This weekend’s Italian GP marks the 50th anniversary of Sir Jackie Stewart’s epic drive with Elf Team Tyrrell to clinch the 1973 FIA F1 World Championship. Peter Windsor spoke exclusively to Sir Jackie on Tuesday of this week not only about that momentous day but also about his other unforgettable moments at Monza. With BRM he scored his first F1 win at the circuit; and in a Tyrrell Matra he clinched the 1969 World Championship at Monza with a dazzling slipstreaming win over Lotus’ Jochen Rindt. In between those key moments, Sir Jackie evolved as the greatest F1 driver of his era and as the most important single influencer of motor racing safety and big business: no other individual, in short, has indirectly saved more lives or brought more money into F1. Peter talks to Sir Jackie about all of this, too – and about his decision, despite a recent health scare, to attend this weekend’s Italian GP.
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44 Comments
What a legend at 84 with the memory of a 24yr old. Very impressive, a great driver one of the very greatest. 😊 It's such shame he does not appreciate a legend of the modern era, Sir Lewis😢
Great little anecdote about Jim Clarke 😂
Lovely interview, Peter. Sir Jackie’s memories are so captivating. He has done so much for racing and F1 in particular. To have lost so many friends due to poor safety standards is beyond tragic. A true living legend. God bless him. Thank you, Peter. Well done.
Thanks for a great video. I recently watched the ‘Mansell Red 5’ doc , it was great & a pleasure to listen to you, some aspects of life are tough for me at this moment , so to look back and reminisce and understand the back stories I have to say is immense . Thanks Peter.
Fabulous
57!
What a legend.
Also (please don't have me crucified for this but …)
After that "… bust down doors, flip cars …" story I thought; "and today we snap over a bunch of fans booing".
Well Peter that was one of your best if not the best video you have done , there will only be one Jackie Stewart
I was a young pupil at the racing school (Motor Racing Stables) at Brands Hatch and at a F3 test session we were told to keep to the inside of the track when the F3 teams were on the track. We had old F3 cars, no seat belts and I remember a moment when I realised I would never become a professional ra ceding driver. I had come through Paddock Hill bend and was going up to Druids when with a blast of sound and colour I was overtaken by Jackie Stewart in the Cooper works F3 car, and glued to his tail was Mike Spence in the works Lotus F3 and glued to his tail was Roy Pike in the Chequered Flag Brabham F3. They must have been a couple of feet away from me as they blasted past and I remember jinking to the right out of fright and having a moment on the grass before gaining the track and getting round Druids. For every lap I did they did one and a half laps. I reached a stage when I had a driver coach who was the late great Tony Lanfranchi. Having crashed at Druids trying to meet a target lap time and ending up in Dartford hospital, my father went to pick up my road car and asked Tony if I would ever make a pro driver and was told, never make it, he is a 9/10th man, too much self preservation. He is above the average and could be ok in club racing but never a pro. So ended my attempt at race car driving., Seeing Jackie Stewart reminded of those days long ago.
Every Formula 1 enthusiast needs to watch "The Quick and the Dead," a 1970's film about the sport during that era. Amazing the dangers these drivers faced. The current crop of drivers have no idea what their predecessors faced.
Thank you
Thank you so much Peter, this interview is wonderful and it brought up a lot of beautiful souvenirs 😊
Jacky did a lot for the F1, thanks to him.
There was more friendship among drivers, it was like F1 family, nothing to do with nowadays.
I remember we never missed races which were gathering the whole family in front of the TV.
Unforgettable moments.
Thanks again ❤
Excellent interview with no unnecessary interruptions. People forget how hated Stewart was because of his safety campaign.
Thank you Peter, another excellent interview!
Part of the Golden Age. Long past.
Thank you for providing this excellent opportunity to allow Sir Jackie to share these wonderful stories. His perspective on life and relationships that defined this period is priceless.
An excellent interview, informative and entertaining in a lovely mix. Well done Peter and sir Jackie.
Great chat, I won't say interview because you were two guys remembering the golden years of F1, I watched the documentary about chef James Martin getting to drive Sir Jackie's Tyrrell at Monza, Sir Jackie was there watching him, you could see the emotion on his face listening to his old car roaring down the start/finish straight, and even commenting on hearing the gear changes as James was rounding the circuit, you could tell how Monza has a special place in his heart, one of the few last great racers
I wonder if in 30 years Sir Lewis will be reminiscing about taking the knee and parading around in frocks?
Special
Brilliant! Thank you.
One of the true legends and an absolute gentleman of Formula One. And he is the exact same when you have the privilege to meet him in person. Much respect and love for JYS.
Excellent interview!
My childhood hero and 63 years still ,and living just up the road from Dumbarton, having met him many years ago as well ❤❤
Dear Peter, I have been followed F1 since my fattar took me to the first GP of Sweden/Skandinavien of Raceway!! I have one statement and one question.
1 I think you are speaking in favour in "short cornering% drivers" compared to traditionel drivers (like Fernando). Pls comment w/o picturing me as an idiot!
2 Question, Whats your thoughts of my nr 1 driver all time, Ronnie?!?! Please give your thoughts, why did not win over Mario?, why did not win over Jackie?, I have never understood why Ronnie as a faster driver did not win over Mario and/over Jackie!! Awaiting your thoughtful answer. /Mikael, Sweden
One of the best interviews I’ve ever seen, thank you!
20+ years ago I had the honour of shaking Jackie’s hand. One of my lifetimes heroes since I started following F1 back in 1970. What a warm, polite gentleman he is. Big, warm hands with a firm grip and good eye contact, and that immediate sense of absolute strength beyond strength. I Never will forget that day..
That was really wonderful! Thank you!
Sir Jackie really is a true living legend. Such a wonderful character and ambassador for motor racing and many other things. Thank heavens above we have such great people like him. Thank you sir Jackie and thank you Peter. Lovely video.
Great interview of a great guy. I put him above Schumacher, on my top rung with Senna and Clark .
As a 78-year-old, I was brought up by a motor sport dad. I followed F1 seriously, from the rise of Vanwall in the mid-‘50s. Dad was a subscriber of the celebrated British monthly, called Motor Sport, then widely regarded in the Anglosphere as the final word on F1.
The writer who covered all F1 races for Motor Sport, was a bearded bespectacled older journalist, Denis Jenkinson, author of The Racing Driver: The Theory and Practice of Fast Driving who had been the sidecar passenger, to the World Sidecar Champion in 1949, what today is called Moto GP. Jenkinson was also the legendary navigator alongside the much younger Stirling Moss, in one of Moss's most famous victories, the 1955 Mille Miglia. “Jenks”, as he was known, also had a monthly, long-form commentary-column called Continental Notes.
Peter Windsor’s brilliant and revealing interview barely details the vitriol heaped on the modest Jackie Stewart for initiating his brave stand in demanding the FIA, and other F1 administrators, take action over a lack of safety at circuits, and in F1 cars, over the appalling number of F1 drivers who died in races from the early ‘60s to the late ‘80s.
Elsewhere Stewart has explained he kept his mouth shut over his views until he became World Champion, because he anticipated the hostility he would face.
Most of all I remember the disgraceful print space that Motor Sport’s editor, gave to Denis Jenkinson, who decried Stewart literally as a “coward”, who argued since admission tickets to F1 events clearly stated that ‘motor racing was dangerous, and you attended at your own risk’, both spectators and especially F1 drivers, participants did so at their own risk. Therefore, had no F1 driver had the right to advocate that the sport should not lead to a driver’s death.
So, I stopped reading Motor Sport, as I regarded it as colluding in F1 deaths.
I believe it's important that F1 history be honestly confronted as we must confront all of humanity’s ugly and sad sides honestly.
Jackie Stewart for me became my all-time F1 hero, even greater than my previous loyalty to his friend, Jim Clark who like so many of Jackie’s friends, died behind the wheel of a racing car.
This same feeling also led me to lose another youthful hero of mine, Lotus’ Colin Chapman, whose attitude to racing driver safety I regarded as cavalier.
A gut wrenching interview. JYS was a great champion
Great talk listening to you guys chatting. Salute.
Thank You, Both! I love hearing about the History of F1. Used to watch on limited tv in the 60’s and 70’s. The men of that era had nerves of steel and intestinal fortitude!
((((((((💫🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💫))))))))
Peter, I have a great personally taken photo of Dan Gurney
I would love to make arrangements to send you and perhaps sir Jackie a copy
Thank you Peter. Very grateful for this content.
when racing drivers were men,not cosseted namby pambies like today's wallies.
Thank you Jackie for all the hard work . Always a hero cheers 🍺
Sir Jackie is one of my favorite drivers of all time. This interview shows why.
Great interview 👍
Jackie is the Godfather of F1 💪
Just brilliant Peter. Thank you! The one guy I wish I could get his autograph one day.
He and Lauda, such interesting people.
Living legend .. and still bright and funny at this age. Great interview