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1972 French Grand Prix

The 1972 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Charade in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France on 2 July 1972. It was race 6 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

1972 French Grand Prix
Race details
Date 2 July 1972
Location Circuit de Charade
Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France
Course Temporary street circuit
Course length 8.055 km (5.005 miles)
Distance 38 laps, 306.09 km (190.19 miles)
Pole position
Driver
Matra
Time 2:53.4
Fastest lap
Driver New Zealand Chris Amon Matra
Time 2:53.9 on lap 32
Podium
First
Tyrrell-Ford
Second
Lotus-Ford
Third
  • New Zealand Chris Amon
 Matra
Lap leaders
Poleman and third-place finisher Chris Amon in front of fourth place finisher François Cevert

The Circuit de Charade's natural setting around the base of an extinct volcano created safety concerns due to the dark, volcanic rocks which fell from the mountain onto both sides of the track.[1][2] Drivers who skirted the track edge would often send rocks flying into the middle of the road and into the way of pursuing competitors.[1][2] The hazard was highlighted when driver Helmut Marko suffered a career-ending injury during the race, when a stone thrown from Ronnie Peterson's March penetrated his helmet visor and blinded him in the left eye.[1][2][a] The rocks also meant that tyre punctures were a perennial hazard on the circuit, as was shown when ten competitors suffered punctures during the race.[1][2] The French Grand Prix was moved to the new Circuit Paul Ricard for 1973.

Chris Amon achieved the fifth and final pole position of his career and was leading the race in his Matra until a puncture forced him to pit, leaving Jackie Stewart to win in his Tyrrell-Ford. Emerson Fittipaldi finished second, just ahead of a charging Amon, who shattered the circuit's lap record.

Qualifying

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Qualifying classification

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Pos. No Driver Constructor Time Gap Grid
1 9   Chris Amon Matra 2:53.4 1
2 2   Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford 2:54.2 0.8 2
3 4   Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford 2:55.0 1.6 3
4 3   Jacky Ickx Ferrari 2:55.1 1.7 4
5 27   Tim Schenken Surtees-Ford 2:57.2 3.8 5
6 25   Helmut Marko BRM 2:57.3 3.9 6
7 7   François Cevert Tyrrell-Ford 2:58.1 4.7 7
8 1   Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus-Ford 2:58.1 4.7 8
9 12   Ronnie Peterson March-Ford 2:58.2 4.8 9
10 26   Mike Hailwood Surtees-Ford 2:58.3 4.9 10
11 17   Carlos Pace March-Ford 2:58.6 5.2 11
12 16   Henri Pescarolo March-Ford 2:59.0 5.6 DNS
13 28   Andrea de Adamich Surtees-Ford 2:59.1 5.7 12
14 11   Brian Redman McLaren-Ford 2:59.4 6.0 13
15 19   Wilson Fittipaldi Brabham-Ford 2:59.5 6.1 14
16 10   Rolf Stommelen Eifelland-Ford 2:59.6 6.2 15
17 8   Patrick Depailler Tyrrell-Ford 2:59.6 6.2 16
18 20   Carlos Reutemann Brabham-Ford 3:00.7 7.3 17
19 24   Reine Wisell BRM 3:00.7 7.3 18
20 30   Nanni Galli Ferrari 3:00.7 7.3 19
21 23   Howden Ganley BRM 3:02.0 8.6 DNS
22 22   Peter Gethin BRM 3:02.8 9.4 DNS
23 18   Graham Hill Brabham-Ford 3:03.0 9.6 20
24 14   Niki Lauda March-Ford 3:03.1 9.7 21
25 6   Dave Walker Lotus-Ford 3:04.7 11.3 22
26 15   Mike Beuttler March-Ford 3:05.9 12.5 23
27 21   Derek Bell Tecno 3:06.9 13.5 DNS
— 5   Jean-Pierre Beltoise BRM no time 24
DNQ 29   Dave Charlton Lotus-Ford 3:11.6 18.2 —

Race

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Classification

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Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 4   Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford 38 1:52:22.5 3 9
2 1   Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus-Ford 38 27.7 8 6
3 9   Chris Amon Matra 38 31.9 1 4
4 7   François Cevert Tyrrell-Ford 38 49.3 7 3
5 12   Ronnie Peterson March-Ford 38 56.8 9 2
6 26   Mike Hailwood Surtees-Ford 38 1:36.1 10 1
7 2   Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford 38 1:48.1 2  
8 19   Wilson Fittipaldi Brabham-Ford 38 2:25.1 14  
9 11   Brian Redman McLaren-Ford 38 2:55.5 13  
10 18   Graham Hill Brabham-Ford 38 2:59.5 20  
11 3   Jacky Ickx Ferrari 37 1 Lap 4  
12 20   Carlos Reutemann Brabham-Ford 37 1 Lap 17  
13 30   Nanni Galli Ferrari 37 1 Lap 19  
14 28   Andrea de Adamich Surtees-Ford 37 1 Lap 12  
15 5   Jean-Pierre Beltoise BRM 37 1 Lap 24  
16 10   Rolf Stommelen Eifelland-Ford 37 1 Lap 15  
17 27   Tim Schenken Surtees-Ford 36 2 Laps 5  
18 6   Dave Walker Lotus-Ford 34 Halfshaft 22  
19 15   Mike Beuttler March-Ford 33 Out of Fuel 23  
NC 8   Patrick Depailler Tyrrell-Ford 33 5 Laps 16  
Ret 24   Reine Wisell BRM 25 Gearbox 18  
Ret 17   Carlos Pace March-Ford 18 Engine 11  
Ret 25   Helmut Marko BRM 8 Driver Injured 6  
Ret 14   Niki Lauda March-Ford 4 Halfshaft 21  
DNS 16   Henri Pescarolo March-Ford   Accident    
DNS 21   Derek Bell Tecno   Transmission    
DNS 22   Peter Gethin BRM   Accident    
DNS 23   Howden Ganley BRM   Car raced by Beltoise[3]    
DNQ 29   Dave Charlton Lotus-Ford        
Source:[4]

Championship standings after the race

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Notes

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  • This was the Formula One World Championship debut for French driver and future Grand Prix winner Patrick Depailler.
  • This was the 5th pole position and 10th fastest lap set by a New Zealand driver.

Additional notes

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  1. ^ Some older sources state that the stone was thrown up by Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus, but more recent sources indicate that it was thrown up by Ronnie Peterson's March.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Charade". racingcircuits.info. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Volcanic Rush of Clermont Ferrand". speedhunters.com. August 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  3. ^ "French GP, 1972". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  4. ^ "1972 French Grand Prix". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  5. ^ a b "France 1972 - Championship • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 15 March 2019.


Previous race:
1972 Belgian Grand Prix 		FIA Formula One World Championship
1972 season 		Next race:
1972 British Grand Prix
Previous race:
1971 French Grand Prix 		French Grand Prix Next race:
1973 French Grand Prix
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