1973 British Grand Prix

The race started at 2.00pm local time, it featured the most cars to start a grand prix as it featured 28 cars in rows of three by two. Ronnie Peterson led away but a very quick start by Jackie Stewart brought him from fourth to second but passed Peterson to take the lead at Beckets. Carlos Reutemann was in third with Denny Hulme and Jody Scheckter behind him. As the exited Woodcote corner to complete the first lap, Stewart led Peterson and Reutemann but carnage was happening behing them. Scheckter tried to pass Hulme on the outside Scheckter's car went wide and spun right across the track and it hit the retaining wall of the pits and bounced back into the middle of the track. Hulme escaped undamaged, Francois Cevert, James Hunt, Peter Revson and Clay Regazzoni also went by. The big one then happened as Scheckter's car ricocheted back from the pit wall, Revson struck Scheckter's rear wing and then all hell broke loose as the rest of the field crashed into the wrecks or dodged about to miss the wreckage. Nine cars were involved in the resulting carnage, Andrea de Adamich had crashed headlong into the barriers on the outside of the track and he was trapped in the cockpit of his Brabham with a broken ankle. Apart from minor bruises and shakings no-one else was hurt but the Surtees cars of Mike Hailwood, Carlos Pace and Jochen Mass were smashed up. The Shadow's were also involved, Jackie Oliver's car was wrecked, George Follmer's car was ripped open. The Embassy Hill entered Shadow of Graham Hill was struck in the rear and a wishbone broken but hill drove it round back to the pits under its own power. The BRM of Jean-Pierre Beltoise and the works March of Roger Williamson was wrecked, as was the McLaren of Scheckter. The race organisation acted instantly and the race was red flagged indicating without argument or discussion that the race was stopped and would be started again later. Meanwhile, those ahead of the accident were still racing, until they ended the lap, when they all came to a rapid stop at the scene of the crash. It took 30 minutes to release de Adamich from the wreckage of the Brabham plus an hour to clear away the wrecked cars and the debris. The cars that escaped were wheeled back to the starting grid and Hill’s Shadow was repaired in the pits, and Niki Lauda’s BRM that had been in the pits all the time had a new drive-shaft fitted. Hunt's March needed a new airbox as his original one was damaged in the wreck and borrowed Mike Beuttler's airbox from his car.[2][3][4]

Drivers were allowed to use spare cars but none were used. Lauda’s BRM and Hill’s Shadow having been repaired during the red flag period. Non starters included de Adamich who as taken to hospital, Scheckter who was barred by McLaren as several team bosses including John Surtees wanted to knock him out for causing the crash, Graham McRae's Iso-Marlboro had a throttle issue and couldn't restart, David Purley's March spun off before the big one and didn't restart. other drivers who did not take the restart inculded Oliver, Follmer, Beltoise, Williamson, Purley, Pace, Hailwood and Mass It was 3.30 p.m. before the track was clear and there were nineteen starters ready for the restart over the original distance on 67 laps. At 3:35pm the deplted field moved up on to the starting grid. Everyone took up their original positions, leaving gaps for those who had been eliminated. This time it was Lauda who had an excellent start and moved up behind Peterson into second, with Stewart third. Stewart passed Lauda on lap 2 and charged after Peterson. On lap 6, Stewart again tried to pass Peterson for the lead, but the Swedish driver shut the door; Stewart lost control of his Tyrrell and spun off into the thick grass. Although he was able to continue, Stewart ended up finishing 10th, one lap down.