WHEN STEWART RETIRED EARLY! The Story of the 1973 United States Grand Prix
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- Hard to pick a title for this one as so much happened. It was the death of Francois Cevert, as well as being the accident that caused Jackie Stewart to retire earlier than planned, and be something he's had to live with for the rest of his life.
Francois Cevert was expected to take over from Stewart at Tyrrell, and was also expected to at some point win the championship. Sadly, he'd only win one grand prix in his career, have a raft of second places, but never achieve what many believed he could achieve.
So what happened in this race? Let's have a look...
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NGL- This was a hard one to sync up title and thumbnail.
Also not on camera cos A U T U M N A L L E R G I E S. I'm having a first zombie in RE1 remake moment...
Still- An upload on my birthday. Level 33...
Happy Birthday! Have a great day!
Happy Birthday Aidan! Get well soon!
Happiest of birthdays! ❤
Happy Birthday, Aidan. Thanks for doing all these great stories of F1 past and present. Easily my favourite channel on TH-cam. 👍
Happy Birthday!!
Rest in Peace, Francois
For me, the enduring memory is of Helen Stewart’s cinefilm as Cevert leaves the pits, I think it’s the last time she sees him alive… he pulls up at the pit exit, notices her filming, waves, makes the gesture of blowing a kiss at her, flips his visor down, and accelerates away…
I knew a woman at work that said the only man in F1 with eyes as beautiful as Ceverts, was Alesi… He really was a ‘What If…?’
I must admit, I had to steel myself to watch this because I knew what was coming. Thanks for, as you always do, telling the story straight. No florid words, sensationalism or even hiding the raw emotions (and they're still raw when it comes to stories such as this), and telling it with dignity.
It was one of the first, if not _the_ first death in motor racing that I was aware of. Thankfully not the details. I didn't see the accident as Dad only put the races on, rarely practice (if then, it was on Saturday. A lot depended on what shifts he was working), and I would watch some and miss others because I was a kid doing kid things.
I had turned 8 a fortnight before the accident, so even though I had been watching F1 before that, most of my memories are no more than the equivalent of short video clips and still images. The earliest "video" I remember (though I have earlier "stills") is Graham Hill's last Monaco in '74, with him at the Lowes hairpin, probably overtaking someone. Even the "video" flickers, so to speak - at least that's the first one I can put picture and race together, probably due to Murray's commentary (I assume it was him 🤷🏻♀️. I seem to hear his voice). He was a dear friend of the Hill's, Graham was Mr Monaco, of course he would be hyping up his pal (but he wouldn't go overboard. Not unless his friends won lol.) (Edit: we didn't know it was his last Monaco at the time; I just think there was a lot of hype around him being there.)
I did, however watch it before that, and those are the vaguer memories. Except for this - as it came to me - news item.
I remember my Dad being shocked on hearing the news. He had been on the GWR throughout most of the war (and been strafed whilst in the guard's van on their way back to Wales from London, when he was about 15), and was a steelworker & volunteer in the Civil Defence (he was at Aberfan, pulling out the bodies of kids my big sisters' ages. That wrecked him. Tough as he was, he never got over that in his 88 years). He'd seen horrendous accidents and had a few near misses himself, so for him to lose his colour on reading the sport's pages the day after it happened was something I was not used to seeing. He told me what had happened, because he knew bloody well that if he didn't, I'd just wait and read it for myself! (He used to wonder where I got my stubborn streak from... 🤦🏻♀️ Of course it was Mum! Who else, Dad?)
I have vague memories of crying, because young as I was, François was already well on his way to becoming a favourite of mine. Obviously I didn't have a crush on him because he was good looking (he was a boy! Boys were gross! 😉), but because of his skill and flare on track.
Okay, I'll stop with the memory lane trip. Frankly I don't want a nightmare. Though my mind _did_ go there when it was clear that Grosjean had somehow gone _through_ the same sort of fencing that had taken François' life. Seeing him emerge from the flames was nothing short of a miracle, though I did have that nightmare that night despite the good news. Armco should be phased out. It should have been phased out back then.
Theres a dvd from Duke about the 1973 season.
Theres Very little at the end about Cerverts accident, just that clip of Chapman.
But there is footage of Wiiliamson and Purley.
The heroics performed trying to save his friend are overshadowed completely by the absolute despair shown . When he realised he simply couldnt do it, it's absolutely heartwrenching.
He recieved a medal for valour and deservedly so.
Its a cruel sport sometimes.
From what I read, Cevert was Jackies best friend and from what others have said he was well loved in the garage. A great loss. Even now watching the pre-race it is great to catch a glimpse of Jackie. Imagine of he and Francois were palling around in their retirement.
Not just his best friend, his protege. He was already planning to retire soon by this point, and trusted Cevert to take the reins in his absence. Cevert’s death fully cemented his retirement.
Immediately after he retired, Jackie Stewart became the full time auto racing analyst for ABC's "Wide World of Sports" in the US (though he covered the occasional race for ABC during the latter stages of his racing career) covering not only F1 (which was a rare thing on US TV in those days as Monaco was the only race shown) but also NASCAR & helping it in a way become a national sport from its Southern US roots. His call of the last lap battle between David Pearson & Richard Petty at the 1976 Daytona 500 is absolutely legendary in NASCAR circles & this finish along with the finish at the 1979 Daytona 500 are the two things that propelled NASCAR into the national spotlight.
Stewart also became the main commercial spokesman for the Ford Motor Company, appearing frequently on TV commercials for a number of years. Probably, besides Andretti, the best known and most popular F1 driver in the US ever, and even with Mario he’s more famous in the US for his Indy career and his F1 efforts are pretty much just a footnote.
I work events at Watkins Glen and walk past the spot where it happened when I go back and forth from my campsite. I try to pay my respects at least once a day when walking there.
There is one picture of the car post-accident that shows Francois. Your 2nd description of the fatal injury was correct.
Just curious, is the picture just hanging in a room or something?
I go to Watkins Glenn for a track weekend every summer. I love that track. And I always walk over to the spot on the esses where the crash happened.
@@Kovechkin I’ve seen the same pictures. They’re on the internet if you want to look for them.
There were a whole load of drivers who passed away in 1973 - Swede Savage and Art Pollard at Indianapolis (Pollard in qualifying, Savage as a result of injuries in the race - both of their accidents were absolutely brutal), Larry Smith in the Talladega 500 in the NASCAR Grand National Championship as well as 3 drivers at the 1973 24 Hours of Spa.
That Talladega 500 you mentioned was also memorable for Bobby Issac (the 1970 NASCAR champion), pitting, getting out of his car & retiring from racing in the middle of the race upon hearing of Smith's death. It is also memorable for the shock upset winner in Dick Brooks who gave Plymouth its final ever win in NASCAR as Chrysler told Plymouth to stop racing in NASCAR after that season to cut costs during the oil crisis (though Plymouth would still exist as a car brand until 2001).
@@chrisguardiano6143And 20 years later, another Smith, Stanley (I don’t know whether he and Larry Smith are related), almost met the same fate at the same part of the same track. Scary.
And to add up to that, 2 great bike riders - Renzo Pasolini and Jarno Saarinen - got killed in the same crash at the Monza 250cc GP
Yeah, 1973 was an absolute bloodbath in motorsports.
In a way Swede Savage was like the Indy version of Cevert. A good looking young driver, very popular with the ladies & young fans. And also an ex-motorcycle racer. And he was driving for STP and Granatelli, which was the glamour team at that time. He was going to be what Rick Mears eventually became. If you were a young racing fan at the time, I think that’s the one crash that still gets you after all these years.
Great vid as always. Severt's death was damn tragic and very sad. I don't think that enough can ever be said about Jackie Stewart's crusade for improved safety. The man is simply a legend.
And we can the results of what Sir Jackie and the others had started… it took a while .. but like ripples in a pond… they formed what looks like a HALO
This has to be one of the most gruesome and worst crashes in F1. Ever.
I was there that day and I remember seeing the smoke and a kind of shadow came over the fans as the word spread how serious the accident was. It was terrible. I was 18 and very excited to be at The Glen and seeing all my hero’s for the first time in person. This tragedy dimmed that enthusiasm especially after I walked to the accident scene and seeing the Armco barrier or what was left of it. My first experience with death.
People ask me why, when we sign off, I say “until next time”… because goodbye is always so final. Goodbye Francois Cevert.
Francois Cervert is buried in a village near to where I live here in France. I visited the graveyard a year ago. It's a very quiet location and his grave is easy to find on the edge of the graveyard.
Considering the accidents that have happened, and although they are much heavier, the safety of modern Formula 1 cars and the circuits is amazing. Romain Grosjean would be dead in the same way as Cevert. Jack Aitkens' 2020 Sakhir crash would maybe lose his legs back in '73. I hate heavy cars, but as drivers can survive far better than then I'll take it.
If anyone would like to hear Sir Stewart speak about this weekend and how it affected him, I would recommend his interview on 'Beyond the Grid', a podcast available both on the F1 TH-cam channel and other popular podcast platforms. The episode is named '50 years a triple World Champion' and is well worth a listen.
While some have criticised Tom - I guess mostly in that he doesn't press some of the drivers he's interviewed on some incidents (?) - I think Tom does a really great job on those interviews. He does his homework, but doesn't forget that it's his job to let the interviewee tell their story.
@@har234908234 Yeah, he got the Iceman to speak at length - that does take skill. Not everything has to be controversial.
Life on the Limit, a brilliant F1 documentary that's on TH-cam, shows a glimpse of the relationship that Francois and Jackie had. They were very good friends. Jackie said that he wanted to teach him everything he knew about motor racing.
And there is ZERO doubt in my mind that without the halo, Grosjean would have met the same fate. Watching that race, it was all I could think about: God I hope that halo held.
Grosjean’s accident was actually a lot of more severe than Cevert’s. Without the halo Roman who still have had the benefit of a carbon fibre tub around him with extensive crash structures, but going through the Armco like that there would still have been very little identifiable as a human left without the halo. It more than likely have ripped him in half and decapitated him, followed by the fire badly scorching what was left of his body. That was the nastiest accident I’ve ever seen in F1, even going back to the bad days. Probably only Tom Pryce’s, Roger Williamson’s or Cevert’s even come close…
Honestly I doubt it I mean their crashes were very different from each other
Without the Halo I think it would have been more like Helmut Koinigg's crash in which Koinigg was decapitated
I discovered F1 in 1973 when I was laid up with a sports injury and my mom brought home several dozen random magazines for me. Road and Track was among them and there I discovered Rob Walker and F1. Jackie was my man and by default so was Francois. His death was the first that really hit home. He had been a hero. Then Peter Revson, Mark Donahue, Nikki's fire, Ronnie Peterson....so many more that I would have to look them all up....no thanks. Somewhere in the early 80's I stopped paying attention to ANY open wheel racing. When I heard of Senna's death and my reaction was glad I wasn't a F1 fan anymore.
Then one evening in 1996 my local news in San Francisco showed Martin Brundle's crash in the Australian GP. When they showed him jump into a backup car and go racing I knew things had changed. Watching F1 was no longer some sort of morbid enterprise. It could be fun like it was when I first discovered it.
Francois died very early in my freshman year in college. I'm now retired, yet I still vividly remember the sense of personal loss at his death. RIP Francois and thank you Aiden.
Mark, I enjoyed reading your story of discovering F1. It is very similar to my own. If it were not for Road & Track magazine and Rob Walker it would have been impossible for me to follow the sport. I wonder if anyone remembers the comic strip character, Nigel Shiftright?
@@ccrider8483 I've searched high and low for R. W. on line to no avail. And I hadn't thought of Nigel Shiftright in forever. And the classifieds.....
Great Video. As a child… I was a Hard Core Stewart Fan … just something about the ELF cars that tickled my interest.
Auto Racing wasn’t new to me either.
My Grandfather Lewis Wallace helped the Elder Chittwood field a car at Indy… WAY WAY BACK…
I’m the race, a tire came off a car and went into the crowd… my Nana then forbade him to ever build another race car… ever
So…Poppy built engines in the basement
I am too old now… but I wished I had gotten into racing.
RIP Francois Goldenberg! Such talent.
He was NEVER named goldenberg !!!!
Coming from a jewish family he was given his mother's last name to avoid persecution, so in a sense you are right, he was not registered as Goldenberg at birth.
Just one year later, in a shockingly similar accident Helmuth Koinigg would be decapitated at the very same venue when his suspension collapsed and he hit the armco barrier which had been insecurely installed.
The Finger Lakes region of New York can be absolutely gorgeous at this time of year. It can get brisk, but it’s usually dry, and the foliage changing colors looks like fireworks.
1:44 similar to Senna! When Ayrton died, it was like how did he die? It was impossible to think that he could possibly be killed driving a car. But he was unfortunately.
Hello Aidan: Thank you for this. I can remember when Cevert was killed. I can remember a photo of a hand written sign saying "Cevert est mort". Keep up the good work.
He was cut in half neck the hip diagonally. There are grainy black and white photos, but it’s quite hard to tell what you are looking at in them. You can see it though if you look hard enough…the Lotus team member was the team manager Peter Warr, Nigel’s mate from ten or so years later…
Thank you for this great video. Having watched the doco about Jackie Stewart, I had learned how close they all were, and how affected they were when remembering it many years later.
Great video. It takes a very special person to drive at leave in that era.
Have you watched the movie "1", Aidan? it's pretty awesome too, with regards to the shift in attitude towards safety. Probably the same footage from most others, but still good.
it was either this movie, or Grand Prix the Killer Years, but I remember one of those documentaries had footage of the end of season party after Watkins Glen, and people were celebrating as if nothing had happened....but i guess that was partly due to the relief of them surviving the season as well.
Life on the Limit is a bloody great documentary. The pile up is crazy and it's amazing that nobody was killed. Thankfully. Williamson's crash was awful. David Purley's actions, and his total resignation at not being able to get Roger out of his burning car, was heartbreaking. Horrible.
F1 in the 70s had the most gruesome crashes. Cevert, Koinigg, and Pryce. Such a dangerous era.
Dan Wheldon is the most violent I’ve seen with my own eyes. Was like a bomb had gone off.
@@AidanMillward Smiley crash was pretty brutal too.
@@AidanMillwardI have heard rumors about the Tony Renna practice crash at Indy. It's not much talked about because it was a private testing session and was closed to the public... but also because apparently it was catastrophically brutal. Some speculate if it had happened on race day or during qualifying it could have been a "Le Mans 1955" type of incident.
If you can read french there is an excellent book "La Mort Dans Mon Contrat" that outlines his career. Instructors at the school he attended were blown away by his talent and lap times. He told them "I can go out again and do better if you want".
I feel that if Jackie wasn't planning on retiring, I think he would have anyway after the unnecessary death of Francois. It really shook him, like the death of a child.
Had Jackie’s car that came with my Aurora F1 slot car set, always a fan.
More Star Wars analogies, thank you
Not sure if I can watch this one. So sad. Ugh. Happy birthday though, Aidan.
Excelent video, respectful and informative
The men Colin Chapman was talking with was team manager Peter Warr. And the footage of Stewart and Cevert talking about the Esses is from 1972. The car Stewart is sitting in is one of the earlier Tyrrell cars and not the 006.
It was 002, it had that windshield built into body panel. There are a lot of myths around Cevert death - people mixing his death with Koening’s crash, that conversion from 72 with his accident from 73.
The truth is that he was pushing to hard his 006 in the esses. One mistake and he paid ultimate price.
Happy Birthday Aiden! Hope its a good one! Such an interesting topic yet again
My sis had a mighty crush on François... and who would blame her. She was utterly devastated, unconsolably for quite some time. Never watched any motor racing since,
That quote at the end, man, you got me in the feels, man. I'm not crying.
I've seen the photos of Cevert's accident. And they're not pleasant. You can see why everyone who saw the scene in person was badly affected by it. I think it was because it was all so horribly meaningless. Here's a handsome young man, top of his profession, earning good money, pick of the ladies (and how) and...that happens to him.
There’s photos of the Williamson crash as well that are CC but I didn’t use them becuase I think he’s still in the car.
I’ve seen them as well, as an orthopedist, i posted a brief synopsis of the trauma that he suffered. The Prince died instantly and likely painlessly. But yes, his body was nearly transected from the upper right to lower left torso
@@AidanMillward Williamson would have been in the car. Apparently, he wasn't taken out of the car until it had been hauled back to the pits after the race. The nose was buckled, trapping his feet.
I heard Williamson's sponsor, Tom Wheatcroft was the one who got him out of the car. Owner Max Mosley was long gone by this point.
@@MbTrojansurgeon Yeah. When I saw the photos I thought "Well, the head's *there* and the legs are *there*, but that's not where they should be."
They have the pictures of the aftermath on the Fastlane site, and you can clearly see his head is attached to his body, but is torso is at a 90 degree angle where he was cut in half
Francois was another grate talent taken way to soon he will always be a legend of formula 1. No matter how safe the cars are made death will sadly always be a part of the sport.
he was cut in half between ribs and hip. very clear photo's of it.
My uncle was at this race, and was his last race he went to because of Cevert's death. He told me the barrier clipped Francois's upper chest area, which ended up decapitating him along with a bit of his upper chest. The most haunting detail is that Ceverts decapitated head was still in his helmet not to far from the car.
No, weong. Cevert was nearly decaputated, lost his right arm and his body was cut into two pieces.
Your aümix yr memory up with helmut koinigg‘s accident the year later. His head was fully cut off and layed in the helmet near his car.😢
The first car to have the high wings were the Jim Hall designed Chaparral American Can Am car. When the F1 guys started using them they clearly didn’t understand how much force the wing produced & the effect on the car. Most were attached to the suspension uprights.
Attaching to the suspension uprights was actually clever, as then the downforce wouldn't change with ride height and you could run soft enough springs to still have compliance in the ride. The tech and materials at the time just weren't up to the task (or at least not in the way they tried to fabricate).
A lovely bloke spent a little time with him in 1971. You are still with us Francois.
I can remember in the BBC documentary, F1 the killer years it described his death. And how he was a young star that Jackie really got on with.
Horrific way to go,and Jackie just walked away.
At the time I think 3 drivers a season died so if you did 3 to 4 seasons the odds weren't good😔
I watched that years ago to. Been looking for it online for a while now. Does anyone know where to find it as it doesn’t seem to be available now
There has been argued the halo may have saved his life, but as sources say he was sliced from his hip to his shoulder, I'm more likely to believe that the barrier actually penetrated the cockpit from the front (or rather the impact of the crash causes the front to be exposed); thus unsurvivable even with the halo.
I have seen the pictures and you are 100% spot on correct. His body was transected by the barrier.
Even if there had been a halo 50 years ago it would never have the strength of today’s carbon fibre structure. Most likely wouldn’t be much good in any major impact.
@@hugoagogo9435the Halo is titanium, but you still correct in that the 70's tech wouldn't have been nearly as strong as the modern piece.
My parents were there. My dad this put my mom for F1 for sometime.
Thanks for great insights Aiden, your knowledge is unmatched.
I did a very deep dive into this one…and there is a photo, a couple, actually. Different angles. Sadly, the barrier transected Ceveres midsection, there looks to be an oblique dissection from his right upper chest/shoulder to his left lower quadrant/gut…the car was torn away and his lower torso is awkwardly angled away from the midline, suggesting an obvious transection. The Prince obviously died instantly and painlessly from immediate rupture of his abdominal aorta, and likely transected his ascending aorta…among other mortal injuries. I’m an orthopedic trauma specialist and massive F1 fan, but I’ve also had a (morbid?) curiosity about the accidents that have taken many of our driving heroes away from us.
Many of the images are behind paywalls, and exist in questionable places…so I do a bit of dark web forensic work to put these things into context.
We do this in the medical community, for real world accidents in today’s age. Understanding accidents can lead to safety, which leads to less risk.
Remember Ronnie Peterson who died from a fat embolism? In this day and age that risk would immediately be recognised
Absolutely! Ronnie died THE NEXT DAY!!!! From a very preventable condition…we immediately anticoagulate patients after many trauma situations, if it’s not contraindicated by other factors (brain bleed, increased ICP, etc)
@@MbTrojansurgeonMartin, I would like your opinion. Statistically present day fatalities seem to happen less around broken necks due to the halo, snd more around G forces, or would you disagree?
@@LathropLdSTIMO the HANS device does far more to protect your neck than the halo. The halo stops stuff from caving your head in
@@LathropLdSTin the modern day, we do a decent job of keeping folks alive…avoiding fire was a huge breakthrough in the 70’s and 80’s.
You are correct that G forces are the ACTUAL killer, as has always been the case, unless you burn.
Ok, so here’s the medical science-G forces in accidents create massive DECELERATION MOMENTS. Basically, the body keeps moving and the medium around it (the car) stops or changes direction.
Roald Ratz likely transected his vertebral and carotid arteries, and nearly certainly destroyed his brain stem when his car decelerated around him hitting the wall at massive speed.
Another massive killer is decelerating the trunk of the body…transecting the aorta and rupturing the “solid organs”…this is what would’ve been described as “massive internal bleeding” in layman’s terms.
Remember that Senna(my favorite!) died because his skull just above his left eye was punctured/impaled by the right front suspension rod. Thus, the front suspension now is tethered to the car! And yes, halos are of massive benefit when it comes to blunt trauma and axial loading to the skull and cervical spine.
Jackie had only had 2 sons. -U10
Though not really talked about, I'm fairly sure this race is a scene in Rush, where Lauda is being typical Rush Lauda and criticising Cevert's driving ("look at the tyre marks") whilst his Tyrrell sits in the background, missing its airbox and half of its driver. Anyone confirm?
The fatal crash in the film was a combination of two incidents: Cevert’s in 1973 and Helmuth Koinigg the next year.
Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.
Stewart has probably done more for safety in F1 than any other driver. Which is a far better reason to be knighted than say, winning lots of races and titles.
He got the knighthood for the road safety stuff rather than anything he ever did in or for F1. What a bloke.
STEWART SAW AMON AT THE SCENE OF THE CRASH NOT IN THE PITS AND THOUGHT OH WELL CHRIS CRASHED BUT THERE HE IS AND HES OK, THEN AMON POINTED TO CEVERTS CAR WHICH JACKIE DIDNT SEE YET, IT WAS MY FIRST GP AND I WAS SHOCKED FRANCOIS HAD DIED
According to his autobiography, Sir Jackie planned his retirement back in April of 1973.At a private lunch,he mentioned it to a few close friends.😊
In Life on the Limit he said no one knew. Jackie moment
Apparently it was Ken and Walter Hayes of Ford that knew. That was it. Ford wanted Roger Williamson, but Roger decided to drive quasi works M23's for Tom Wheatcroft in '74 as well as F2. That obviously never happened. Ford then wanted fellow scot Gerry Birell, but he got decapitated in a F2 race so was sadly out of the frame.
Seems as Chris Lambert would have been the fifth F1 driver killed in 1968. He had made two non-championship starts in ‘67. Killed at Zandy in an F2 race.
I have his signature as one of my uncles met him.....he was a very handsome guy and very talented. It's sad that the world never had the opportunity to see what could have been......
Well happy birthday to you! Steward though of Cevert like he was the next Fangio, and i think Steward is reputable.
Ronnie Duman (Indy Car) was the 5th driver to be killed. My father & I witnessed his crash at the Milwaukee Mile that year (1968).
Jackie and Francois, Mario and Ronnie......any other F1 champions win their title and lose their team mate the same race weekend?
Jackie Stewart was already proclaimed 1973 world champion at the Italian Grand Prix, which was the 13th race of the 15 race season. Stewart had already been world champion for 4 weeks when Cevert had his deadly accident at Watkins Glen (the race itself was won by Peterson btw).
As for Ronnie Peterson, he died on Monday the 11th of September the day *after* the race weekend. After the race was over on Sunday the 10th Andretti had a 13 point advantage on Peterson with two more races to go. Andretti only learned on Monday that Peterson had passed away and that this now made him F1 world champion.
"any other F1 champions win their title and lose their team mate the same race weekend?" Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips at Ferrari in 1961. von Trips was leading the title race going into the penultimate race at the Italian GP. It was 33pts for von Trips and 29pts for Phil Hill. During the race von Trips crashed and landed in a crowd of spectators killing 15 spectators - making it the mostly deadly accident in F1 history. With von Trips dead and Phil Hill winning the race the championship was over and Phil Hill was 1961 world champion.
Interesting to note is that Ronnie Peterson's crash was 17 years later *to the day* after Wolfgang von Trips's crash. Both at Monza and on the 10th of September (1961 and 1978).
While this is still debated many say that the crash didn't kill Ronnie Peterson, the doctors at the hospital did. Following this F1 hired their own doctors to be present at the races, like Sid Watkins (saved Mika Hakkinen's life in 1995).
1961 at Monza, Phill Hill and Wolfgang von Trips.
Would Tyrrell have fallen off so much if the team hadn't lost not only Stewart to retirement, but his heir apparent? Tyrrell's plans for 1974 were to make Cervert the number one driver with Jody Scheckter as number two. Jody did manage to win two races and place third that year, with newcomer Patrick Depallier taking one podium. Afterward, Jody would win only two more races before departing for the new Walter Wolf Racing for 1976. Depallier wouldn't win his first race until the 1978 Monaco GP, leaving for Ligier the next season. After that, one more victory in 1983 then falling into total mediocrity until sold to British American Tobacco to become BAR. Which becomes Honda, then Braun, and now Mercedes
Even if Cevert ends up becoming champion in 1974 - which btw is far from a certainty because Jody Scheckter was always an underrated driver and might have done better anyway - this doesn't fundamentally change Tyrrell's fortunes for the rest of the 70's or makes them a force to be reckoned with in the 80's. Ken Tyrrell emerged during the heyday of the privateers who could design and build a winner with a small team of dedicated and savvy professionals and finance it with a modest budget and prize money from the races themselves. Ken Tyrrell at first managed the French Matra team, which was backed by French government/tax payer money and hired Jackie Stewart. Elf, the French fuel company sponsored Tyrrell's team too. In 1970 Tyrrell started building his own cars and Stewart followed. Lotus was the only well-funded team at this time while Ferrari was an unmitigated mess. McLaren were yet to enter the Marlboro sponsored era with Fittipaldi and Hunt.
Jackie Stewart was also a very important factor in the consistent success. Following the death of Jim Clark he was the best driver in F1 and arguably in the world at this point. Stewart's input and testing feedback was vital in the development of the new chassis every season. He was so good at it that Ford actually hired him after his retirement from F1 to test Ford cars while they were being developed. Cevert might have had the speed and vigor of a younger Stewart (Jackie was beginning to feel his age by 1973) but did he have his technical expertise and feedback?
The mid-to-late 70's were a tough time economically and it became imperative to secure sound financial backing to compete at the front. Marlboro backed McLaren from 1974 onward, while Elf sponsored Tyrrell until 1978. Frank Williams was another privateer who went nowhere until his deal with Albilad-Saudia in 1978.
And this is where the core of the problem is: Ken Tyrrell isn't as good a businessman as Ron Dennis (McLaren), Frank Williams (Williams) and Bernie Ecclestone (Brabham). In the 80's you needed the big-big money to build a top team and hire the top drivers. Ferrari always had FIAT money (pun intended). When everybody else could get a turbo-engine Tyrrell were still using the obsolescent Cosworth DFV.
Ken Tyrrell kept managing his team the way he always had. In an interview in 1997 a journalist asked how Tyrrell has managed to stay so long in F1 while being mere privateers. Ken replied:"Never spend money you don't have." He was not a risk-taker and deserves kudos and praise for staying in F1 as long as he did - hence that question in that interview when it was clear that the team was from another era of F1.
There were still flashes of brilliance here and there for Tyrrell. The high-nose car was pioneering a concept which later was universally adapted by all the other teams.
Were there any business ventures interested in buying Tyrrell before BAR came along? If not then the Tyrrell team can't see much success in the late 70's and 80's. A good driver won't change this. Ken Tyrrell can't afford to pay a such anyway and bid against the other teams. How can he get drivers like Piquet, Prost and Senna to sign for him? Lauda made a comeback in 1982 when he was given a lucrative contract by Marlboro/McLaren.
Nelson Piquet couldn't turn Lotus's fortunes around in 1988 and 1989. Cevert surviving or even becoming champion in 1974 won't save Tyrrell either.
I'm curious what prompted your choice of title. I see in the description that you had a hard time deciding, but it's weird to me that a title about Stewart's retirement is preferable to one about Cevert, especially when this video was more or less a tribute to him. Is it just that Stewart is a name we recognize today, and Cevert just isn't?
Also, having read your pinned comment: Happy birthday!
Sir Jackie Stewart is by far the more recognized person, and has been a crusader for driver safety in F1 for decades, partly because of this accident. Cevert was just on the cusp of becoming a great diver, but 50 years later, I'd bet that few people outside of F1 fans will even remember Francois Cevert's name.
Happy Birthday!
Learned something new there, that Sir Jackie has dyslexia. Which funnily enough I've witnessed first hand when he signed a programme for my son where he asked if he could write to my sons name.
Yeah, for all intents and purposes he can't read or write. Because of Jackie all teachers being trained in Scotland have to be taught to notice the signs that a child might have it.
Lewis has dyslexia too, and because he can't process words like the rest of us can he often says the wrong stuff that he has to retract.
@@AidanMillward and yet for being dyslexic his handwriting is considerably better than mine. 🤣. Very talented chap, I'm glad I got to stand in his nearby vicinity while he gave a talk on his contributions to Race Against Dementia.
@@AidanMillwardmeaning what? the stuff he said in 2020??
Because of his previous success at Watkins Glen, with a win & 2nd place, you wonder if that’s why Cevert went with his own judgement over the advice of Stewart.
Can't find any sources for the 1968 seasons fifth death. Mayby Solana who raced last in 68 but died 69? Or Lucien Bianchi who also last raced in F1 at 68, but died in march..
Can't find any other info from that
Edit: Bianchi march 1969
Imagine how many more title he could have won
Had Cevert gone to Ferrari, it would have been Cevert and Regazoni. The 1973 season was Lauda's third season in the F1 grid. Lauda had spent 71 and 72 driving a totally hopeless March and not scoring a single championship point. In 1973, Lauda drove for BRM, scored 2 points and finished 18th in the final standings. Lauda got his seat at Ferrari because Regazzaoni recommended him. In 1974, Regazzoni was Ferrari's number 1 driver and Lauda the number 2. Regazzoni finished 2nd in the driver's championship in 1974 missing the championship by 2 points. Lauda was the nuber 2 driver until he blossomed into the all time great he was in 1975. Had Cevert not died at Watkins Glen and gone to Ferrari, he would have taken Lauda's spot. Cevert would have just finished 4th in the drivers championship and was seen as an up and coming possible world champion. No way does Lauda get a seat at Ferrari had Cevert lived. Had Cevert gone to Ferrari, he might have won Lauda's two world titles but I am not certain it wouldn't have been Regazzoni who won those titles. Regazzoni was a great driver. He just had the misfortune of being on the same team as an all time great. While I think Cevert was world class, I don't think he was as good as Lauda. So, Regazzoni might have beaten him.
All the evidence points that Cevert didn't know that JYS was retiring - what Jackie did tell Francois was to stay with him for another year. There were (correct) rumours that Tyrrell was looking at signing Jody for '74 at the previous race in Canada where him and Cevert had a coming together, so maybe made him more determined that fateful day not knowing where his future would lie. Apart from Ferrari, Lotus & Shadow were also sniffing around if rumours were to be believed. The 006 needed respect and was not a car that would take kindly to being overdriven - echoes of Senna and the early FW16 - so for my money, Ken was irresponsible for not telling Cevert he was onboard for the following year, as he may have not had the accident in a more comfortable frame of mind. Sadly we will never know.
Familiar with The Glen. There last month.
There are pictures of the accident which I happened across a couple of years ago, though thankfully they aren't very clear. Sadly, it does appear that he was cut in half....No wonder Stewart decided to withdraw. A very sad end to probably the worst season in F1 history.
Idk where it was I watched it but i am sure it was said Cevert was decapitated, it was one of the Lotus engineers but i am dammed if i can remember the documentary, horrible situation all round
This is only topped by senna for tragedy for me
The worst crash in f1 history
I'm not sure that there was a fifth F1 driver killed in '68?
Someone else’s someone else. Lol
I think youre a bit simplistic with Cevert's intelligence. The guy was a concert Pianist.
Wasn't that Elio de Angelis? He probably would have made a great concert pianist had he pursued that career instead of F1.
@@McLarenMercedes Cevert was, according to Stewart in the last documentary of him on Sky
So awful, so stupid. It was so affecting.
Mike Spence British Lotus Indianapolis 500 practice
Gerhard Mitter German BMW Non-championship race at the Nürburgring
Joakim Bonnier Swedish McLaren Non-championship race at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit
Alessandro Caffi Italian Formula 3 Monza
Chris Irwin I think is the fifth driver, during practice at the 1000km Nurburgring race. Not in an F1 race
Irwin survived (still alive today!), but the crash was career-ending.
@@GrandPrixYannick ah okay
Rest In Peace, Francois...