Jackie Stewart was devastated by the death of his close friend Jim Clark in a Formula 2 crash at Hockenheim in 1968. Stewart had already shown considerable potential and would emerge as Clark’s natural successor.
Triple Formula 1 Champion Jackie Stewart
Stewart began his Formula 1 career with BRM, but it was not until he threw his lot in with Ken Tyrrell that real success came his way. Tyrell had given Stewart his first single-seater test and when they combined forces in Formula 1 they were often unstoppable.
Stewart’s first F1 title came in 1969 with a Ford engined Matra. In 1971 and 1973 he won again, this time driving cars of Tyrrell’s own construction. Throughout his racing career Stewart lost many close friends in accidents, including Jochen Rindt (Monza 1970), Piers Courage (Zandvoort 1970) and teammate François Cevert (Watkins Glen 1973). Stewart pushed hard for increased safety and his efforts undoubtedly saved lives.
In the late 1990s Stewart began a second career in Formula 1, this time as owner of his own team Stewart Grand Prix. The team gained impressive results – including a victory for Johnny Herbert – before Stewart sold up to Jaguar.
Scottish Formula 1 Drivers
Following Stewart’s retirement at the end of the 1973 F1 season there were no Scottish drivers in Grand Prix racing. Gerry Birrell had been tipped to fill Stewart’s shoes at Tyrrell, but was killed in a horrific accident at Rouen during a Formula 2 race.
Scotland’s next Formula 1 driver was a surprise. Jim Crawford only started racing single-seaters in late 1973, having started his career rallying a borrowed Mini Cooper. Despite this he was a works Lotus F1 driver by the time of the 1975 British Grand Prix, following Jacky Ickx’s sudden departure from the team.
Crawford’s Formula 1 career was brief and unrewarding. In an outdated Lotus he stood little chance of making an impression in his two Formula 1 World Championship appearances. After several years struggling in lower formulae Crawford moved to America in the 1980s, excelling in Can Am and becoming a fixture at the Indianapolis 500. In 1987 he suffered a violent accident at Indy which left him with leg injuries which affected him for the the rest of his life. Further complications from the crash contributed to his early death in 2002, aged 54.
Over a decade would pass before another Scotsman competed in Formula 1. Also driving for Lotus Johnny Dumfries had one season in Grand Prix racing in 1986. Unfortunately for Dumfries his team-mate was the mercurial Ayrton Senna. After F1 Dumfries found success in sports cars, winning Le Mans with Jaguar.
Kevin Guthrie - Kevin is based in Fife, Scotland, where he works as a music teacher, professional drummer and freelance writer. At an early age he ...
