1973 Swedish Grand Prix

Background

Entry

A total of 29 F1 cars were entered for this event, however only 22 arrived for the race. The field was smaller than usual as there was no time for teams to repair damaged cars after the Monaco, as they had to be transported 1,200 miles from Monaco to Anderstorp.

A number of drivers were missing from action; Arturo Merzario (Scuderia Ferrari), Chris Amon (Martini Racing Team Tecno), Andrea de Adamich (Ceramica Pagnossin Brabham)., David Purley (LEC Refrigeration Racing March) and James Hunt (Hesketh Racing March). Meanwhile, Nanni Galli had decided to retire, so Frank Williams Racing Cars entered Danish driver, Tom Belsø, however it became clear that there was no funding available from his sponsors for the race. Swedish driver, Reine Wisell had rented LEC's March 731.

Qualifying

Ronnie Peterson did not disappoint his fans in qualifying, taking pole in his Lotus 72E from Tyrrell's François Cevert. Cevert came close to taking pole, but Peterson took it by just 0.089 of a second. The World Championship contenders shared the second row, with Jackie Stewart ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi, while Carlos Reutemann and Denny Hulme made the third row.

Qualifying classification

Race

The race was held over 80 laps of the Scandinavian Raceway circuit, in front of a crowd of over 50,000 spectators. There was a delayed start caused by the Grand Prix Drivers' Association complaining about photographers in dangerous places around the circuit.

Emerson Fittipaldi made the best start and grabbed second behind local hero, Ronnie Peterson. The Tyrrell 006 of François Cevert was third with teammate Jackie Stewart behind him. Carlos Reutemann and Denny Hulme completed the top six, although by lap four, the McLaren of Hulme had moved ahead of the Brabham. The order remained stable until Stewart passed Cevert and began to chase the two JPS Lotuses. By this time, Cevert was having trouble with his tyres and dropped back and was overtaken by Hulme on lap 62. Hulme then started close in on Stewart.

For 70 laps it looked like this was going to be a one-two for John Player Team Lotus with Peterson first and reigning World Champion, Fittipaldi second. However disaster struck when Fittipaldi retired with gearbox failure. With just three laps to go, Hulme overtook Stewart, when the Scot suffered a rear brake failure. Hulme quickly closed the gap on the leader, Peterson having major trouble with tyre wear and fighting to stay on the track.

On the 79th and penultimate lap Hulme was able to pass the local hero to snatch victory, the New Zealander's decision to run harder tyres on his McLaren-Cosworth M23 having paid off. Peterson was powerless to defend and eventually finished four seconds adrift in second place, that was as close as any Swede came to winning on home soil. Hulme expressed sadness to "have taken that away from Ronnie." Cevert was a further 10.6 seconds behind Peterson.

Race classification

Notes

• This was the Formula One World Championship debut for Danish driver Tom Belsø. He was the first Danish driver in Formula One.
• This was the 5th pole position and the 10th podium finish for a Swedish driver.
• This race marked the 50th fastest lap set by a Ford-powered car.

Championship standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings

;Constructors' Championship standings

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

References

Name_of_race = Swedish Grand Prix | Year_of_race = 1973 | Previous_race_in_season = 1973 Monaco Grand Prix | Next_race_in_season = 1973 French Grand Prix | Previous_year's_race = 1967 Swedish Grand Prix | Next_year's_race = 1974 Swedish Grand Prix

References

1. (July 1973). "The Swedish Grand Prix". Motorsport.
2. "1973 Swedish Grand Prix Entry list".
3. "Grand Prix Results: Swedish GP, 1973". Grandprix.com.
4. (6 February 2014). "Swedish Grand Prix – WOI Encyclopedia Italia". Wheelsofitaly.com.
5. (17 June 1973). "GP Sweden 1973". Racing Sports Cars.
6. (31 October 2004). "Tom Belsø – Biography". f1rejects.com.
7. (17 June 1973). "GP Sweden 1973 – Entry List". Racing Sports Cars.
8. "GP Sweden 1973 – Qualifying Results". Racing Sports Cars.
9. (17 June 2013). "1973 Swedish GP: Last-lap heartbreak for Peterson at home". F1 Fanatic.
10. "Sweden 1973 - Qualifications".
11. "1973 Swedish Grand Prix". formula1.com.
12. "GP Sweden 1973 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars.
13. "Sweden 1973 - Championship • STATS F1".