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The 1973 Formula One season was the 27th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1973 World Championship of Drivers and the 1973 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series[1] that commenced on 28 January and ended on 7 October. The season also included two non-championship races which were open to both Formula One and Formula 5000 cars.
The World Championship of Drivers was won by Jackie Stewart, driving for Elf Team Tyrrell, for the third time. The International Cup for F1 Manufacturers was awarded to John Player Team Lotus.[1] At the final race of the season, Stewart's teammate Francois Cevert crashed during Saturday practice and was killed instantly. The Tyrrell team withdrew from the race, handing the Manufacturers' title to Lotus. Subsequently, Stewart made public his decision to retire, but he had decided on this already earlier.
British driver Roger Williamson was also killed during the season, in a tragic crash at the Dutch Grand Prix where marshals arrived too late on the scene and fellow driver David Purley was unable to free Williamson from the burning wreck.
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Drivers and constructors
The following teams and drivers contested the 1973 World Championship.
Team and driver changes
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There were relatively few changes in the top teams, but no less than usual further down the order:
- The factory-backed Matra team had withdrawn from Formula One. They had already reduced their operations to one car before the 1972 season and, after the season, packed up all-together.
- With backing from Universal Oil Products and technical support from ex-BRM designer Tony Southgate, the Can-Am team Shadow Racing Cars entered the 1973 Formula One season. Shadow brought their Can-Am driver Jackie Oliver with them and signed 1972 Can-Am champion George Follmer. Finally, they sold a chassis to Graham Hill's new own team Embassy Racing.
- Lotus signed Ronnie Peterson from March.
- Hill had moved from Brabham, where Andrea de Adamich took his place. The Italian came from Surtees, where Carlos Pace found a new home.
- After Pace and Henri Pescarolo left, Frank Williams had to find two new drivers: Howden Ganley from BRM and Nanni Galli from Tecno. Tecno signed Matra's last driver, Chris Amon.[2]
- BRM signed Clay Regazzoni[3] and Niki Lauda, next to Jean-Pierre Beltoise. This was a golden trio of drivers, but they would only manage to gain twelve points and the team finished seventh in the Manufacturers' championship. A slight consolidation for Regazzoni, who had left Ferrari over the winter, was that the Italian squad finished just one place higher, on the same amount of points.
- After Peterson and Lauda had left March, they signed Jean-Pierre Jarier. He was due to drive for them in Formula Two, but was given a Formula One seat as well. His F1 season would turn out difficult, only classifying once during the year, but he managed to rack up the Formula Two title in dominant fashion.
Mid-season changes
- Future world champion James Hunt debuted at the Monaco Grand Prix, driving a privateer March 731 entered by Hesketh Racing. It was also the team's championship debut.
- Also debuting that race was David Purley for LEC Refrigeration Racing, his own team sponsored by his family's refrigeration company. Like Hunt, he hired a March 731. Sadly, he is mostly known for his failed rescue attempt of Roger Williamson (see below). The LEC team returned with their own chassis in 1977.
- After five races, Nanni Galli announced his retirement. His place at the team of Frank Williams was taken up by seven different drivers in the remaining part of the season.
- 1972 British F3 champion Rikky von Opel commissioned a Formula One chassis for his F3 team Ensign.[4] They debuted in the French Grand Prix.
- The British Grand Prix saw the debut of two-time British F3 champion Roger Williamson. In only his second race, the Dutch Grand Prix, he crashed and died in the subsequent fire.[5]
- Rolf Stommelen returned to Formula One to take the place of Andrea de Adamich at Brabham. The Italian was heavily injured in a pile-up at Silverstone. It took thirty minutes to extract him from his car.[6][7][8]
- The Tecno team folded with three races to go, after several disputes created a toxic atmosphere.[9] Driver Chris Amon moved to Tyrrell and started preparations for his own racing team.
