Lotus 72D 1st Italy 1972 #6 Fittipaldi

Lotus 72D 1st Italy 1972 #6 Fittipaldi by Tameo Kits

On 10th September the tenth round of the 1972 season was staged at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. At the Italian GP Emerson Fittipaldi was one step away from winning his first Formula One world title. The Brazilian driver led the standings with 27 points ahead of Stewart and Hulme thanks to four victories in the Grands Prix of Spain, Belgium, England and Austria. From a technical point of view, the Lotus 72D used by "El rato" had a very low centre of gravity and was very similar to the car that enabled Jochen Rindt to win the world title posthumously in 1970. To make up for the many criticisms after the death of the Austrian driver, Colin Chapman increased the weight of the car from 530 to 550 kg by using stronger materials. Lotus, however, still feared it would end up in the clutches of the Italian judiciary after the black weekend two years earlier and so entered Emerson Fittipaldi in the race under the World Wide Racing team banner. Half an hour before the start, Lotus technicians noticed a petrol leak inside the cockpit of Fittipaldi's car. This cast doubt on the Brazilian driver's participation; but the mechanics performed a miracle and within twenty minutes dried everything out and changed the fuel tank. For Emerson Fittipaldi thus came his sixth career victory in front of the Monza crowd but also the drivers' title with two races to spare. The driver from Sao Paulo was also the first Brazilian champion, and at 25 years of age, the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.