1970 United States Grand Prix

Previous race

Ickx won in Canada from second on the grid, with Regazzoni second and Amon third in another Ferrari-dominated afternoon. Stewart led comfortably in the Tyrrell 001 for 31 laps before left front suspension failure ended his run.

Championship permutations

Ickx must win this race and the Mexican Grand Prix to stand a chance of overtaking Rindt’s posthumous points total.

Entrants

Reine Wisell makes his Formula One debut alongside Fittipaldi at Lotus. Graham Hill, running privately in a Lotus 72 for Rob Walker, arrives with his overalls soaked in fuel from a fitting that came loose during practice and is being repaired by the team.

Qualifying

Ickx is on pole for Ferrari. The final qualifying session was disrupted by a downpour that left only 15 minutes of dry running, denying Stewart the chance to improve; he starts second. Fittipaldi, who spent the first half of the season in European Formula Two, is just five hundredths behind Stewart in third. A crowd exceeding 100,000 has attended Watkins Glen for the second straight year.