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On Sunday morning there is a short session of practice which is untimed, for doing final adjustments, and during this the engine in Depaillier’s Tyrrell went off song and would not pull over 8,000 r.p.m., so it was promptly whipped out and a new one installed. As the cars left the paddock to drive round to the pits Reutemann’s Brabham is having some issues with the gears, the clutch withdrawal race having seized, so while everyone else went off to sit in the sun and watch the off-duty film stars, off-duty drivers, and on-duty Royalty parade around the pits and starting area, the Brabham mechanics split the transmission from the engine and fitted a new mechanism, joining the social scene in the pits in plenty of time. Ferrari have their new spare car, 012, under a sheet, as did the Tyrrell team with 006/2, both cars being race-prepared in case of emergency. Both Lotus drivers are in last year’s cars, Peterson in 72/R8 and Ickx in 72/R5, the latter once more taking part in a race after having been pensioned-off for Chapman’s own personal museum. The Belgian driver is using the special fast-torque-curve engine, deciding it put less strain on the transmission even if it was no faster. Fittipaldi’s McLaren is in long wheelbase form, with the top rear radius arms anchored on the cylinder heads, this geometry giving anti squat when accelerating, thus keeping the nose level, whereas Hulme have his car set up with the radius rods anchored on the mono coque, as originally designed, he's not minding the back sinking and nose rising when accelerating; his car is also using the long wheelbase spacer between the engine and gearbox. Hailwood is using the older of his two cars, with a medium-length wheelbase, and the Yardley management are smiling contentedly at seeing their car ahead of the two Texaco-Marlboro ones on the grid.
A-for-effort certainly goes to Jarier, who had his Shadow on the third row of the grid, and also to Brambilla who is up amongst some quite well-known names. After Prince Rainieri and his Princess had opened the circuit officially and the coursecars had circulated, the racers goes off on a warm-up lap. While they're out it is interesting to reflect that as long ago as 1936 Prince Rainieri had been involved in the racing at Monaco, for in that year the voiturette race, the equivalent of the Formula Three race today, is for the Prince Rainieri Cup. Thanks to his enthusiasm for racing in his Principality the Grand Prix takes place every year, and he and Princess Grace always watch from the Royal Box, unfortunately not the best place for seeing the action, and they always present the cup to the winner. All the twenty-five contestants have returned from their warm-up lap and they're lined up on the dummy-grid, all that is except Depaillier who shot into the pits with petrol pouring from his fuel-injection metering-unit. There is no time for repairs and poor Depaillier is bundled into the spare car, that had not been used throughout practice, and while it is warmed up he's wheeled to the back of the grid, the start being delayed just long enough for him to join in. It's a bitter blow for the little Frenchman and the Tyrrell team, for the two Tyrrell drivers were all set for a good race from their positions of fourth and fifth fastest times. It is Regazzoni who led up the hill from the start, with Lauda, Jarier, Peterson and Reutemann in hot pursuit. As the mid-field runners raced up the hill Hulme somehow got himself out of the crocodile and nobody seemed disposed to let him back in again, with the result that his McLaren tangled wheels with the B.R.M. of Beltoise. The McLaren is left stuffed into the guard-rail while Beltoise carried on with his right rear suspension broken.
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This coming together caused a chain-reaction among those following with Brambilla running the nose of his March under the back of Merzario’s car, which rammed Redman’s Shadow and punted into Pace’s Surtees. Schenken managed to stop in time to avoid all this and is promptly rammed by Schuppan in the Ensign, while Ickx knocked his front fins awry as he skated through the traffic. When the dust settled Hulme’s McLaren looks unmovable on the left of the road, and the cars of Pace, Merzario and Redman are dragged through a gap in the barriers. Schenken went as far as the sea-front before he realised he was losing oil from a broken cooler, and Behoise and Brambilla dragged themselves back to the pits to retire. while Schinsean also got back and after having the nose patched up he rejoined the race. Out in front, in the important part of the race, Regazzoni and Lauda are leading Jarier and Peterson, with Reutemann, Scheckter, Hunt and Hailwood following; then there is a long gap in which the crashers should have been, before Fittipaldi arrived, leading the remains of the field, the Brazilian is not at his best due to fighting off attacks of flu. The multiple crash has not affected the race itself, for those that are out to win they're well out in front and can look forward to a good race with less traffic about. Although it is a Ferrari 1-2, it is the wrong way round, for Lauda that now, on lap three, have Peterson fight up his exhaust pipes, the Swede having nipped by Jarier. These four are pulling away from the rest, and Jarier’s brio is appreciated by everyone, while a little way back Hailwood pass Hunt and set about catching Scheckter. While the leading four are establishing the pace drivers are coming back from the first lap crash, Merzario, Redman, Hulme and Pace getting rounds of applause from the crowd. As the leaders finished the sixth lap Peterson clipped a barrier with a rear wheel, as he head's into the final hairpin, and promptly spun. Jarier, Scheckter and Hailwood are passing by while the Lotus is going backwards.
Just as Peterson was sorting himself out Reutemann arrived and ran over the front of the Lotus, breaking the rear suspension of his Brabham. The Lotus withstood the shock and Peterson charged off in sixth place, leaving a very disgruntled Reutemann to retire. It is quite clear that Regazzoni is holding up Lauda, and in consequence allowing Jarier to keep up with them, while a little way back Peterson is pressing hard on HaiIwood and Scheckter, trying to regain his place up with the leaders. Schuppan lost control a the Ensign on the cement dust that had been spread over the oil dropped by Schenken, and he spun into the guardrail at the corner leading into the Casino Square with his being removed in the blink of an eye. Just a few seconds and Hailwood arrives and do the same thing and his bent McLaren is pushed down the slot with the Ensign. Crashes are still the order of the day among the lesser lights, and Stuck and Hunt collide! The Hesketh suffered a damaged right rear wheel rim, while the March launched into the air to come crashing down on the pavement and skate helplessly down the footpath towards the Mirabeau hairpin and crash into the guardrail, while Hunt continued on his way. Migault is entering into the Saint Devote corner with his right front brake locked on solid, and on that same lap he went straight on at the chicane smashing the front of the B.R.M. With the race barely under way there are only thirteen cars left running, but the leading group is still racing hard and untroubled by slower cars. At nineteen laps Peterson pass Scheckter, just as the leading trio is lapping Pescarolo. The two Ferraris nipped by with no trouble, but Jarier got baulked going into Saint Devote and lost a lot of ground, shaking his fist at Pescarolo as he passed him up the hill to the Casino. Peterson went through the corner on full noise, and gained a lot of ground on the Shadow as he went up the hill. As Regazzoni is finishing his twenty-first lap in the lead he goofed at the final hairpin and spun, letting Lauda, Jarier, Peterson and Scheckter go by, joining in again behind them in fifth place.
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Lauda now have a clear run and quickly pulled away from Jarier, who have Peterson’s Lotus right under the tail of his Shadow, but not for long, for on lap twenty-five the Swede pss him by and will try to catch Lauda. After twentyeight laps there are just three seconds between the Ferrari and the Lotus, and Lauda is looking anything but confident, while Peterson looks in terrific form and his sheer determination could be heard coming out of the exhaust pipes of his Cosworth engine. Almost unnoticed Hunt retired with a broken drive-shaft on the left side of his Hesketh, and Icks is called into his pit as a piece of a rear wheel rim was found in the road, While the wheel is changed, a new nose is also fitted, to replace the tattered looking one that was falling apart, and he rejoined the race at the back. of the depleted field. As we entered lap thirty Peterson have the Ferrari well in view, and although he's driving hard, he's gaining too rapidly for the well-being of the Ferrari.In fact, on n lap thirty-one, the crispness was gone from the Ferrari exhaust note, and on the next lap the Lotus is right alongside as the Ferrari engine began to die with ignition trouble. While Peterson swept on into a commanding lead poor Lauda came to rest on the section of the circuit, the ignition system failing completely. While this had been happening Jarier was having problems, inadvertently switching off the ignition as he twirled the steering wheel, so that Scheckter caught and passed him. The South African was driving a good steady and hard race, so once by the Shadow there was no hope of Jailer regaining his position. A rather deflated Regazzoni is dropping hack, but safely in fourth place, while a long way back the ill-at-case Fittipaldi is embarrassed by John Watson in the Hexagon Brabham BT42, the Irishman is really enjoying himself and trying on all sides to pass the works McLaren. By half-distance, which is 39 laps, there are only ten cars left running.
Also Ickx quietly disappeared when his special Cosworth engine destroyed itself, and at the back of the field the two additions to the grid, Edwards and Pescarolo are having a merry little race. Graham Hill is not lapped yet, is in seventh place, and Depaillier is earning himself a medal for trying, holding eighth place in the unpractised Tyrrell 006/2. It is now all over as far as excitement has concerned, Peterson driving smoothly and regularly, reeling off the laps completely unchallenged. Scheckter continuing in a firm second place, followed by Jarier and Regazzoni, while Watson is still trying to get by Fittipaldi, the rather unwell Brazilian wishing the troublesome Irishman may go away. To add to the ex-World Champion’s troubles Peterson lapped him on lap 59. That gived the brazilian a thrill. Seems like he wake up and he's now driving harder, keeping up with his old teammate. It is all rather pointless, but no doubt boosted up his ego. Depaillier feels his Tyrrell beginning to handle in a peculiar manner and stopping at the pits it was discovered that a wheel nut was coming loose. After having it tightened he rejoined the race, but he's now completely last, a position that he really did not deserve. Peterson finishes his seventy-eighth lap and received the chequered flag and he's overjoyed, as well as Team Lotus, who were beginning to wonder what had happened to their habit of winning races. Scheckter gives the Tyrrell team a most worthy second place, well run and sound, though not a fighting second, and Jarier is the blue-eyed new-boy for his courageous battle in the opening stages, and a good third place. Regazzoni is a dissatisfied fourth, conscious of having thrown the race away by spinning, Fittipaldi finished uninspiring fifth and John Watson a deserved sixth, while the Lola team happy to have both their cars finish in good order, though Edwards had a deflating rear tyre towards the end.
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Luca Flaminio