Ronnie Peterson led Emerson Fittipaldi home for a Lotus one-two in the 1973 Italian Grand Prix, but Jackie Stewart’s recovery to fourth secured the drivers’ championship. After an early puncture, Stewart produced a memorable charge through the field at Monza.
Race Guide
Season: 1973 F1 World Championship
Race date: 9 September 1973
Race start time: Start time unconfirmed local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Laps: 55 laps
Circuit length: 5.775 km
1972 winner: Emerson Fittipaldi
| Result | Driver / Time | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pole position | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus |
| Pole time | 1:34.80 | |
| Fastest lap | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell |
| Fastest-lap time | 1:35.300 on lap 51 | |
| First | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus |
| Second | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus |
| Third | Peter Revson | McLaren |
Weekend Schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 7 September 1973 | Friday first timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 7 September 1973 | Friday second timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 8 September 1973 | Saturday first timed practice | Start time unconfirmed |
| 8 September 1973 | Saturday final qualifying | Start time unconfirmed |
| 9 September 1973 | Warm-up | Morning; start unconfirmed |
| 9 September 1973 | Race | Start time unconfirmed |
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 13 leading the 1973 F1 World Championship on 66 points, with François Cevert on 45. Tyrrell – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 77 points.
Race entries
Ickx returned to Ferrari for its home race alongside Merzario, with all three available 312B3 chassis updated. Lauda returned after his wrist injury, Purley drove the works March and Stommelen continued in the third Brabham. Tecno’s announced entries did not materialise. McLaren reverted to its established suspension specification after testing alternatives without a clear gain.
Friday first timed practice
Revson set the early pace, while Hunt crashed at the chicane and damaged his March badly enough for Hesketh to withdraw. Brabham’s main transporter arrived late after wheel-bearing trouble, disrupting its preparations. Merzario also clipped a chicane and subsequently tried Ickx’s Ferrari, leaving the Belgian to use the spare.
Friday second timed practice
Revson remained fastest, narrowly ahead of Peterson, with Pace also showing strong speed. Fittipaldi’s ankles still required treatment and his Lotus engine would not rev cleanly. Reutemann suffered an engine failure. Merzario encouraged the home crowd, while the Tyrrell drivers were less satisfied with their pace.
Saturday first timed practice
Hulme improved after deciding to adapt his driving to the McLaren rather than continue changing its balance. Fittipaldi also moved towards the front, but Ickx’s progress was interrupted by an engine failure and Lauda struggled with brakes. Teams worked around the chicanes’ demands, which had curtailed the long slipstreaming groups once typical of Monza qualifying.
Saturday final qualifying
Peterson found a decisive improvement on soft qualifying tyres and took pole ahead of Revson. Hulme and Fittipaldi formed the second row, followed by Pace and Stewart. Hailwood’s misfire was cured only near the end, allowing a brief, effective run to eighth. Stommelen outqualified Reutemann, while Cevert was left in the midfield.
Qualifying Classification
Each driver’s best eligible practice lap determined the qualifying order.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 1:34.80 |
| 2 | 8 | Peter Revson | McLaren | 1:35.290 |
| 3 | 7 | Denny Hulme | McLaren | 1:35.450 |
| 4 | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus | 1:35.680 |
| 5 | 24 | Carlos Pace | Surtees | 1:36.060 |
| 6 | 5 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell | 1:36.100 |
| 7 | 4 | Arturo Merzario | Ferrari | 1:36.370 |
| 8 | 23 | Mike Hailwood | Surtees | 1:36.440 |
| 9 | 9 | Rolf Stommelen | Brabham | 1:36.540 |
| 10 | 10 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham | 1:36.550 |
| 11 | 6 | François Cevert | Tyrrell | 1:36.580 |
| 12 | 15 | Mike Beuttler | March | 1:36.670 |
| 13 | 20 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | BRM | 1:36.880 |
| 14 | 3 | Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 1:36.990 |
| 15 | 21 | Niki Lauda | BRM | 1:37.260 |
| 16 | 11 | Wilson Fittipaldi | Brabham | 1:37.300 |
| 18 | 19 | Clay Regazzoni | BRM | 1:37.580 |
| 19 | 17 | Jackie Oliver | Shadow | 1:37.810 |
| 20 | 25 | Howden Ganley | Williams | 1:38.130 |
| 21 | 16 | George Follmer | Shadow | 1:38.660 |
| 22 | 12 | Graham Hill | Shadow | 1:38.880 |
| 23 | 26 | Gijs van Lennep | Williams | 1:39.240 |
| 24 | 29 | David Purley | March | 1:39.280 |
| 25 | 27 | James Hunt | March | 1:39.820 |
Sunday warm-up
Stewart’s engine developed valve trouble in Sunday’s unofficial session, forcing a replacement before the race. Tyrrell then attended to the brakes and ignition on the grid. The team had the car ready, but the championship contender’s difficult preparations were a warning of the demanding afternoon ahead.
What happened in the 1973 Italian Grand Prix?
Peterson and Fittipaldi moved into the first two places immediately. Stewart’s rear tyre picked up a nail, and his stop dropped him deep into the field. Hulme struck the chicane and lost time, leaving Revson third as the Lotuses pulled away. Merzario’s home challenge ended after early suspension damage.
Stewart attacked relentlessly, passing car after car as he recovered towards the points. He caught Ickx, Hailwood and Reutemann, then moved past team-mate Cevert into fourth. Fittipaldi needed victory to keep even a mathematical title chance alive, but Peterson remained ahead and Lotus issued no decisive instruction to reverse the order.
Peterson beat Fittipaldi by 0.8 seconds, with Revson third. Stewart’s fourth place secured his third drivers’ championship, followed by Cevert and Reutemann. It was a dominant result for Lotus and an exceptional recovery by Stewart, whose early setback became the platform for one of his most accomplished drives.
After the race, Jackie Stewart headed the drivers’ standings with 69 points, followed by Emerson Fittipaldi on 48. Tyrrell – Ford led the constructors’ table on 80, with Lotus – Ford on 77.
1973 Italian Grand Prix race results
The 1973 Italian Grand Prix was held on 9 September 1973.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Ronnie Peterson | Lotus | 55 | 1:29:17.0 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi | Lotus | 55 | + 0.8 | 6 |
| 3 | 8 | Peter Revson | McLaren | 55 | + 28.8 | 4 |
| 4 | 5 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell | 55 | + 33.2 | 3 |
| 5 | 6 | François Cevert | Tyrrell | 55 | + 46.2 | 2 |
| 6 | 10 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham | 55 | + 59.8 | 1 |
| 7 | 23 | Mike Hailwood | Surtees | 55 | + 1:28.7 | 0 |
| 8 | 3 | Jacky Ickx | Ferrari | 54 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 9 | 29 | David Purley | March | 54 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 10 | 16 | George Follmer | Shadow | 54 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 11 | 17 | Jackie Oliver | Shadow | 54 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | 9 | Rolf Stommelen | Brabham | 54 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | 20 | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | BRM | 54 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | 12 | Graham Hill | Shadow | 54 | + 1 Lap | 0 |
| 15 | 7 | Denny Hulme | McLaren | 53 | + 2 Laps | 0 |
| NC | 25 | Howden Ganley | Iso-Marlboro | 44 | + 11 Laps | 0 |
| Ret | 15 | Mike Beuttler | March | 34 | Gearbox | 0 |
| Ret | 21 | Niki Lauda | BRM | 33 | Accident | 0 |
| Ret | 19 | Clay Regazzoni | BRM | 31 | Ignition | 0 |
| Ret | 24 | Carlos Pace | Surtees | 17 | Tyre | 0 |
| Ret | 26 | Gijs van Lennep | Iso-Marlboro | 14 | Overheating | 0 |
| Ret | 28 | Rikky von Opel | Ensign | 10 | Overheating | 0 |
| Ret | 11 | Wilson Fittipaldi | Brabham | 6 | Brakes | 0 |
| Ret | 4 | Arturo Merzario | Ferrari | 2 | Suspension | 0 |
| DNS | 27 | James Hunt | March | Practice Accident | 0 |
1973 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Laps
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Lap | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell | 51 | 1:35.300 |
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 Italian Grand Prix.
1973 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings
1973 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
| POS | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyrrell – Ford | 80 |
| 2 | Lotus – Ford | 77 |
| 3 | McLaren – Ford | 46 |
| 4 | Brabham – Ford | 18 |
| 5 | Ferrari | 12 |
| 6 | BRM | 9 |
| 7 | March – Ford | 8 |
| 8 | Surtees – Ford | 7 |
| 9 | Shadow – Ford | 5 |
| 10 | Iso-Marlboro – Ford | 1 |
| 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
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