This race was notable for a collision involving Jody Scheckter and Emerson Fittipaldi. Scheckter, who was given an opportunity to drive a factory McLaren for this event was leading from the start in just his third Formula One race. On lap 41, Fittipaldi had closed and attempted to pass the South African, but Scheckter closed the door and they made heavy contact, forcing Emerson into retirement. Scheckter continued but retired shortly afterwards with suspension damage. Fittipaldi ran to the McLaren pits, eventually resulting in fierce words between the two drivers. Scheckter claimed years later that Fittipaldi had called him a 'young hooligan' for his role in the incident. At the following race, the 1973 British Grand Prix, Scheckter triggered a multiple collision at the end of the first lap, causing many cars to retire. Many drivers wanted him banned from the sport after the race, but McLaren instead decided to put him on the sidelines for a number of races.
Results
Meanwhile, after so many promising races turned to nothing, Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson finally celebrated victory for the first time in his career, driving a Lotus. Tyrrell driver François Cevert finished in second place, whilst Carlos Reutemann achieved the first podium of his career, finishing third in a Brabham. He was followed by Jackie Stewart's Tyrrell in fourth, Jacky Ickx's Ferrari in fifth, and James Hunt scoring the first point of his F1 career driving a Hesketh-owned March.
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. Only the best 7 results from the first 8 races and the best 6 results from the last 7 races counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
