92nd, Monza Marvel: Stewart's Heroic Charge, Peterson's Victory, and Fittipaldi's Frustration
Few drivers have made winning appear easier than Jackie Stewart. And at times it was easy for him, so fastidiously had he worked to bolt advantages on to his natural talent.
As was the case for his mentor Jim Clark, it was on the occasions when he didn’t win that he had to dig deeper. Clark had done so at Monza in 1967. Now it was Stewart’s turn.
His stubby Tyrrell was not at its best on fast tracks, even now that Monza’s flow had been stemmed by two chicanes, and he was 1.3sec off the qualifying pace of the Lotus of Ronnie Peterson, the new King Pole. He was slower than the McLarens of Peter Revson and Denny Hulme, too – and the Surtees of Carlos Pace. Stewart held a 24-point lead over reigning world champion Emerson Fittipaldi – fourth-fastest in his Lotus – but there was no guarantee that the Scot would wrap up the title here.
Stewart’s famed ability to compartmentalise was tested further on race morning. A problem with a valve spring forced his team to fit a new Cosworth, and its ignition was still being retimed – and the brakes still being bled – as the car sat on the grid.