With neither Lewis Hamilton nor Sebastian Vettel looking like blinking first, the most exciting inter-team title race in years may well end up going down to the wire. But despite the stage for this week's installment being one of F1's most historic, it will have to be quite a race to match the one from which our Pic of the Week was taken.
By the time the 1971 Italian Grand Prix arrived on September 5th, Jackie Stewart had already been crowned that season's champion. But this was Monza and, far from being a lame duck of a race, events would conspire to make it one of the most thrilling ever run.
By the 18th lap Stewart, Jacky Ickx and local 'tifosi' favourite Clay Regazzoni had all been forced to retire, making for a more evenly matched field. The speed of the circuit meant that in the ensuing laps first place was traded back and forth between multiple drivers. At a pre-chicane Monza slipstreaming was the name of the game, and all of them knew that leading with just a few corners to go would likely mean defeat. With no driver wanting to lead the pack, and no one able to pull away, multiple cars remained in contention as the chequered flag approached.
The stalemate remained until, going into the Parabolica on the final lap, Peter Gethin made his move. Diving up the inside, he exited the corner neck and neck with Ronnie Peterson's March and the Tyrell of Francois Cevert as they sprinted for the line. He got there first, winning the race by just 0.01 seconds from Peterson, with the top four cars separated by 0.18 seconds in total. Aside from being the closest finish the sport has ever seen, the result would also be the highlight of Gethin's career. He left Formula One in 1974 with a total of 30 starts, 11 points and, by one-hundredth of a second, one win.