The 1969 Formula One season was the 23rd season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the 20th World Championship of Drivers, the 12th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and four non-championship races open to Formula One cars. The World Championship was contested over eleven races between 1 March and 19 October 1969.
British driver Jackie Stewart, driving a Matra-Ford Cosworth, won more than half of the races and claimed his first Drivers' Championship.[1] The Matra team, led by Ken Tyrrell, also took home the Manufacturers' Cup.[2] This would be the only title for a chassis built in France and the only one for a privateer.
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1969 World Championship.
Going into the second half of the season, Chris Amon left Ferrari. The Italian team signed Mexican driver Pedro Rodríguez from BRM.
| Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South African Grand Prix
|
Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand | 1 March |
| 2 |  Spanish Grand Prix
|
Montjuïc circuit, Barcelona | 4 May |
| 3 |  Monaco Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo | 18 May |
| 4 |  Dutch Grand Prix
|
Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort | 21 June |
| 5 |  French Grand Prix
|
Charade Circuit, Clermont-Ferrand | 6 July |
| 6 |  British Grand Prix
|
Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone | 19 July |
| 7 |  German Grand Prix
|
Nürburgring, Nürburg | 3 August |
| 8 |  Italian Grand Prix
|
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza | 7 September |
| 9 |  Canadian Grand Prix
|
Mosport Park, Bowmanville | 20 September |
| 10 |  United States Grand Prix
|
Watkins Glen International, New York | 5 October |
| 11 |  Mexican Grand Prix
|
Magdalena Mixhuca, Mexico City | 19 October |
The Belgian Grand Prix was originally to be held on 8 June, but Jackie Stewart, a strong advocate for safety in Formula One, had inspected the track and demanded multiple changes to the circuit. The track owners did not grant his wishes and the drivers boycotted the Grand Prix.[3][4]
Aerodynamics had been the talk of the town since last season and most teams chose to implement front and rear wings, besides the front nose spoilers which had been around a little longer. Lotus had pioneered movable wings, operated by a fourth pedal at the driver's feet, and their rivals had used the winter stop to implement a system of their own. McLaren, for example, gave their drivers a lever next to their left hand to flatten the rear wing, giving more speed on the straight, and connected the brake pedal to the wing to automatically put the wing back to its original position and add downforce for the corner. Tyrrell Matra came up with an electrically-operated rear wing, automatically flattening the rear wing when fifth gear was selected.[5]
At the beginning of the season, the wings were positioned as high as possible to generate the most downforce and secured on the car's suspension to push the tyres into the ground. But when the 1969 Spanish Grand Prix featured several dramatic crashes, the FIA (then known as the Commission Sportive Internationale or CSI) banned all use of wings. Only the aerofoils on the nose were still allowed. This was suddenly decided after the first practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix.[6]
From the next race on, wings would be allowed again, but only if there no movable parts, if they were rigidly attached to sprung parts of the bodywork (so not to the suspension) and fell within a certain maximum height and width. These rules were introduced for the Dutch Grand Prix and strictly enforced from the French Grand Prix on.[6][7][8]
During practice for the South African Grand Prix, reigning champion Graham Hill broke the pedal operating the wings, while the wings themselves broke on the cars of his Lotus teammates Jochen Rindt and Mario Andretti. The American driver had noticed that, when going through a fast corner, the wing leant sideways so far that it touched the rear tyre and twisted the struts. Three-time World Champion Jack Brabham qualified on pole position in the car bearing his name, ahead of Rindt and 1967 champion Denny Hulme. With Matra driver Jackie Stewart and Ferrari driver Chris Amon starting behind them, five different teams occupied the first two rows. At the start, Stewart got up to second behind Brabham, overtook the Australian before the end of the first lap, and then broke the lap record while still heavy on fuel. Brabham's rear wing collapsed on lap 5 and had both wings cut off in the pits. This allowed him to reach 283.78 km/h (176.33 mph) on the straight but made the car very unstable in the corners, and he decided to retire. Andretti inherited second place, but then retired with a gearbox failure, and Rindt suffered from a failing fuel pump. Stewart took an unchallenged victory, ahead of Hill and Hulme.[5]
For the first time, the Spanish Grand Prix was run at Montjuïc circuit (although the street circuit had existed since 1933). During practice, Rindt hit a stray dog and damaged his suspension but still managed to qualify on pole, ahead of Amon and Hill. Stewart and Brabham qualified on the second row. Only twelve drivers managed to start the race and Hill crashed out after just six laps, but Rindt led away without trouble. On lap 20, however, his rear wing collapsed while travelling 225 km/h (140 mph) and he crashed into the Armco barrier. He hit the wreckage of Hill's car and then overturned. He was taken into hospital and would miss the next race. Amon inherited the lead with almost 40 seconds over Stewart, until his engine blew on lap 56. While Jacky Ickx was in second place, his wing collapsed, necessating a pit stop, and later, his Brabham's rear wishbone broke, making retirement unavoidable. Once again, Stewart was unchallenged, two full laps ahead of Bruce McLaren and teammate Jean-Pierre Beltoise.[9]
Going into the Monaco Grand Prix, one could have expected unified actions to control the high and fragile wings, but it took the CSI (FIA) until after the first practice was already run. In the meantime, Matra had added even more aerodynamic pieces to their cars' noses and Ferrari had implemented an hydraulically-controlled wing. Stewart set a lap time that looked unbeatable, but when all aerofoils and wings were banned, the FIA also scrapped all times from Thursday practice. After this reset, Stewart was again fastest and qualified on pole, ahead of Ferrari driver Amon and Matra teammate Beltoise, but all three of them retired within six laps of each other. With Brabham and Ickx failing to finish as well, Hill took an easy win, a record fifth victory in Monaco, ahead of Piers Courage, driving a Brabham for Frank Williams Racing Cars, and Jo Siffert, driving a Lotus for Rob Walker Racing Team. [10]
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The ban on movable wings was still active during the Dutch Grand Prix, but the CSI now allowed aerodynamic devices if they were fixed to the bodywork (and not to the suspension) and could not move. With the regulations formulated quite loosely, though, teams provoked the Dutch scrutineers with some daring designs, only some of which were banned. Furthermore, Matra and Lotus introduced four-wheel drive cars, but only tried them out in practice. Rindt qualified on pole, with Stewart and Hill next to him, and it was the reigning champion that reached the end of the straight first. With Stewart regelated back to third, Lotus could control the race, but instead, started fighting each other, with Rindt taking the lead on lap 3, while going off track with two wheels. The Austrian then pulled out a ten second lead, leaving Hill vulnerable to Stewart's offense. The Scot moved up to second place, but in terms of pace was losing out, until Rindt suffered a drive shaft failure on lap 16. With the Matra let loose and free to take the win, eyes turned to the battle behind him. Siffert clinched second place with a daring move round the outside of Tarzan corner, and after Hill had to make an unforeseen pit stop, it was Amon that scored a third place for Ferrari.[11]
In the Drivers' Championship, Jackie Stewart (Matra) was leading with 27 points, ahead of Graham Hill (Lotus) with 15 and Jo Siffert (Lotus) with 13. For the Manufacturers' Cup, Matra was leading the standings with 27 points, ahead of Lotus (21) and McLaren (15).
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With the rules on aerodynamic devices now formalised, the French Grand Prix would likely show who the favourites would be for the title. And first of all, it was Jackie Stewart claiming pole position for Matra, ahead of 1967 champion Denny Hulme for McLaren and Jochen Rindt for Lotus. Reigning champion Graham Hill started down in eighth, out of just thirteen entrants. The Lotus 63 was prepared for their Formula Three driver John Miles, giving him the honour to make the first ever start in a four-wheel drive Formula One car. He did retire with a broken fuel pump, however, on the first lap. Stewart, meanwhile, took an easy win, with his teammate and home hero Jean-Pierre Beltoise finishing in second, and Belgian driver Jacky Ickx completing the podium in his Brabham.[12]
During practice for the British Grand Prix, it was again Stewart who set the pace from the beginning, and he was comfortable to switch to the four-wheel drive Matra MS84. McLaren launched their four-wheel drive car, the M9A-1, while Lotus came prepared with two four-wheel drive cars, having convinced Hill to give it a try. But it was Rindt in the two-wheel drive Lotus 49B that gave Stewart a real run for his money: the Austrian came within two tenths of a second of the Scot, who felt another defensive lap was necessary. Going through the last corner, however, he hit a loose kerb and crashed backwards into the wall. Regulations at the time stated that positions on the starting grid were decided by the fastest time set in the car that actually started the race. Given that the Matra was irreparable in the time available and Stewart had to take over his teammate's car, the stewards took Stewart's fastest time in that car and placed him second on the grid. At the start, Rindt managed to just stay ahead and the two rivals sailed away into the distance. Sixth-starting John Surtees got up to third, but his suspension collapsed before the first lap was completed, giving the place to Hulme. Stewart took the lead on lap 6 but had to hand it back on lap 16, when the pair came across Beltoise, trying to find his feet in the MS84. Hulme retired with a faulty ignition, giving way to Bruce McLaren, who was then passed by Jacky Ickx. On lap 62, Rindt's rear wing collapsed and he had to pit. This handed Stewart his fifth win in six races, ahead of Ickx and McLaren. Rindt came home in fourth.[13]
For the German Grand Prix, twelve Formula Two cars complemented the grid, and one of them, Gerhard Mitter, was sadly killed during practice. On the F1 grid, it was Ickx who set his first pole position of the year, ahead of Stewart and Rindt, and the Belgian made a good start. Mario Andretti, coming over from the United States to further develop the four-wheel drive Lotus, slowed down during the first lap and saw Vic Elford crashing into him and flying into the trees. The McLaren driver broke his arm in three places. Meanwhile, Ickx fell back to fourth place, but he made an inspired recovery to second place. He closed up and the leading pair went nose-to-tail for two full laps. Ickx made a heroic pass under braking, but locked up, and Stewart held on. On lap 6, the Brabham took the lead firmly and quickly set a lap record. He eventually took the win with a minute advantage over the championship leader. Bruce McLaren and Graham Hill finished third and fourth, respectively. [14]
Ickx had climbed up to second place in the standings, but was looking at such a distance to Stewart, that the championship would be decided at the Italian Grand Prix if the Scot managed to win the race. During qualifying, he did not manage more than third, behind Rindt and Hulme, but overtook the New Zealander at the start and the Austrian later in the first lap. Ickx had to pit when his oil pressure dropped. The three at the front traded places a couple of times, with a group of five drivers behind them joining in the slipstream battle. Hill had started in ninth but was charging Stewart for the lead near the end of the race, until his drive shaft broke with four laps to go. After at least fourteen lead changes and even a lot more in the remaining points-paying positions, it was Stewart's teammate Beltoise who made a do-or-die move into the last corner of the race. He went too fast and ran wide, but hindered Rindt while doing so, which was just as good a result. The top four finished within 0.19 seconds of each other and Stewart was given the win, ahead of Rindt, Beltoise and McLaren. Ickx had retired three laps from the end when he ran out of fuel.[15]
His sixth win of the season gave Jackie Stewart (Matra) an unsurmountable lead in the Drivers' Championship. He stood at 60 points, ahead of Bruce McLaren (McLaren) with 24 and Jacky Ickx (Brabham) with 22. Matra now also had enough to be awarded the Manufacturers' Cup with 60 points, ahead of Lotus with 34 and Brabham with 30.
After he was injured in a testing accident in June,[16] triple World Champion Jack Brabham returned to the grid for the Canadian Grand Prix. He would finish this season and then retire, also selling his shares of the Brabham team to co-founder Ron Tauranac. In practice, at least three drivers spun or crashed out on the slippery sandy surface of Mosport, but Jacky Ickx managed to qualify on pole position, five tenths ahead of the competition. It was Jochen Rindt, however, that took the lead into the first corner, before freshly crowned champion Jackie Stewart snatched it on lap 6. Behind the leaders, Jean-Pierre Beltoise collided with local driver Al Pease, who was already being lapped before a quarter of the race was run. After this, the Canadian was disqualified for "driving too slowly", the only time that has ever happened. On lap 33, Ickx overtook Stewart, but their wheels struck and they both spun. Stewart landed in a ditch and stalled his engine, but Ickx could continue to take a suddenly easy victory. Jack Brabham finished second, the Australian's first podium of the year, ahead of Rindt in third. Johnny Servoz-Gavin finished sixth, scoring the first and only ever championship point in a four-wheel drive Formula One car.[17]
The United States Grand Prix was the penultimate round of the championship and saw Rindt take his fifth pole position of the year, ahead of Hulme and Stewart. Ickx started down in eighth after a hair-raising spin off the track in practice. After the start, Rindt and Stewart left the field behind and the Scot took the lead on lap 12, when the Austrian made a slight error. Rindt kept pressing, however, and was back in front on lap 21, the two already running half a lap ahead of the competition. On lap 36, Stewart's engine suffered an oil leak and he had to retire, leaving Rindt to take, after seven career podiums, his first victory. 1968 champion Graham Hill suffered a flat tyre and spun off. His car hit the banks and turning over, violently throwing him out of the car. Hill broke both his legs. Ickx had also retired, so there was room for some other names on the podium: Piers Courage was second in the Brabham run by Frank Williams Racing Cars and 1964 champion John Surtees was third for BRM.[18]
In qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix, Jack Brabham claimed pole with a new lap record. Going into his supposedly final race, the Australian had lost none of his speed, beating the old record by more than a second. Ickx and Stewart started beside him on the front row, and it was the Scot who took the lead, before Ickx took it on lap 2. Stewart then fell back a bit, with fourth-starting Hulme rising to the occasion. On lap 10, the McLaren passed the Brabham for the lead and sailed away. Ickx made two attempts later in the race but was unable to pass the New Zealander, finishing 2.5 seconds behind him. Jack Brabham finished third, Stewart fourth.[19]
Jackie Stewart (Matra) finished first in the Drivers' Championship with 63 points, ahead of Jacky Ickx (Brabham) with 37 and Bruce McLaren (McLaren) with 26. In the standings for the Manufacturers' Cup, Matra had achieved 66 points, ahead of Brabham with 49 and Lotus with 47.
|
Further information: List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems |
Points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the top six finishers at each Grand Prix. However, only the best five results from the first six races and the best four results from the last five races counted towards the World Championship.
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Formula 2 cars occupied the positions between fifth and tenth at the German GP, but the drivers who drove these cars did not earn points for the championship. The fifth and sixth points went to the eleventh and twelfth in the race, Siffert and Beltoise.
Points were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the first six finishers at each round, however only the best placed car from each manufacturer was eligible to score points. The best five results from the first six rounds and the best four results from the last five rounds were retained.
| Pos. | Manufacturer | RSA
|
ESP
|
MON
|
NED
|
FRA
|
GBR
|
GER
|
ITA
|
CAN
|
USA
|
MEX
|
Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matra-Ford
|
1 | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | NC | 4 | 66 |
| 2 | Brabham-Ford
|
Ret | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | (5) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 49 (51) |
| 3 | Lotus-Ford
|
2 | Ret | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 47 |
| 4 | McLaren-Ford
|
3 | 2 | (5) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Ret | 1 | 38 (40) |
| 5 | BRM
|
7 | 5 | Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | NC | NC | 3 | 6 | 7 | |
| 6 | Ferrari
|
Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | Ret | 6 | Ret | 5 | 7 | 7 | |
| — | Cooper-Maserati
|
7 | WD | 0 | |||||||||
| — | Brabham-Repco
|
8 | 0 | ||||||||||
| — | Brabham-Climax
|
Ret | 0 | ||||||||||
| — | Eagle-Climax
|
DSQ | 0 | ||||||||||
| Pos. | Manufacturer | RSA
|
ESP
|
MON
|
NED
|
FRA
|
GBR
|
GER
|
ITA
|
CAN
|
USA
|
MEX
|
Pts. |
Other Formula One races were held in 1969, which did not count towards the World Championship. The Madrid Grand Prix and Gold Cup were held concurrently with Formula 5000 cars.
| Race name | Circuit | Date | Winning driver | Constructor | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV Race of Champions
|
Brands Hatch | 16 March | Jackie Stewart
|
Matra-Cosworth
|
Report |
| XXI BRDC International Trophy
|
Silverstone | 30 March |  Jack Brabham
|
Brabham-Cosworth
|
Report |
| Madrid Grand Prix
|
Jarama | 13 April | Keith Holland
|
Lola-Chevrolet
|
Report |
| XVI International Gold Cup
|
Oulton Park | 16 August |  Jacky Ickx
|
Brabham-Cosworth
|
Report |
