The front two drew away from the pack, where Regazzoni was duelling with François Cevert and Ickx was dropping back with mechanical problems.

Further down the field, there were two Brabham-Lotus battles, with Tim Schenken duelling with Emerson Fittipaldi and Reine Wisell trading places with Graham Hill.

By lap 32, Ickx had retired with a spark plug problem, Regazzoni had an engine blow up and Fittipaldi had passed Schenken and set about catching Stewart.

On lap 36, Stewart's race ended with a violent accident - his left rear driveshaft broke and the wheel was torn off.

Schenken was 3rd, with Wisell pipping Hill for 4th place - the Englishman was another to suffer a puncture in the dying stages and Henri Pescarolo finished 6th in his March.