1973 Formula 1 World Championship

Fatalities were still relatively common in Formula 1 by the early ‘70s, but there were finally some signs the sport wasn’t prepared to just accept death as part of the package, that it actually wanted to start taking some preventative measures. 1973 was perhaps an amalgam of the efforts made by drivers such as Jackie Stewart during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, to improve safety. Stewart had been one of the more vocal on the subject, as his push to make the sport safer slowly gathered momentum, and people began to listen.

Stewart had become the guy other drivers turned to when they questioned the safety measures being taken at certain venues. When the Zolder surface was considered unsuitable for a Grand Prix, it was Stewart who led the driver revolt. The media and the public didn’t always grasp what it was Stewart was trying to achieve, the more cynical among them assumed the GPDA, which he headed, were usually just angling for more money. Apparently, F1 drivers should be prepared to pay with their lives for their earnings, which, for the day were considerable, but paltry by todays standards.

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