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The Formula 1 World Championship is now coming to an end and the Monza circuit, as has already happened in the past, will offer the official sanction to the new winner. It was like this last year for Emerson Fittipaldi, the same, in all probability, will happen on Sunday 9 September 1973 to Jackie Stewart. Alongside this change of title, other themes for this Italian Grand Prix: Ferrari's test, the safety of the racetrack, the rumors of the drivers' market. Regarding the driver market, after the Austrian Grand Prix, Niki Lauda meets Luca Montezemolo at the highway exit in Italy. The lawyer drives the Austrian driver to Maranello, specifically to Ferrari's test track, Fiorano. And there, Lauda sees exactly what the Viennese journalist Helmut Zwickel would later describe as:
"Ferrari presents itself to all the other Formula 1 teams like NASA does to a kite-flying association".
Suddenly, Lauda finds himself, so to speak, facing all those wonders of technology: a test circuit with automatic timing, television control, and computers. A comparatively immense facility, with a large number of mechanics, engineers, and administrative staff. Lauda cannot imagine how, with such an organization, Ferrari could not achieve tremendous success. Success has truly been lacking in recent years, but he immediately understands the incomparable potential capability that must be utilized. During the afternoon, Enzo Ferrari shows up at the track, behaving like a friendly and kind uncle. Il Commendatore asks Lauda, in Italian, if he wants to race for him, and Montezemolo translates the question. Lauda answers yes, even though he has a contract with B.R.M.. After twelve races, Stewart leads the World Championship standings with 66 points. Theoretically, only Cevert and Fittipaldi, on 54 and 42 points respectively, could still take the title away from him. The Frenchman should get at least two victories and a third place between Monza and the subsequent races in Canada and the United States, the Brazilian should prevail in all three, assuming of course that Stewart fails to gain the three points he needs to be the World Champion also from a mathematical point of view. Practically, the Scotsman with a fourth place in the Italian Grand Prix will win the title or, if he were to retire, it will be enough that Cevert or Fittipaldi don't win. We will therefore have a changing of the guard between Fittipaldi and Stewart and, given that Emerson has not been very lucky this year (but there is a good deal of responsibility on the part of Lotus: the problems with the fuel system began in Belgium and Austria a valid remedy had not yet been found), you have to admire Stewart and the organization behind him, led by Ken Tyrrell.
This season Stewart has also beaten past champions, winning 27 Grand Prixs compared to Fangio's 24 and Clark's 25. Out of the twelve races held so far in 1973, the Scotsman has won five times and Cevert has achieved six second places. 1973 was also not satisfactory for Ferrari in Formula 1. After three races with the old 312-B2, Ickx brought the long-awaited 312-B3 with a monocoque chassis to its debut in Spain. The car failed to emerge, relations between the Belgian and Maranello deteriorated, until the divorce was reached in July. The Maranello team also gave up the Dutch and German Grands Prix in an attempt to calmly improve the car and, according to the indications that emerged in Austria, they should have succeeded. Merzario achieved the sixth best time of the tests at Zeltweg and, as long as the engine performed adequately, he had a very valid race. The changes made to the 312-B3, which is present in Monza in three identical examples, two for Ickx and one for Merzario, mainly affected the geometry of the front suspensions, the arrangement of the water radiators (located on the sides) and the intake 12-cylinder boxer engine air. The Italian Grand Prix, with which Ferrari celebrates its golden anniversary, i.e. 50 years of participation, presents itself as an appealing test: if Merzario and Ickx, who races as a freelancer, stand out, Ferrari will be able to reasonably hope to have solved its problems and set plans for 1974. The tragedies of Pasolini, Saarinen and his companions have put the Monza racetrack under accusation, so much so that in 1979 it will be retired. For now we are racing and, after much controversy, the Municipality of Monza has agreed to the construction of a variant at the Ascari curve, denying permission for the one planned for the Curvone. On Sunday, however, the single-seaters will have to face two temporary chicanes built along the lines of those last year in the two points indicated above.
The Williamson fire in the Netherlands has stimulated safety initiatives and an extensive fire and emergency response plan has been prepared for the Italian Grand Prix. Around fifteen vehicles with around seventy specialists will be stationed along the route (5850 metres), every 30 meters there will be a fire extinguisher, a helicopter and three resuscitation centres. The season is coming to an end, all the drivers are completing the negotiations for the next team. It's a jumble of rumors that are contradicted. However, as far as Stewart is concerned, it is known that Jackie will remain at Tyrrell if he does not leave competitive activity, satisfied with the three world titles won; that Fittipaldi will take over from Revson at McLaren, saying goodbye to Lotus; that Jarier will move from March to Ferrari, that he will use a second name yet to be defined while the chances of Merzario remaining at Maranello or not are estimated at around 50%. In Monza, the main excitement in the paddock is that, after their period in the doldrums, Ferrari are back in force. All three of their B3 models are now updated to the very latest Forghieri specification, and Jacky Ickx is back in the team although on a freelance rather than contract basis. Ickx is allocated chassis 12 while Arturo Merzario (making his Monza F1 debut) is in the car used in the Austrian GP with to as a spare. However Merzario clips a chicane and asks if he can try Ickx’s car which he does while the Belgian moves on to the spare. Incidentally Forghieri is adamant that the Ferrari flat 12 engine uses very little more fuel than a Cosworth V8. John Player-Team Lotus think they might be back at full four car strength for this meeting and before leaving England get a brand new chassis 72/9 onto its wheels. However it is decided to leave the car behind and so Peterson has his regular 72/6 with Emerson Fittipaldi in 72/7 and the unpopular 72/8 as a spare with Peterson’s name on it. The two race cars both have the new extended wing-stay-cum-oil-tank arrangements fitted, as first seen on 72/6 with Emerson Fittipaldi in 72/7 and the unpopular 72/8 in Austria, although this car has now reverted to the older arrangement. Elf Team Tyrell tend to their usual trio of blue Derek Gardner designed cars although the absence of Gardner himself suggests he might be closeted behind his drawing board. There is no change of specifications, the team relying on the superb preparation of 006/2 to bring Stewart the championship. François Cevert is in 006 while the spare development car, 005, is still in the wedge nose trim.
Yardley Team McLaren think they have some tricks up their sleeve, for Gordon Coppuck has devised some suspension modifications for the already very competitive McLaren M23. However, a test session at Silverstone shows that there is no significant improvement, so the three cars are put back to the original specification. Denny Hulme remains with his original car, but Peter Revson decides to try M23/4 and leaves his usual car M23/2 as the spare. By the time, the Motor Racing Developments huge articulated truck arrives in the paddock it is the center of a certain amount of abuse for it has given trouble with wheel bearings and missed first practice. It is fine to have the largest transporter in the paddock but it helps if it is reliable. However, Brabham now also has a single car Mercedes-Benz transporter as well and that arrives in time. Altogether there are four BT42s, Carlos Reutemann and Wilson Fittipaldi have their regular cars while Rolf Stommelen, running under the Ceramica Pagnossin colors, decides on the latest car BT42/6, leaving 42/5 as a spare for everyone. In fact Fittipaldi drives it in the race. It is disappointing to see the UOP Shadow team struggling so much in their first Grand Prix season but at least they are trying. They have been to Silverstone just before leaving for Italy to evaluate some new modifications. However, after tests with the latest car, fitted with twin radius rod suspension and a longer bellhousing to increase the wheelbase, Oliver decides to run his regular DN1/4A in normal trim while Follmer's DN1/5A is fitted with the newer type rear suspension, thus leaving the development car as a spare. Graham Hill's Embassy Racing Shadow has been stripped to the bare chassis in the three weeks since the Austrian Grand Prix and is re-built with a few further Graham Hill Racing modifications. There are three Marches on hand, the one undoubtedly attracting the most attention being the Hesketh version, running in the same Postlewaite developed trim seen in Austria. Incidentally Postlewaite is now working on a Hesketh chassis for next season which can be powered by either a Cosworth V8 or a new V 12 engine which the Lord has commissioned ex-B.R.M. man Aubrey Woods to design, build and develop. It should be fun to see how the team gets on with that. Mike Beuttler has his usual yellow car with a Mk2 nose and Hesketh airbox and David Purley is in the works car, as driven by Jean-Pierre Jarier in Austria, with the original nose design.
Designer Robin Herd is again not present - he is more interested in the progress of the Formula 2 cars. The Marlboro B.R.M. team is somewhat despondent having just tested at the Paul Ricard Circuit. It certainly doesn’t help when you can’t reproduce the lap times you managed at the start of the season. The car being used for the tests is built up around a brand new chassis, P160/10, which Niki Lauda has for the Monza race his wrist now recovered after the German jolt. Regazzoni uses P160/09 but he obviously can’t wait for his contract to expire while Jean-Pierre Beltoise is in P160/07. All three cars are fitted with special small rear wings. The familiar face of Ron Tauranac, who has his own Formula 1 design completed, is to be seen giving Frank Williams a hand as he did on occasions last year. He has suggested a few modifications to Williams cars mainly to roll bars and wings and Ganley is confident this will improve his lot. Gijs van Lennep is being given his third drive for the team, although he will not finish the season with them. Finally one team whose fortunes have improved dramatically over the last two or three races is Team Surtees. They have the usual pair of TS14A cars for Carlos Pace and Mike Hailwood. Some modifications have been made to the front suspension of Hailwood’s car to bring it in line with Pace’s and hopefully kill the understeer. Rounding off the list of drivers who actually turned up are Rikky von Opel with the so far one-off Ensign, although the second car is almost complete. Morris Nunn has made a few detail changes, but otherwise is leaving von Opel to get on with learning about Grand Prix racing. The dismal Tecno story does not have another chapter added at Monza. Under the banner of’ the Martini Racing Team entries are made for both Chris Amon and Vittorio Brambilla, the latter is said to be driving the old space frame car from last year with safety cladding added. However the only glance of Tecno is at the end of the meeting when a little Ford Transit lorry appears and unloads the Goral chassis, less engine, into Frank Williams’ transporter.
Two days later, it is lying under a tarpaulin at the back of Williams’ workshops in Reading. The problems between the press and the drivers/constructors, are in part resolved by the printing and distribution of special yellow passes without which no one is allowed in the pits. A fair number are allocated to the press, while the teams have more than enough to go round their personnel, while quite a few genuine if professional lurkers have also managed to obtain them. However when practice starts the pits seem almost completely devoid of Press men to faithfully record the scene, the change of timing clashes with the annual press union-meeting. Fortunately, there is no panic amongst the drivers and they get on with the job without the ears and eyes of the world upon them. What the Press misses is the fact that Peter Revson is setting the pace. In fact he finishes up fastest in both parts of Friday’s session to record 1'36"743. The nearest to the American is Peterson who has ample time to practice both cars and he finishes second fastest at 1'36"795. The only other driver under 1'37"0 is Carlos Pace who is delighted with his Surtees. Arturo Merzario keeps the Italian fans more than happy by lapping in 1'37"0 after switching to Ickx’s car in the afternoon. The two Tyrrell drivers are not entirely happy at 1'37"325 for Stewart and 1'37"74 for Cevert who, for once, is slower than brother-in-law Jean-Pierre Beltoise who seems pleased with his B.R.M. Both Hulme and Emerson Fittipaldi are in trouble; the Brazilian’s ankles are still giving him pain and he has them strapped up by the medical unit while the engine in his car is looked at by the Lotus mechanics as it will not rev. Hulme thinks he is happy with his engine, but once a fresh one is fitted he decides the problem is that he is asking the team to try and make the car suit him. The most spectacular and aristocratic manifestation of motor racing is also the most talked about due to the human, economic and customs problems it raises. Controversies are the order of the day and the latest involves journalists and manufacturer-drivers, who would like to limit the number and activity on the edges of the tracks, raising the fear of possible accidents. But there is also talk of the challenge between Fittipaldi and Stewart, and in this sense, the Brazilian driver says:
"Last year I was here to win the title and I ended up winning the Grand Prix too. Now I have to settle for the latter. It was a strange season, which started well and ended badly. It wasn't just a matter of bad luck: Lotus didn't help me as it should have".
It is known that in 1974 Emerson will no longer race with Colin Chapman's cars but (barring surprises) with McLaren. The Ferrari. For Italian fans, especially in the context of Monza and the Italian Grand Prix, it is the main topic.
We ask ourselves: will it be competitive, will it return to success? The first tests are rather comforting. Revson, with McLaren, was the fastest, followed by Peterson and Pace. These precede the two drivers of the Maranello team, Merzario and lckx (who sets the same time as Stewart). It is clear that the second training session could change this ranking, however it is quite indicative and, on the other hand, nothing prevents us from hoping that lckx and Merzario do not improve their performances. Both say they are confident of dropping by at least a second. The Belgian, who had not raced in Holland and Austria and who had driven a McLaren in Germany, is satisfied with the car.
"It seems more stable to me, and understeer or oversteer phenomena are easier to control".
As mentioned, the 312-B 3 was stopped for two Grands Prix and then returned to Zeltweg with a series of modifications regarding the air intake, water and oil radiators and front suspension. There was a certain concentration of weight towards the center of the car and an attempt to obtain greater rear aerodynamic load. On Friday we were able to witness the work of the technical staff of the Maranello team (Colombo, Rocchi and Forghieri), while the young Luca Montezemolo followed the instructions of lckx and Merzario. The Italian pilot says:
"Since there is so much talk about Monza, I would also like to say something about this racetrack which is destined to close in a few years. In my opinion, we are faced with a path that is now outdated. The pilot, each pilot, has only limited opportunities to demonstrate his skills. With a very fast car it is not difficult to stay with the best. Now there are variants, but they are a modest remedy, at least in their current form. I don't like them, they are dangerous: they should be redesigned. Only in this way would Monza return to being a valid track from all points of view. And I'm not saying this because during testing I slightly touched the car with the second of the two variants. Let's try to do a lap of this track in my Ferrari. The references regarding speeds are only indicative: in the dashboard of the 312-B3 there is no speedometer but only the rev counter. And it is by evaluating the number of laps reported in the various points of the circuit that I can approximately calculate the speed".
The two Ferrari drivers had three strictly identical single-seaters at their disposal. Merzario started with the 011 chassis (and #4 on the sides) and with this he had a slight accident at the second chicane, hitting the concrete curb at the entrance with a wheel: the rim and arm of the front right suspension broke. He then got into the 012 of lckx (#3), who, in turn, opted for the 010, defined as #3T (i.e. reserve car). This chicanes problem (it also affected Hunt with the March) risks being a problem for Monza. The two variants are narrow, with poor visibility. They select any groups of cars, but they are dangerous. On the other hand, this is a temporary solution, pending the construction of a real variant at the height of the Ascari curve. The fire and emergency response service is impressive: machines, men, fire extinguishers. With the hope that they won't have to intervene. For today the notebook still reports that the Brabhams arrived late due to the breakdown of the truck transporting them, that the Tecnos were not seen, that Jarier is absent because he is busy in Formula 2, that the Tyrrells and Lotuses have some modifications ( aerodynamics and radiators), that Fittipaldi set the seventeenth time and that manager Frank Williams prevailed in a fun foot race that took place after the tests. On Saturday, Fittipaldi decides it will be better to try to adapt himself to the car and immediately he is up near the front. Jacky Ickx isn’t setting the world on fire in his revised Ferrari and seems content to lap a little slower than Merzario. The final half hour in practice for the Italian Grand Prix sees bunches of cars roaring round swapping places frantically as drivers get the effect of a good slip-stream.
Other cars can be seen cruising around just waiting to join the right bunch while, in the pits, drivers make agreements to help each other which are usually promptly broken as soon as a better chance appears. Thanks to the chicanes, it doesn’t happen anymore although there is a poor imitation of it, with a couple of groups forming in the dying minutes. Meanwhile Peterson is lapping in his own good time by himself, and proves yet again that when it comes to turning on the pole position performance he has no equals.
Towards the end of practice, with some sticky Goodyears fitted, he slashes his lap time to 1'34"80 to take pole position yet again Team Lotus. Peter Revson is still showing the previous day’s form and stays on the front row with 1'35"29. Hulme, now fully on terms with his McLaren, laps in 1'35"45 with Emerson Fittipaldi showing that he is not to be forgotten either with 1'35"68. Carlos Pace is happy with 1'36"065 so shares row three with Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell. Merzario is doing his very best for the horse crowd and his 1'36"37 is a bold effort. Eighth fastest is Mike Hailwood, whose Surtees is dogged with misfiring until ten minutes before the end of the session. In four laps he slashes his time to 1'36"44. The fifth row of the grid comprises two Brabhams. Rolf Stommelen surprises almost everyone by lapping in 1'36"545 faster than teammate Carlos Reutemann who is lower down the grid than usual. Reutemann’s engine blows up on the first day, and he has a notebook full of other problems too. Cevert’s best of 1'36"58 puts him back in the middle of the field and he shares the row with Mike Beuttler, who, as in Austria, is much further up the grid than ever before. Beuttler says that at last he can see light at the end of the tunnel. Jean-Pierre Beltoise is the best of the B.R.M. drivers and he shares row eight with Jacky Ickx, who has his Ferrari’s engine blow up just when he is poised for a fast lap. Then comes Lauda, who is dogged throughout practice by brake problems and the rest are as per the grid with the Shadows and Isos in their usual rearward places. One man missing from all this is James Hunt who had the misfortune to hit the second chicane early in first practice. The monocoque was damaged and rather than bodge it for the race, and perhaps jeopardise their efforts in North America, the team set off immediately for England to start the repairs. Hunt admitted the fault was his and also said he didn’t think much of the chicanes either. Merzario was another to clip the Ascari Curve chicane in practice, but fortunately only sustained suspension damage. Just as last year several drivers overshot in practice to the wild cheers of the crowd.
No nation loves its motor racing more than the Italians, and throughout the meeting they swarm all over Monza, few obstacles, even ten foot high fences, getting in their way as they fight to catch a glimpse of their favourite car or driver. At times in the paddock, to which there are various illegal hole-in-in-the fence entrances, it is worse than being at a pop concert. The crowd is undoubtedly in force on Sunday packed in much more densely than last year and, as ever, clambering up every tree and hoarding in sight. Apparently after every Italian Grand Prix, the local hospital treats over 50 people for the after effects of falling from vantage points, scuffling generally and getting their clothes caught on the barbed wire when climbing those fences. What they have all come to see is a motor race that promise plenty. The Italian Grand Prix, in fact, proposes a challenge of almost 300 km/h in a setting of 100.000 enthusiasts, among the greenery of the centuries-old park which in a few years will be reserved only for children and pensioners. Twenty-four single-seaters on one of the most discussed tracks in the world, with the complication of those two chicanes which, yes, break up the group, but risk being a remedy worse than the disease. On the other hand, Stewart, the champion of drivers, imposed and approved them, and it matters little if other colleagues of his complain and contest them. He is the master. You run between rows of firefighting vehicles and fire extinguishers, firefighters and ambulances. It doesn't look like a Grand Prix, but a war. All in the name of safety, a safety that has many faces and which ends up falling miserably like today, when dozens of spectators were allowed to climb over the fence of the track on the side facing the pits. The single-seaters were racing along the straight and people were sitting on the guardrail. Incredible, and we don't care whether the responsibility lies with the organizers or the police authorities, the fact remains that it shouldn't have happened. Merzario set the seventh fastest time for Ferrari. The Italian driver regrets it a bit.
"A few tenths of a second less and I would have ended up at least on the third row. But in that damned chicane where I hit yesterday I felt in awe".
For Sunday, Merzario intends to do an intelligent race: no particular ambition, but the commitment to a good race.
"It's enough for me that the car runs like it does today".
Ickx couldn't say the same. The Belgian is in the seventh row, with the fourteenth fastest time, but has had various mishaps. First he crashed his 312-B3 in the first chicane, breaking a suspension arm, then he stopped in the garage due to an engine vibration and, finally, getting into the second car, he finished training half an hour early for a clear decline in the 12-cylinder.
"It's a shame, because I could have performed better".
However, you have the feeling that Ferrari started testing for this Italian Grand Prix very well, but that today they were unable to take the next step. It must also be said that, compared to Friday, Hulme.
Emerson Fittpaldi and Stewart have made notable progress, re-establishing that balance of values that the previous races of the World Championship have indicated. In this context, there is discussion about Peterson's exploits: thanks to the blond Swede, to better preparation of his Lotus, to the engine or a particular set of tires made available to him by Goodyear? It is a delicate field, kept in mystery, also to avoid jealousy between the various teams that depend on the American company. However, attentive eyes identified tires that were a little different from the usual ones and Fittpaldi was rather annoyed at having been able to try Peterson's tires late. Alchemy of these races in which the pneumatic factor is decisive in an unnatural way. We'll see in the race whether Peterson will be able to use these tires or not. The key to understanding the Italian Grand Prix could be all here. On Sunday, September 9, 1973, Jackie Stewart’s hopes took a dive during the unofficial morning session when his engine went sick with valve trouble. The Tyrrell team have a fresh engine fit in time for the race, but the car still has problems when it comes to the line, where brakes have to be bled and the ignition adjusted. As usual, most of the drivers filter slowly out of the pits for the warming-up lap and make practice starts. On the cheerometer Merzario is the crowd’s favourite followed by Stewart and Regazzoni while Graham Hill, Mike Hailwood and Jacky Ickx also record good readings. The start is made on the left of the big wide pits straight so that the cars miss the first chicane on the opening lap. The Italian flag sweeps down right on time with Peterson making a superb get-away as does Fittipaldi, both the McLarens being out fumbled. Carlos Pace finds himself in a gap which is getting smaller and smaller, and has to back off while his teammate Hailwood changes from first to fourth and loses about twelve places in the process. At the end of the first lap, it is the two black and gold Lotus cars powering out of the Parabolica first with Peterson ahead of Fittipaldi. The pursuit is led by Hulme, Stewart and Revson with Merzario right there in sixth place.
Then come Cevert, Pace, Beuttler, Reutemann, Ickx, BeIroise, Lauda, Hailwood, Regazzoni, Follmer, Oliver, Stommelen (the engine sounding rough), von Opel, Hill, Ganley, Purley, Wilson, Fittipaldi and van Lennep. Ferrari hopes are dashed the first time that Merzario takes the main straight chicane. He manages to clip it with his right wheel which bends the top rocker arm and he is left to crawl round and back to the pits to explain the sad news. There is no doubt about it, this race is going to have a similar story as Austria with the two Lotuses soon pulling away from the others, led by Hulme and Stewart. The Scot is pressing Hulme hard for third place until about the fifth lap when he starts to drop back with the handling feeling peculiar. Revson moves up to fourth place so, at the end of lap eight, Stewart makes a pit stop. The left rear tyre has picked up a nail and is deflating and by the time a new wheel, and tyre is fitted and Stewart has roared out of the pits in 19th place. Stewart is able to join the race just in time to see Denny Hulme recovering from a big moment at the first chicane. Hulme’s brakes haven’t reacted quite as expected and he arrives at the chicane too fast and catches the kerb which launches him into the air. He lands on two wheels sideways across the track right in front of Revson who has to brake sharply to avoid him and loses a great deal of time in the process. Thus the two Lotus 72s have disappeared into the distance by the time Revson got going again and, assuming Cohn Chapman’s cars are to prove reliable, the race is all over bar the shouting. Hulme limps round to the pits where a crease in the monocoque is quickly spotted but the New Zealander is sent back into the race rejoining, after losing a couple of laps, just ahead of Peterson and Fittipaldi.
Already, there have been several other pit stops Stommelen has been in to replace a loose plug lead, Wilson Fittipaldi has a bad oil leak which is effecting the brakes. Frank Williams soon has problems on his hands with Howden Ganley pulling in from twelfth place with the rear wing loose which is fixed and Gijs van Lennep followed soon after with the engine very rough and is retired. By lap 20 the order seems set with Peterson leading Fittipaldi (although with Hulme between them and two laps behind), Revson third some 14s behind, then Cevert fourth with Reutemann fifth and closing slightly. Hailwood has made up for his early problem by moving up to sixth place, passing Ickx on lap 18, and has been running just behind Pace. On lap 18 the Brazilian’s left front tyre falls apart as he breaks for the second chicane, and he takes the escape road, parks the car and walks back to the pits. In fact he is the second visitor up the escape road, David Purley taking to it earlier on whilst trying to outbrake Graham Hill. Mike Beuttler has dropped from his high placing with a puncture and von Opel is an early retirement when the engine overheats. But all eyes are on John Young Stewart who, urged on by the crowd, is driving a race that later will describe as second only to my performance in the fog at the Nurburgring. That he can drive has never been doubted and he is taking more out of Tyrrell 006/2 than has ever been taken out of it before. Almost every lap, he picked-off another car and by half distance he is up in eighth place. However by this stage it seems that the World Championship will not be decided until the Canadian GP. Peterson and Fittipaldi are running in very close company having dropped Hulme, and it seems certain that Peterson will wave Fittipaldi through to take the nine Championship points. Stewart looks unlikely to collect more than one point which will still leave the points race open. B.R.M. is having another unhappy day. Regazzoni stops with a serious misfire, Jean-Pierre Beltoise has a puncture and Lauda, after a pit stop to have a loose brake duct inspected, crashes heavily at the Parabolica when the car turns sharp left. After a similar incident in Germany he must be wondering if the stars are on his side. By lap 30 Stewart has Ickx in his sights, the Ferrari having lost some of its radiator ducting and the Scot snatches seventh place on lap 33. Next up is Mike Hailwood who is already slowing, having clipped a chicane and badly dented a wheel. On lap 37 Stewart disposes of Hailwood without further ado, but he is not content with that and next in sight is Reutemann, who never does manage to close up on Cevert.
The Argentinian is never an easy customer to pass and Stewart trails him for a lap and a half before moving up to fifth place. Now Lotus will definitely have to move Fittipaldi ahead of Peterson if the championship is to be kept alive. The two cars at the front are still running as sweetly as ever and are rarely more than a second apart. Fittipaldi is definitely quicker into the chicanes and on one occasion looks like taking the lead accelerating out of the first one. But Peterson stays in front. Stewart’s next on the list to be caught and passed is teammate Cevert. He obviously isn’t going to present any problem and with seven laps to go Stewart is fourth. Peter Revson seems distant but Stewart certainly has no intention of relaxing. In fact, the stopwatches show that despite closing on the American at two seconds a lap Stewart won’t make third place. The pits strain each time to see if Peterson will wave Fittipaldi by. With Stewart now fourth it means that the Brazilian will have to pass the flag first at Monza and repeat the performance in the two American races with Stewart unplaced to stay in the points race. If this happens Fittipaldi and Stewart will have equal points and the verdict will go to the Brazilian on the number of victories. A tall order but still a possibility. However, there seems to be no instructions from the pits for Peterson to give way, apparently he has been told before the race to use his own discretion. Peterson is the kind of driver who is only interested in winning and, as the two Lotus 72s flash by the pits with a lap to go, the Swede is still in the lead. As they come out of the Parabolica for the last time, he is still there. Peterson says afterwards that he thought of trying to make it a dead heat but then thought better of it. As soon as he sees Colin Chapman leaping in the air however he lifts off the throttle, Fittipaldi very nearly comes by and he has to accelerate again to take the flag first, the actual gap being 0.8s. Peter Revson finishes third, 28s further back, after a trouble free run followed by Stewart who is only 4s behind. The rest doesn’t seem to matter but it is Cevert fifth ahead of Reutemann, and Hailwood. lckx has been lapped for eighth place while Purley drives sensibly to ninth spot after his early slip, passing Follmer only three laps from the end. Oliver is 11th with clutch problems while pit stoppers Stommelen, Beltoise, Hill and Hulme complete the classified finishers. The two Lotuses of Peterson and Emerson Fittipaldi cross the finish line and the Monza crowd goes wild, as usual.
The track is invaded, Stewart is the new World Champion, he is the hero of the moment. The cars move into an enclosure behind the pits. Encapsulated between high nets with barbed wire to protect them from the assault of the fans. Only Peterson heads towards his mechanics, cutting through the tide. Fittipaldi gets out of the car, walks towards Stewart, shakes his hand.
"It's right that you won the world title, but look, I want to take it back next year”.
Emerson has an injured foot in Holland in pain.
"Once the season is over I'll have it fixed in Brazil. Today my Lotus was a little. oversteering. This prevented me from attacking Peterson, who could lap faster in the chicanes. On the other hand, even if I had won, there is no point in deluding ourselves: the championship; it was now in Stewart's hands".
The Scotsman is joined in the enclosure by Ken Tyrrell, who hugs him together with François Cevert. Many drivers go to congratulate Stewart, while hundreds of fans press against the nets. A squad of police arrives, the new World Champion is surrounded by soldiers who manage to take him into the small press room of the racetrack. One hundred meters of running. Between shouts, attempted hugs, pats on the back.
"Terrible, terrible".
Stewart says, sweat dripping down his suit and his face flushed. In the press room the Scotsman hoists himself onto a table and improvises a quick conference. He is a man who knows the importance of public relations, especially for the companies that finance the Tyrrell team and whose names he is quick to reel off. But there is also sincere thanks to Tyrrell and the mechanics, whose work is the basis of this third world title.
"I'm twice happy, I had a good race and I won the championship. This year I had to work hard to get the points needed for the ranking. This morning the day had not started very happily. In free practice the engine didn't convince me and we were forced to fit another one at the last minute. Then, as I was lining up for the start of the Grand Prix, the ignition started to malfunction. Roger, my mechanic, was very good at fixing the problem".
Stewart takes a sip of water, in front of about fifty journalists in a mini-room. It's a sauna, where questions chase each other in a thousand languages. One is asked several times to the driver: does he retire or not, now that he has obtained another title and that he has beaten Clark in the number of Grands Prix won?
"For now I haven't made a final decision yet. It's not easy, because I like racing and I owe a lot to it, on the other hand there are other things in life: family, first of all. This is my future and I want to think about it. However, by mid-October, after the United States Grand Prix, I will choose the path of retirement or continuing".
Stewart mentions various moments of the race.
"I don't know if I could have won the Grand Prix. The tire on my Tyrrell went flat due to a puncture and after that I had no choice but to chase the others. However, I noticed that Peterson was having trouble with the brakes in the chicanes. If he had had me behind him, he might have made a mistake".
And the variations?
"Everything is fine, I'd say. Of course, you have to go into it slowly. Better to make sure you don't crash anywhere than to gain a few moments".
Was it his best run?
"No, I repeat, just a good race. The most beautiful was the Nurburgring in 1968".
Stewart speaks and Tyrrell and Cevert. that he asks for a cigarette, they listen to him patiently. Cevert says Stewart caught up and passed him simply because he was too fast and not because of team orders. Tyrrell confirms and adds that he is preparing a new car for 1974 (it will debut in Kyalami, South Africa) and that the secret to winning lies in creating a competitive car on every circuit, a fair compromise. The trio leaves the press room and is swamped by autograph hunters. A few words now with Peterson, who is having a great season:
"Yes, I had some problems with the brakes: the wheels tended to lock. But I only got scared with five laps to go, when I grazed the second chicane with a wheel. A bad moment, otherwise I knew that Fittipaldi couldn't overtake me".
Chapman is asked why he didn't order Peterson to let the Brazilian pass. By winning at Monza, Emerson could still have hoped to challenge Stewart.
"It was useless, I would only have done it if Stewart had retired".
The Italian Grand Prix awards the third world title to Jackie Stewart, who honored it with a superb race; Peterson and Fittipaldi guaranteed Lotus a splendid double, which softens the loss of the championship; Ferrari was unable to make the return it had proudly prepared for and had to settle for a modest placing for Ickx. with Merzario immediately out of action due to an exit at the first chicane, Monza passed the safety test and Lauda remained unscathed in a scary flight at the parabolic curve. These are the main themes of a race suffocated by the heat and the crowd, a crowd that was excited at the beginning by Merzario's unfortunate accident and then became passionate about the comeback made by Stewart after a pit stop to replace a tire . A platonic comeback, perhaps, but which offered a bit of a thrill and which recalled a great feat achieved in 1967 by the great Jim Clark. Stewart was unable to catch up with the black-gold Lotus of Peterson and Fittipaldi, but he couldn't have expected much. Stewart, who was born on June 11, 1939, has lost in recent years the charm that had given him so much popularity at the beginning of his career. Too much of a businessman, too busy with his interests. A money making machine. But as a driver he is always great: today he completed at least 18 consecutive laps around 1'36"3, almost as if he were a regular driver. And we must add that the 1973 Tyrrell was on the level of the Lotus, on some circuits below it. Yet the title passed from Fittipaldi's hands to those of the little Scottish guy. There will be some discussion, especially in Brazil, about the unfortunate events of Fittipaldi in this very unfortunate season of his. Even today many have noted with perplexity that Colin Chapman gave the green light to Peterson, while Fittipaldi - with a victory - would have managed, at least, to postpone the loss of the title. Emerson would have had to impose himself here and in the subsequent races in Canada and the States to maintain some hope. And, instead, nothing. Chapman, having lost his illusions, is probably trying to push the Swede, who he has reconfirmed for 1974. Ferrari, there is no point in hiding it, has disappointed. It was an unfortunate race for Maranello, with Merzario crashing out on the second lap and with Ickx unable to do anything with the water temperature being too high. These are common occurrences in competitions, and particular attention is paid to them only because the Maranello team did not provide itself and its fans with the desired results.
However, it seems that the 312-B3 is making progress, not because of what it did, or rather didn't do, seen in the race, but because of what it revealed in testing. It is clear, however, that the level of a Lotus or a Tyrrell or a McLaren has not yet been reached. We work, and this is already a source of comfort. The crowd, the most agitated fans, perhaps incited by certain leaflets who live on discord, contest uncivilizedly. Maybe Ferrari technicians and drivers enjoy losing? The fans don't forgive failures. So, once the race was over, the protesters began to gather around the Ferrari van located in the far corner of the garage area. There is a not too strong network to divide the dozens who soon became hundreds, from drivers, technicians and cars. Before any trouble could arise, a police unit arrives, prompting the start of an increasingly noisy protest. There is something for everyone: for Ickx, for the technicians, for Enzo Ferrari who is invoked loudly but rather disrespectfully. The brawl continues for half an hour with only one exception for Merzario who has not yet lost all sympathy. In particular, the Italian pilot says:
"It was my fault, only my fault. There are no words to express my bitterness and anger. And to think that I hoped to get to the end, to have a good race in Monza. I don't know, I must have moved five centimeters from the right trajectory, I ended up on the slightly dirty asphalt, and goodbye”.
His wife consoles him with a kiss. They are tender. Luca Montezemolo adds:
"I'm very sorry, because Merzario didn't have the opportunity to get any satisfaction. He was in good spirits, with the car in order, a better training time than Ickx's. But these are things that happen in racing. Patience".
When the crowd begins to thin out, we witness a more severe argument between two mechanics and a small group of rowdies. Then, things calm down and the cars are loaded onto the Ferrari truck. With the conquest of his third Formula 1 world title, Jackie Stewart confirmed himself as one of the greatest drivers of all time. The Scotsman, who is 34 years old, married and the father of two children, has inherited Jim Clark's legacy. Indeed, this little guy with the long-haired look was able to reach goals that his compatriot had not managed to reach: three world championship victories against two, 27 successes in Grand Prix against 25. And if Fangio retains the record of world championship helmets, no one has never won as many races as Stewart. In Monza, in the Italian Grand Prix, the Scotsman was preceded by Peterson and Fittipaldi, with the Lotus, and by Revson, with the McLaren. Yet, the protagonist of the race was him. The crowd, disappointed by Ferrari's dark performance and cold in the face of the solitary race of the Lotus drivers, throbbed for Stewart's proud comeback and perhaps hoped for him to win. And the fact that fourth place was enough for him to win the title caused an all too impetuous surge of enthusiasm. This hasn't happened since Clay Regazzoni's triumph with Ferrari in 1970. Stewart truly demonstrated his class and experience, supported by a determination and temperament that helps him on every occasion. In Grand Prix, a pit stop for a check or to change a tire - as happened to the Scotsman - becomes crucial. One minute you stop, and the race is lost. Many, afterwards, continue for the honor of signing, at a gentle pace. Stewart, on the other hand, is one of those who never gives up: the public has paid for the ticket, he has contracts to respect and a name to defend. He puts his foot down on the accelerator, then all the way down. He is a true professional, a man who has always strived to minutely analyze every aspect of racing and who leaves little to chance.
"Racing is too serious and dangerous a profession to take lightly. I studied all the safety parameters, not out of fear, but to increase my chances of survival. And I think that the best skill of a driver is knowing exactly his own limits".
Every year Stewart flies 250.000 kilometers and spends $60.000. Races, training, tests, appointments: he is a pilot and a businessman, with a commercial organization behind him, secretaries, a driver to take him from the Clayton House residence, which overlooks Lake Geneva, to international airport.
The World Champion doesn't like driving on normal roads, which he considers more dangerous than tracks. Safety is one of Stewart's favorite themes (the other is making money), which for some years has stood out in this battle waged by pilots between a thousand compromises and interests. The Scotsman saw some friends die, such as Piers Courage and Jochen Rindt, and was shocked. With the weight of his prestige and the more or less direct support of strong financiers such as Ford and Goodyear he led the Grand Prix Drivers Association against the organizers, asking for less dangerous circuits. Yet, Stewart, the champion of safety, was the protagonist of actions and decisions that were at least dubious. At the beginning of the season, in South Africa, he was recalled for overtaking some rivals while the yellow flags were displayed for Regazzoni's accident; in Monte-Carlo he said he was satisfied with the measures taken by the organizers, agreeing to a route that winds between steel strips and houses; in Monza he gave his decisive approval to the two variants, which many of his colleagues judged to be narrow and insidious. Stewart is a godfather of the world of Formula 1, with powerful friends and safe protections. Nobody wants to antagonize him, first and foremost the owners of the circuits. If the Scotsman has something to say, he risks not seeing the riders. The World Champion's position is discussed and criticized by many, Ickx himself spares no harsh words towards him. And British fans do not approve of Stewart's excessive attachment to money, who has taken advantage of his work as a driver to build an advertising empire. However, as a driver Stewart cannot be criticized. He is a true, authentic driving ace, an accountant with temperament. And it is for this reason that we await his decision on the 1974 programs with considerable interest. Is he retiring or not retiring? At 34, the Scotsman has achieved success and earnings from racing like no other driver. He thinks about his family and the possibility of leaving competitions in time, before an accident or a pathetic decay, like Graham Hill. On the other hand, it is difficult to abandon an activity so rich in satisfaction in every sense and also loved, because you don't run and you don't take risks, especially at the beginning, if there is no passion.