1973 United States Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Ronnie Peterson narrowly beat James Hunt in the 1973 United States Grand Prix, with Carlos Reutemann third. The season finale was overshadowed by François Cevert’s death in qualifying, after which Tyrrell withdrew and Jackie Stewart’s racing career ended without a final start.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus
Pole time	1:39.657
Fastest lap	James Hunt	March
Fastest-lap time	1:41.652 on lap 58
First	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus
Second	James Hunt	March
Third	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
5 October 1973	Friday timed practice	10:00–14:00
6 October 1973	Saturday morning timed practice	Start time unconfirmed
6 October 1973	Saturday final qualifying	Start time unconfirmed
7 October 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 15 leading the 1973 F1 World Championship on 71 points, with Emerson Fittipaldi on 54. Lotus – Ford headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 83 points.

Race entries

Watson replaced Stommelen in the third Brabham, Redman joined a three-car Shadow entry and Mass returned for Surtees. Ickx accepted the second Williams drive but missed Friday while resolving a visa problem. Regazzoni returned at BRM. Tyrrell had rebuilt its damaged equipment after Canada and entered Stewart, Cevert and Amon, with the constructors’ title still undecided.

Friday timed practice

Peterson stopped after a rear hub loosened, then went fastest in the spare Lotus. Stewart and Cevert were close, while Reutemann and the McLaren trio also showed well. Hunt struggled with the Hesketh March’s experimental nose. Hailwood and Hill suffered suspension failures, both avoiding serious injury, and several teams faced substantial repair work before Saturday.

Saturday morning timed practice

Peterson returned to his race car and secured the time that would stand as pole, with Reutemann alongside. Hunt improved markedly after reverting to a conventional nose. Near the end of the session, Cevert crashed in the Esses and was killed. Running stopped immediately, leaving the paddock in shock at the loss of a widely admired driver and team-mate.

Saturday final qualifying

The final session resumed in a subdued atmosphere, with few improvements. Merzario, Wilson Fittipaldi and Beuttler were among those who went quicker, but the leading order remained unchanged. Stewart and Amon ran briefly before Tyrrell decided that evening to withdraw both cars. The three Tyrrell grid positions were left vacant for the race.

Qualifying Classification

Peterson took his ninth pole of the season. Cevert’s time and the qualifying positions of Stewart and Amon remain part of the session record, but none of the Tyrrells started. Their withdrawal settled the constructors’ championship in Lotus’s favour.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time
1	2	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus	1:39.657
2	10	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	1:40.013
3	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	1:40.393
4	6	François Cevert	Tyrrell	1:40.444
5	27	James Hunt	March	1:40.520
6	5	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	1:40.635
7	23	Mike Hailwood	Surtees	1:40.844
8	8	Peter Revson	McLaren	1:40.895
9	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren	1:40.907
10	24	Carlos Pace	Surtees	1:41.125
11	0	Jody Scheckter	McLaren	1:41.321
12	4	Arturo Merzario	Ferrari	1:41.455
13	29	Chris Amon	Tyrrell	1:41.679
14	31	Brian Redman	Shadow	1:42.247
15	20	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	1:42.417
16	19	Clay Regazzoni	BRM	1:42.468
17	30	Jochen Mass	Surtees	1:42.517
18	18	Jean-Pierre Jarier	March	1:42.752
19	12	Graham Hill	Shadow	1:42.848
20	25	Howden Ganley	Iso-Marlboro	1:43.166
21	16	George Follmer	Shadow	1:43.387
22	21	Niki Lauda	BRM	1:43.543
23	17	Jackie Oliver	Shadow	1:43.650
24	26	Jacky Ickx	Iso-Marlboro	1:43.885
25	9	John Watson	Brabham	1:43.887
26	11	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brabham	1:44.478
27	15	Mike Beuttler	March	1:45.032
28	28	Rikky von Opel	Ensign	1:45.441

What happened in the 1973 United States Grand Prix?

Peterson led Reutemann and Hunt away, while Revson was delayed at the start and fell to the rear. Hunt soon passed Reutemann and began a sustained pursuit of the Lotus. Reutemann remained close initially before traffic cost him time, leaving the leading pair to contest victory.

Hunt repeatedly closed on Peterson but could not complete a pass. As the fuel load fell, the March developed oversteer that reduced its advantage onto the straight. Revson meanwhile recovered through the field. Fittipaldi needed a tyre stop after flat-spotting his fronts while avoiding Scheckter’s spinning McLaren.

Peterson won by 0.688 seconds, with Hunt setting fastest lap on the penultimate tour. Reutemann held third despite running short of fuel, followed by Hulme, Revson and Fittipaldi. Lotus ended the season with the constructors’ title, while Stewart retired as drivers’ champion after 99 starts. Cevert’s death gave the finale a deeply sombre significance beyond the result.

After the race, Jackie Stewart headed the drivers’ standings with 71 points, followed by Emerson Fittipaldi on 55. Lotus – Ford led the constructors’ table on 92, with Tyrrell – Ford on 82.

1973 United States Grand Prix race results

The 1973 United States Grand Prix was held on 7 October 1973.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Ronnie Peterson	Lotus	59	1:41:15.779	9
2	27	James Hunt	March	59	+ 0.668	6
3	10	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	59	+ 22.930	4
4	7	Denny Hulme	McLaren	59	+ 50.226	3
5	8	Peter Revson	McLaren	59	+ 1:20.367	2
6	1	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus	59	+ 1:47.945	1
7	26	Jacky Ickx	Iso-Marlboro	58	+ 1 Lap	0
8	19	Clay Regazzoni	BRM	58	+ 1 Lap	0
9	20	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	BRM	58	+ 1 Lap	0
10	15	Mike Beuttler	March	58	+ 1 Lap	0
11	18	Jean-Pierre Jarier	March	57	Accident	0
12	25	Howden Ganley	Iso-Marlboro	57	+ 2 Laps	0
13	12	Graham Hill	Shadow	57	+ 2 Laps	0
14	16	George Follmer	Shadow	57	+ 2 Laps	0
15	17	Jackie Oliver	Shadow	55	+ 4 Laps	0
16	4	Arturo Merzario	Ferrari	55	+ 4 Laps	0
NC	11	Wilson Fittipaldi	Brabham	52	+ 7 Laps	0
Ret	0	Jody Scheckter	McLaren	39	Suspension	0
Ret	30	Jochen Mass	Surtees	35	Engine	0
Ret	21	Niki Lauda	BRM	35	Fuel Pump	0
Ret	23	Mike Hailwood	Surtees	34	Suspension	0
Ret	24	Carlos Pace	Surtees	32	Suspension	0
Ret	9	John Watson	Brabham	7	Engine	0
DSQ	31	Brian Redman	Shadow	5	Received Outside Assistance	0
Ret	28	Rikky von Opel	Ensign	0	Throttle	0
DNS	5	Jackie Stewart	Tyrrell	0	Withdrew (Fatal Accident in team)	0
DNS	29	Chris Amon	Tyrrell	0	Withdrew (Fatal Accident in team)	0
DNS	6	François Cevert	Tyrrell		Fatal Accident in Qualifying	0

1973 United States Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time
1	27	James Hunt	March	58	1:41.652

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 United States 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	55
3	Ronnie Peterson	Swedish	Lotus	52
4	François Cevert	French	Tyrrell	47
5	Peter Revson	American	McLaren	38
6	Denny Hulme	New Zealander	McLaren	26
7	Carlos Reutemann	Argentine	Brabham	16
8	James Hunt	British	March	14
9	Jacky Ickx	Belgian	Ferrari / McLaren / Iso-Marlboro	12
10	Jean-Pierre Beltoise	French	BRM	9
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
–	Jean-Pierre Jarier	French	March	0
–	Luiz Bueno	Brazilian	Surtees	0
–	Rikky von Opel	Liechtensteiner	Ensign	0
–	Tim Schenken	Australian	Iso-Marlboro	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
–	Brian Redman	British	Shadow	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	92
2	Tyrrell – Ford	82
3	McLaren – Ford	58
4	Brabham – Ford	22
5	March – Ford	14
6	Ferrari	12
7	BRM	12
8	Shadow – Ford	9
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