After the Belgian GP in June, however, even Herd admitted defeat: “We didn’t have the money or time to do X properly. People were starting to get edgy. It was easier, faster and cheaper to build a completely different car.”
The replacement was simple, practical, realistic: a backward step to go forward rather than a giant leap of faith.
The first Formula 2-based 721G had been built in just nine days for Mike Beuttler, a handy gentleman racer funded by City stockbrokers. At Monaco, he finished 13th in torrential conditions – two laps ahead of a despairing Lauda. Two more were built in time for the French GP at Clermont-Ferrand. Peterson qualified ninth, ran as high as third, and finished fifth despite a broken rollbar. He also agreed a deal with Lotus for 1973.
Lauda, in contrast, was miles off Peterson’s pace and his career seemed in terminal decline.
“The poor sod, we almost destroyed him,” said Herd.
“He was quick. At the Rouen F2 race, we had to slow him down and get him to let Ronnie past.
“In F1, though, he gave up. He had every justification to do so. But he was better at set-up than Ronnie was and should have used that strength.”
721X would be March’s last blue-sky attempt at F1.