Monaco’s makeover

The 1973 Monaco Grand Prix was held on a heavily revised circuit, with a longer tunnel, a new section of track around the new swimming pool on the harbour front, and the Gasworks hairpin replaced by the Rascasse and Anthony Noghès corners, the latter named after the founder of the race. The pits were also moved back to the start-finish straight, on a wider pit lane.

Clear favourites were the Tyrrell 006’s of Jackie Stewart and François Cevert and the Lotus 72’s of Emerson Fittipaldi and Ronnie Peterson with the McLaren M23 of Denny Hulme in ambush.

The 78-lap race was won from pole position by Scotland’s Jackie Stewart, driving a Tyrrell-Ford. He crossed the line just a second in front of the black and gold Lotus of Fittipaldi. In the process, Stewart equalled the record of 25 Grand Prix victories set by his hero and friend Jim Clark. His team mate François Cevert  (picture above) drove a good race and finished fourth.

This was the first Grand Prix for future World Champion James Hunt, driving a March-Ford entered by Hesketh Racing. He suffered an engine failure in the closing stages, and was classified 9th (picture below).