1972 Formula One World Championship
Emerson Fittipaldi won the 1972 World Drivers' Championship for Team Lotus with 61 points, 16 ahead of Jackie Stewart (Tyrrell).
Fittipaldi won 5 of the 12 races. Team Lotus won the most races (5 of 12). Five different drivers won a race.
Final standings
| Pos | Driver | Wins | Podiums | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emerson FittipaldiTeam Lotus | 5 | 8 | 61 |
| 2 | Jackie StewartTyrrell | 4 | 5 | 45 |
| 3 | Denny HulmeMcLaren | 1 | 7 | 39 |
| 4 | Jacky IckxFerrari | 1 | 4 | 27 |
| 5 | Peter RevsonMcLaren | 0 | 4 | 23 |
| 6 | François CevertTyrrell | 0 | 2 | 15 |
| 7 | Clay RegazzoniFerrari | 0 | 2 | 15 |
| 8 | Mike HailwoodSurtees | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 9 | Ronnie PetersonMarch | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 10 | Chris AmonMatra | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 11 | Jean-Pierre BeltoiseBRM | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 12 | Mario AndrettiFerrari | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 13 | Howden GanleyBRM | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 14 | Brian RedmanMcLaren / BRM | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Graham HillBrabham | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 16 | Carlos ReutemannBrabham | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 17 | Andrea de AdamichSurtees | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 18 | Carlos PaceMarch | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 | Tim SchenkenSurtees | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 | Arturo MerzarioFerrari | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Peter GethinBRM | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Only a driver's best results counted towards the title this season, so totals can be lower than the points scored.
Races
| Rd | Grand Prix | Date | Winner | Pole | Fastest lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentine Grand Prix | 23 Jan 1972 | Jackie StewartTyrrell | Carlos Reutemann | Jackie Stewart |
| 2 | South African Grand Prix | 4 Mar 1972 | Denny HulmeMcLaren | Jackie Stewart | Mike Hailwood |
| 3 | Spanish Grand Prix | 1 May 1972 | Emerson FittipaldiTeam Lotus | Jacky Ickx | Jacky Ickx |
| 4 | Monaco Grand Prix | 14 May 1972 | Jean-Pierre BeltoiseBRM | Emerson Fittipaldi | Jean-Pierre Beltoise |
| 5 | Belgian Grand Prix | 4 Jun 1972 | Emerson FittipaldiTeam Lotus | Emerson Fittipaldi | Chris Amon |
| 6 | French Grand Prix | 2 Jul 1972 | Jackie StewartTyrrell | Chris Amon | Chris Amon |
| 7 | British Grand Prix | 15 Jul 1972 | Emerson FittipaldiTeam Lotus | Jacky Ickx | Jackie Stewart |
| 8 | German Grand Prix | 30 Jul 1972 | Jacky IckxFerrari | Jacky Ickx | Jacky Ickx |
| 9 | Austrian Grand Prix | 13 Aug 1972 | Emerson FittipaldiTeam Lotus | Emerson Fittipaldi | Denny Hulme |
| 10 | Italian Grand Prix | 10 Sep 1972 | Emerson FittipaldiTeam Lotus | Jacky Ickx | Jacky Ickx |
| 11 | Canadian Grand Prix | 24 Sep 1972 | Jackie StewartTyrrell | Peter Revson | Jackie Stewart |
| 12 | United States Grand Prix | 8 Oct 1972 | Jackie StewartTyrrell | Jackie Stewart | Jackie Stewart |
Race by race
Argentine Grand Prix
- Jackie Stewart won for Tyrrell from P2, 25.960s ahead of Denny Hulme.
- Jackie Stewart leads the championship by 3 points from Denny Hulme with 11 rounds to go.
South African Grand Prix
- Denny Hulme won for McLaren from P5, 14.100s ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi.
- Denny Hulme took the championship lead from Jackie Stewart.
- Championship leader Jackie Stewart retired (gearbox).
- Polesitter Jackie Stewart retired (gearbox).
- First career podium for Peter Revson.
Spanish Grand Prix
- Emerson Fittipaldi won for Team Lotus from P3, 18.920s ahead of Jacky Ickx.
- Emerson Fittipaldi took the championship lead from Denny Hulme.
- Championship leader Denny Hulme retired (gearbox).
Monaco Grand Prix
- Jean-Pierre Beltoise won for BRM from P4, 38.200s ahead of Jacky Ickx.
- The only Grand Prix win of Jean-Pierre Beltoise's career.
- Emerson Fittipaldi leads the championship by 3 points from Jacky Ickx with 8 rounds to go.
Belgian Grand Prix
- Emerson Fittipaldi won for Team Lotus from pole, 26.600s ahead of François Cevert.
- Emerson Fittipaldi's 2nd win of 1972.
- Emerson Fittipaldi leads the championship by 9 points from Denny Hulme with 7 rounds to go.
French Grand Prix
- Jackie Stewart won for Tyrrell from P3, 27.700s ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi.
- Jackie Stewart's 2nd win of 1972.
- Emerson Fittipaldi leads the championship by 13 points from Jackie Stewart with 6 rounds to go.
British Grand Prix
- Emerson Fittipaldi won for Team Lotus from P2, 4.100s ahead of Jackie Stewart.
- Polesitter Jacky Ickx retired (oil pressure).
- Emerson Fittipaldi's 3rd win of 1972.
- Emerson Fittipaldi leads the championship by 16 points from Jackie Stewart with 5 rounds to go.
German Grand Prix
- Jacky Ickx won for Ferrari from pole, 48.300s ahead of Clay Regazzoni.
- The last of Jacky Ickx's 8 Grand Prix wins.
- Championship leader Emerson Fittipaldi retired (gearbox).
- A hat-trick for Jacky Ickx: pole, victory and fastest lap.
- A one-two finish for Ferrari.
- Emerson Fittipaldi leads the championship by 16 points from Jackie Stewart with 4 rounds to go.
Austrian Grand Prix
- Emerson Fittipaldi won for Team Lotus from pole, 1.180s ahead of Denny Hulme.
- Emerson Fittipaldi's 4th win of 1972.
- Emerson Fittipaldi leads the championship by 25 points from Jackie Stewart with 3 rounds to go.
Italian Grand Prix
- Emerson Fittipaldi won for Team Lotus from P4, 14.500s ahead of Mike Hailwood.
- Polesitter Jacky Ickx retired (electrical).
- First career podium for Mike Hailwood.
- Emerson Fittipaldi's 5th win of 1972.
- Emerson Fittipaldi leads the championship by 30 points from Denny Hulme with 2 rounds to go.
Canadian Grand Prix
- Jackie Stewart won for Tyrrell from P5, 48.200s ahead of Peter Revson.
- Jackie Stewart's 3rd win of 1972.
- Emerson Fittipaldi leads the championship by 25 points from Jackie Stewart with 1 round to go.
United States Grand Prix
- Jackie Stewart won for Tyrrell from pole, 32.268s ahead of François Cevert.
- Emerson Fittipaldi finished as champion, 16 points ahead of Jackie Stewart.
- Emerson Fittipaldi finished the season as the youngest world champion in history.
- Championship leader Emerson Fittipaldi retired (suspension).
- A hat-trick for Jackie Stewart: pole, victory and fastest lap.
- A one-two finish for Tyrrell.
- Jackie Stewart's 4th win of 1972.