#2 1971
The 1971 Italian Grand Prix featured the closest finish in Formula One history with Peter Gethin coming from 4th place to lead on the final lap with a stunning maneuver. The competition was intense as none of the top six points-scoring drivers had ever previously won a Grand Prix.
The New Zealander Chris Amon was on a surprise pole for Matra but it was Ferrari’s Clay Reggazoni who made a lightning getaway from fourth row and took the lead much to the delight of the home crowd. His lead didn’t last long as he suffered an engine failure before Jackie Stewart and Jacky Ickx retired from the front of similar issues.
On his Surtees debut, Mike Hailwood led from Francois Cevert, Ronnie Peterson and Jo Siffert as the race went down to the wire. Without chicanes, Monza was a near flat-out run in its old layout from the starting line and through the sweeping Curva Grande to the two Lesmos. With the unrestricted high-speed nature, fastest lap times were swapped on almost every lap.
From 11th on the grid, Gethin moved up the order and lunged down the inside of Cevert and Peterson as they rounded Parabolica for the last time. He took the chequered flag by just 0.01 seconds ahead of Ronnie Peterson, Francois Cevert, Mike Hailwood and Howden Ganley as the top five were separated by just 0.61 seconds. This race was the fastest Formula One race with a record average speed of 242.615 km/h (150.754 mph) for 32 years until Michael Schumacher broke it at the 2003 Italian Grand Prix.
