It was obvious. There was confirmation, if ever it were needed, of an overwhelming superiority. It has also been proven that the only opponent capable of stopping the triumphal march of the 312-P in this World Sports Championship is the imponderable. At the 1000 km of Francorchamps there were all the conditions to achieve the only exploit that the Maranello team is still missing: all three cars, in formation, on the finish line. On the contrary, the race provided several surprises. On Sunday 7 May 1972, the team formed by Brian Redman and Arturo Merzario won, the only ones who had never established themselves in the Ferrari team until now. Ickx and Regazzoni finished in second place. They were in the lead when, during the final hour. their car went off the track due to the rear tires blowing out at the same time. The Swiss was behind the wheel. The 312-P was able to restart after four laps. Ickx attempted to close the gap, but finished a lap behind. When the car went off the road, it suffered suspension damage: the fact that the Belgian was unable to push hard is demonstrated by the lap times he set in the recovery: they were two seconds higher than those recorded in the first part of the race. Shortly after Regazzoni went off the road, Peterson was involved in an accident in which the car was completely destroyed. The Swedish driver had replaced the Australian Schenken for the last hour of the race. Nothing was done, but the 312 P was in no condition to start again. Thus the possibility of a parade on the finish line has disappeared. The two twists happened in rapid succession: Regazzoni went off the road on lap 54, Peterson on lap 56. Redman and Merzario were able to finish undisturbed, after the misadventures of their teammates, covering the 1000 kilometers in 4 hours. '19"0, at an average of 233.429 km/h. The Englishman and the Italian raced with great regularity. After the first hour of racing, they were in second place, behind Ickx and Regazzoni, but with the same number of laps. After two hours they were in the lead and ahead of the other two 312 Ps, all at 35 laps.
At the start of the final hour they were back in second place, one lap behind the Belgian-Swiss crew's car. Before the accidents, the race was a festival for Ferraris. The pace set by the Italian team was supported only by the Lola-Ford T 280 of Larrousse and De Fierlant for the first hour. Then, they too had to lower their flag and give way to the excessive power of the 312 P. The upheaval caused by Regazzoni and Peterson going off the road was favorable to the 2000 cc Chevron-Ford B 21 of the British Hines and Bridges, who finished in third place, six laps behind Redman and Merzario. Gulf and Lola finished in fourth and fifth position, with engine and brake problems respectively. Once this race of the World Sports Championship has also concluded, we move on to the Formula 1 World Championship. On Tuesday 9 May 1972, workers in vests, almost all Italian, transform the streets of Monte-Carlo into the track which on Sunday 14 May 1972 will welcome 25 cars of Formula 1 (open-wheel single-seater, 3000 cc engines with power from 440 to 480 HP, 550 kg weight, lightning-fast acceleration) for the fourth Grand Prix of the World Championship. It is a race that gives rise to controversy every year: according to many, having men and cars travel on a circuit that winds between pavements, among buildings, hotels and villas is foolish and dangerous madness. This time (it is the thirtieth edition, the first was held in 1929, William won with a Bugatti at an average of 80 km/h, the last saw the success of Stewart with the Tyrrell at an average of 134 km/h) the reasons for discussion are two: the admission of 25 cars to the Grand Prix compared to 16 in 1970 and 18 in 1971 and the moving of the pits from the finish area to the port quay, with consequent modification of that section of the circuit and advancement of the chicane made sadly famous since the burning of Lorenzo Bandini in 1967. Single-seater traffic jam Safety reasons are behind the doubts raised by the two provisions of the Automobile Club of Monaco, organizer of the Grand Prix. What will happen, one wonders, with so many single-seaters crammed into a track just 3,145 meters long? And how will traffic flow in the pit area, with the trajectories of the racing cars and those entering and exiting dangerously mixed? The organizers explain:
"These changes were not wanted by us. In the first case we had to submit to the blackmail of the Formula 1 manufacturers' association, who forced us to accept 28 entries and admit 25 cars to the race, otherwise threatening not to participate in the Grand Prix; in the second, we had to submit to the CSI's invitation to create a section of track for the pits separate from the main one, because otherwise our race would not have been included in the championship".
In Monaco they don't hide that they are worried, especially due to the concomitance of the two innovations. Michel Boeri, president of the Automobile Club, did not want to submit to the manufacturers' aut-aut, communicated to him in Madrid by the secretary of the Association, the Englishman Ferguson, but in the end he had to submit. The problem - it is whispered - was brought to the attention of Prince Rainier and he reportedly said:
"The Grand Prix must be held, at any cost".
And so, hoping in Santa Devota, patron saint of the Principality, the race begins.
"They let us know that they all agreed on the decision. They argue that five cars more or less is not a problem; that the average speed is low; that F1 drivers are not rookies; that the only problem will be a few more overtakings. They are happy...".
Also happy because the salary table, foreseen on the basis of 25 cars, contemplates the outlay of approximately 62.000.000 lire by the organizers of each Grand Prix. The drivers themselves said they accepted the five additional cars. Stewart announced that he agreed and so did, just to mention well-known men, those from Ferrari, from Ickx to Regazzoni, from Peterson to Schenken (who race with March and Surtess in F1). It is logical that the riders say yes: no one wants to exclude colleagues (let's remember the case of Andretti, who did not participate in last year's race having failed to qualify in the tests). However, even if the controversy risks dying out because those directly involved do not protest, but rather are in favor of it, the danger remains. And it should be reported, if only for the public. The second sore point is in the pit area, it was said. The chicane was advanced by a hundred meters, the track was moved from right to left, in the remaining free section (120 meters by 6.5) the service part was created, with the pits on both sides. Those overlooking the port are intended for representative functions for accessory factories, those under the trees, in the center of the two paths, are reserved for the various stables. In case of accidents, an iron door will separate the pit exit from the chicane. There are two problems: first, the entry into the service area of the cars, which come from the pigeon shooting gallery, under the Casino, and the exit of the same after any repairs, an exit which is a few meters from the chicane and which involves the possibility of collisions; second, the distance of the pits from the avenue where the start is given (200 meters, and it is known that the mechanics must stay close to the cars until the engine starts). Mr. Bertellotti and Mr. Sovra, who are part of the organizing commission, explain:
"The design of this area was changed three or four times, listening to the suggestions of Jackie Stewart and Joaquim Bonnier, president of the Pilots' Association. The Automobile Club of Monaco was willing to spend 10-12.000.000 lire to create a platform protruding over the sea at the height of the chicane in order to prevent the trajectories of the single-seaters emerging from it and those of the cars emerging from the garage from mixing. Bonnier said it was useless and that a warning system for the pilots was enough".
The system is this: traffic lights on the race track and on the pit track; no one can get back into the race if the light isn't green. It is clear that the responsibility of the commissioner assigned to this task is very delicate.
"We talked about it with Bonnier, and he wanted a man from his Association".
This man is Vic Elford (Alfa Romeo driver in sports car competitions), who has participated in numerous F1 tests in recent years, including a Monaco Grand Prix. For the entrance to the pits, a canalization line has been traced on the asphalt. The problem of the start has not yet been defined in detail.
Broadly speaking, it should happen like this: departure from the pits of the cars two by two, in the order established by the times obtained in practice (in this way, if an engine doesn't start, the mechanics can intervene), transfer onto the following avenue the famous Gasometer curve maintaining alignment and shooting when the starter flag lowers. Eighty laps, 251 km up and down the Principality. Brake, change, accelerate: an effort for men and machines, the thrill of emotion for a hundred thousand. May Holy Devotee do his duty. Meanwhile, Ferrari proceeds with its tests in view of participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And the highway can also serve this purpose. The Maranello team carries out a series of tests with its Vlttorlosa 312-P on the measured 11 kilometers that Fiat carried out alongside the initial section of the Torlno-Savona, immediately after the Carmagnola toll booth. The purpose of the tests is to fine-tune the red two-seater car in view of the famous French competition, scheduled for 10 and 11 June 1972. The tests begin on Tuesday afternoon with the participation of Brian Redman and Arturo Merzario, who with the 312-P have given the sixth consecutive success to Ferrari in the World Sports Championship, and of Sandro Munari, who is preparing for his debut at the wheel of the powerful car (450 HP, 660 kilograms) in the next Targa Florio. Redman leaves his teammates for Monte-Carlo, where he will take to the track with McLaren-Ford, previously driven by the American Revson. Giacomo Caliri, technical manager of the Sports sector of the Maranello team, and Sandro Colombo, supervisor both in this field and in Formula 1, direct the tests, which had above all the aim of testing some aerodynamic solutions (such as the long tail) and the resistance of the engine - the 12-cylinder boxer - to a continuous commitment at high speeds. In Le Mans, in fact, there is a six kilometer straight on which the cars can reach 1.300-350 km/h on each lap. It is clear that only on Fiat's motorway base was it possible to simulate the conditions of use of the French circuit. The roar of the red car from Maranello and the presence of some 132 sedans used for journalists' tests attract the attention of motorists traveling on the motorway.
And sport and industry demonstrate that they can happily coexist together. With the race at Monaco, taking place only two weekends after the Spanish Grand Prix, there is not much time for any startling new changes to take place, so that the scene when practice start at Monaco on Thursday afternoon is very similar to that which we see at Jarama. Those teams that have returner on bloc to their factories are back again, renew and fresh, while those who stay at Jarama for preparation and then track direct to Monaco all arrive in good time, though not all in good order for the JPS-Lotus team transporter are badly damage when a Spanish driver had crashed head-on into it north of Barcelona. Hastily-hired vans has to be acquired and everything unload and take to Monaco in a bit of a shambles. With the Indy 500 qualifications starting on the same weekend as the Monte-Carlo race, there are some small, but significant changes in the overall scene. Ferrari enter only two cars, for Ickx and Regazzoni as Andrctti are commit to Indianapolis, and the McLaren team have got themselves well organized, dividing their forces to allowing Revson to concentrate on Indianapolis and Hulme to concentrate on Monaco, so that neither of them have to get involved in tiring transatlantic flights. For this race, Revson’s place is take by Redman, straight from his victorious drive at Spa. The B.R.M. team do a minor shuffle with their motley collection of drivers, substituting Marko for Soler-Roig but keeping their strength up to five. Otherwise, everything is as it was in Spain, even to the non-appearance of the Tecno flat-12, though this time both Galli and Bell had been tentatively entered. The B.R.M. team, not quite so deep in the red and white publicity machine of Marlboro cigarettes as previously, had shuffled their cars and drivers so that team leader Beltoise stay with P160/01, but Gethin forsook the P180 and took P160/03, which have been driven by Soler-Roig in Spain; it was Ganley’s turn to has a race in the 1972 model so he takes P180/02, which is going to be the spare car for Beltoise in Spain and which had done the testing the day after the race. Wisell have a change of car, having bent the one he drove in Spain, and has P160/04, which Ganley have driven in Spain, and Marko has a bit of a special, comprising the front half of P153/03 with P160 components forming the rear half, so it is call P153/03. The Elf Team Tyrrell have the usual three Tyrrell cars, 002, 003 and 004, the only change being that Stewart had opted to race the latest one and use his usual one as a training car.
Lotus has no problems, their drivers sticking to their usual cars, Fittipaldi in 72D/R7 and Walker in 72D/R5, and the Ecclestone team likewise are uncomplicated with Hill in the 1972 Brabham BT37/1 and Wilson Fittipaldi in Brabham BT33/3. Ferrari prepare the three cars they had used in Madrid, except that there is something add about the handling of the latest one, No. 8, that Regazzoni had driven in Madrid, so he take over No. 5 again, that Andretti had used in Madrid, the latest car being brought as a spare, Ickx being in No. 6 as usual. The works March drivers are still prepare to struggle with the X-versions of the 721, trying another type of limited-slip mechanism in the differential, and Peterson had 721/1 with the conventional Hewland gearbox layout as a training car. The Matra team have the same two cars for Amon, MS120C/06 being intend as the car for the race, but after practice they decide to use MS120C/04, with a lot of the parts off 06 built on to it. The McLaren team did a rather similar thing for Hulme, M19C/1 being intend for the race, with M19A/1 as a training car, but after Hulme had made identical times in both of them they amalgamate parts of M19A/1, such as the gearbox and aerofoil, onto the new car. Redman drove M19A/2 which is Revson’s normal car. The Williams team and the Eifelland team have no problems, Pescarolo and Pace having the dark blue Marches, 712/3 and 711/3, respectively, and Stommelen had the Eifelland modified March 721/4, now with special alloy wheels of their own design. Finally the Surtees team were as in Spain, except that John Surtees is back from Japan to listen to any complaints, and to complete the list Beuttler is trying again with the neat little March 721G, this time being guarantee a position on the starting grid. There is quite a lot to learn in practice because unlike permanent Autodromes the Monte Carlo circuit is only use once a year and there is no chance for unofficial practice. Apart from accelerating along the road from the old Gasometer hairpin without having to try and read pit signals and pass very close to a milling mob of mechanics, officials, photographers and stationary cars, now when they arrived at Saint Devote corner the road was about 6 ft. narrower because the Armco wall on the inside of the corner have move towards the center of the road, to comply with distance recommendations regarding Armco and solid objects like kerbs or grandstands.
This don’t affect the approach very much, except that the apex of the uphill fast right-hand sweep is now obscured. At the top of the hill, before the approach to the Casino square, the Armco wall on the left of the road is move in towards the center of the road, thus keeping the width between the Armco walls constant instead of widening. The real problem to solve, is the new chicane for now when you left the tunnel you could keep the accelerator hard down to the foot of the hill and along past the back of the new pits, which mean you really have to use the brakes for the new chicane, for not only do you arrive much faster but the left-right-left kink is very tight and slow, and immediately on leaving the kink you had to swoop from the left of the road to the right in order to be place properly for the Tabac corner. If you overcook the braking for the chicane, there is an ample escape road, with an exit out onto the track again control by a hinged bar operate by a marshal. In case of complete brake failure, there is a row of effective-looking spring wire-mesh fences to catch you. Surprisingly, even in the first short practice, in dull but dry conditions, the lap times are not so far different from those of last year, the fastest approach to the slower chicane about equaling out. There are some bothers already in the first practice, Hill’s Brabham set itself alight instead of starting up, and then will not start at all, and Hulme set off in the new McLaren and only do one lap as the clutch will not work, whereas Hill has to kick his heels, Hulme go off in the spare car. Stommelen never arrive with the blue and white Eifelland and Ickx don’t use his spare car, but Amon and Stewart both use theirs. An embarrassment to a lot of will be Grand Prix aces was Redman, who got in Revson’s McLaren, never having driven it before, nor driven at Monaco before, and promptly record ninth fastest time, his only comment being that the McLaren was a lovely car to drive. Hulme corroborate this remark by being second fastest, but his main joy is a psychological one due to having rid himself of the burden of USAC racing and the constant air travel involved. Ickx was fastest, with Regazzoni only half-a-second behind him, but in that half-second were Hulme and Stewart, both in their training cars. Oddly enough Amon was next fastest, also in his training car. In the last mad rush before practice end Chapman send Fittipaldi out on some different Firestone tyres but they don’t work too well, otherwise he will have higher than sixth fastest.
The tests for the Monaco Grand Prix opened in the elegant setting of the Principality with a tug of war between organizers and manufacturers. Theme: the admission of 25 cars to the race and the payment of over 50.000.000 lire in prizes and wages by Monte-Carlo managers. The signature of the president of the Automobile Club of Monaco, Michel Boeri, is missing from the agreement document, delaying the act until the very end. The representative of the Formula 1 manufacturers, the Englishman Ferguson, gives Boeri an either/or: either he signs or there is no single-seater on the track. Boeri capitulates after a long discussion in the seaside garage that houses the stables present in Monaco and after receiving the approval of the CSI, security section; and, finally, with about thirty minutes late than the scheduled time, training begins, which lasts just an hour. From this limited test session emerges Jacky Ickx with the Ferrari. Ferrari already appears to be on point. The cars don't suffer from the excess oversteer seen in Spain and both Ickx and Regazzoni don't struggle much to bring Mannello's team the best overall and overall result of the day. A result that gives rise to hope. But more than the tests, the topics that attract the interest of technicians and spectators are the number of cars admitted to the Monaco Grand Prix and the arrangement of the pit area and the chicane. The drivers reiterate their agreement to the presence of 25 single-seaters on the track. Jacky Ickx says:
"Safety doesn't decrease, at most there will be a few more overtakings to do. In about twenty laps at least five or six cars will stop; therefore, the problem will be solved immediately, assuming it exists. The public will have more fun, as they will be able to see a greater number of competitors competing".
The CIS also expresses its assent and mourners, therefore, should be calm. The tone of opinions changes towards the chicane. Nobody is happy, even if everyone agrees that it was necessary to separate the pits from the track and that therefore moving the chicane was essential. It goes from:
"They are crazy".
Said by Andrea de Adamich, concisely:
"Better than nothing".
Expressed by Stewart, who collaborated on the chicane arrangement. It is once again Ickx who takes stock of the situation.
"There are four reasons for doubt. The S of the chicane is too narrow; the loophole at its side is short: if we arrive long and fail to take the variant, it is difficult to stop in time; the base of the chicane is protected by a wooden riser, built with sleepers; anyone who ends up on it with a wheel risks breaking the suspension; the traffic light that is intended to warn us of a possible danger or obstacle present within the chicane, and place it too close to it and for us at Ferrari, who have the garage with the signals a few meters before, it becomes complicated to look from two sides".
As for the garage area. the entrance from the track is excessively fast and there is the risk that a car coming out of the pigeon shooting tunnel will hit anyone traveling along the deceleration strip.
"There is a bump that hides the variant".
Regazzoni is less worried:
"Just set the trajectory further inland, towards the rock face".
Bonnier, president of the GPDA, and Elford, in charge of managing box-chicane traffic, naturally defend the development of the area, although it is also their work.
"The chicane is narrow, because it has to be slow. Pilots must not be able to attack it too forcefully. Furthermore, in this way, those who leave the pits move at the same speed as their racing colleagues in a few meters".
Today everything went well and Etlord was very good at controlling the red-green traffic light, located at the exit of the pit area. after a large iron mesh door that separates the service area from the actual track. A door that evokes the lions at the circus and the entrance to the arena. In Monte-Carlo this old image of the world of Grand Prix found real concreteness for the first time. The next practice is on Friday morning, from 8:40 a.m. to 10:10 a.m. (approximately) and things start to get really serious. The two Ferraris are first away, determined to set the pace, and both drivers are trying very hard indeed, Regazzoni looking smooth on the downhill part after the Casino square, and Ickx going through the square in a most impressive fashion. Hulme and Redman ran in close company for a while, picking up points from each other, and Emerson Fittipaldi ran behind his brother for a time, presumably to see how he is getting on. Having go by, Emerson show tremendous smoothness and consistency, his judgement of distances from some of the unprotect kerbs be nice to watch. Hailwood is flopping his Surtees over into the sharp corners as if it was a heavy ungainly motorcycle and when ask about the action enquir as to how he ought to be doing it. Lap times are soon well below the existing record, which Stewart set last year at 1 min. 22.2 sec. and the Ferraris and Fittipaldi are setting the pace while Stewart was getting left behind, his supporters muttering about him having the wrong tyres, but Hulme who is also on Goodyears spend a lot of time tailing the number one Tyrrell and leaning heavily on it on the corners until Stewart begin to get rather ragged in his cornering.
Hulme is in a very happy mood, Stewart isn’t; probably because he has other things on his mind and Hulme has’t. If Ford are grateful to Stewart last year for keeping a Cosworth V8 engine ahead of the opposition, this year they have to thank Fittipaldi E. for he has his Lotus 72 well ahead of a solid row of 12-cylinder machines led by the two Ferraris, the others being Beltoise and Gethin with BRMs and Amon with the Matra, Stewart being behind Hulme in eighth place. Fittipaldi and the two Ferrari drivers are well below the old lap record and the rest tail along behind, some like Pescarolo and Redman showing good form, some like Cevert and Schenken being uninspiring, some having troubles and others being completely out of their depth, but all doing their best to justify their presence in this Grand Prix. The attack on King Stewart continues. In the foreground are Lotus and Ferrari: Emerson Fittipaldi was the fastest in the second practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix, ahead of Ickx and Regazzoni by a whisker. Ickx said he was convinced he could lower this limit. He succeeded (and by almost 2 seconds), but like him, nine other drivers did it, in particular Fittipaldi. The Brazilian driver and Lotus are going through a favorable moment, as demonstrated by the recent victory in Madrid and the Brazilian's position in the Formula 1 World Championship standings (he is in the lead, with 15 points, equal with Hulme). The black-gold British single-seater has its best weapon in its set-up: on the tortuous and undulating Monte-Carlo circuit it seems glued to the asphalt; It enters and exits corners smoothly, without rolling or pitching. It looks like a radio-controlled toy. Today he only had some problems with the brakes, especially the right front tended to lock up, so much so that Fittipaldi risked hitting the guardrail at the chicane. The Brazilian driver says:
"Compared to last year, both of us have improved: the car and me. Lotus in 1971 was not in place with suspension. Colin Chapman redesigned them and they look great now. The engine situation has also changed: we now have the latest series Cosworths, which are equipped with better maximum torque. Last season I drove to the limit of my possibilities, not to those of Lotus, as is happening in these Grand Prix. If Stewart were in my place, he could perhaps be a little faster than me, but only slightly, and only because of his greater experience".
Fittipaldi believes that the fight for the title is very open, that Lotus, Ferrari, Tyrrell and McLaren constitute the best complexes, in terms of cars, drivers and organisation, that Stewart, who will have a new version of the Tyrrell in the next Belgian Grand Prix, is always the man to beat and that in Monte-Carlo Ickx and Regazzoni should consider themselves favorites.
"I did a few laps with Clay, and I was impressed by the acceleration of his Ferrari".
In fact, the engines that the Maranello team brought to the Principality enter maximum torque starting from 7.000 RPM (in Spain the minimum limit was 8.000 RPM). Even though Ferrari lost first place, it remains the team with the best overall performance, without considering that there is just 0.25s between Fittipaldi and Ickx. Lotus's second driver, Walker, set the fourteenth fastest time. The cars and men are doing very well: the improvement process continues and the level of high performance (such as the 312-P sport) which the Italian technicians are aiming for with calm determination should not be far off. Meanwhile, the development of the two Ferraris continued, with tire tests. It is interesting to note that the Firestone ones are behaving better than the Goodyear ones (here with a new compound) and that within the first brand the most efficient - given the efforts imposed on the tires and the frequent, exasperated accelerations - is the type with harder dough (the same one that gave Fittipaldi success in Spain). Regazzoni found himself at ease with a mixed solution, i.e. front tires with soft compound and rear tires - the driving ones - with hard compound. Alchemy in pursuit of the tenth of a second. The third and final practice session is on Saturday afternoon and it look like being a really super thrash round, for all the quick drivers have got the measure of the new layout and honor is at stake, to say nothing of the necessity to be in the first two or three rows of the start, with the grid being form up in staggered pairs. It will has a wonderful practice session has it not rain. It rain all afternoon. In spite of this all but Hulme and Marko go out on big knobbly rain tyres and most of them took an excursion up the escape road at the chicane, while Stommelen had a slight bump with a barrier. About the only ones who didn’t overshoot the braking past the pits were Stewart and Fittipaldi. Both Ickx and Regazzoni go out in the spare Ferrari and Wilson Fittipaldi only just manage one lap, with no time, as his fuel pumps were playing up. It is significant that Ickx, Regazzoni and Fittipaldi E. are still the three fastest, with Hailwood fourth fastest. It's a wet racing season. It rained in the Principality of Monaco and therefore the situation remained the same as Friday, with Emerson Fittipaldi and Lotus and Ickx, Regazzoni and Ferrari at the top. Hulme, with McLaren, and Stewart, with Tyrrell, will start together on the fourth row. Fittipaldi and Ickx comment on this:
"Very good, at the start we will have two very strong opponents less to watch".
The start of a Grand Prix is always a crucial moment, but in Monte-Carlo being able to start from the top positions is a necessity due to the characteristics of the circuit, which is narrow, full of curves and ups and downs and offers few points for overtaking. Furthermore, 25 cars will take to the track: an excessive and dangerous crowding, especially in the first laps, when the group is still compact. Addressing the chicane at the head of the race could also offer a double advantage: setting the trajectory of the car in the best way and avoiding the risk of a traffic jam or, let's face it, any accidents. The rain naturally made the technicians' predictions converge on Ickx, who is considered one of the best specialists on wet terrain. Fittipaldi also stated this.
"Jacky is too good when it rains".
The Belgian driver laughs at his rival's compliment:
"It's easier to defend yourself from a possible defeat by stating before the start that the others are better: well, I'd better declare that Emerson is very good".
Ickx is calm. The 312-B is fine. On Saturday both Ickx and Regazzoni's cars had new engines and the gear ratios had been slightly changed. The tests served to break in the brake pads and tires and to gather data on the adjustments to be made on the suspension in case it continues to rain tomorrow.
"Don't think that I prefer the rain. This is a tight circuit, where you have to be careful at every point, without a moment's rest. With water you go more slowly, but the effort increases because the asphalt becomes slippery and it takes a moment to skid touching the guardrail or the pavements".
In Monte-Carlo, the drivers make 16-18 gear changes every lap, from second used at the chicane and the gasometer and old station curves to fifth, inserted in the descent that leads to the chicane. That is, you go from 70-80 km/h to 250 km/h, in a frenetic succession of braking, gear changes and accelerations that exasperate the brakes, transmissions and engines. The skill of the driver must be accompanied by the resistance of the mechanical vehicle, of these roaring single-seaters imprisoned with their 450-480 HP between hotels and buildings. The theme of the Monaco Grand Prix is therefore that of the challenge between Ickx and Fittipaldi, even if the Belgian and the Brazilian prefer to include other names in the dispute, from Regazzoni (and rightly so, because the Swiss is in a happy mood and just needs a pinch of luck to renew the success of Monza '70) in Hulme, from Beltoise to Gethin, competitive with the B.R.M. (by the way, in the first three rows, five out of six cars have 12-cylinder engines), from Amon with the Matra-Simca to Stewart. Well, the Scotsman is perhaps the enigma of the race. He never emerged in the tests, his Tyrrell had set-up and tire problems, he no longer seems like last year's superman. For Stewart, who is waiting for a new version of his single-seater, it is a delicate moment. The man-chassis-engine-tyres complex is no longer perfect and, at the same time, the rival teams have improved, especially Ferrari and Lotus. However, it is logical to believe that the World Champion - winner in Argentina but forced to retire in South Africa and Spain - will try to keep his scepter. This is another reason for interest and suspense in a Grand Prix that makes us tremble and which has seen an imprudent disclaimer of responsibility on the part of many. On Sunday, May 14, 1972, a thirty-minute session of extra practice is allow and in the midst of it Prince Rainier, and his family arrived accompany by a police escort and various other ministerial cars, and as the royal procession enjoy the circuit at the Gasometer hairpin and drive along to the start line and the royal box they are overtake by the Grand Prix cars, the drivers wondering who they have let all the traffic onto the circuit. Fortunately no one is unruly enough to shake a fist at the royal cars, though there are some very funny sideways glances.
And the rain pour down on everyone. The cars eventually return to the pits, further consultations are held and then some official warm-up laps are do and the cars assemble in pairs, Stommelen being the odd man at the back. Only a few minutes late the 25 cars leave the pit area, led by Fittipaldi and Ickx and toured round to the starting grid which is in its usual position on the land side of the up-and-down leg of the circuit. An orange clad marshal, with a pole carrying the car’s number, was allot to each of the 25 runners and he stay opposite his car’s starting position so that the driver could see where to stop and the result is very orderly. When all the marshals with their poles have move back, all is ready and with the rain still teeming down the start is give. The sight is really indescribable as all 25 cars roar away in a dense cloud of spray and as the leaders head for Saint Devote corner. Beltoise manages to pass Ickx on the inside and go away up the hill in the lead. With a clear road ahead Beltoise make the most of his opportunities, like a rally driver ahead of the dust-clouds, and he pull out a huge lead with Regazzoni, Fittipaldi and Ickx charging after him, followed by Amon, Stewart, Gethin and the two McLarens and then the spray is so thick and constant that the rest of the field are just shadows in the mist. The first four soon begin to pull away and then on lap 5 Regazzoni go up the escape road at the chicane and Fittipaldi, see only a cloud of spray with a red light in the middle, follow him, which let Ickx into second place. As a race for the lead it is all over, the whole question is whether Jean-Pierre Beltoise could keep the B.R.M. on the island for the Whole 80 laps, always assuming the Stewards are going to let the race run its full distance. The little Frenchman is inspire and driving with almost a touch of desperation giving the feeling that he has rather die than give up the lead of the Monaco Grand Prix.
For about 20 laps he drive on the very edge of disaster, the steering of the B.R.M. being work overtime in his endeavours to keep the car pointing more or less in the right direction. After that he find a rhythm and settled down looking more and more confident as time go on. Behind him, there is nothing Ickx could do, the Ferrari looking a lot more secure that the B.R.M., but never close enough to be a danger, unless of course, Beltoise made a mistake. Fittipaldi hung on to the two Ferraris for a time, but gradually drop back, not looking very happy on the streaming wet roads and neither did the other South Americans. Gethin is enjoying himself in seventh place, pushing up close behind Stewart and eventually overtaking the World Champion for a few laps and then there is a long gap before Hailwood arrive leading the rest of the field. Hulme and Redman has been in this gap, but on lap 7 they have both go straight on at the chicane losing a lot of places before they could rejoin the race. The rain still pour down and Walker stop at the pits to have a chat about the funny handling of his Lotus, but if you can keep a car on the road at all the handling must have be marvellous. There are not many drivers who don’t go up an escape road or have a spin at some time during the afternoon and of those that hit things and put themselves out of the race it is amazing that no one was hurt, but as the race average was barely 60 m.p.h. and most drivers are: averaging under 60 m.p.h. the whole thing look far more dicey and dangerous than it actually was. The only concession the weather make is to occasionally ease off so that the rain don’t actually bounce up off the road, but such light spells don’t last long. Just after half-distance the rain is really terrific and still Beltoise led, skating from side to side of the road in places, but never actually hitting anything. Ickx kept on behind him and Regazzoni lost a bit of ground. After Gethin’s little effort Stewart seemed to wake up, throw all excuses to one side and put on a superb display of wet weather driving, catching and passing Gethin’s B.R.M. then hauling in Regazzoni’s Ferrari, and then begin gaining on Ickx. While this is going on Gethin hit the chicane fair and square, and while the wreckage is being picked off the center island, those following are divert up the escape read and through the emergency exit. Most surprisingly there are still 22 cars running, not all of them enjoying it, but at least they are keep going.
By lap 43 Stewart is within sight of Ickx’s Ferrari, or to be more precise the spray in which the Ferrari is envelop, but then the Scot has an enormous spin, which put him right back to square one behind Regazzoni, but undaunted he start all over again to catch the Ferraris. As he got the first Ferrari in sight again Hailwood slowing his Surtees a bit earlier than usual for the Gasometer hairpin and Ganley’s P180 B.R.M. hit the Surtees fair and square in the back. The chisel nose go under the gearbox protection bar, bend it all upwards and tore the main pipe out of the oil tank. With its front crumple the B.R.M. is out and Hailwood round the hairpin and come to rest by Saint Devote having unknowingly laid a long trail of Duckhams 20/50 along the ground. The oil float about on top of the water on the road and make pretty patterns, but also make the whole area really perilous for quite a long time. In his haste to fend off Stewart, Regazzoni lost control on the oil and hit the harriers, letting Stewart back into third place and putting himself out of the race. The Tyrrell now begin to get water-logged and the ignition began to suffer, the engine sounding rough and losing power so that Stewart’s efforts are forced to ease off. Cevert in the second Tyrrell is in similar trouble and had stop at the pits for quite a time to try and get things dry out, but with no great success. Sounding rougher and rougher Stewart’s car going slower and slower, but he struggle on, being caught and pass by Fittipaldi in the closing laps and being lap by Beltoise and Ickx. Both the leading B.R.M. and the Ferrari have anxious moments when water got into the electrics or the injection system, but things dry out and they are hack onto their full 12-cylinders again. The last five laps are really painful for Stewart and the leading pair lap him again, but he is able to maintain fourth place to the finish. Quite early on Hulme give up and just toured round, it not being his idea of motor racing, but Redman continue to try hard and doing his best and he is rewarding with fifth place, ahead of Amon, who is far from being 100% fit, and the Matra V12 has go in fits and starts. In such appalling conditions it is impossible to use the full potential of any of the cars and the result was a remarkable degree of reliability, eighteen of the starters still running at the end. The Formula 1 World Championship is increasingly balanced. The dispute becomes exciting and expands to ever new protagonists.
Under the downpour that fell in Monte-Carlo, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, 35 years old, French, who everyone knows above all for the role he played in the tragedy of Ignazio Giunti, rose to prominence. Beltoise had never won a Grand Prix in five years. He succeeded by taking the success away from Ickx and Ferrari, while Emerson Fittipaldi and Stewart were never able to get into the thick of the battle. Regazzoni, with the second Ferrari, ended up on the guardrails that enclose the famous gasometer curve. A slippery and treacherous point, which blocked the momentum of the Swiss, who was in third position. Champagne for Beltoise and a coke for Ickx at the end of the Monaco Grand Prix. The Frenchman is then taken around the circuit to celebrate the victory, while the Belgian leaves for Brussels with his wife Catherine. The French driver says, at the end of the race:
"I got off to a good start at the start while Ickx and Fittipaldi looked at each other. They skated in acceleration and I overtook them. I couldn't wait for the race to end. In the first laps the visibility was good for me, but then, with lapping the first cars, I also found myself enveloped in whirlwinds of water. The track was slippery, there was a lot of oil. I don't like racing in the wet, but I know the circuit and I tried to exploit this advantage. I had some moments of fear: at the Gasometer, a point where it was difficult to keep the car on the road when braking, and at the chicane, where I risked crashing in the initial stages. The B.R.M. engine reaches maximum torque at 7,500 RPM, but this time I would have I wanted the limit to be 5000 RPM. I must say, however, that I was convinced I could win, despite Ickx and Fittipaldi: my car is light and powerful".
Ickx, for his part, says:
"The race was decided from the start. I have the impression that Beltoise and others took action a few moments early. Then, it wasn't possible to go any faster: the track was slippery and Ferrari has a lot of horsepower which complicates the situation on these occasions. My visor fogged up and for a few laps I could barely see the road. On the last lap Peterson hit me with his nose while we were on the descent that leads from the Casino to the sea".
The Belgian turns to engineer Colombo, supervisor of Ferrari:
"Thank you engineer, and sorry: I hope to win once again".
Columbus replies:
"We can be satisfied with Ickx's placement. It would have been nicer to win, yes, but on such a slippery track, the race became a lottery. Now we wait for Belgium and the Nivelles track, faster than Monte-Carlo, for a global evaluation of the work carried out on the 312-B2".
Regazzoni adds:
"Here I can never get anything done. I was overtaking a lapped road at the Gasometro curve and ended up in a section full of oil. The car slipped away and I couldn't control it. I did what Brabham did two years ago: a big bang against the guardrail. Stewart had spun into a tailspin at the Casino shortly before, but without any damage. A question of luck".
But it must be said that at the start of the Grand Prix the Swiss had some problems with the brakes, because the pads - due to Saturday's rain, which prevented him from lapping properly - were not run in perfectly. Finally, the designer of B.R.M., Southgate, concludes by saying:
"It was a fantastic race, a superb driver, a good car and great tyres. That's why we won".
It must be said that Stewart's throne is under attack from multiple directions and that the Scotsman is trying to resist as best he can. After Hulme with McLaren and Fittipaldi with Lotus, this Beltoise with B.R.M. he has demonstrated that he can include himself in the list of candidates for the world title. A day of talent, perhaps, but the Frenchman showed commitment and skill to be respected on an acrobats circuit. And his pot-bellied B.R.M. it is worthy of admiration for the good performance achieved. Beltoise, after the disappointments with Matra, has found his car and the English brand, which lost Rodriguez and Siffert last year, has a top-class driver again. As in Spain, Ferrari and Ickx had to settle for second place. The men of the Maranello team and the thousands of Italians who patiently braved the rain to invade the Principality were hoping for success. However, there is no need to complain. The much discussed 312-B2 has now found the path to best performance. Ickx and Regazzoni had two very competitive cars, as the events of the race demonstrate. This is the important thing as it deserves to be underlined that the Belgian has now moved into second position in the World Championship ranking: 16 points against Fittipaldi's 19. The challenge is wide open and Ickx has excellent chances. After all, the Monaco Grand Prix was practically decided at the start. Under the water, as the starter's flag lowered, Beltoise passed Fittipaldi and Ickx, and faced the Casino climb at the head of the group. The Frenchman, with the track free of obstacles and better visibility than that of his colleagues behind him, was able to gain a gap of seconds in just a few laps which allowed him to tackle initial overtaking with greater peace of mind.
It was still fun to see Beltoise shake his fist at each driver he had to pass and then turn the threat into a polite nod of thanks. Ickx was the only one to threaten Beltoise, but the Belgian never gave the feeling of being able to catch up to the Frenchman. The two men and two cars had an exceptional race, but by some distance. Beltoisha edged out Ickx in the early stages of the competition. Ickx reduced the deficit after half the race, but it should be noted that at a certain moment even Mr. Stanley, owner of B.R.M., took advantage of his imperturbability to leap onto the track and signal his driver to slow down. The risk of a spin was too high. Saint Devote, patroness of the Principality, has once again fulfilled her duty. Nothing serious happened to the roaring ghosts with the pathetic red rear light that circled the ups and downs of the circuit. A festival of skids, crashes against guardrails and sidewalks (from Schenken to Pescarolo, from Regazzoni to Hulme and Stewart), of rear-end collisions (Ganley, Hailwood, Peterson). Someone continued, someone stopped, no one was hurt. At the chicane, about ten drivers entered the loophole, and only one crashed into the barrier that delimited it: Gethin, with one of the five B.R.M. took to the track. The reporting service was ready and the other arriving single-seaters were allowed to continue along the line, therefore, it is positive: an electrifying race, a suspense with a happy ending, a test that cannot have disappointed the Ferrari fans, because Ferrari is coming back strong. In a month we will race in Belgium, on a real circuit and not on a toy track. Hulme, Fittipaldi, Beltoise: at home, will Ickx find the path to success again.