on 23 September 1973, with a scheduled start of 14:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	8	Peter Revson	McLaren	80	1:59:04.083	9
2	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	80	+32.734	6
3	17	Jackie Oliver	Shadow	80	+34.505	4
4	20	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	80	+36.514	3
5	5	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	79	+1 lap	2
6	25	Howden Ganley	Iso-Marlboro	79	+1 lap	1
7	27	James Hunt	March	78	+2 laps	0
8	10	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	78	+2 laps	0
9	23	Mike Hailwood	Surtees	78	+2 laps	0
10	29	Chris Amon	Tyrrell	77	+3 laps	0
11	11	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brabham	77	+3 laps	0
12	9	Rolf Stommelen	Brabham	76	+4 laps	0
13	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren	75	+5 laps	0
14	26	Tim Schenken	Iso-Marlboro	75	+5 laps	0
15	4	Arturo Merzario	Ferrari	75	+5 laps	0
16	12	Graham Hill	Shadow	73	+7 laps	0
17	16	George Follmer	Shadow	73	+7 laps	0
18	24	Carlos Pace	Surtees	72	+8 laps	0
NC	18	Jean-Pierre Jarier	March	71	+9 laps	0
NC	28	Rikky von Opel	Ensign	68	+12 laps	0
Ret	21	Niki Lauda	BRM	62	Transmission	0
Ret	0	Jody Scheckter	McLaren	32	Collision	0
Ret	6	François Cevert	Tyrrell	32	Collision	0
Ret	15	Mike Beuttler	March	20	Engine	0
Ret	2	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus	16	Suspension	0
Ret	19	Peter Gethin	BRM	5	Oil pump	0

1973 Canadian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus		1:15.496

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 Canadian Grand Prix.

1973 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Jackie Stewart	British	Tyrrell	71
2	Emerson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Lotus	54
3	François Cevert	French	Tyrrell	47
4	Ronnie Peterson	Swedish	Lotus	43
5	Peter Revson	American	McLaren	36
6	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	McLaren	23
7	Carlos Reutemann	Argentine	Brabham	12
8	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Ferrari / McLaren	12
9	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	French	BRM	9
10	James Hunt	British	March	8
11	Carlos Pace	Brazilian	Surtees	7
12	Arturo Merzario	Italian	Ferrari	6
13	George Follmer	American	Shadow	5
14	Jackie Oliver	British	Shadow	4
15	Andrea de Adamich	Italian	Surtees / Brabham	3
16	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brazilian	Brabham	3
17	Niki Lauda	Austrian	BRM	2
18	Clay Regazzoni	Swiss	BRM	2
19	Howden Ganley	New Zealander	Iso-Marlboro	1
20	Gijs van Lennep	Dutch	Iso-Marlboro	1
21	Chris Amon	New Zealander	Tecno / Tyrrell	1
–	Mike Hailwood	British	Surtees	0
–	Mike Beuttler	British	March	0
–	Jochen Mass	German	Surtees	0
–	Henri Pescarolo	French	March / Iso-Marlboro	0
–	Graham Hill	British	Shadow	0
–	Nanni Galli	Italian	Iso-Marlboro	0
–	David Purley	British	March	0
–	Jody Scheckter	South African	McLaren	0
–	Rolf Stommelen	German	Brabham	0
–	Luiz Bueno	Brazilian	Surtees	0
–	Rikky von Opel	Liechtensteiner	Ensign	0
–	Tim Schenken	Australian	Iso-Marlboro	0
–	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	March	0
–	Eddie Keizan	South African	Tyrrell	0
–	John Watson	British	Brabham	0
–	Jackie Pretorius	South African	Iso-Marlboro	0
–	Roger Williamson	British	March	0
–	Reine Wisell	Swedish	March	0
–	Dave Charlton	South African	Lotus	0
–	Peter Gethin	British	BRM	0
–	Graham McRae	New Zealander	Iso-Marlboro	0

1973 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Lotus – Ford	83
2	Tyrrell – Ford	82
3	McLaren – Ford	55
4	Brabham – Ford	18
5	Ferrari	12
6	BRM	12
7	Shadow – Ford	9
8	March – Ford	8
9	Surtees – Ford	7
10	Iso-Marlboro – Ford	2
11	Tecno	1
—	Ensign – 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