1974 Formula One season

28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing December 2023 1974 Drivers' Champion: Emerson FittipaldiConstructors' Champion: McLaren-Ford 3 450 Fittipaldi - El Gráfico 2834 2.jpg Emerson Fittipaldi won his second and final Drivers' Championship driving for McLaren-Ford. Clay Regazzoni at 1974 Dutch Grand Prix.jpg Clay Regazzoni, driving for Ferrari, finished the season in second, three points behind Fittipaldi. Scheckter, Jody 1976-07-10 (Ausschn).jpg Jody Scheckter (pictured in 1976) finished third, driving for Tyrrell-Ford. The 1974 Formula One season was the 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 DriversResults of 1974 FIA International Championships, 1975 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, pages 88–89 and the 1974 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series which commenced on 13 January and ended on 6 October. The season also included three non-championship races. Defending champion Jackie Stewart did not drive in 1974, having announced his retirement at the end of the previous season. For the first time since 1968, the battle for the Drivers' Championship went down to the very last race; Emerson Fittipaldi (McLaren) and Clay Regazzoni (Ferrari) began the race weekend at Watkins Glen with an equal number of points, but Regazzoni dropped down the field with handling problems and Fittipaldi's fourth place gave him his second championship. South African Jody Scheckter finished third for Tyrrell Racing after having an outside chance of also becoming champion. Fittipaldi's triumph with the British manufacturer wrought many firsts for Formula One and served as a precursor to what was to come; it was the first title for the McLaren team and the first of many titles for a team sponsored by the Marlboro cigarette brand. Two F1 drivers died over the course of the season: Peter Revson during practice for the South African Grand Prix and Helmut Koinigg during the United States Grand Prix. Teams and drivers The following teams and drivers contested the 1974 World Championship. Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Tyre No Driver Rounds GBR John Player Team Lotus Lotus-Ford 72E76 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 1 SWE Ronnie Peterson All 2 BEL Jacky Ickx All 31 AUS Tim Schenken 15 GBR Elf Team Tyrrell Tyrrell-Ford 005006007 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 3 ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter All 4 FRA 1974 Patrick Depailler All GBR Marlboro Team TexacoGBR Yardley Team McLaren McLaren-Ford M23B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 5 BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi All 6 NZL Denny Hulme 1–3, 5–15 33 GBR Mike Hailwood 1–11 GBR David Hobbs 12–13 FRG Jochen Mass 14–15 56 NZL Denny Hulme 4 GBR Motor Racing DevelopmentsGBR Hitachi Team Brabham Brabham-Ford BT42BT44 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear7 ARG alt Carlos Reutemann All 8 GBR Richard Robarts 1–3 LIE Rikky von Opel 4–9 BRA 1968 Carlos Pace 10–1534 BEL Teddy Pilette 5 GBR March EngineeringGBR Beta Utensili March-Ford 741 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 9 FRG Hans-Joachim Stuck 1–6, 8–15 SWE Reine Wisell 7 10 NZL Howden Ganley 1–2 ITA Vittorio Brambilla 3–15 ITA SEFAC Ferrari Ferrari 312B3-74 Ferrari 001/11 3.0 F12 Goodyear 11 CHE Clay Regazzoni All 12 AUT Niki Lauda All GBR Team BRM BRM P160EP201 BRM P142 3.0 V12BRM P200 3.0 V12 Firestone 14 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Beltoise All 15 FRA 1974 Henri Pescarolo 1–11, 13 NZL Chris Amon 14–15 37 FRA 1974 François Migault 1–6, 8–11, 13 USA UOP Shadow Racing Shadow-Ford DN1DN3 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 16 USA Peter Revson 1–2 GBR Brian Redman 4–6 SWE Bertil Roos 7 GBR Tom Pryce 8–15 17 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jarier 1–2, 4–15 GBR Team SurteesGBR Bang & Olufsen Team SurteesGBR Memphis International Team Surtees Surtees-Ford TS16 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 18 BRA 1968 Carlos Pace 1–7 FRA 1974 José Dolhem 9, 15 GBR Derek Bell 10–14 19 FRG Jochen Mass 1–11 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jabouille 12 FRA 1974 José Dolhem 13 AUT Helmut Koinigg 14–15 30 AUT Dieter Quester 12 GBR Frank Williams Racing Cars Iso-Marlboro-Ford FW Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 20 ITA Arturo Merzario All GBR Richard Robarts 7 21 DNK Tom Belsø 3–4, 7, 10 NLD Gijs van Lennep 5, 8 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jabouille 9 FRA 1974 Jacques Laffite 11–15 GBR Team EnsignGBR Team Ensign with Theodore RacingGBR Dempster International Team Ensign Ensign-Ford N174 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 22 LIE Rikky von Opel 1 AUS Vern Schuppan 5–11 GBR Mike Wilds 12, 14–15 25 13 ZAF 1928 Scribante Lucky Strike Racing McLaren-Ford M23 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 23 ZAF 1928 Dave Charlton 3 GBR Trojan-Tauranac Racing Trojan-Ford T103 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 23 AUS Tim Schenken 4, 6, 8, 10–12 29 13 41 5 FIN AAW Racing Team Surtees-Ford TS16 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 23 FIN Leo Kinnunen 7, 9, 13 43 10, 12 44 5 GBR Hesketh Racing March-FordHesketh-Ford 731 308 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 FirestoneGoodyear 24 GBR James Hunt All 31 ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter 12 JPN 1947 Maki Engineering Maki-Ford F101 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 25 NZL Howden Ganley 10–11 GBR Embassy Racing with Graham Hill Lola-Ford T370 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 26 GBR Graham Hill All 27 GBR Guy Edwards 1–2, 4–11 GBR Peter Gethin 10 FRG Rolf Stommelen 12–15 GBR John Goldie Racing with HexagonGBR John Goldie Racing with Radio LuxembourgGBR Allied Polymer Group Brabham-Ford BT42BT44 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 28 GBR John Watson All 34 BRA 1968 Carlos Pace 9Goodyear208ITA Lella Lombardi10 GBR Pinch Plant Ltd Lyncar-Ford 006 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 29 NZL John Nicholson 10 ZAF 1928 Team Gunston Lotus-Ford 72E Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 29 ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter 3 30 ZAF 1928 Paddy Driver 3 NZL Dalton-Amon International Amon-Ford AF101 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 30 NZL Chris Amon 4, 6, 11 22 13 30 AUS Larry Perkins 11 GBR Dempster International Racing Team March-Ford 731 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 35 GBR Mike Wilds 10 ITA Scuderia Finotto Brabham-Ford BT42 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 31 ITA Carlo Facetti 13 32 AUT Helmut Koinigg 12 43 FRA 1974 Gérard Larrousse 5, 9 ZAF 1928 Blignaut Embassy Racing Tyrrell-Ford 004 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 32 ZAF 1928 Eddie Keizan 3 GBR Token Racing Token-Ford RJ02 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 32 GBR Ian Ashley 11 35 12 42 GBR Tom Pryce 5 GBR David Purley 10 GBR The Chequered Flag Racing with Richard Oaten Brabham-Ford BT42 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 42 GBR Ian Ashley 14–15 CAN Team Canada F1 Racing Brabham-Ford BT42 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 50 CAN Eppie Wietzes 14 USA Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Parnelli-Ford VPJ4 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Firestone 55 USA Mario Andretti 14–15 USA Penske Cars Penske-Ford PC1 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 Goodyear 66 USA Mark Donohue 14–15 Team and driver changes thumb|225px|Emerson Fittipaldi moved from Lotus to McLaren. thumb|225px|Niki Lauda was signed at Ferrari, after a recommendation by Clay Regazzoni. thumb|225px|Graham Hill during the non-championship "1974 Race of Champions" thumb|225px|Mark Donohue in the Penske, being followed by Chris Amon in the BRM A relatively large number of driver changes had happened over the winter: After winning the 1972 championship but then struggling in the second half of 1973, Emerson Fittipaldi left Lotus for McLaren. Mike Hailwood moved up from Surtees to partner him. Fittipaldi's seat at Lotus was taken up by Jacky Ickx from Ferrari. New Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo signed both 1973 BRM drivers, Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda. Ex-Ferrari driver Arturo Merzario found a seat at Williams (entered as Iso-Marlboro), while BRM hired Henri Pescarolo and François Migault next to Jean-Pierre Beltoise who had stayed. After François Cevert had died and Jackie Stewart retired, Tyrrell signed Jody Scheckter from McLaren and Formula Two driver Patrick Depailler. Ex-McLaren driver Peter Revson found a seat at Shadow next to Jean-Pierre Jarier, coming from March. After having driven part-time for them in 1973, Jochen Mass drove a full season for Surtees. Wilson Fittipaldi had left Brabham to prepare and set up his own F1 team for 1974. Richard Robarts paid to take up the seat at the British team. March promoted their F2 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck to their F1 team, next to Howden Ganley from Williams. Graham Hill's Embassy Racing entered a Lola chassis after running a Shadow in 1973. The Hesketh team entered its self-made chassis after running a privatised March last year. Mid-season changes During the season, five teams debuted with their self-made chassis: In the Spanish Grand Prix, Chris Amon debuted with his first own chassis, but later, gave up the effort for a drive at BRM. In the same race, Trojan-Tauranac Racing hired Tim Schenken to drive their car that was a development from their Formula 5000 chassis. Token Racing (the name inspired by the owners' first names, Tony and Ken) made their debut at the Belgian Grand Prix with Tom Pryce at the wheel. Famous America racing team Penske entered the Canadian and United States GP's with their own chassis. Mark Donohue was hired to drive. In the same two races, Parnelli Jones entered a car inspired by the Lotus 72, financially supported by Firestone, and future champion Mario Andretti at the wheel. These are some of the mid-season driver changes: After two races, March replaced Howden Ganley with Formula Two driver Vittorio Brambilla. Peter Revson was killed during practice for the South African Grand Prix when his Shadow suffered suspension failure and crashed into the armco barrier. Shadow subsequently hired F5000 driver Brian Redman, F2 driver Bertil Roos, and Tom Pryce, who had made his debut with Token earlier in the year. Richard Robarts was let go by Brabham when a better-funded Rikky von Opel came in. Carlos Pace moved up from Surtees to finish the season at Brabham. Mike Hailwood left F1 after heavily crashing his McLaren at the German Grand Prix. David Hobbs returned to F1 after three years to take over, before Jochen Mass moved up from Surtees. Helmut Koinigg was killed during the United States Grand Prix in an accident reminiscent of Cevert's accident at the same track the year before. When his car hit the barrier, it split on impact, and Koinigg was decapitated. Surtees decreased their operations to one car for the next season. Calendar Round Grand Prix Circuit Date 1 Argentine Grand Prix ARG 1868 Autódromo de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 13 January 2 Brazilian Grand Prix BRA 1968 Autodromo de Interlagos, São Paulo 27 January 3 South African Grand Prix RSA 1928 Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand 30 March 4 Spanish Grand Prix ESP 1945 Circuito Permanente del Jarama, Madrid 28 April 5 Belgian Grand Prix BEL Nivelles-Baulers, Nivelles 12 May 6 Monaco Grand Prix MCO Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 26 May 7 Swedish Grand Prix SWE Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp 9 June 8 Dutch Grand Prix NLD Circuit Park Zandvoort, Zandvoort 23 June 9 French Grand Prix FRA 1974 Circuit de Dijon-Prenois, Prenois 7 July 10 British Grand Prix GBR Brands Hatch, Kent 20 July 11 German Grand Prix FRG Nürburgring, Nürburg 4 August 12 Austrian Grand Prix AUT Österreichring, Spielberg 18 August 13 Italian Grand Prix ITA 1946 Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza 8 September 14 Canadian Grand Prix CAN Mosport Park, Bowmanville 22 September 15 United States Grand Prix USA Watkins Glen International, New York 6 October Calendar changes The Spanish Grand Prix was moved from Montjuïc to Jarama, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. Likewise, the Belgian Grand Prix was moved from Circuit Zolder to Nivelles-Baulers, and the British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch. The Dutch Grand Prix was moved up from late July to mid June. The French Grand Prix was moved from Charade to the newly built Dijon-Prenois circuit.David Hayhoe, Formula 1: The Knowledge – 2nd Edition, 2021, page 36 Regulation changes Technical regulations Selfseal breakaway fuel couplings were mandated to reduce the chance of a fire in accidents.https://www.f1technical.net/articles/25 F1 rules and stats 1970-1979 F1Technical.net Steven de Grootte 1 January 2009 7 February 2024https://www.atlasf1.com/news/safety.html Safety Improvements in F1 since 1963 AtlasF1 7 February 2024 Sporting regulations The 1974 season was the first in which teams had permanent racing numbers from race to race, after the system had been instituted in the 1973 Belgian Grand Prix.https://www.racingsportscars.com/covers/_Zolder-1973-05-20e.jpg 1973 Belgian Grand Prix Entry list The numbers were based on the teams' finishing positions in the 1973 Constructors' Championship. From this point, each team only changed numbers if they had the driver who had won the World Drivers' Championship – the winning driver taking the number 1 and his teammate the number 2, and the team that had previously had those numbers switching to the newly vacated ones. (This made the 1974 season an anomaly, as there was no World Champion, since Jackie Stewart had retired. Ronnie Peterson took the number 1 as he was team leader at Constructors' Champion Lotus; when the situation arose again in 1993 and 1994, the number 0 was used instead. The only other driver who was not a reigning World Champion but raced with number 1 was John Watson while replacing Niki Lauda at McLaren at the 1985 European Grand Prix). This system meant that, for example, Tyrrell – who never again won either title – maintained the numbers 3 and 4 right through until the system was changed in 1996. For the first time, it was mandated precisely how drivers should line up on the grid before the start of the race: in a two-by-two staggered pattern, with 12 12 m on between each row of two cars. Season report Race 1: Argentina In qualifying for the opening round in Argentina, Ronnie Peterson took pole in his Lotus ahead of Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari and Emerson Fittipaldi's McLaren. Peterson led at the start, whereas fellow front-row starter Regazzoni spun, causing chaos. Fittipaldi was hit by teammate Mike Hailwood and lost two laps while repairing his car, and James Hunt inherited second whereas Peter Revson, who started fourth, retired in the chaos. Hunt spun before the first lap was over, and second place went to Carlos Reutemann's Brabham. Reutemann passed Peterson on the third lap, and soon the Swede began to fade badly with brake problems. As a result, Mike Hailwood and Denny Hulme in their McLarens were second and third, ahead of Jacky Ickx and Niki Lauda in the second Lotus and Ferrari. Hulme, Ickx and Lauda all passed Hailwood and then Ickx suffered a puncture mid-race and had to pit. Regazzoni was recovering from his spin, and passed Hailwood soon after. Reutemann continued to lead until his engine began to misfire, with Hulme closing in and taking the lead on the penultimate lap. Hulme went on to win, with Lauda and Regazzoni completing the podium after Reutemann ran out of fuel on the last lap. Race 2: Brazil Fittipaldi took a popular home pole in Brazil, beating Reutemann and Lauda. Reutemann, eager to make up after his bad luck in Argentina, took the lead at the start, with Peterson up to second. Reutemann led early on, but was passed by both Peterson and Fittipaldi on lap 4. Peterson battled with former Lotus teammate Fittipaldi for the next 12 laps, until he suffered a slow puncture. Fittipaldi passed him and took the lead, whereas Peterson dropped backwards. Fittipaldi went on to take a home victory, with Regazzoni getting second and Ickx third. Race 3: South Africa The field went to South Africa after a two-month break. Lauda took pole position, with Carlos Pace's Surtees also on the front row. Arturo Merzario in the Iso-Marlboro team was an amazing third on the grid. At the start, Lauda took the lead, whereas surprise packages Pace and Merzario were soon swamped by the field. Reutemann was up to second, and he took the lead from Lauda on the tenth lap, and he would remain ahead for the rest of the afternoon. Regazzoni was third ahead of Fittipaldi and Hailwood, but soon Jean-Pierre Beltoise's BRM soon passed the two McLarens, as Fittipaldi began to drop back. Lauda and Regazzoni both retired very late in the race when their engines blew up, and thus Beltoise and Hailwood completed the podium behind Reutemann. Race 4: Spain The first European round of the championship was in Spain, and it was Lauda who took pole ahead of Peterson and Regazzoni. On race day, the track was wet but drying, and Peterson was able to beat Lauda off the line. Regazzoni and Ickx followed. The Lotuses and the Ferraris battled until Peterson's engine failed and Ickx lost a wheel which was not fastened properly after the stop for slicks. This left Lauda to take his first career win, and Regazzoni to complete a Ferrari 1–2, with Fittipaldi third. Race 5: Belgium The next race was in Belgium, and Regazzoni continued Ferrari's streak of poles, and Jody Scheckter's Tyrrell taking second with Lauda third. Regazzoni led in the early stages, with Fittipaldi climbing up to second in the first lap. Later, Lauda passed Scheckter for third, and this became second when Regazzoni went to the grass after an incident with a backmarker. Fittipaldi thus won the race, from Lauda, with Scheckter third after Regazzoni suffered fuel feed problems on the last lap. Race 6: Monaco In the streets of Monaco, Lauda and Regazzoni took the front row for Ferrari, with Peterson's Lotus behind them in third. The Ferraris motored away, with Regazzoni leading after beating his teammate off the line, with Peterson down in sixth. Regazzoni led until he made a mistake and spun off, rejoining fifth. Lauda was now leading Jean-Pierre Jarier's Shadow, Peterson and Scheckter. Peterson disposed of Jarier, and took the lead when Lauda's engine blew up. Peterson went on to win, with Scheckter taking second from Jarier. Race 7: Sweden The Tyrrells were dominant in qualifying, with Patrick Depailler taking the pole from Jody Scheckter, with the Ferraris of Lauda and Regazzoni on the second row. Scheckter passed his teammate to take the lead at the start, with Peterson gaining three places to jump up to second. It was all to no avail, because he retired in the opening laps with a driveshaft failure. The Tyrrells were now up front, with the Ferraris behind them. The gearboxes of both Ferraris failed and both retired, promoting James Hunt in the Hesketh to third. Scheckter duly won, with Depailler completing a dominant 1–2 for Tyrrell, with Hunt third. Race 8: Netherlands The Netherlands was host to the eighth round, and Lauda took his fourth pole of the year, with teammate Regazzoni alongside, and the McLarens of Fittipaldi and Hailwood next up. Lauda led from the start, will Hailwood jumping up to second. But Regazzoni took only two laps to regain second, and Hailwood was soon passed by Depailler and Fittipaldi. Depailler held third until he struggled with oversteer, and so Fittipaldi was through. Lauda won, with Regazzoni making it a 1–2 for Ferrari, with Fittipaldi getting third. Race 9: France Lauda took pole again in France, with Peterson in second, and Tom Pryce in the Shadow a surprising third. Lauda and Peterson maintained their positions at the start, whereas Pryce collided with Hunt and Carlos Reutemann, with all three retiring as Regazzoni took third. Lauda and Peterson battled it out in the early stages, but soon Lauda began to suffer from a vibration and Peterson was able to pass him and pull away. Peterson went on to win, with Lauda managing second, and Regazzoni third. Race 10: Great Britain Great Britain was host to the tenth round of the championship, and Lauda surprised no one by taking pole, with Peterson again alongside and Scheckter third. At the start, Lauda led, whereas Peterson dropped behind Scheckter and Regazzoni. The order of Lauda, Scheckter, Regazzoni and Peterson remained unchanged for the first half of the race until Regazzoni and Peterson had to pit for new tyres after running over debris. Late in the race, leader Lauda suffered a puncture, and the lead went to Scheckter. Scheckter duly won, with Fittipaldi getting second and Jacky Ickx third. As a result, with exactly two-thirds of the championship gone, the championship was an extremely close four-way battle. Lauda led with 38 points, but he was only a point ahead of Fittipaldi, with Regazzoni and Scheckter lurking three points behind. Race 11: Germany The third part of the championship started in Germany at the 14.2 mile (22.8 km) Nürburgring circuit, and Lauda took pole as usual, and Regazzoni ensured that Ferrari locked out the front row, with other contenders Fittipaldi third and Scheckter fourth. Regazzoni took the lead at the start, whereas Lauda and Scheckter collided on the first lap at the Nord Kurve with the former retiring, and the latter continuing unscathed in second. Fittipaldi suffered a puncture and had to pit. Regazzoni went on to win and take the championship lead, with Scheckter second and Reutemann third. Race 12: Austria Lauda took his eighth pole position of the championship, and fifth consecutive, in his home round in Austria with Reutemann and Fittipaldi second and third on the grid. Reutemann got the better of Lauda at the start, with Regazzoni fourth behind the second Brabham of Carlos Pace, and Fittipaldi down to seventh behind Scheckter. Scheckter retired with a blown engine, whereas Regazzoni soon passed Pace. Lauda soon dropped down the order with a misfiring engine and soon retired. Regazzoni was second, and Fittipaldi was third after passing Pace. However. Fittipaldi's engine also blew up, and Regazzoni dropped back and ultimately had to bit with a slow puncture. Reutemann took the victory, with Denny Hulme second and James Hunt third. Regazzoni recovered to finish fifth and get two points, whereas his other rivals scored none. Race 13: Italy The Ferrari fans were happy to see Lauda take pole for the Italian GP, with the Brabhams of Reutemann and Pace following him on the grid. The start did not change the positions, with Lauda leading Reutemann and Pace. Soon, Regazzoni passed both the Brabhams to and then Reutemann retired with a gearbox failure and Pace had to pit with tyre troubles. This left Lauda leading Regazzoni for the perfect Ferrari 1–2, a long way ahead of third-placed Peterson. That was not to last as Lauda retired with a water leak, handing the lead to Regazzoni but Regazzoni's engine failed 10 laps later. Peterson took the lead and won, holding off Fittipaldi and Scheckter finished third to close up the championship. Race 14: Canada The penultimate round of the championship was in Canada, and Fittipaldi took pole, just beating Lauda with Scheckter third. Lauda took Fittipaldi off the line and led, with Regazzoni up to third ahead of Scheckter, but Scheckter retook the position on the second lap. The four contenders were occupying the first four spots – Lauda leading Fittipaldi, Scheckter and Regazzoni. But Scheckter crashed after suffering a brake failure, and then Lauda crashed out late in the race after running over debris, ending his championship hopes. Fittipaldi won the race from Regazzoni, with Peterson completing the podium. This meant that Fittipaldi and Regazzoni were level on points into the last race, with Scheckter the outsider seven points behind. Race 15: United States The championship decider was to be held at the United States. Reutemann took pole with Hunt alongside on the front row, with home hero Mario Andretti third in a Parnelli. Scheckter was sixth, whereas Fittipaldi and Regazzoni were eighth and ninth. Reutemann converted his pole to a lead at the start, with Hunt second and Pace third after Andretti stalled. Behind Lauda was Scheckter, Fittipaldi and Regazzoni running together. The front three quickly pulled away, as Lauda held up Scheckter and Fittipaldi in an attempt to help Regazzoni. However, Regazzoni was struggling with handling problems and dropping back down the field. He pitted for tyres twice but found it to be no avail, and he was two laps down. Lauda and Scheckter both retired in the latter half of the race, promoting Fittipaldi to fourth. Pace took second from Hunt with four laps left, as the Englishman was suffering from fading brakes. The race was won by Reutemann, with Pace ensuring that Brabham cap off the season with a 1–2, and Hunt was third. Emerson Fittipaldi finished fourth to ensure that he was the World Champion, beating Regazzoni by three points. The race was marred by the death of young Austrian Helmut Koinigg when his car crashed into the wall after a puncture on the 10th lap. The barrier which the car hit split on impact, and Koinigg was decapitated. Results and standings Grands Prix Round Grand Prix Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning constructor Tyre Report Race report 1 ARG Argentine Grand Prix SWE Ronnie Peterson CHE Clay Regazzoni NZL Denny Hulme GBR McLaren-Ford Goodyear Report 2 BRA 1968 Brazilian Grand Prix BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi CHE Clay Regazzoni BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi GBR McLaren-Ford Goodyear Report 3 ZAF 1928 South African Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda ARG Carlos Reutemann ARG Carlos Reutemann GBR Brabham-Ford Goodyear Report 4 ESP 1945 Spanish Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda AUT Niki Lauda AUT Niki Lauda ITA Ferrari Goodyear Report 5 BEL Belgian Grand Prix CHE Clay Regazzoni NZL Denny Hulme BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi GBR McLaren-Ford Goodyear Report 6 MCO Monaco Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda SWE Ronnie Peterson SWE Ronnie Peterson GBR Lotus-Ford Goodyear Report 7 SWE Swedish Grand Prix FRA 1974 Patrick Depailler FRA 1974 Patrick Depailler ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Ford Goodyear Report 8 NLD Dutch Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda SWE Ronnie Peterson AUT Niki Lauda ITA Ferrari Goodyear Report 9 FRA 1974 French Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter SWE Ronnie Peterson GBR Lotus-Ford Goodyear Report 10 GBR British Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda AUT Niki Lauda ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter GBR Tyrrell-Ford Goodyear Report 11 FRG German Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter CHE Clay Regazzoni ITA Ferrari Goodyear Report 12 AUT Austrian Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda CHE Clay Regazzoni ARG Carlos Reutemann GBR Brabham-Ford Goodyear Report 13 ITA Italian Grand Prix AUT Niki Lauda BRA 1968 Carlos Pace SWE Ronnie Peterson GBR Lotus-Ford Goodyear Report 14 CAN Canadian Grand Prix BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi AUT Niki Lauda BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi GBR McLaren-Ford Goodyear Report 15 USA United States Grand Prix ARG Carlos Reutemann BRA 1968 Carlos Pace ARG Carlos Reutemann GBR Brabham-Ford Goodyear Report Scoring system List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems Points were awarded to the top six classified finishers. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. For both the Championship and the Cup, the best seven results from rounds 1-8 and the best six results from rounds 9-15 were counted. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in the following system: Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th Race964321Source:18 January 2019 World Championship points systems http://8w.forix.com/6thgear/points.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20190924032459/http://8w.forix.com/6thgear/points.html 24 September 2019 21 December 2020 8W Forix World Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver ARGArgentina BRABRA 1968 RSAZAF 1928 ESPESP 1945 BELBEL MONMCO SWESWE NEDNLD FRAFRA 1974 GBRGBR GERFRG AUTAUT ITAITA CANCAN USAUSA Pts 1 BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi 10 1 p 7 3 1 5 4 3 Ret 2 Ret Ret 2 1 p 4 55 2 CHE Clay Regazzoni 3 f 2 f Ret 2 4 p 4 Ret 2 3 4 1 5 f Ret 2 11 52 3 ZAF 1928 Jody Scheckter Ret 13 8 5 3 2 1 5 4 f 1 2 f Ret 3 Ret Ret 45 4 AUT Niki Lauda 2 Ret 16 p 1 p f 2 Ret p Ret 1 p 2 p 5 p f Ret p Ret p Ret p Ret f Ret 38 5 SWE Ronnie Peterson 13 p 6 Ret Ret Ret 1 f Ret 8 f 1 10 4 Ret 1 3 Ret 35 6 Argentina alt Carlos Reutemann 7 7 1 f Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret 6 3 1 Ret 9 1 p 32 7 NZL Denny Hulme 1 12 9 6 6 f Ret Ret Ret 6 7 DSQ 2 6 6 Ret 20 8 GBR James Hunt Ret 9 Ret 10 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 4 3 15 9 FRA 1974 Patrick Depailler 6 8 4 8 Ret 9 2 p f 6 8 Ret Ret Ret 11 5 6 14 10 GBR Mike Hailwood 4 5 3 9 7 Ret Ret 4 7 Ret 15 12 = BEL Jacky Ickx Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 11 5 3 5 Ret Ret 13 Ret 12 12 BRA 1968 Carlos Pace Ret 4 11 13 Ret Ret Ret DNQ 9 12 Ret 5 f 8 2 f 11 13 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Beltoise 5 10 2 Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 12 Ret Ret Ret NC DNQ 10 14 FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jarier Ret Ret Ret 13 3 5 Ret 12 Ret 8 8 Ret Ret 10 6 = GBR John Watson 12 Ret Ret 11 11 6 11 7 16 11 Ret 4 7 Ret 5 6 16 FRG Hans-Joachim Stuck Ret Ret 5 4 Ret Ret Ret DNQ Ret 7 11 Ret Ret DNQ 5 17 ITA Arturo Merzario Ret Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret DNS Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret 4 Ret Ret 4 18 ITA Vittorio Brambilla 10 DNS 9 Ret 10 10 11 Ret 13 6 Ret DNQ Ret 1 = GBR Graham Hill Ret 11 12 Ret 8 7 6 Ret 13 13 9 12 8 14 8 1 = GBR Tom Pryce Ret Ret Ret 8 6 Ret 10 Ret NC 1 — GBR Guy Edwards 11 Ret DNQ 12 8 7 Ret 15 DNQ DNQ 0 — GBR David Hobbs 7 9 0 — FRG Jochen Mass Ret 17 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 14 Ret 16 7 0 — GBR Brian Redman 7 18 Ret 0 — USA Mario Andretti 7 DSQ 0 — NZL Howden Ganley 8 Ret DNQ DNQ 0 — DNK Tom Belsø Ret DNQ 8 DNQ 0 — LIE Rikky von Opel DNS Ret Ret DNQ 9 9 DNQ 0 — FRA 1974 Henri Pescarolo 9 14 18 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 10 Ret 0 — NZL Chris Amon Ret DNS DNQ DNQ NC 9 0 — AUT Dieter Quester 9 0 — AUS Tim Schenken 14 10 Ret DNQ Ret DNQ 10 Ret DSQ 0 — AUT Helmut Koinigg DNQ 10 Ret 0 — FRG Rolf Stommelen Ret Ret 11 12 0 — GBR Derek Bell DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 — USA Mark Donohue 12 Ret 0 — ZAF 1928 Ian Scheckter 13 DNQ 0 — FRA 1974 François Migault Ret 16 15 Ret 16 Ret Ret 14 NC DNQ Ret 0 — GBR Ian Ashley 14 NC DNQ DNQ 0 — NLD Gijs van Lennep 14 DNQ 0 — ZAF 1928 Eddie Keizan 14 0 — GBR Richard Robarts Ret 15 17 DNS 0 — AUS Vern Schuppan 15 Ret DSQ DSQ DNQ DNQ Ret 0 — FRA 1974 Jacques Laffite Ret NC Ret 15 Ret 0 — BEL Teddy Pilette 17 0 — ZAF 1928 Dave Charlton 19 0 — USA Peter Revson Ret Ret 0 — FIN Leo Kinnunen DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 — GBR Mike Wilds DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ NC 0 — FRA 1974 Gérard Larrousse Ret DNQ 0 — ZAF 1928 Paddy Driver Ret 0 — SWE Reine Wisell Ret 0 — SWE Bertil Roos Ret 0 — GBR Peter Gethin Ret 0 — CAN Eppie Wietzes Ret 0 — FRA 1974 José Dolhem DNQ DNQ Ret 0 — FRA 1974 Jean-Pierre Jabouille DNQ DNQ 0 — GBR David Purley DNQ 0 — ITA Lella Lombardi DNQ 0 — NZL John Nicholson DNQ 0 — AUS Larry Perkins DNQ 0 — ITA Carlo Facetti DNQ 0 Pos Driver ARGArgentina BRABRA 1968 RSAZAF 1928 ESPESP 1945 BELBEL MONMCO SWESWE NEDNLD FRAFRA 1974 GBRGBR GERFRG AUTAUT ITAITA CANCAN USAUSA Pts The FIA did not award a championship classification to drivers who did not score championship points and did not apply a classification tiebreaker system to drivers gaining an equal number of championship points. International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings PosManufacturer ARGArgentina BRABRA 1968 RSAZAF 1928 ESPESP 1945 BELBEL MONMCO SWESWE NEDNLD FRAFRA 1974 GBRGBR GERFRG AUTAUT ITAITA CANCAN USAUSAPtsOnly the best 7 results from the first 8 races and the best 6 results from the last 7 races counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. 1 GBR McLaren-Ford 1 1 3 3 1 (5) 4 3 6 2 15 2 2 1 4 73 (75) 2 ITA Ferrari 2 2 16 1 2 4 Ret 1 2 4 1 5 Ret 2 11 65 3 GBR Tyrrell-Ford 6 8 4 5 3 2 1 5 4 1 2 Ret 3 5 6 52 4 GBR Lotus-Ford 13 3 13 Ret Ret 1 Ret 8 1 3 4 Ret 1 3 Ret 42 5 GBR Brabham-Ford 7 7 1 11 11 6 9 7 16 6 3 1 5 8 1 35 6 GBR Hesketh-Ford Ret 10 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret 3 Ret 4 3 15 7 GBR BRM 5 10 2 12 5 Ret Ret Ret 10 12 10 Ret Ret NC 9 10 8 USA Shadow-Ford Ret Ret WD 7 13 3 5 Ret 12 8 6 8 10 Ret 10 7 9 GBR March-Ford 8 9 5 4 9 Ret 10 10 11 Ret 7 6 Ret Ret Ret 6 10 GBR Iso-Marlboro-Ford Ret Ret 6 Ret 14 Ret 8 Ret 9 Ret Ret NC 4 15 Ret 4 11 GBR Surtees-Ford Ret 4 11 13 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 14 11 9 DNQ 10 Ret 3 12 GBR Lola-Ford 11 11 12 Ret 8 7 6 Ret 13 13 9 12 8 11 8 1 — USA Parnelli-Ford 7 DSQ 0 — GBR Trojan-Ford 14 10 Ret DNQ Ret DNQ 10 Ret 0 — USA Penske-Ford 12 Ret 0 — GBR Token-Ford Ret WD DNQ 14 NC 0 — GBR Ensign-Ford DNS WD WD 15 Ret DSQ DSQ DNQ DNQ Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ NC 0 — NZL Amon-Ford Ret WD DNS WD DNQ DNQ 0 — JPN 1947 Maki-Ford WD DNQ DNQ 0 — GBR Lyncar-Ford WD DNQ 0PosConstructor ARGArgentina BRABRA 1968 RSAZAF 1928 ESPESP 1945 BELBEL MONMCO SWESWE NEDNLD FRAFRA 1974 GBRGBR GERFRG AUTAUT ITAITA CANCAN USAUSAPts Race results shown in Bold in the above table indicate that points were awarded and retained. Race results shown within brackets indicate that points were awarded but not retained. The FIA did not award a championship classification to a manufacturer that did not score championship points. Non-championship races The following races were open to Formula One cars, but did not count towards the World Championship of F1 Drivers or the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers. Race name Circuit Date Winning driver Constructor Report BRA 1968 I Presidente Medici Grand Prix Brasília 3 February BRA 1968 Emerson Fittipaldi GBR McLaren-Cosworth Report GBR IX Race of Champions Brands Hatch 17 March BEL Jacky Ickx GBR Lotus-Cosworth Report GBR XXVI BRDC International Trophy Silverstone 7 April GBR James Hunt GBR Hesketh-Cosworth Report Notes and references Category:Formula One seasons