Jean-Pierre Beltoise was also involved in that accident, and as a consequence had his international license suspended, and was unable to compete.

Siffert had held off the rest of the field, with Chris Amon passing Reine Wisell before duelling with Henri Pescarolo for third place.

The Frenchman won this battle to take third at the finish, with Amon, Wisell and Carlos Reutemann rounding out the top six.

The retirements were all F5000 cars, namely Jo Bonnier's Lola, which pulled off with a flat battery, and Marincovich's McLaren and Garcia-Veiga's Surtees, which both suffered mechanical failures.

During the next two laps, Siffert was also passed by Pescarolo, Reutemann, Derek Bell's March and Wilson Fittipaldi's Lotus.