Monaco Grand Prix

Monte Carlo, 3 Jun 1973

All cars are 3-litre F1 unless noted.

Sources

The identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' original results.

3-litre Formula 1 World Championship events 1966-1985

These 1966 to 1985 results were initially compiled by Allen Brown, but these were in the very basic form required to track individual car histories. Since then further details, such as laps completed, qualifying times and so on, have been added from Rob Ryder's extensive database.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can help with our research.

Individual sources for this event

Autosport 7 June 1973 pp14-23 (by Pete Lyons). Motoring News 7 June 1973 pp14-17 (by 'ARM' Andrew Marriott). Motor Sport July 1973 pp741-744 and 'Notes on the cars at Monte Carlo' p744 (by 'DSJ' Denis Jenkinson).

There were two entries from each of Lotus, Ferrari, Tyrrell, McLaren, Shadow, Surtees and Williams, three each from Brabham and BRM; and one each from March and Tecno. The independents were Space Racing with the stockbroker March, Embassy Racing with Hill's Shadow, and two newcomers Lec Refrigeration with a March 731 for David Purley, and Hesketh Racing with a March 731 for their driver James Hunt, bringing the total to 26. Lyons counted 31 cars present. Hesketh's name had been on the entry for Hunt's hired Surtees TS9B at the Race of Champions, but this was the debut of Lord Hesketh's independent team, with Bubbles Horsley as team manager, and development engineer Harvey Postlethwaite leaving March to be technical manager. It was based at Lord Alexander Hesketh's Towcester home, and for Monaco his lordship also had the largest boat in the harbour. Purley's car was being run from the March factory using March mechanics, with Bobby Evans as "technical liaison manager".

The five spare cars were Fittipaldi's Lotus 72, Peterson having only one car since damaging his other car in practice at Zolder, Stewart's Tyrrell 005 which was back in standard front-radiator spec, Hulme's McLaren M23, the fourth BRM P160E, and a third Surtees TS14A. The two Ferraris had identification plates on the rear aerofoil mountings as well as in the cockpit, but had swapped those mountings, so that chassis 010 had 011 on the aerofoil mount and 011 had 010. Fortunately, Jenkinson noted this and mentioned it or Ferrari might have sold the cars the wrong way round again, as they did with 312B/003 and 312B/004. The four March 731s were explained in some detail by Denis Jenkinson, and it bears repeating. Two of the cars, 731/4 for Jarier and 731/2 for Beuttler, were 721Gs rebodied, rebuilt and given new identities. The other two, 731/1 for Hesketh and 731/3 for Purley, were "virtually new" cars, but using 1972 parts.