François Cevert

Interesting facts

Born in Paris in 1944, he was the son of Charles Goldenberg, a Russian-Jewish émigré jeweller who joined the French Resistance during the Second World War; the children used their mother's surname, Cevert, to avoid drawing Nazi attention. His sister married fellow Grand Prix driver Jean-Pierre Beltoise. He started out racing motorcycles at sixteen, won the Volant Shell scholarship in 1966, and became French Formula 3 champion in 1968. After struggling to pass him in a 1969 Formula Two race, Jackie Stewart personally recommended him to team boss Ken Tyrrell, who later said it was really Stewart's word, not the sponsor Elf, that sealed the signing. His only Formula One victory came at the 1971 United States Grand Prix, making him only the second French driver ever to win a Grand Prix, and he finished third in that year's championship. Through 1973 he finished second six times, with Stewart praising him as an exceptionally obedient teammate being groomed to lead Tyrrell once Stewart retired. On 6 October 1973, battling Ronnie Peterson for pole in Saturday qualifying at Watkins Glen, he clipped a kerb in the Esses, lost control and struck the opposite barrier almost head-on, dying instantly; Stewart, who witnessed the crash, immediately withdrew from racing for good. François Cevert made his Formula 1 debut in 1970 and raced until 1973, 4 seasons in total as a French driver. He scored a total of 89 championship points over his career. His best season was 1971, when he finished 3rd in the championship with 26 points.